среда, 6 апреля 2011 г.

Healthier Cows Mean Healthier Whey

This is something I talk about quite often to people but I really want to drive home the point and that is that healthier cows mean healthier whey. This is hands down the case here. Look at it from this perspective. If you have a cow with a healthy and organic diet like grazing year around on pesticide free grass and free to roam around getting exercise that is a healthy diet.

To be honest I tell the same thing to my friends. This is not to say they’re cows but they should get exercise and eat fresh organic fruits and veggies because they are power packed with vitamins.

Also you want to make sure that the cows are not injected with any sort of hormones because that makes it into the blood stream and will eventually make its way into the dairy, which in turns then forms the whey. See how this can be a vicious cycle.

Don’t let me freak you out, it’s not to say that certain whey proteins are bad, it’s just the fact that I want you to understand which makes for the hands to creme de la creme of whey proteins and that is 100% raw organic grass fed whey protein. These are the healthiest cows and in turn the healthiest whey is produced.

Additionally, you want to make sure you are consuming undenatured whey protein powder. I have an article explaining the difference more in depth but for time sake I’ll just explain it quickly here. Undenatured whey protein powder is considered cold processed so even though it is heated up it is at a lower temperature so it keeps the chemical make up of the proteins more organic and natural rather than being heated at extremely high temperatures.

Like when you cook a chicken. Before you cook it you have this raw fleshy pinkish hue type of  a protein that is a little bit flaccid or jelly like. After you cook it the poultry turns white and the proteins have hardened creating a more solid piece of meat. Man this is making me hungry for some bird. Cage free chicken of course. ;)

Where was I? Oh yeah healthy cows. I mean just look at how happy this guy is? He will no doubt produce an excellent quality whey protein!

I hope that picture doesn’t scare you because it made me laugh. But I know sometimes finding a whey protein for you can seem like a daunting task but to be honest, if you are looking for one then you are already on the right track. The fact you made it to my website and my blog are definitely the right track.

Listen, I would not tell you to get anything that would not be the ABSOLUTE BEST! I’m kind of weird like that, but I firmly believe in only recommending things that I personally take or use. In which case, are the whey protein powders on this site.

There is a lot more great information on this site but I really want you to just take action, do yourself and your body’s health a favor, and get yourself some to try. I have no doubt in my mind that you will love this stuff the first time you try it.

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четверг, 31 марта 2011 г.

Why you should get your oats every morning

PORRIDGE sales are soaring with everyone from Kate Moss and Madonna to David Cameron getting their oats.

The lumpy spoonful may not look appealing but health experts say it provides the perfect breakfast.

It's also going down a treat for Pret A Manger. Yesterday the sandwich makers revealed they sell 50,000 bowls a week and demand is growing.

Shona Wilkinson, head nutritionist at The Nutri Centre in London, said: "I've heard from lots of people that it can help boost libido and it may even prevent premature ejaculation.

"To make it even better for you, add protein. I suggest whey protein powder or some nuts and seeds. Porridge is a great, healthy breakfast and a brilliant alternative to sugary cereals."

Here are 13 reasons to ditch the cornflakes and bacon sarnies for a more healthy, oaty start to the day.

BOOST SEX LIFE: Porridge oats can boost libido by helping to rebalance testosterone and oestrogen in the body. Testosterone drives sexual desire in both sexes and men with low levels may go off sex.

QUIT SMOKING: Compounds in oats can help calm the nervous system and reduce nicotine craving.

FIGHT INFECTION: Porridge has more protein than any other cereal and this is needed for growth and repair in the body and to help boost the immune system.

BEAT HEART DISEASE: Studies have shown that fibre-rich food reduces the risk of heart disease. Scientists in the US found that porridge contains avenanthramides - chemicals that stop blood cells sticking to artery walls, preventing fat deposits that cause heart disease.

CUT DIABETES: Porridge might cut the risk of developing diabetes by absorbing sugar from the gut and cutting the need for large quantities of insulin to be released.

BEAT DEPRESSION: Porridge is high in vitamin B6 which promotes the brain chemical serotonin. High levels of serotonin are associated with feelings of wellbeing.

FIGHT FAT: Researchers at Oxford Brookes University found people eating foods with a low glycaemic index - like porridge - were less likely to binge on sugary snacks. These foods release glucose into the body slowly and evenly, leaving you feeling fuller for longer.

LOWER CHOLESTEROL: High levels of soluble fibre in porridge have been shown to lower blood cholesterol. High cholesterol occurs when fat builds up, constricting arteries. Eating oats can improve blood flow and bind cholesterol in the gut, aiding its removal from the body.

RELIEVE CONSTIPATION: High-fibre foods increase the movement of food through the digestive tract.

FIGHT OSTEOPOROSIS: Porridge oats are blended with milk, an excellent source of calcium which is essential for bone health. Lack of calcium can lead to osteoporosis which involves a loss of bone density and can make bones fragile.

CANCER BUSTING: Oats are rich in the antioxidant vitamin E which protects the body from damaging free radicals that can cause cancer.

LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE: A daily bowl of oats can improve blood pressure control. American scientists found that porridge could lower blood pressure as effectively as any medication.

LIVE LONGER: The lipids found in oats contain a good balance of essential fatty acids which have been linked by American scientists to longevity and good health.

Right, Shona rates Britain's leading porridge brands.

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Whey Protein Powder: The Super Protein

Whey protein can do anything if you have to listen to its manufacturer and avid aficionados. Listening to them would make you wonder if the elixir of life has been discovered and it’s been with us all the time. It’s called whey protein powder. OF course, it’s not but you can’t blame it’s users for praising it to high heavens. This protein is harder working than the workout buffs credit themselves.

Whey protein is a top notch protein powder. It won’t cost your month’s night out with your date. Though it may not cheap, it’s not very expensive either. What does this workhorse do? Well for a starter it develops your muscle. If you’re a body builder, it will help develop your muscle faster and you’ll get your ideal figure in no time at all.

Protein powders are also good muscle cutters. They maximize the loss of fats without harming the muscles. Subcutaneous muscles are hard to remove but using protein powder and proper nutrition will enhance the loss of fats. The muscles will appear fuller and are displayed more prominently.

It’s also good for the health because it diminishes the presence of cholesterol from the body and reduces the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. It will also increase the immune system response of the body in dealing with infections and diseases. This is due to the presence of the essential amino acids in the protein. They aid in every metabolic activities of the body at the cellular level.

For athletes, the protein will turn the muscles lean and mean. Bulky muscles are not ideal for athletes. It’ll secrete more chemicals to wear out the muscle much faster. Whey proteins is good in helping how to lose fat weight fast. What protein does is to remove the fats found in the muscle and strengthens it at the same time. With leaner and stronger muscle, the athlete is lighter, faster, and has more stamina to finish and win the race or the contest.

For everyone who led an active life, including the workout devotees and those in the law order professions and the military, whey protein powder is the ideal supplement to drink given its abilities to help the body stay healthy and fit. Getting sick is not an option. You’re insurance can be put to better use.

As we’ve mention already, good food will help give you a sound mind and body. Keep a healthy life style and don’t smoke. Drink spirits in moderation and be happy.

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MMA Diet: Calories

With each word you read right now, your body is burning. It’s burning the meals you’ve consumed. If you’re fasting, no worries, your body will blaze through stored carbohydrates, muscle and fat. If not fed, it will consume itself. A furnace is inside you, and until the day you die you will spend a significant portion of your life stoking this furnace. 

A calorie is the amount of heat it takes to raise one gram of water by one degree Celsius. When you see a nutritional chart for a cheeseburger and it reads, “Contains 900 calories,” it means if that cheeseburger were set on fire and burned completely, it would create enough heat to raise 900 grams of water by 1 degree Celsius. As your eyes dart around on this page, as your fingers click to scroll down, as your mind processes what you read, even as you sleep tonight – your body needs to create heat in order to make it all happen.

Federal guidelines state that men between the ages of 19-31 burn anywhere from 2,400 to 3,000 calories per day. Activity level, metabolism and size can all impact these numbers.

Caloric Breakdown:

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories

1 gram of fat = 9 calories

Of all the dieting variables, perhaps the one that can be most easily quantified is calories. It’s tough to know how your genetics will respond to a diet high in fat or how your stomach will respond after a few weeks of whey protein shakes. But caloric intake, regardless of the food or drink source, will be the factor that either makes you gain weight or makes you lose it.

There are sports nutritional products that promise (or promise by lavish insinuation) weight gain – they even cite studies about it. This is a flat-out lie. The truth is this:

The only way healthy human beings can gain weight (whether fat or muscle) is by taking in more calories than the body burns. Think surplus.

Conversely, the only way healthy human beings can lose weight (whether fat or muscle) is by consuming fewer calories than the body burns. Think deficit. Example: An athlete burns 2,500 calories per day, but only consumes 2,000.

It takes about 3,500 calories to create one pound. So, assuming the above example takes place for seven consecutive days, our athlete could expect about one pound of weight loss by week’s end.

I’ve watched athletes get the majority of their calories from fried fast foods and yet still gain muscle weight. For the majority of us however, the source of calories does matter. Generally the healthier and “cleaner” our diet, the better our body will respond in the ways we hope. However, in terms of purely losing or gaining weight, the source does not matter. I’ve been asked: “Will protein shakes help me gain muscle weight” or “Will cutting back on fat help me lose weight?” The straight answer to both questions is “No.” The protein shake will help you gain weight only if by adding it to your diet you are creating a caloric intake surplus. You will definitely lose weight by cutting out some fat only if by cutting out those fats you are reducing your caloric intake and creating a deficit.

Two tips for the MMA Athlete to gain weight:

(1) Eat your meals, then drink calories when you’re finished eating. It’s awfully difficult to be stuffed with food and then to try to force down more food. However, even when you’re full you should still be able to gulp down a shake for an additional 300-500 calories.

(2) Use healthy oils. When making that protein shake, drop two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into the mix. This tiny amount will get you a whopping 240 extra calories and comes with a ton of health benefits.

Two tips for the MMA Athlete to lose weight:

(1) Incorporate more anaerobic training into your routine. Unlike slow, steady-state exercise, short bouts of high-intensity training has been proven to raise metabolism throughout the rest of the day. 

(2) Eat breakfast (and have some protein with it). Researchers continue to find (A) Those who skip breakfast end up slowing down their metabolism and (B) Protein plays a role in satiety (keeps us feeling full longer so we are less likely to overeat). So, rethink breakfast. The oatmeal with blueberries is great, but don’t be afraid to have a few hard-boiled eggs on the side too.

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четверг, 24 марта 2011 г.

Could Diet Foods Slow Weight Loss and Hinder Fitness?

Healthy eating, which contributes to fitness, requires a certain amount of understanding about ingredients and how to read labels. Here is a recent daily food and drink record from a client of mine who is on a diet food regimen and yet is having trouble trimming his waistline and getting fit.  

8am: Popular bottled nutrition smoothie

10am: Apple with diet energy drink

Noon: Tuna sandwich with fat-free apple chips

2pm: Popular diet cola

4pm: Popular protein bar

6pm: Popular pre-formulated prepared “hearty beef stew” meal

7pm: Popular diet cola

You would be surprised how many nutritionally uneducated athletes have similar daily routines.

My client had the constant frustration of wondering: “How can I still be having trouble trimming my waistline when I am on such a strict diet?”

How is it that a body can consume diet drinks and prepackaged foods that have been specifically designed to lower calorie intake and support complete nutrition, and yet experience bloating, fatigue, weight gain and several other serious health issues?

Let’s take a look at the actual ingredients of my client’s “diet” foods.

The front label of the popular nutrition smoothie says, “Complete, balanced nutrition to help stay healthy, active and energetic,” with a large upper label that claims, “No. 1 Doctor-recommended.”

Turn to the back of the bottle for the ingredients, and you will find that the top four ingredients are: 1) water; 2) sugar; 3) corn syrup; and 4) maltodextrin. Ignore the fact that my client is paying a high price for a product that primarily contains “water,” and let’s take a look at the remaining ingredients of this nutrition smoothie.

Sugar, also known as sucrose, is a processed and refined carbohydrate that, according to clinical studies, has been linked to diabetes, depression, weight gain, obesity and a variety of other health issues. Sugar is also highly acidic and forces your body to balance the acid load by leaching calcium, a non-acidic compound, from your bones, adding to your chances of developing osteoporosis and decreasing bone strength.

One of the most serious threats that sugar poses to an individual is its effect on the pancreas and liver. A high or consistent consumption of sugar can cause decreased insulin sensitivity, which is a precursor to adult-onset diabetes. It can also cause a frustrating inability to metabolize carbohydrates properly. These unused carbohydrates are eventually transferred to the liver, where they are converted into fat, and relegated to the waistline, hips, butt and anywhere else you tend to store fat.

The third ingredient in the popular nutritional smoothie is corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is the primary sweetener in soft drinks, which is why numerous studies have connected soda consumption to weight gain and obesity. Like sucrose, corn syrup is a processed, refined carbohydrate that can decrease insulin sensitivity and can easily be converted into fat by the human body. And like sucrose, corn syrup is completely devoid of vitamins, minerals and nutritional value.

Maltodextrin is the fourth ingredient. Maltodextrin is also a processed and refined carbohydrate, and is often used by competitive cyclists, marathoners and triathletes who are burning 800-1,000 calories per hour and who need a sweet and highly dense energy source during training or competition. Ironically, in the popular nutrition smoothie, maltodextrin is featured as a supplement designed to reduce caloric intake

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PR-USA.net - Bodybuilding Warehouse Whey Protein Pushed by Online Media Direct

Bodybuilding Warehouse Premium Whey Protein is an optimised blend of instantly-preparable, de-lactosed pure whey isolate, concentrate and hydrolysed whey, containing some 22g of protein in every 30g serving. The supplement itself is designed to not only be just what the body requires for the creation of muscle tissue, but to taste great as well – as testimonials from many satisfied bodybuilders, weight lifters, power lifters, rugby players, martial artists and other fitness enthusiasts will bear out.

The appeal of Premium Whey is the reason sales of the muscle building supplement have been steadily growing since its release on the bodybuilding supplements market last year, until it has become one of the most popular products sold on the Bodybuilding Warehouse website. It has even been a hot topic on the Bodybuilding Warehouse Facebook Fan Page, which currently has more than 14,600 fans.

Here are just some of the testimonials for Premium Whey from Facebook:

"The whey itself mixes really, really easily, taste is brilliant and the big tub is handy for storage I will be recommending you to as many people as I can Very good stuff indeed Already looking forward to my next order."
- Gary

"Received my Choc-Cookie Premium Whey today. Just had my 1st shake and...I definitely have a new favourite flavour - its even better than the Banoffee in my opinion! Thanks again BBW."
- Dan

"Just received my BBW Premium Whey Banoffee! Possibly The best tasting whey Ever! Think this is definitely a staple in my diet from now on."
- Dan

"I wouldn't buy any other protein - mixes and tastes awesome."
- Roy

With seven great flavours – banana, chocolate, strawberry, choc-cookie, vanilla, toffee and fruit punch – Premium Whey has been so popular that Bodybuilding Warehouse has been forced to increase the size of the batch for every re-order. As well as on its own Facebook page, Premium Whey is the subject of much online discussion – on dedicated bodybuilding forums in the UK, to general health & fitness boards, football fan boards, and even in the USA.

Combined with a healthy diet and hard training, Premium Whey can help regular users achieve the body they have always wanted and help them to recover from those hard training sessions in the gym.

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Whey protein may cut metabolic risk of high-fat diet: Mouse study

Whey protein isolate may slow weight gain and the accumulation of body fat when added to a high fat, suggest new findings from a study with mice.

Animals consuming a high fat diet supplemented with whey protein isolate (WPI) gained 42 percent less weight, and had 32 percent lower body weight than animals fed only the high fat diet, according to findings published in the Journal of Nutrition.

“In mice and humans, high fat diets contribute to the development of insulin resistance and hepatosteatosis, biomarkers and major risk factors for type-2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD),” wrote researchers from the University of Cincinnati and the University of Kentucky.

“In this study, WPI supplementation in mice reduced the severity of several biomarkers, including gain in body weight and adiposity, insulin resistance, and fatty liver,” they added. “[…] whey protein may have therapeutic potential to reduce the incidence of diabetes and fatty liver diseases, especially in at-risk individuals who consume excess energy and fat and lead a sedentary lifestyle.”

The whey forward

For a long time whey was viewed as a secondary product within the dairy industry, used simply as a means of feed for animals and not as an added-value ingredient. That, however, is changing, particularly with the impact of high milk costs on the industry.

Such a change has seen whey proteins become an important nutritional and functional food ingredient, with extensive use in food applications such as sport beverages, meat replacement products, baked products, salad dressings, ice creams, artificial coffee creams, soups and dairy products.

In addition to its extensive use in sports nutrition products, the new study suggests that whey protein may also reduce the risk of metabolic disease associated with a high fat diet.

Study details

Led by Howard Shertzer from the University of Cincinnati, the researchers fed mice a high fat diet for 11 weeks. The high fat diet was defined as providing 40 percent of calories from fat. Animals were subsequently randomly assigned to one of two groups: One groups received normal drinking water, while the other received drinking water containing 100 grams of whey protein isolate (Natural Pure WPI, Bioplex Nutrition) per liter.

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