Is Your "Healthy" Standard American Diet Killing You?

The term "standard American diet" refers to a diet rich in animal proteins and fats, high in cholesterol and saturated fats, high in processed foods, and low in fiber, complex carbohydrates, and vegetables.

Even those people who try to eat "healthy" diets are often overdoing it in the meat, fish, and dairy department and are loading their bodies with cholesterol, saturated fat, and all the antibiotics, pesticides, and chemicals that were fed to those factory farmed animals.

The human body isn't made to absorb so much fat, sugar, and salt, and is staging a rebellion against anyone who follows the diet. Multiple studies show that people who eat the most meat and dairy products suffer from the most degenerative diseases, and that those who eat the least meat and dairy product are least likely to suffer from those same diseases.

It's hard to pinpoint one exact thing to blame for the development of the standard American diet, but now that we are beginning to realize how detrimental it is to our health, I hope that we will start making changes that will impact our future wellness.

TOP 5 FOODS TO SUPERCHARGE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM (plus 3 supplements)

Staying well while those around you sniffle and sneeze requires that you extract as much nutrition from your diet as you can, loading up on the foods that pack the biggest nutritional punch.

Avoiding processed foods, grains, and sugar will go a long way toward strengthening your immune system. However, you can do even more by selecting foods that are loaded with specific immune-boosting nutrients.

Eating a diet rich in the following foods will be far better for your health than loading up on handfuls of supplements, or worse yet, falling victim to vaccines that expose you to health risks far worse than influenza.

Below, I have outlined what I consider to be 5 of the absolute best foods you can eat to help protect yourself this season, although the list is certainly not exhaustive.

1. Fermented Foods

If you are serious about boosting your immunity, then adding traditionally fermented foods is essential.

Good fermented foods include natto, kimchee, miso, tempeh, pickles, sauerkraut, yogurt (watch out for sugar), and olives.

Friendly bacteria have a powerful, beneficial effect on your gut's immune system, your first line of defense against pathogens, and aid in the production of antibodies.

2. Coconut Oil

Besides being excellent for your thyroid and your metabolism, coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which converts in your body to monolaurin. Monolaurin is the actual compound found in breast milk that strengthens a baby's immunity.

When selecting coconut oil, make sure you choose organic ones that are unrefined, unbleached, made without heat processing or chemicals, and are non-GMO.

3. Blueberries and Raspberries

Blueberries and raspberries contain powerful phytochemicals, such as anthocyanin, which is the pigment that gives blueberries their color. And they are lower in sugar than many other fruits.

4. Mushrooms

Mushrooms strengthen your immune system because they are rich in protein, fiber, vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, and other minerals.

Mushrooms also contain powerful compounds called beta-, which have been long known for their immune enhancing properties. The beta-glucans in medicinal mushrooms (especially Reishi, Shiitake, and Maitake) are notable for their ability to activate/modulate your immune system.

5. Green Tea

Green teas are rich in polyphenols, in the form of natural chemicals called catechins. The most powerful catechin in tea is epigallocatechin (EGCG), which was found in one study to be 25 to 100 times more potent than antioxidant vitamins C and E.

Make special immunity-boosting teas from a combination of herbs that synergistically cause your body to sweat -- which is very desirable if you want to eradicate a virus from your system. And then drink it hot and often.

Your immune system relies on nutrition to fuel and support many of its important functions. Along with a healthy diet, quality dietary supplements are a great way to help ensure optimal function of your immune system.

Listed below are 3 of the top immune boosting supplements.

1. Echinacea

Long used by North American Plains Indians and also known as the purple coneflower, Echinacea has been used to treat general infections and wounds, the cold and flu, strep throat and allergies. The potent herb encourages white blood cells and lymphocytes to attack invading organisms, thus increasing the number and activity of immune system cells. While you can find echinacea in power bars, teas and capsules, researchers recommend the standardized extract above all other forms.

2. Vitamin C
Long known for its myriad health benefits, vitamin C is one of the most popular nutrients taken in supplement form—and for good reason. This potent antioxidant has been shown to protect against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease, prenatal health problems, eye disease and even wrinkly skin. While many multivitamins and energy drinks, such as Emergen-C, include "superdosages" of vitamin C, the ubiquitous immune system booster can be found in many of our favorite fruits and vegetables, including red peppers, strawberries, broccoli, dark leafy greens, and of course, oranges.

3. Zinc

Zinc, an essential trace element with antioxidant properties, plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy immune system. Individuals who suffer from mild to severe zinc deficiency are more prone to a variety of illnesses, but even those without a deficiency have been found to benefit from the administration of zinc, either in lozenge or spray form, at the early onset of a cold or flu.

By incorporating some of these fantastic foods and supplements, you'll not only evade the circulating viruses but improve your overall health and longevity at the same time.

<Print this out> 5 Easy Tips To Beat Stress

Stress is a fact of life, but being stressed out is not. We don’t always have control over what happens to us,  yet that doesn’t mean we have to react to a difficult, challenging situation by becoming frazzled or feeling overwhelmed or distraught. Being overly anxious is not just a mental hazard; it’s a physical one too. The more stressed out we are the more vulnerable we are to colds, flu, and a host of chronic or life-threatening illnesses.

For your benefit, I’ve come up with 5 easy, natural alternatives to anxiety.

1. Breathe Deep

Breathing from your diaphragm oxygenates your blood, which helps you relax almost instantly. Shallow chest breathing, by contrast, can cause your heart to beat faster and your muscles to tense up, exacerbating feelings of stress. To breathe deeply, begin by putting your hand on your abdomen just below the navel. Inhale slowly through your nose and watch your hand move out as your belly expands. Hold the breath for a few seconds, then exhale slowly. Repeat several times.

2. Stop Gritting Your Teeth

Stress tends to settle in certain parts of our bodies, the jaw being one of them. When things get hectic, try this: Place your index fingertips on your jaw joints, just in front of your ears; clench your teeth and inhale deeply. Hold the breath for a moment, and as you exhale say, “Ah-h-h-h,” then unclench your teeth and open your mouth wide. Repeat a few times.

3. Just Say No

Trying to do everything is a one-way ticket to serious stress. Be clear about your limits, and stop trying to please everyone all the time.

4. Stretch

Muscles tighten during the course of the day, and when we feel stressed out, the process accelerates. Stretching loosens muscles and encourages deep breathing.

5. Get up and move

It forces you to breathe more deeply and improves circulation. Step outside if you can; if that’s not possible, you can gain many of the same benefits simply by walking to the bathroom or water cooler, doing some push ups or dips, or by just pacing back and forth. The key is to get up and move.

Hope these tips help,

Coach Kimbrow

P.S. - Be sure to check out the Facebook page for more fat loss tips and tricks here at http://www.facebook.com/TheUltimateFatLossFormula

10 Strategies To Better Eating

As a society, we have a love-hate relationship with food. Two of the best-selling types of books are those dealing with cooking and dieting. Good nutrition is essential for optimal health. Poor eating habits are a major cause of many health problems. This post will give you the basic facts and reasonable alternatives regarding what you should (and should not) do in your own food selection.

Eating habits and foods vary according to lifestyles. The eating habits of people of our parents and grand parents generation were quite different from ours. They usually had one large meal (usually deep fried and rich in fat) early in the afternoon. Fats are the richest source of calories (nine calories per gram) and provide the most satiety. Such eating practices are still observed in similar working conditions all around the world. Thus, the common practice of three meals a day is not necessarily a physiological requirement but rather an innovation of urbanization and industrialization.

Much of the food advertised on television is not healthy, and most food-marketing campaigns are aimed at children who spend a lot of time watching TV. In addition, much of our food is processed, containing unhealthy preservatives and artificial colors. Some of the factors contributing to our nutritional problems are the ready availability and aggressive marketing of unhealthy food.

The metabolism of glucose varies from person to person. Daily variations of blood glucose levels are said to be as unique for each person as fingerprints. This implies that people do not have to eat the same number of meals at the same times. Some people may need only two meals a day, whereas others may need multiple snacks during the day.

Our eating habits are strongly influenced by our mental status. When eating becomes an outlet for frustrations and a ritual to deal with depression, it can be as addictive as drinking or smoking. We tend to eat more when we are happy and when we are sad; some express their psychological problems by binge-eating, others with anorexia. Eating disorders once observed only among upper middle class young women are now becoming prevalent in men and other age groups. Eating accompanied by alcoholic beverages has become an important vehicle for socialization. Calories are lavishly gained on dates, at business dinners, at birthday parties, during "happy hours," and even at funerals.

• Eat a variety of foods.

• Balance the food you eat with physical activity to maintain or improve your weight.

• Choose a diet

          -with plenty of grains, fruits and vegetables;

          -low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol;

          -moderate in sodium; and

          -with a moderate amount of alcohol if you drink (one to two drinks every other day).

• Decrease consumption of soft drinks, cakes, cookies, and other foods containing sugar.

• Increase intake of whole-grain breads; cereals; fruits; and vegetables, including beans, lentils, and peas.

• Eat more lean meat, fish, poultry, and dry beans and peas as sources of protein.

• Use alternative milk products.

• Limit your consumption of eggs and organ meats.

• Limit your intake of fats and oils, especially those high in saturated fats, such as butter, lard, shortening, and foods containing palm and coconut oils.

• Broil, bake, or boil rather than fry, and trim fat off meat.

I cannot overemphasize the need to make small and systematic changes in your diet and activity levels to achieve and maintain your target weight. By objectively examining your eating habits and diet and making educated and sensible changes that you can adhere to over the long haul, you are on your way to taking your health and fitness to the Next Level.

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We all know that losing weight isn’t an easy task. So many people struggle with weight problems and going on a strict regimen of diets and exercise is easier said than done. Most people need motivation to get the ball rolling on their physical fitness goals, or need a good guide to follow in order to achieve results. Fortunately, there might already be something in the market to solve these weight loss woes.

The Xtreme Fat Loss Diet is the new and effective weight loss program that aims to help you lose the weight in just 25 days.

The Xtreme Fat Loss Diet is a 25-day program that has been designed to help you get rid of all the remaining fat and stubborn flabs from your body. It works to target weight loss in those areas of the body that are not easily lost to exercise.

 There are a lot of benefits to taking on the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet. Aside from providing you with a quick and effective way of losing all that weight and fat, it is designed in such a way that really helps you to stick with the plan. The 24-hour intervals are not that long and the quick and regular changes avoid getting you bored. After 25 days, you’ve already conditioned your body into faster metabolism.

One disadvantage, though, is if you aren’t prepared to put in effort to work out. The Xtreme Fat Loss Diet will require you to follow an exercise program which you cannot do without if you want to achieve maximum results. The exercises are simple and easy to follow.

CLICK HERE To View The Product Site And Place An Order.

Lunch: The Second Most Important Meal of the Day

Unfortunately for our health, today’s lifestyles rarely include breakfast and barely accommodate lunch and dinner, even when eaten on the run. Relaxing lunches and dinners—nicely prepared, attractively served, and shared with family and friends—are rare occurrences for many active people and sports families.

My clients commonly express dissatisfaction with their mealtime eating. Yet, when life is full, stress is high, and schedules are crazy, eating well balanced meals on a predictable schedule can provide the energy you need to better manage stress and prevent fatigue.

For active people who should be in the continuous cycle of fueling up for workouts and refueling afterward, lunch is the second most important meal of the day. Breakfast remains number one. Lunch refuels morning or noontime exercisers and offers fuel to those preparing for an afternoon session. Given that active people tend to get hungry every four hours (if not sooner), if you eat breakfast at 7:00 or 8:00 a.m., you are certainly ready for lunch at 11:00 or 12:00. But if you eat too little breakfast (as commonly happens), you’ll be hungry for lunch by 10:00 a.m.—and that throws off the rest of the day’s eating schedule. The solution to the “I cannot wait until noon to eat lunch” predicament is simple: You could either eat a bigger breakfast that sustains you until noon, eat a mid morning snack (more correctly, the second half of your too-small breakfast), or eat the first of two lunches, one at 10:00 and the other at 2:00.

For a nation of lunch skippers, eating two lunches may seem a wacky idea. But why not? Ideally, you should eat according to hunger, not by the clock. After all, hunger is simply your body’s request for more fuel. If you’ve eaten only a light breakfast or have exercised hard in the morning, you can easily be ready for lunch 1 at 10:00 a.m. and for lunch 2 at 2:00.

Despite the importance of lunch, logistics tend to be a hassle. If you pack your own lunch, what do you pack? If you buy lunch, what’s a healthful bargain? If you’re on a diet, what’s best to eat? Here are some helpful tips to improve your lunch intake.

If you pack your lunch, the what-to-pack dilemma quickly becomes tiring. Most people tend to pack more or less the same food every day and end up with yet another turkey sandwich, salad, or bagel. As long as you’re content with what you choose, fine. But if you’re tired of the same stuff, consider these suggestions:

• Strive for at least 500 calories (even if you are on a reducing diet) from three types of food at lunch. This means a bagel, yogurt, and banana or salad, turkey, and pita. Just a bagel or just a salad is likely too little fuel.

• Pack planned leftovers from dinner and heat them in the microwave oven. They’re preferable to the cup of noodles or frozen lunches that cost more than they’re worth.

• Remember peanut butter. Peanut butter is an outstanding sports food—even for dieters—because it’s satisfying and helps you stay fueled for the whole afternoon. Yes, it has 200 more calories than a standard turkey sandwich, but a  satisfying peanut butter sandwich allows you to nix the afternoon cookies and snacks that would otherwise sneak into your intake for the day.

The Truth About Artificial Sweetner: Sucralose

Alarmingly, the rate of obesity in the United States continues to rise. To aid in battling obesity, many individuals use low-calorie artificial sweeteners as a substitute for high-calorie foods.

Read Part 1 Saccharin

ReadPart 2 Aspartame

Sucralose was accidentally discovered in 1976 by Tate & Lyle, a British sugar company. A graduate student misunderstood a request for “testing” of a chlorinated sugar as a request for “tasting.”

Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar and contains no calories. Sucralose was approved by the FDA in 1998 for use in 15 food categories, including a tabletop sweetener under the brand name Splenda. It is used in beverages, chewing gum, frozen desserts, fruit juices, and gelatins. In 1999, the FDA expanded its use as a general-purpose sweetener in all foods.

Sucralose is a sucrose molecule in which three of the hydroxyl groups have been replaced by chlorine atoms. Although sucralose is made from table sugar, it adds no calories because it is not digested in the body. Most of the sucralose given orally to mice, rats, dogs, and humans passes through the gastrointestinal tract and is eliminated.

Sucralose gives me
the bubble guts :(

Toxicology studies of sucralose show little effect. Cases studies have been reported on sucralose consumption and the increased incidence of migraines triggered by sucralose.

Many of the studies on product safety have been conducted by companies that produce these products and are not generally available to consumers. A Medline search of publications from 2000 to 2008 using the key words “artificial sweeteners,” “sweetening agents,” “toxicity,” “toxicology,” “safety,” and “consumer product safety” resulted in only one study available to readers of primary product safety data. Groups that believe the safety of these substances has not been demonstrated point to the length of studies, sample sizes, and lack of controls.

Susceptible populations for the potential deleterious effects of artificial sweeteners include diabetics, children, pregnant women, women of childbearing age, breastfeeding mothers, individuals with low seizure thresholds, and individuals at risk for migraines.

The use of artificial sweeteners remains controversial. Their consumption has been shown to cause mild to serious side effects ranging from nuisance headaches to potentially life-threatening cancer. Recent reports of selected sweeteners suggest they are not efficacious in weight loss and may promote weight gain. Because artificial sweeteners are in more than 6,000 products, including foods, medications, and cosmetics, it is impossible to completely eradicate them from daily encounters.

The Truth About Artificial Sweetners: Aspartame

Artificial sweeteners are present in many foods consumed by Americans. Their use is beneficial in that they provide sweetness, increasing the palatability of foods without the added sugar and resulting calories, an important adjunct to weight loss and diet regimens. Most artificial sweeteners are not metabolized by the body and are therefore considered safe. However, scientists disagree about safety because the metabolites of the “non-metabolized” compounds have been shown to produce deleterious effects in mice, rats, and dogs.

Read Part 1 Saccharin

In 1965, a chemist at G. D. Searle was studying new treatments for gastric ulcers. Accidentally, a small amount of the compound landed on the chemist’s hand. Without noticing the compound, the chemist licked his finger and discovered a sweet taste. After realizing it was from the powder intermediate and believing it was not likely to be toxic, he again tasted the intermediate and found it was indeed sweet aspartame.

Aspartame was first approved by the FDA in 1981 as a tabletop sweetener; in 1996, it was approved as a general-purpose sweetener in all foods and drinks. Since its approval, aspartame has been used in more than 6,000 products by hundreds of millions of people in countries all around the world. It is 200 times sweeter than sucrose and is marketed under the brand names Equal and NutraSweet. Aspartame can be found in a wide variety of prepared foods (e.g., carbonated and powdered soft drinks, chewing gum, confections, gelatins, dessert mixes, puddings and fillings, frozen desserts, and yogurt), tabletop sweetener, and some medications (e.g., vitamins and sugar-free cough drops).

Because it contains phenylalanine, the FDA has mandated packaging bear a warning label to prevent individuals with the rare genetic disorder phenylketonuria from ingesting this substance. The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board has not issued upper tolerable intake levels for either aspartate or phenylalanine based on available data and models of chronic exposure (Institute of Medicine, 2005). Phenylalanine is an amino acid used as a building block for proteins. Individuals who suffer from phenylketonuria lack or have insufficient amounts of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase, required to breakdown phenylalanine. Without the presence of this enzyme, phenylalanine accumulates. Phenylalanine buildup can significantly alter human brain function. All children are screened for this rare disorder in the United States.

Click for a close up look at the WARNING label on pure Aspertame

Upon ingestion, aspartame is broken down into its components, aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. These components are then absorbed into the blood and each is metabolized. It has been hypothesized that neither aspartame nor its components accumulates in the body. These components are used in the body in the same ways as when they are derived from common foods. Following a single aspartame dose of 34 mg/kg, 12 normal adults demonstrated no increase in plasma or red blood cell aspartate concentrations; however, phenylalanine concentrations doubled within an hour and returned to baseline in 4 hours. One of its metabolites, methanol, has been shown to further metabolize into formaldehyde and formic acid.

By far, aspartame has been the most controversial artificial sweetener because of its potential toxicity. Numerous websites are devoted to removing aspartame from all sources immediately. New research provides evidence of the carcinogenic potential of this compound. Research using rats, has demonstrated a significant increase of malignant tumors in males, an increase in the incidence of lymphomas and leukemias in males and females, and an increase in the incidence of mammary cancer in females. These results reinforce and confirm previous research that also demonstrated the carcinogenicity potential of aspartame and the increased carcinogenetic potential if exposure occurs during gestation. It is notable that the dosage tested approximated the acceptable daily intake for humans.

In other published reports, women ages 40, 32, and 26 all experienced migraines while chewing a popular gum with aspartame additive. In all cases, the migraines were relieved after cessation of product use. The headaches were reproducible by reintroducing the gum. Phenylalanine doses in the first few years of life produced irreversible brain damage in monkeys. Another report was of a 10-year-old girl who developed a decline in platelet count, coupled with enlargement of the liver and spleen, and a marked increase in histiocytes in the bone marrow. A dramatic  normalization followed when additives were eliminated from her diet.

Diet beverages may represent the optimal use of intense sweeteners in weight control because they have the advantage of reducing the energy density of the product to zero. Studies indicate some modest weight loss has been shown when artificial sweeteners are used, but they go on to note that they are not appetite suppressants. However, additional research indicates it is not only the amount of calories contained in these substances that can have an effect on obesity and metabolism.

For example, the cycle of sweetness and obesity may be difficult to break. Researchers have equated the addictiveness of sweets to that of cocaine in rats. Their findings demonstrated increased intake of no-calorie sugar substitutes could promote increased food intake and body weight gain.

The Truth About Artificial Sweetners: Saccharin

Since their discovery, the safety of artificial sweeteners has been controversial. Artificial sweeteners provide the sweetness of sugar without the calories. As public health attention has turned to reversing the obesity epidemic in the United States, more individuals of all ages are choosing to use these products. These choices may be beneficial for those who cannot tolerate sugar in their diets (e.g., diabetics). However, scientists disagree about the relationships between sweeteners and lymphomas, leukemias, cancers of the bladder and brain, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, autism, and systemic lupus.

According to a 2007 survey from the Calorie Control Council, 86% of Americans use low-calorie, reduced-sugar, or sugar-free foods and beverages. To date, the FDA has approved five sugar substitutes for use in a variety of foods with another pending. In the United States, the three most common primary compounds used as sugar substitutes are saccharin (e.g., Sweet’N Low), aspartame (e.g., Equal and NutraSweet), and sucralose (e.g., Splenda). In many other countries, cyclamate and the herbal sweetener stevia are used extensively.

Saccharin, marketed as Sweet’N Low, the first artificial sweetener, was discovered serendipitously, as were most artificial sweeteners. In 1879, Constantine Fahlberg was researching the oxidation mechanisms of toluenesulfonamide (if someone knows what that means, please leave a comment :-) while working at Johns Hopkins University. During his research, a substance accidentally splashed on his finger; he later licked his finger and noticed the substance had a sweet taste. Since that time, a number of compounds have been discovered and used as food additives for their sweetener properties. Saccharin has been in use since 1900 and obtained FDA approval in 1970.

Saccharin has no calories and is 300 times sweeter than sugar and sweetens various products, including soft drinks, baked goods, jams, chewing gum, canned fruit, candy, dessert toppings, and salad dressings. Saccharin is also used in cosmetic products (e.g., toothpaste, mouthwash, and lip gloss), vitamins, and medications. Saccharin is not absorbed or metabolized. It is excreted, unchanged, via the kidneys. Because saccharin is not metabolized, the FDA considers this compound safe.

Exposure studies of saccharin provide both positive and negative results, including the potential to induce cancer in rats, dogs, and humans. For these studies, animals were exposed to the compound of interest, in this case saccharin, at all stages of development (i.e., in utero, during lactation, and in feed as an adult). These studies clearly demonstrated that when rats were exposed to diets containing 5% or 7.5% saccharin from the time of conception to death, an increased frequency of urinary bladder cancers was found, predominantly in males.

In a 2007 trial of 132 rats, they indicate virtually all rats preferred saccharin over intravenous cocaine.

The results of the above study resulted in the prohibition of saccharin in Canada and a proposed ban in the United States. This proposed U.S. ban was withdrawn in 1991, but foods containing saccharin were required to carry a warning label. This warning label was placed on all products containing saccharin to indicate “saccharin is a potential cancer causing agent.” Future research showing the safety of this product led to this decision being overturned in 2000.

PROTEIN: THE PRINCIPLES OF EVERYDAY EATING FOR ATHLETES

The protein needs of athletes have been hotly debated for many years. In the past, strength athletes have argued that more was better for growing muscles, whereas endurance athletes almost ignored protein, focusing mainly on carbohydrate to fuel exercise.

It is clear that protein requirements are increased by exercise— first, to account for the small contribution of protein to muscle fuel, and second, to account for any extra muscle that is laid down to increase muscle size and strength or repair damaged tissue. Many athletes will still be met by the general recommendation of 1g of protein per kilogram of body weight—e.g. 60 g for a 60 kg athlete. But athletes whose daily training sessions are lengthy and intense (burning up a significant total of protein fuel), or who are in a muscle-gain stage of their programs, will require an increase in their protein allowance. Athletes who are growing will need to cover these physiological requirements as well. However, don’t go rushing for a protein powder yet—although protein requirements increase in absolute terms (you may need more total grams of protein), the extra energy in your diet to fuel exercise should automatically allow you to eat more protein without having to consciously emphasize protein foods. In other words, your growing appetite and the more food that you will be required to eat should cover the increased protein needs.

Lean animal protein foods are able to supply all the body’s essential amino acids, as well as calcium (dairy foods) and iron (meats and shellfish). They may also be good sources of omega-3 fats—especially fish. Common sense should tell you that it doesn’t take half a cow to make up your daily protein needs—cereal with skim milk for breakfast, a chicken sandwich for lunch and a small steak for dinner will provide over 60 g of protein. In fact, the only athletes really at risk of failing to meet these guidelines are those who eat very restricted diets—low in energy, low in variety, or low in both.

Vegetarian Protein Sources

Another reason for athletes to be less concerned about the total amount of protein they eat is the growing evidence that the timing of one’s protein intake is a more critical factor in optimizing the results of training. When protein is eaten in the hour or so after a resistance/weights workout, there is a substantial increase in protein synthesis in the muscle. The same with endurance exercise. The exciting news from recent studies is that gains made by this strategic timing of protein intake around training sessions are real and stand out even from the results of eating protein throughout the day.

But be aware that you don’t need a lot of protein to provide all the building blocks for post-training protein synthesis. In fact, if you eat too much you will end up increasing the use of protein as a fuel. That’s not smart use of a relatively expensive nutrient. - Strategic intake of a protein-rich food or snack after key training sessions or competitive events promotes recovery and adaptation. It is the most effective way for an athlete to address the increased protein requirements imposed by exercise. - 10–20 g of a good-quality protein seems the ideal size of a protein recovery snack. There is a substantial increase in protein synthesis with a 10 g protein serve, but the response seems to level out at 20–25 g. In fact, more than 25 g of protein will lead to increased use of protein as a fuel source, which negates the purpose of consuming protein. - The ideal timing and pattern of a recovery snack is not known. However it makes sense to start protein intake within the hour after a key workout or event. If you have large energy needs, you may want to add a recovery snack before and after a strenuous workout.

Refueling Your Muscles after a Workout

After working out, you want your muscles to recover. Recovery is essentially the process of replenishing muscle glycogen. The better your recovery, the harder you'll be able to train during your next workout. There are three critical periods in which to feed your muscles with carbs. These three periods are explained in the following discussion.

1. Immediately Following Your Workout

Your muscles are most receptive to producing new glycogen within the first few hours following your workout. That's when blood flow to muscles is much greater, a condition that makes muscle cells practically sop up glucose like a sponge. Muscle cells are also more sensitive to the effects of insulin during this time, and insulin promotes glycogen synthesis. You should therefore take in some carbs immediately after you work out.

 The question is: What's the best type of carb for refueling?

 Answer: carbs with a high glycemic index.

The glycemic index is a scale describing how fast a food is converted to glucose in the blood. Foods on the index are rated numerically, with glucose at 100. The higher the number assigned to a food, the faster it converts to glucose. A sport drink containing glucose, sucrose, or a glucose polymer (all high on the glycemic index) is a rapid and efficient restorer of glycogen. Some of these drinks may also contain fructose, which isn't as fast at replenishing muscle glycogen as either glucose or sucrose. That being so, try to avoid fructose, including fruit, as the sole source of carbohydrate in the period immediately following your workout. Stick to high glycemic index choices containing glucose and sucrose.

2. Every Two Hours Following Your Workout

Continue to take in a mixture of low and high-glycemic carbs every two hours following your workout. A word of caution: There is a drawback to high glycemic index foods. They may produce a fast, undesirable surge of blood sugar, and you can feel weak or dizzy.

3. Throughout the Week

To keep carbohydrate replenishment on track, stay on a high-carbohydrate diet from week to week. An excellent study of hockey players, whose sport requires both muscular strength and aerobic endurance, found that during a three-day period between games, a high-carb diet caused a 45 percent higher glycogen refill than a diet lower in carbs. By consistently fueling yourself with carbs, you can keep your muscles well stocked with glycogen.

 Giving careful thought to what you eat and making sure you get plenty of carbohydrates will provide a solid foundation for optimizing both your performance and your health.

Questions From Parents of Skinny Kids

If you are the parent of a skinny kid, you undoubtedly want to help your child add weight healthfully—without eating tons of ice cream, supersized fast-food meals, and expensive (as well as questionable) nutrition supplements. The following are some answers to the questions parents commonly ask about how to support appropriate weight gain in growing children.

Q: My 16-year-old son insists that I buy him protein powders and weight-gain drinks so he can bulk up. Are these necessary?

A: No. The single most important thing your son needs is extra calories to perform resistance exercise, which builds muscle. Most of these extra calories should come from carbohydrate (not protein supplements) because carbohydrate will fuel his muscles and give him the energy he needs for exercise. I recommend replacing water (apart from during exercise) with extra juice and low-fat milk as a simple way to boost calories. Note that even with no exercise, just eating extra calories stimulates a little muscle growth. Sedentary people gain about 1 pound of muscle with every 3 pounds of total weight that creeps on.

Q: My 12-year-old son is shorter than many of the girls his age. He feels embarrassed and asked me about protein supplements. Would they help him grow faster?

A: No amount of extra protein will speed the growth process. Boys generally grow fastest between the ages of 13 and 14. After this growth spurt, he will have enough male hormones to add muscle mass and start to grow a beard (“peach fuzz”). This growth spurt lasts longer in boys than in girls. After the growth spurt, boys continue to grow slowly until about age 20.

Q: My 13-year-old son wants to start lifting weights to bulk up for football. Should he?

A: A well-supervised weightlifting program (to prevent stress on immature bones and ligaments) with light weights can help your son grow stronger and help prevent injuries. But it will not contribute to bulkier muscles until he has enough male hormones to support muscular development. (This corresponds with the growth of adult-like pubic hair.) Boys generally bulk up after they have finished their growth spurts. Remind him that patience is a virtue!

Next Level Guide To Cows Milk Alternatives

There are many reasons to stop drinking cow’s milk: You’re lactose intolerant, you’re protesting on behalf of animals, there’s too much fat in it… the list goes on.

It’s surprising to some, but we can actually get the nutrient fixes that milk gives us from alternative sources. It makes sense — we’re the only ones on the planet who drink another species’ milk, so it’s not like we naturally depend on it.

Soy milk — It’s the classic alternative and for good reason: It’s high in protein and B vitamins, low in fat, lactose-free and most are fortified with even more helpful minerals. Additionally, if you’re used to skim milk, the taste change is minimal. Take heed with more than a glass a day, though: It has components that stimulate estrogen production, which can encourage imbalances that create health issues.

Taste: Faintly sweet. Some varieties have a slight tofu flavor.

Pros: It has almost as much protein as cow's milk, plus plant chemicals that may help inhibit absorption of cholesterol. It's often fortified, so shake the carton well—added calcium tends to settle at the bottom, says Zied.

Cons: Some studies suggest that overconsuming soy promotes breast cancer. "A good guideline is about 25 grams of soy protein per day," says Zied.

Best in: Creamy soups and salad dressings, sauces, casseroles, and other savory dishes. Vanilla-flavored varieties are great in coffee or tea (or by the glass!).

Almond milk — This one’s been climbing the charts lately because both companies and consumers have discovered that almond milk is delicious. Some swear by it and say it tastes even better than soy. It has all the same benefits as soy (although it’s generally slightly less fortified with other minerals) and tends to stay fresh longer. The only caution to take with almond milk is with children: Some doctors say the early introduction of nuts into a child’s diet can predispose them to a nut allergy.

Taste: Creamy, rich, and slightly nutty with a hint of sweetness

Pros: The least caloric of the bunch, it's fortified with vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that fights UV damage, as well as calcium and vitamins A and D.

Cons: While almonds themselves are a good source of fiber and protein, the milk contains skimpy amounts of these nutrients (that's because the milk is made by grinding the nuts and mixing with water). Almond milk is also higher in sodium than other alternatives.

Best in: Smoothies, coffee, and cereal

Hemp Milk — This is a newer alternative that’s yet to gain steam. It offers nutritious benefits similar to the above milks, although the protein content isn’t as high as it is in soy or almond. It’s creamier than most alternative milks, so it’s more than suitable for most cooking. For vegetarians or vegans wanting to vary the types of protein they consume, this is also a great choice.

Taste: Nutty and earthy

Pros: It's naturally rich in omega-3 fatty acids—wonder nutrients for your heart, brain, and mood. Hemp milk is made with cannabis seeds, but it won't get you high, because it lacks significant THC (the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana).

Cons: Depending on the brand, you may gulp only 10 percent of your daily calcium needs. It's not a great source of protein either.

Best in: Mashed potatoes, muffins, and quick breads. Unobtrusive in flavor, it's a good stand-in for cow's milk in baked foods.

Rice Milk — Rice milk has all the usual benefits, except it exchanges high protein content for a high carbohydrate count. The taste can be suspect and it’s hard to cook with, but you certainly won’t find many people allergic to this product.

Taste: Light, watery, and sweet

Pros: The carbs. "Have a glass before or after a workout—it offers carbs to fuel and fluid to hydrate, and like a sports drink, it's a good source of electrolytes," says Nancy Clark, R.D., author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook.

Cons: The carbs. If you're trying to drop a few pounds, it's best to eat whole-grain carbs, which contain filling fiber; rice milk has zero.

Best in: Desserts, baked goods, pancakes, and French toast. Its natural sweetness complements indulgent foods.

Coconut milk - While coconut milk is high in saturated fat, it is much healthier than other saturated fat products, and the fat is easily metabolized by the body. Coconut milk also offers some particular health benefits. It is anti-carcinogenic, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral. The main saturated fat that it contains, lauric acid, is also found in mother's milk and has been shown to promote brain development and bone health.

Taste: Thick, creamy, and, well, coconut-y

Pros: It has the least amount of sodium and can be fairly low-cal—even some flavored kinds will cost you only 90 calories per serving. Plus, most brands are fortified with half a day's worth of vitamin B12, a brain-boosting nutrient.

Cons: "The majority of fat is saturated," says Lauren Slayton, R.D., founder of Foodtrainers in New York City. But at five grams per serving, it constitutes less than 8 percent of your total daily value for fat.

Best in: Coffee, tea, pudding, smoothies, and oatmeal—it's a go-to thickener.

All milk alternatives have added vitamins and minerals in order to make them similar to cow's milk. To determine which one is the best is a bit tricky, but it would greatly depend on what your nutrition goals are.

It may come down to taste, so determine which of these milk alternatives you enjoy drinking the most while still fitting in with your dietary guidelines. My only recommendation would be to avoid the products with added sugar as the calories greatly increase in those.

Which of the above milk alternatives do you prefer?

Nutrition Questions and Answers

Q: What should I eat before I lift workout?
A: By eating carbohydrate before exercise, you’ll provide fuel for a stronger workout (even just 5 to 10 minutes beforehand offers benefits). By eating a little protein along with the carbohydrate, you’ll start to digest the protein into amino acids, which get used by the muscles during and after exercise. Good choices for a preexercise snack include fruit yogurt, low-fat chocolate milk, cereal with milk, a poached egg with toast, and almond milk and an granola bar.

Q: I’ve heard I should eat as soon as I finish lifting weights, but I’m not feeling hungry then. Why is immediate refueling so important?

A: After a hard gym workout, your muscles are primed for getting broken down: Their glycogen (carbohydrate) stores are reduced, cortisol and other hormones that break down muscle are high, the muscle damage that occurred during exercise causes inflammation, and the amino acid glutamine that provides fuel for the immune system is diminished. If you just guzzle some water
after your workout and dash to work, you’ll miss the 45-minute postexercise window of opportunity to optimally nourish, repair, and build muscles. You can switch out of the muscle breakdown mode by eating a carbohydrate–protein combination as soon as tolerable after you exercise.

Q: Why are protein supplements so popular? Are they better than real foods?

A: In today’s fast-food society, a mindless way to get healthful (no cholesterol, low fat) protein is through supplements. Plus, the label tells you exactly how much protein you are eating and takes away the guesswork. But protein supplements are not a whole food and fail to offer the complete package of health-protective nutrients found in natural foods. Use them to supplement wise eating, if desired, but not to replace it.

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