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Archive for the ‘About Nutrition’ Category

Our lifestyles have changed so fast that our bodies have not been able to adapt to the new way of living. To function properly our bodies require a wide array of vitamins and other nutrients that we do not always get on a regular basis because we do not consume enough fruits and vegetables that contain these nutrients. Some vitamins are required for the body to function properly, while other nutrients prevent diseases. If the human body is deprived of these vital nutrients, it becomes prone to several ailments.

For example, the lack of nutrients like minerals, amino acids vitamins, and essential fatty acids make people feel fatigued. If required quantities of chromium and vanadium are not a part of our diets the blood sugar levels are not regulated properly. This also leads to fatigue.

If selenium and vitamin E are not consumed in adequate quantities, then people become more prone to heart diseases. The risk of getting prostate cancer can be reduced by if proper quantities of zinc, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C, and herbs like Lycopene and Saw Palmetto are consumed.

Now-a-days, we can not have the kind of food that we should have for various reasons. Sometimes our schedules are such that we cannot prepare nutritious food everyday. Thus most of us need nutrition health supplements to stay fit.

However, buying any generic nutrition health supplement will not necessarily have the desired effect because many of these have synthetic ingredients. The disadvantage of synthetic ingredients is that these do not get absorbed into the body easily. The human body tends to reject them at the cellular level. Often these contain artificial additives and preservatives that also hamper the absorption process.

Thus you should choose nutrition health supplements that are manufactured from plants that have been grown organically. The human body finds it easier to absorb such nutrients.

Nutrition health supplements are also required by pregnant women because they cannot also get the nutrients that they need through the food that they eat. Another group of people who require supplements are people who are on weight loss diets. Since such people do not eat the food that ordinary people eat, they have to ensure that they are getting the vital nutrients without increasing their obesity.

These days, good and affordable nutrition health supplements can be purchased though the internet. So go ahead and get back your health by consuming a health supplement regularly.

A balanced diet, good nutrition and regular exercise are the key cornerstones of good health and vitality. Diet and nutrition affect health. Your diet should provide the necessary nutrients essential for energy, promote growth, and sustain metabolic functions and repair processes that are vital to life. The preventive role of corrective nutrition is an ever-evolving process. Inadequate and improper diets are not only responsible for under nutrition, but also contribute to several chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart diseases.

Everyone wishes to look youthful even in their old age. Sensible and healthy food habits right from childhood coupled with good lifestyle delay aging, increase life span, and add to the quality of life. As we move up the ladder of economic prosperity, diet-associated chronic diseases begin to assume significance. Coupled with sedentary lifestyles, imbalanced diets can contribute to chronic degenerative diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases have no geographic and racial boundaries. They occur throughout the world, in all races and in all strata of society, though variations between sexes, ages and socioeconomic status do exist. They are life-threatening and are responsible for the majority of deaths in many countries. Since they are often fatal, biomedical research all over the world is directed towards prevention of heart diseases at an early stage. Attempts are being made to define living habits that might be associated with an increased risk such as smoking, alcoholism, lack of regular exercise, high stress, high fat low fibre diets and irregular meal timings.

Combating heart disease is one of the challenging problems of medical science. Medical treatment, though advanced, is only one component of the care of heart patients. It is expensive and often beyond the reach of the common man in developing countries. It would be to our advantage to prevent the disease through several available approaches -

Eat a low fat high fiber balanced diet Consume omega 3 fats (fish oils) and avoid trans fats Moderate intensity activity such as brisk walking at least 30 minutes a day for adults five times a day has been recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine / American Heart Association (2007) and Strong (2005).

How exactly does nutrition and mental health go together? What effect does the food we eat have on our mental well being? Can we make some changes that will positively influence our brains and the state we find ourselves in? Absolutely.

The foods we eat can greatly affect the body and its systems. The types of nutrients (or the lack of them) determines how our body and mind operates. If you find yourself dealing with anxiety, depression and other mental issues making some adjustments in your diet may help.

Mental nutrition and health related food is not something new, but has been somewhat overlooked by the public and to an extent health professionals. Diet and exercise are usually offered up as helpful tips to combat mental disorders, but the information is often general. Usually doctors go for therapy and drugs for more noticeable forms of depression and anxiety. They do so without more specifically looking at how natural substances can help without the need for drugs or other expensive options.

However, recent nutrition and mental health studies have begun to highlight specific natural substances that directly impact mood, anxiety and depression. Many of these we can get in our diet by adjusting the foods we eat. Unfortunately, most of us don’t get enough of these even by eating right due to the fact that much of the food we get in stores is processed to the point of removing nutrients. Usually a person will need to both eat the right foods and use supplements to get the total amount needed to make a change in their mental state.

Mental nutrition and health experts have noticed that B complex vitamins have a role in mental function and mood. B complex vitamins have been understood to help provide energy to the body by working in the process of breaking down food into energy more efficiently, but research also shows that they work in the brain to protect and maintain nerve cells and brain function. Increasing levels of B complex vitamins brought noticeable improvement in mood, memory and mental energy for those studied over time.

The nutrition and mental health studies also noted that what was good for the heart was also good for the mind. Reducing bad fats and increasing Omega 3 fatty acids like those found in fish had a positive effect on the brain as well. Omega 3′s contain DHA and EPA two fatty acids that help create healthy nerve cells and promote mood and function. There have been studies using Omega 3′s to treat depression with positive results.

In addition to eating less fatty foods, increasing Omega 3′s and B vitamins, mental nutrition and health experts also recommend adding some nutritional supplements to the mix. These supplements contain various natural extracts and compounds that the body needs to produce neurotransmitters and other brain chemicals necessary for proper communication between nerve cells as well as regulating things like mood.

For example, 5-HTP is a substance the body uses to create serotonin. Serotonin, is a brain chemical that is responsible for mood, appetite, sleep functions, etc. People fighting depression and insomnia often have issues with their serotonin levels. A supplement with 5-HTP can help the body to increase the level of serotonin in the brain and alleviate the symptoms of depression and sleeplessness.

Another substance recommended by nutrition and mental health research is SAM-e. SAM-e has been used in Europe and other countries for years to treat depression and other mental issues but has only recently begun to see use in the US. SAM-e is used by the brain to create a variety of brain chemicals and neurotransmitters. Studies done on SAM-e showed that some people started responding to it in literally hours, noticing positive effects. SAM-e may also be helpful to people who can’t take prozac or who don’t respond well to the drug.

There are other compounds too like L-Tyrosine, Acetyl L-Carnitine, choline, etc. that are helpful. However, we don’t have time or space to go into all of them here. The important things is that there are natural substances out there that nutrition and mental health experts are now offering their patients in light of recent research. These substances can have a profound impact on lifting depression, anxiety and reducing stress. As with anything it is important to find a health provider who is familiar and comfortable with these things that can help you decide what might help you and what might interact with any medicines you are taking. Aside from that, making some simple adjustments in the food you eat and taking a daily supplement may be just what you need to get to a better place mentally.

Professional bodybuilders and athletes in training already know that eating a high protein diet offers several health and training benefits, which is why many add whey protein shakes and powders to their daily diet. However, consuming ready-made shakes and supplements can become boring, making it difficult to stick with a training diet for the long term. Trying new protein shake recipes can help.

Protein powders can be mixed with dozens of ingredients and flavorings to create rich smoothies and shakes that not only taste great, but provide ample nutrition. David Heber and Susan Bowerman, authors of the book “The L.A. Shape Diet” point out that it’s best to adjust shake recipes to suit your protein needs; most people need to consume a shake mix that provides at least 9 grams of protein before adding other proteins such as soy milk or skim milk. If you’re getting tired of your usual nutrition program, here are a few delicious protein shake recipes to try:

Banana Protein Shake: Mix together 30 grams of vanilla protein powder, 1 medium banana, 1 cup soy milk, 1 teaspoon golden syrup and 3 to 4 ice cubes in a blender. Add 2 tablespoons of vanilla yogurt and blend until smooth. This shake can be enjoyed as a meal replacement or consumed after workout for muscle repair and recovery.

Strawberry Nut Shake: Mix together 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder, 1 cup of low fat strawberry yoghurt, 1/4 cup sliced strawberries and 5-6 shredded macadamia nuts or pine nuts. Blend until smooth and enjoy as a snack or after a workout.

Chocolate Coffee Protein Shake: Mix together 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder, 1 cup of soy milk, 1 cup of water, 1 spoonful of instant coffee and 5-6 ice cubes in a medium blender. This protein powder shake recipe tastes a lot like the creamy, frozen concoctions available at the coffeeshop and can be consumed for breakfast, as a dessert, or as a snack between meals.

Wild Berry Protein Shake: Mix together 2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder, 1/2 cup raspberries, 1/2 cup chopped strawberries, 1/2 cup blueberries and 1 cup of soy milk in a blender. Add a few ice cubes and blend until cubes are crushed. This frothy protein shake is a great pick-me-up in the late afternoon, and can also be enjoyed for breakfast or after a workout.

Peanut Butter Protein Shake: Mix together 2 scoops vanilla protein, 1 tablespoon butterscotch pudding mix, 1 tablespoon chunky peanut butter, 1 cup cold soy milk and 3-5 ice cubes in a blender until smooth. This is a very rich and sweet shake that can be a great addition to a high protein meal, or consumed as a snack between meals.

Oatmeal Cinnamon Protein Shake: Mix together 1 cup dry oatmeal, 2 scoops vanilla protein, 3 dashes of cinnamon, 12 oz. soy milk, 1 tablespoon chopped almonds and 2 tablespoons of sugar-free maple syrup in a blender until smooth. This thick shake is an excellent source of healthy carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats, and is best enjoyed as a meal replacement.

Pina Colada Protein Shake: Mix together 2 scoops vanilla protein powder, 1/2 cup pineapple juice, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/4 teaspoon each of rum and coconut extracts, 1 packet of artificial sweetener and 1/4 cup soy milk in a blender. Add 4-6 ice cubes to thicken and blend until smooth; serve immediately.

Some of the biggest excuses I hear about healthy eating, be it for health reasons, or to lose weight or gain muscle are – “healthy food doesn’t taste good,” (which is a serious problem because if your food doesn’t taste good, it’s very unlikely you’ll stick to the plan) “it takes too long to prepare healthy food”, and, “it’s too complicated.” These excuses are usually the result of thinking you need to slave over a hot stove preparing 6 course meals all day long. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Excuse #1 Healthy food is bland food

First off, the reality is that healthy foods aren’t the one to blame; it’s the cook who’s at fault. Healthy foods don’t have to be boring, or taste bad. Foods like rice cakes taste like cardboard because that’s what rice cakes taste like, not because all healthy foods do

The belief that healthy food doesn’t taste good will slow down your progress. Healthy food is like high performance race fuel for your body, while junk food laden with salt, sugar, fats, preservatives and the like are nothing more than camouflaged candy. You can say healthy food helps you perform like an Indy car, or a jet fighter, and junk food gives you the performance of a garbage truck! If you insist on eating junk and avoiding healthy food because “it taste’s bad,” don’t expect to win any races or competitions anytime soon.

Another point to keep in mind is the following, expensive restaurants don’t serve Big Macs – notice I didn’t say burgers. They have burgers alright; one’s made with top quality beef, nutritious bread and piles of veggies.

A tasty menu will actually make you look forward to your meals, and that’s critical.

You might be able to eat a bad meal every now or then and brush it off, but do you think you could do that every day? How about 4, 5, 6 even 7 times a day? Probably not unless you were in a POW camp and didn’t have a choice.

Simply put, tastier food makes it easier to stick to your nutritional plan. Stick to your nutritional plan long enough and it’ll become a lifestyle. By making it a lifestyle you’ll reap the benefits from eating healthy only gained from “sticking to the plan” for the long haul. Sticking to a healthy lifestyle for the long haul means your results will stick with YOU for the long haul – and I’d bet it’s safe to say that’s what you want.

Kirsten Hawkins, nutrition and health expert writes: “One of the biggest reasons that people slip off their diets and eating plans is BOREDOM. It’s very easy to look at the foods allowed on your diet and see it as restrictive and boring. Chicken four nights a week. Fish three times a week. Green leafy vegetables till they’re coming out of your ears. Who wouldn’t get bored? The answer is – anyone with a good set of cookbooks and a healthy imagination. Perk up your cabinet with spices and fill your refrigerator with fresh fruits and vegetables, then look for novel ways to combine them.”

Excuse #2 I don’t have the time to prepare healthy food

You may be saying to yourself “that’s great but I don’t have the time to cook.” The truth is neither do I, at least not 5 or 6 times a day. However, I do have time to cook once a day and will usually prepare multiple meals at a time.

Once you realize that most healthy foods don’t take much longer than unhealthy foods you’ll find you’ll have time for it too.

Most times it’s just as fast and even quicker. Usually you can take the same recipes and replace the ingredients with healthier choices. For example, swap medium ground beef for extra lean, butter with olive oil, brown rice for white, and presto, you have a healthy meal. It also helps to experiment with different types of foods and try things you are unfamiliar with.

Excuse #3 Too complicated

It’s also not that complicated. You don’t need to spend hours seasoning and boiling down dishes. The great thing is that healthy meals tend to be simple dishes that use easy to learn cooking methods.

Toni Tanner Scott, Personal Chef and Cooking Coach, writes, “To support your healthy eating plan, stock your pantry wisely, focusing on the kinds of cuisine you and your family prefer. Start with the basics: good olive oil, reduced fat/sodium broth, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, dry beans and lentils. Then if you particularly enjoy Tex-Mex, add good chili powder, cumin, and oregano and tomato paste. If Asian fare is always favorite, keep low sodium soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil on hand, along with longer grain rice… you’ll always be able to whip up a fabulous meal with some fresh lean meat and vegetables.”

All of this healthy good eating will cause you to feel and look better, which will make you want to stick to the plan even more. Also, consistently eating healthy and balanced meals that meet your caloric requirement will provide you the fuel you need to push yourself to higher levels and maximize the returns from each workout. You will also recuperate better and quicker from your workouts which means you’ll be in the gym sooner and reaching your goals faster.

If you’re serious about your health, your looks, your mental wellbeing, making the most out of the time you spend in the gym and actualizing your true potential, fueling your body is a top priority.

And it all starts with a tasty menu based on a rock solid nutrition plan and a proven system that will get you there.

Eating Time!

Learn the basics of cooking.

You really don’t need more than the basics, and they are very quick and easy to pick up.

Use the best ingredients you can get

Use fresh ingredients when you cook it’ll make your foods taste much better. Even the best chef in the world would be hard pressed to make a tasty meal with old, wilted and stale ingredients.

Stay away from wilted fruits and veggies, and make sure the colors are bright and/or clear.

While fresh organic whole foods are my first choice, using pre cut or pre mixed fruits and veggies, like a salad mix, is ok when you’re short on time.

As a rule of thumb, don’t use anything that has a strong odor or has a cloudy color.

Fresh fish doesn’t have a strong “fishy smell”. If it does, it’s more than likely going, if not already, bad. Same goes for other meats, stay away from strong odors.

Leftovers with a purpose

Cooking in bulk, i.e. making leftovers on purpose is a great way to keep the fridge or freezer stocked with ready to eat foods and meals.

The absolute best way to transition to raw foods is through fresh, raw juices. Some people may have trouble digesting the fiber in plant foods. If your previous diet was low in fiber, then suddenly increasing the fiber could be a big shock to your digestive system.

The whole point of juicing is to remove the fiber. The nutrients are immediately absorbed and assimilated into the body.

A common problem people may have is that they don’t have enough mineral salts in their system, which are essential for digesting plant fiber. Health and nutrition author Bernard Jensen found that the mineral most of his patients were low in is the sodium salts. We need both potassium salts and sodium salts for proper digestion of raw plant foods.

Potassium salts are easy to find in most plants. The sodium salts are a little harder to find, and many people are deficient in them. Celery is high in sodium electrolyte minerals, and this is why I recommend celery as the foundation of juices.

Get started with a discipline of drinking green juices. You could either make them yourself, or purchase them at your local juice bar.

My favorite green juice recipe is made daily at Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, the worlds leading raw foods health retreat.

The Hippocrates green juice is made with one quarter celery, one quarter cucumber, and one half sunflower green sprouts.

This drink provides carbohydrates, electrolyte minerals, enzymes, chlorophyll, sodium salts, fats, and it contains more protein than most Americans receive in two days. You could add in a little carrot juice to sweeten it up, or substitute other leafy greens for the sunflower greens.

The next most important juice is wheatgrass. I can’t say enough good things about this beverage! It is the food highest in chlorophyll (70% chlorophyll), it contains essential amino acids, essential fats, and it may contain up to 92 minerals. It is a powerful detoxifier, it alkalinizes the body, it’s a blood and liver cleanser, and it’s great for healthy skin and hair.

Wheatgrass is simple and inexpensive to grow. It is available at your local juice bar, but It’s much cheaper to grow your own. The juice may cost $1 an ounce in the store, and it only costs about three cents an ounce when you grow your own.

The arithmetic screams loudly:

‘Grow your own!’

You only need between 2 to 4 ounces of wheatgrass juice per day. I recommend chewing the juice for two minutes to assist in digesting the complex carbohydrates.

Chewing the juice allows the nutrients to be absorbed under the tongue and helps strengthen the teeth. You could also chew the grass, but don’t swallow because grass fiber is indigestible.

Another juice I really love is watermelon juice. The secret with the watermelon is to juice the rind and seeds along with the fruit. The rind is where you’ll find most of the minerals and sodium.

The watermelon is an excellent food for cleaning out the kidneys. It is a diuretic and disinfectant. This is the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day!

Another powerful juice is the lemon ginger blast. This recipe is similar to the famous Master Cleanser lemonade drink made popular by Stanley Burroughs.

Lou Corona, a holistic health educator from California, created this recipe. He has been eating 100% vegetarian raw and living foods for over 30 years.

To make this, you juice a couple apples, a lemon, a half-inch to an inch of ginger root, and throw in a pinch of cayenne pepper powder. I use the hottest cayenne pepper I can find.

I enjoy the blast first thing in the morning, and always drink it on an empty stomach.

This drink is an excellent super tonic providing numerous health benefits. The lemon juice is one of the best foods for restoring alkalinity to the body. Our body’s pH must be slightly alkaline at 7.4, and lemon juice is one of the most alkaline foods available.

Cayenne pepper and ginger are the best foods for improving blood circulation, the digestive system, and they really get the energy moving through the body. They help remove any blockages or mucous that are preventing proper circulation. The apple sweetens up the drink and provides valuable vitamins and minerals.

Basically, you can and should juice most produce in the market.

One food group that is often overlooked is the root vegetable. The root vegetables make excellent juices and contain many unique vitamins and minerals. The root vegetables include potatoes, yams, beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, burdock root, and celeriac (a.k.a. celery root) among others.

(Don’t forget to juice the beet greens!)

Some foods don’t juice well and should be avoided. For example, foods such as bananas, dates, and strawberries don’t contain much juice. I don’t recommend juicing rhubarb or buckwheat green sprouts, they contain some toxins that are concentrated in the juices.

One of the best books ever published on the subject of juices is “Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices” by Dr. Norman Walker.

All of Dr. Walker’s books are essential reading for health seekers. Dr. Walker was a raw foodist who lived to be either 114 or 118 years old in perfect health. He drank live fruit and vegetable juices on a daily basis.

Fresh living juice will provide you with great health benefits. They are without a doubt the best tool available for maintaining and restoring health.