Inspiring Video

Watermelon Reduces Post-Exercise Muscle Soreness

Muscle soreness following a vigorous or new workout is frequently inevitable, and though it may be uncomfortable, it’s actually a good thing.

It means that you’ve effectively stressed and challenged your muscles, and as your muscle fibers repair themselves, they’ll grow stronger in the process. Post-workout soreness is a normal response to exertion and part of an adaptive physiological process that leads to increased strength and stamina.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), or the muscle soreness you’ve experienced one to two days after exercise, is actually caused by inflammation stemming from microscopic tears in your muscle fibers, or more specifically, microtears between your muscles and their surrounding tissues.

These damaged muscles release biochemical irritants that trigger mild inflammation, which awakens your pain receptors. In addition to its l-citrulline content, it could be that watermelon helps relieve muscle soreness because of its anti-inflammatory properties.

This muscle soreness will go away on its own in a matter of days, but if you aren’t keen on suffering in the meantime, there may be some natural options that help…


Click the link below to see video
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x13d0dv_watermelon-juice-helps-in-getting-rid-of-after-workout-soreness_travel

All Sugar is NOT Created Equal: Health Impact of Fructose

What Else Does the Science Say About the Health Impact of Fructose?

According to GreenMedInfo.com, scientific studies have linked fructose to about 30 different specific diseases and health problems. Select the hyperlinks provided to review how fructose may:

Raise your blood pressure,4and cause nocturnal hypertension5	Insulin resistance / Type 2 Diabetes	Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)6
Raise your uric acid levels,7which can result in gout and/or metabolic syndrome8	Accelerate the progression of chronic kidney disease9	Intracranial atherosclerosis10(narrowing and hardening of the arteries in your skull)
Exacerbate cardiac abnormalities if you're deficient in copper11	Have a genotoxic effect on the colon12	Promote metastasis in breast cancer patients13
Cause tubulointerstitial injury14 (injury to the tubules and interstitial tissue of your kidney)	Promotes obesity15 and related health problems and diseases	Promotes pancreatic cancer growth16 and feeds cancer cells in general
Cause your brain neurons to stagnate

Effects of Fructose on the Brain

The latest Public Service Announcement warning New Yorkers about the dangers of excessive soda consumption shows exactly how much sugar you might be inadvertently drinking.

In a new study, researchers scanned the brains of nine subjects after they got an infusion of equal volumes of glucose, fructose or saline. The brain scans were looking at activity in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain which plays a key role in setting appetite levels and controlling production of metabolic hormones.

According to the Chicago Tribune:

“The researchers ... found that ‘cortical control areas’ -- broad swaths of gray matter that surrounded the hypothalamus -- responded quite differently to the infusion of fructose than they did to glucose. Across the limited regions of the brain they scanned ... glucose significantly raised the level of neural activity for about 20 minutes following the infusion. Fructose had the opposite effect, causing activity in the same areas to drop and stay low for 20 minutes after the infusion.”

The Importance of Sleep and Weight Loss

For people trying to lose body fat SLEEP, relaxation techniques (breathing exercises) meditation are useful tools to help decrease fat deposition..

You may not have heard of the massive sleep study from researchers at Case Western University of Ohio, published in 2002.

From 1986-2002,  researchers tracked nearly 70,000 women aged 40-60. Researchers checked sleeping habits, weight and other data every 2 years. The conclusions? Women who slept 5 hours or less per night weighed on average 5.5 lbs more than women who slept at least 7 hours per night.
While this may not sound like much, put another way, sleeping 5 hours or less per night increased by 33% that a women would add 33 lbs and by 16% that she would become obese over this period.
For long-term weight management, getting at least 7 hours of quality sleep is critically important to staying slim.

Sleep is one of the most poorly understood areas of human behavior.  Considering that we spend around one-third of our lives asleep, not taking time to understand its importance is incredible. Sleeping is as essential to good health as food and water.

Some other issues relate to deprivation– has been associated with hormonal problems, neck pains, headaches, skin changes, itching, dyslexic behavior, forgetfulness and lack of focus.

The Ideal Sleep Plan

To manage our bodies well, we should try to be in bed from 10:30 PM and we should wake at 6:30 AM or later.  These times are not determined by me or anyone else but by nature. From 10:30 PM – 2:30 AM, your body repairs physically.  From 2:30 AM – 6:30 AM, the body recovers emotionally, which includes repairing the immune system.  This constitutes the famous “eight hours of sleep” you always hear about.

Individual sleep requirements are unique, but some general trends can be identified. For example, teenagers require much more sleep than adults because of the tremendous changes that are occurring in their bodies. Experts say that teenagers require 9.5 hours of sleep each night.

This is nearly impossible to attain, as school in the United States starts much earlier than in other countries. Teenagers tend to feel very alert late at night and are typically unable to function well early in the morning. The fact that they stay up later and start school earlier constitutes a sleep debt of nearly 3 hours per night (Carskadon).

For the people that work late, it is better to choose a schedule that is steady in time as their body will adapt to stress – and, in such cases, it is a good idea to nap during the day.


Suggestions for Better Sleep:

1. Go to bed at 10:30 PM and wake at 6:30 AM for 21 days.
2. Begin to dim lights close to bedtime.
3. Find time to read peaceful books before bedtime, not gossip magazines.
4. Avoid coffee, wine, and other stimulants before bedtime.
5. Exercise four hours before bedtime, no later.  This will give your body time to calm down.
6. Make your room as dark as possible.
7. Don’t go to bed hungry.

If we keep lights bright and televisions will actually keep us awake longer!

Bright lights activate Cortisol, which ideally is released when we wake up to begin the day.  The later you stay up, the more Cortisol that is released to keep you up, and the less time your body has to repair itself while you sleep.  To fix this, we should try to return to a “normal” bed time little by little.  It can take 7-21 days for the body to get used to your new pattern for healthy living.

Food For Thought

I found this very interesting article to illustrate the level of misinformation that is available on the internet. The title of the article is "How Grains Are Killing You Slowly". The article is based on loose associations/correlations and not specific studies which support a causal relationship. An example of this is the following statement:

"In the last 130 years of increased grain consumption, chronic disease rates have skyrocketed, fertility has fallen and the average weight of the population has steadily risen. The more consumption of grains rose, the more fertility rates fell. Research from the University of Missouri, the average sperm count of American males has dropped 50% since the 1930's. To add insult to impotence, testicle size tends to have an inverse relationship with grain consumption".

There is no mention of the industrial developments, factory, auto and all the chemicals that were developed, to name just a few... But you can see how easily you can start making assumptions on this matter. What I did like about this article are the facts on lack of nutritional value of grains and the effects on digestion and endocrine system.

• Other claims in this reports that there is any direct link between the Various cancers including: pancreatic, colon, stomach and lymphoma
• Autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
• Infertility
• Diabetes (Fact)
• Obesity (Fact)
• Arthritis
• Autism
• Depression, Anxiety and Schizophrenia
• Allergies

If you skip unsubstantiated health hazard claims except Diabetes and Obesity the rest of the article is worth the time: Full Article

9010 Program

Guys, did you every wonder no matter how much weight you lose you just can't get rid of the "Man Boobs", or maybe the "love handles" or the Belly Fat?

You're doing all these Bench reps and sit ups till your back hurts and your Abs look exactly the same?

You maybe surprised to learn that this is a common problem. People do not realize that exercises the muscle will not eliminate the fat that resides above it.

And ladies, have you noticed that you have lost 20 pounds but your thighs and buttocks are the same size, while your breasts get smaller?

You will be pleasantly surprised to find that now there is a solution for these problems and it doesn't require running five miles a day or doing hundreds of butt and thigh exercises to name a few. The solution and you may find this hard to believe is a change in your diet. Not that you Diet but change what you eat and the way you eat.


The 9010 program is not just another diet plan, it's a life-style plan. In it I will show you how to make the most of your physical advantages and eliminate drawbacks. The program is based on your body-type and your physical limitations. You will discover that the weight you are losing is not only improving your physical appearance but also improving the condition of your internal organs by lowering visceral fat. You will lose weight and keep it off easier.

No matter how many plans have failed you in the past or how many pounds you have lost only to gain them back. No matter how long you have gone without really taking care of yourself. The 9010 program will bring forth the healthier, stronger you as long as you are willing to take the action to make yourself as healthy as possible... I will give you the formula to get there.

Fatty Liver Disease

Prevalent in Pre-diabetic/ Insulin resistant or over-weight (Obese) men and women

9010 Program is directed at decreasing Belly and Visceral Fat

You can actually see the fat that covers the liver (the black area)

What is Fatty Liver Disease?

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is now the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the U.S. Some people with excess fat in the liver simply have what's called a fatty liver. Although this is not normal, it is not serious if it doesn't lead to inflammation or damage.

Others have what's called nonalcoholic steatohepatisis (NASH). Although it is similar to alcoholic liver disease, people with this type of fatty liver disease drink little or no alcohol. NASH can lead to permanent liver damage. The liver may enlarge and, over time, liver cells may be replaced by scar tissue. This is called cirrhosis. The liver can't work right and you may develop liver failure, liver cancer, and liver-related death. NASH is one of the leading causes of cirrhosis.

Both types of NAFLD are becoming more common. Up to 20% of adults may have either fatty liver or NASH. And more than 6 million children have one of these conditions, which are most common in Asian and Hispanic children. Recent evidence indicates that NAFLD increases the risk of heart disease in children who are overweight or obese. Both Fatty liver and Heart disease are on the rise in the US.

The cause of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is not clear. Certain factors tend to increase risk, but in some cases, no risk factors show up. However, NAFLD tends to run in families. It also shows up most often in people who are middle-aged and overweight or obese. These people often have high cholesterol or triglycerides and diabetes or prediabetes (insulin resistance), as well.

How do you know you are at risk:

Get a measuring tape, wrap it around your waist, and check your girth. Do it while you're standing up, and make sure the tape measure is level.

For the minimal effect on your health, you want your waist size to be less than 35 inches if you're a woman and less than 40 inches if you're a man.

Having a "pear shape" -- fatter hips and thighs -- is considered safer than an "apple shape," which describes a wider waistline.

What I'm really pointing to with the apple versus pear, is that, if you have more abdominal fat, it’s probably an indicator that you have more visceral fat.

This program isn't just about looking better, it's about getting healthy no matter what shape you're in.

Why Diets Fail

If you are reading this you're probably interested in some sort of change. Maybe you've been doing some reading and you're confused by all the information. Perhaps you don't know where or how to begin.

Confused by all the data and information?
Lots of articles to read?

Hard to make sense of conflicting data and information?

Wondering what's causing all the confusion? Pretty much anyone can write and post things. There is a lot of good information available. But how do you know it's good information?
How can you tell a real study from an opinion? Fact from fiction?

My kids are are at the age when they say things like, " I heard (read) that eating butter is unhealthy". My first response is always. Where did you get that information?

I have spent countless hours reading scientific data, research studies and over the past two years developed a life-style program. And I have lived every bit of it...

When the people in my life saw the changes they asked me to share my experience with them and they encouraged me to write a book, so others may be helped.


So who can benefit from this program?

1. Anyone who is overweight, with or without health issues.
2. Whether it's just to look better and or to feel better.
3. You're lacking energy, depressed about your condition.
4. You've tried everything and have lost a hundred pounds... Only to gain them back.
5. Maybe you have many illnesses and you don't think anything can be done or maybe you're someone who wants to improve his or her current state of health...not just lose fat (weight), but improved blood pressure, heart health and better blood sugar control to name a few.

Let's be honest if everything was going great you wouldn't be reading this. You are struggling and maybe you're frustrated and you don't know where to start.


Right now there is a battle going on in your mind and the YOU that's produced the 'YOU' that you're unhappy with is winning.
You're Game Plan is NOT working (kinda like my NY Giants).

Remember ONLY YOU are responsible for your state of health, you got here all by yourself.
And You... ONLY YOU CAN FIX THIS. Not by shear willpower but with a better game plan.


What we are trained to eat and how we live and how we take care of ourselves is ingrained in us from our learning, our past experiences and perhaps the information we collect along the way.

Even the various food tastes, the associations of joy we get from say Ice Cream or Chocolate are learned and can be unlearned. I was the guy that if I bought a quart of Chocolate Ice Cream, I couldn't have just one large bowl. I would always try not to eat eat but I knew I had to finish it or it would talk to me all night until it was gone.

One of the benefits of this program is that Sugar loses its grip on us.

I don't think I'm being dramatic when I say this program saved my life because I believe it wholeheartedly. The main reason I put all the details about where I was, (my state of health when I started changing things) was to show you that NO MATTER WHAT you're going through, there is a way out.

The main reason diets fail is that WE GIVE UP for one reason or another. Most diet program are useful for losing weight and have advantages and disadvantages. The main reason people give up is that the diet is either too extreme or too rigid.

I have designed a plan that is neither rigid or restrictive. Now if it's 10 pounds in ten days you want to lose we can do that too but more than likely the pounds will come back. What I hope to provide is a plan for living. The results are slow to arrive but can be held.

If you have any questions or comments (box below) please email me at Magazinesexybody@gmail.com

Women and Weight-lifting

Some Women Believe That Weight Training Causes Them To Develop Rippling Muscles. Moving on, another big benefit that weight training has over cardio training is that it will completely allow you to reshape your body. Cardio training generally will help you lose weight, however typically this weight loss is going to be a bit of a combination between fat and muscle; therefore what you're left with is a smaller version of your current self.

When you are performing resistance training instead while following a good nutrition paln, then you stand a better chance of losing strictly body fat, while helping to enhance the natural curves of your body.

This lends for a much more attractive physique, which will give you a much better overall transformation than if you just lost weight doing cardio. If you've ever noticed someone who has lost a considerable amount of weight but still looks somewhat 'soft', that's usually why. They have lost some fat, but at the same rate, their muscles aren't overly toned, hence they don't give off the same type of appearance.

One thing that should be mentioned at this point is that many women will shy away from lifting weights, particularly going heavier with them (more than 5-10 pounds) simply because they believe that doing so causes them to develop rippling muscles that give off too masculine of a look.

This is an unfortunate misperception because the fact of the matter is that females do not have enough testosterone in their body to develop this degree of musculature naturally, plus in order to build that type of muscle even with testosterone present, a great deal of food must be provided (which is another thing that most women are not doing).

What lifting heavy weights will do though is raise their metabolic rate, promote greater fat burning, and help give them more definition when they do lose the body fat off. As you can see, what most women fear is actually what they should be doing. So, make sure you're not making that mistake.

Another difference between weight training and cardio training is the type of hormonal environment they promote. Weight training tends to put the body in an anabolic state and encourages muscle mass gain (if eating a higher calorie diet, which won't be the case when you're aiming for fat loss) or muscle maintenance (which is applicable here).

Cardio training, on the other hand, promotes higher levels of cortisol release, and this is the primary hormone has a negative effect on lean muscle mass, and can increase fat accumulation around the abdominal region.

Because of this difference in hormone levels, that's another big reason why you should tend to sway yourself more towards weight training as a means to lose body fat compared with cardi0o

"The Big Fat Fiasco" by Tom Naughton

Cardio vs. Weightlifting for Fat Loss (weight Loss)

If you asked the average person who goes to the gym, which type of exercise would they do if the goal was to lose body fat or weight. They would probably say Cardio... And that would seem to make sense right? If you fell for that misconception you'd be making a mistake and here is why:

Weight Training And Metabolic Increases For The Period Following
With Cardio Training, You Might Get An Extra 40-80 Calories Burned. The first reason we are going to give weight training a point in the fat loss wars against cardio training is due to the calorie burn after the workout is completed.

Studies have demonstrated that after a weight training workout, the metabolism can be boosted for up to 36 hours post-workout, meaning rather than burning say 60 calories an hour while sitting and watching TV, you're burning 70. While you may think, 'Big deal - 10 extra calories', when you multiply this by 36 hours, you can see what a huge difference that makes in your daily calorie expenditure over that day and a half.

When you figure out that on a monthly rate, it becomes even clearer how regular participation in a weight lifting session will really increase your calorie burning and thus fat burning capacity.

With cardio training, you might get an extra 40-80 calories burned after a moderate paced session, and this will depend upon the exact intensity and duration of the workout.

In order to generate a high amount of post-calorie burn from aerobics, you'd have to be doing it for a very long duration of time, and typically individuals who are capable of doing such a thing, don't need to be concerned with fat loss in the first place.

Now, sprinting is a slightly different story and will create effects with your metabolic rate closer to that of weight lifting, so that's something to consider as well. With this, you must be sprinting hard in order for benefits to be seen though, which is something some people will struggle with.

Weight Training And Long-Term Metabolic Increases 
The second factor to consider in the fat loss wars is long-term metabolic increases. While it's great to be burning more calories for 36 hours after the workout, that's not going to help you two weeks from now unless you are consistent with your workout program (which you should be anyway, but that's not the point we're trying to make here).

What weight training will enable you to do is build up a larger degree of lean muscle mass, which then basically serves as your calorie burning powerhouse in the body.

When you calculate your basal metabolic rate, which is how many calories you would burn if you lied in bed all day and did absolutely nothing except breath, one of the factors that goes into this is your total body weight. The most accurate equations will also take into account lean body mass, which represents your muscles, bones, and organs.

How Many Calories Should I Eat?

The human body and energy usage
For the human body to remain alive, it requires energy. Approximately 20% of the energy we use is for brain metabolism. The majority of the rest of the body's energy requirements are taken up for the basal metabolic requirements - the energy we need when in a resting state, for functions such as the circulation of the blood and breathing.

If our environment is cold, our metabolism increases to produce more heat to maintain a constant body temperature. When we are in a warm environment, we require less energy.

We also require mechanical energy for our skeletal muscles for posture and moving around.

Respiration, or specifically cellular respiration refers to the metabolic process by which an organism gets energy by reacting oxygen with glucose to produce carbon dioxide, water and ATP energy. How efficiently energy from respiration converts into physical (mechanical) power depends on the type of food eaten, as well as what type of physical energy is used - whether muscles are used aerobically or anaerobically.

Put simply - we need calories to stay alive, even if we are not moving, and need calories to keep our posture and to move about.

How many calories do I need per day? 

Math (or just get a Pedometer)

The Harris-Benedict equation, also known as the Harris-Benedict principle, is used to estimate what a person's BMR (basal metabolic rate) and daily requirements are. The person's BMR total is multiplied by another number which represents their level of physical activity. The resulting number is that person's recommended daily calorie intake in order to keep their body weight where it is.

This equation has limitations. It does not take into account varying levels of muscle mass to fat mass ratios - a very muscular person needs more calories, even when resting.

How to calculate your BMR

Male adults

66.5 + (13.75 x kg body weight) + (5.003 x height in cm) - (6.755 x age) = BMR

66 + ( 6.23 x pounds body weight) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.76 x age) = BMR

Female adults

55.1 + (9.563 x kg body weight) + (1.850 x height in cm) - (4.676 x age) = BMR

655 + (4.35 x kg body weight) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age) = BMR

# 6 FOODS TO AVOID

When the anti-fat message first came out, food manufacturers started producing “healthy” products that were low-fat or fat-free.

FACT: LOW FAT FOODS CAUSE WEIGHT GAIN.

In a 2010 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers found that when you replace saturated fat with a higher carbohydrate intake, you increase insulin resistance and obesity, and increase your chances of getting heart disease by increasing triglycerides and small LDL particles, and reducing beneficial HDL cholesterol. 

Despite the last decades of propaganda against saturated fats, they have now been proven to be harmless (AJCN, SD).

The food manufacturers then loaded their products with chemicals, artificial sweeteners and massive amounts of sugar.


What they basically did was remove the good stuff (fat) and replace it with bad stuff (sugar).


This is how they managed to turn perfectly healthy foods like yogurt into very harmful products filled with unhealthy ingredients.

Bottom Line: Avoid everything labelled “low-fat” or “fat-free.” These are highly processed products loaded with sugar and other harmful substances.

The Fat Heart Disease Myth

In 1971, Richard Nixon was facing re-election. The Vietnam war was threatening his popularity at home, but just as big an issue with voters was the soaring cost of food. If Nixon was to survive, he needed food prices to go down, and that required getting a very powerful lobby on board – the farmers. Nixon appointed Earl Butz, an academic from the farming heartland of Indiana, to broker a compromise. Butz, an agriculture expert, had a radical plan that would transform the food we eat, and in doing so, the shape (literally) of the human race. This launched all sorts of corn based (HFCS), wheat based products anything you could by in a box or a bag. A host of food products (sugary treats) were marketed to the future generations, the chart shows the clear relationship between farm products invasion on obesity.

Take a look at this very informative  funny video a presentation by comedian Tom Naughton about the difference between good and bad science. A must-watch for anyone interested in nutrition.

Here are some reasons not to fear saturated fats.

• Saturated fats are source of Cholesterol

         Cholesterol is a molecule that is absolutely vital to life. it's a component of everything from              cell membranes and hormones like cortisol, testosterone and estradiol.

• Without cholesterol, we would die… 

• Saturated Fats Raise HDL Cholesterol

• Diets High in Saturated Fat Are Good For Weight Loss:  
  We often hear that “high fat diets” make you fat. It’s only half-true, though. These diets are fattening… but it’s because they usually contain sugar and refined carbs as well, NOT just a lot fat.
  
  Diets that are high in fat but also low in carbs actually have the opposite effect. Low- carbohydrate diets (AJN), which are usually high in saturated fat, actually make you lose MORE weight than diets that are low in fat. They also improve ALL biomarkers of health much more than low- fat diets. Click here for more info.

• Eating saturated fats raises blood levels of HDL (the “good”) cholesterol, which should lower your risk of heart disease. Do Not Cause Heart Disease. For more info check links, American heart association, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, NIH

• Saturated Fats May Lower The Risk of Stroke, see link for more info.

• Foods With Saturated Fats Are Nutritious for more info see links: Prime examples are meats, eggs, organs and high-fat dairy products. The key here is to eat animals that ate foods that were natural to them, such as grass-fed cows.Grass-fed beef, pastured eggs and dairy from grass-fed cows are much more nutritious than their “conventionally” raised counterparts. They are especially rich in fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, E and K: NIH , Nutrition Journal, NIH-2

• Saturated Fats Don’t Damage Easily in High Heat; cooking with vegetable oil causes toxic compounds to form due to a process known as oxidation.

• Saturated Fat Tastes Amazing

         Fact: a life rich in saturated fat sure as heck beats a life without it.

Multiple Uses of Ammonia

I used to love McDonald's and fast food in general. Loved it, was addicted to it. I had dreams about it. If you were a kid growing up in the 70's McDonald's affected your life adversely and continues to destroy the health of billions are around the world. And I have heard the argument that not everyone has the time or the money to eat healthy. The margins of profit at the dollar menu products are off the charts because it costs them next to nothing to feed you lack of better term POISON. This poison is insidious and destroys your body over time.

I can relate a story of how pervasive the Fast Food grip is. I know who is meticulous about fashion, her looks, and taking care of her body, and she holds two degrees from Columbia University. She is super smart works out very hard and loves the Angry Whopper and fries or Mighty Wings, and you can't convince her to not eat that or give it to her kids. The love for that sort of food starts in childhood which is why billions are spent to marketing to the children. We happily pass this sort of bug or virus that slowly leads to multiple illnesses over time. 

And if you don't think it's an addiction then you are mistaken. Anyone who has had a bag of Potato chips and couldn't stop once the bag was open, or just eat a couple of bites of their favorite ice cream, can relate to what I'm saying. 

I went of the path a little but now back to the point I'm trying to make:

See Reuters "Pink Slime"

Now a lot of you may already know all this and I know it's not real ground breaking news story stuff but any restaurant that serves hamburger goes out of its way to reassure you how pure and natural it is. Restaurant chains like McDonald's ("All our burgers are made from 100 percent beef, supplied by farms accredited by nationally recognized farm assurance schemes") and Taco Bell ("all U.S. beef, our 100 percent premium beef is USDA inspected, then passes our 20 quality checkpoints") happily vouch for the authenticity of their animal bits. Their testaments to the healthiness and fullness of their meat read out like they were talking about Filet Mignon. And do you remember the E. Coli out break twenty years ago which really hit the FF industry?

Since that time they have been cleaning the burger meat (notice I call it meat, its not all beef). You know, the harsh chemical they use in fertilizers and oven cleaners? It kills E.coli really well. So, they invented a process where they pass the hamburger through a pipe where it is doused in ammonia gas. And you probably never heard about it, other than those times that batches of meat stink of ammonia so bad that the buyer returns it.

The ammonia process is an invention of a single company called Beef Products Inc., which originally developed it as a way to use the absolute cheapest parts of the animal, instead of that silly "prime cuts" stuff the competitors were offering (and the restaurant chains swear we're still getting). Consequently, Beef Products Inc. has pretty much cornered the burger patty market in the U.S. to the point that 70 percent of all burger patties out there are made by them. 

And then there were all white meat nuggets, if I had a restaurant and gave this to they'd put me in jail. This may somehow be legal (mind boggling), but I know it's not right.

Nutrition Facts

Calories in BurgerKing Angry Whopper

Serving Size: 1 serving

Amount Per Serving

• Calories880.0
• Total Fat55.0 g
• Saturated Fat18.0 g
• Polyunsaturated Fat0.0 g
• Monounsaturated Fat0.0 g
• Cholesterol110.0 mg
• Sodium1,670.0 mg
• Potassium0.0 mg
• Total Carbohydrate59.0 g
• Dietary Fiber3.0 g
• Sugars13.0 g
• Protein37.0 g

I love to laugh out loud, you know that belly laugh see if you find this as funny as I did:

NOT AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS?

The meat industry has been trying to raise awareness of other foods that contain ammonia, in response to what it has characterized as an unfair attack on a safe and healthy product.

For example, ammonia compounds are used as leavening agents in baked goods and as an acidity controller in cheese and sometimes chocolate.

"Ammonia's not an unusual product to find added to food," Gary Acuff, director of Texas A&M University's Center for Food Safety, told a recent press conference hosted by Beef Products Inc. "We use ammonia in all kinds of foods in the food industry."

Kraft Foods Inc, whose brands include Chips Ahoy cookies and Velveeta cheese, is one company that uses very small amounts of ammonium compounds in some of its products. It declined to specify which products.

Read more of this hilarity in the Reuters article.

Atkins Is Best Diet Around, Says Stanford University Study

According to a study of 311 women carried out by researchers at Stanford University, USA, the Atkins diet is the best one around. Those following the Atkins diet had best blood pressure levels, better cholesterol levels and lost the most weight, compared to people on other diets, say the researchers.

You can read about this new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The JAMA article stressed that the researchers looked at the short and medium term benefits of some diets, but not the long term outlook.

The scientists (in this 12-month study) say there was no evidence of health problems emerging after people have been on Atkins for a year. The Atkins diet, according to several critics, is the cause of health problems later on. The researchers did find that certain basic vitamins and minerals were not at ideal levels for some people on Atkins - but could not detect any health problems.

#5 HEALTHY FOOD TO AVOID

Vegetable Oils

As the fear of saturated fat took hold of the world, consumption of all kinds of unhealthy oils increased.

Prime examples are industrial seed- and vegetable oils like soybean, corn and cottonseed oil.

These oils are extracted from seeds using very harsh processing methods and include high heat, bleaching and the toxic solvent hexane.

These oils contain very large amounts of Omega-6 fatty acids, way more than humans ever consumed throughout evolution. However, if we eat too much O6FA is the case in Western population diet, this could lead to inflammation and many chronic diseases

We only need small amounts of these fatty acids in the diet, such as the amounts found in meat and nuts.

These oils get incorporated into our body fat stores and cellular membranes, where they are highly sensitive to oxidation and damage.

To top it all off, the industrial vegetable oils that you find in the supermarket contain 0.56-4.2% of their fatty acid as trans fats, which are highly toxic

(This does not apply to olive oil, which is good for you!)

Bottom Line: Vegetable oils are unhealthy and lead to inflammation and may lead to other chronic diseases. They are potentially a key players in the epidemic of Western diseases.

# 4 of things a sold as HEALTHY: Sports Drinks

These things are marketed to weekend warriors, heck my kids demand it during baseball games... Baseball ya you heard it right, why marketing!

• Sports drinks were designed for athletes who have just finished an intense training session with massive sweating and glycogen depletion. So seriously if you're hanging out playing softball on the weekend and its like 90 degrees, you DON"T need this.

SO WHY SPORT DRINKS AT ALL:

• Water – to replenish lost fluid.
• Electrolytes – to replenish electrolytes like sodium that were lost via sweat.
• Sugar – because athletes need energy after an intense workout.

Normal people like you and me and my kids don't need all this stuff

• You don’t need any additional electrolytes unless you’ve been doing a very intense workout and most people are already eating too much sugar.
• One bottle of Gatorade contains over 30 grams of sugar.

****You’re better off sticking to plain water, which you should certainly drink plenty of, especially around workouts.

Bottom Line: If you’re not doing super intense workouts, then you should avoid sports drinks. They are not needed and contain sugar.

Health Reasons to Lower Body Fat Percenatge

According to the trainers at my gym over the past year or so, clients have started asking about body fat percentage testing more than any other test. Though most people are only interested in it for aesthetic reasons there are a number of health benefits associated with a lower body fat percentage. 

To maintain life, a person needs at least 3 percent to 5 percent body fat. Most of our fat - somewhere between 70 and 80 percent for men, and more for women - is subcutaneous; that is, right beneath the skin.

The bad stuff is the deep body fat, also called intra-abdominal or visceral fat, most of it in the abdomen around our internal organs, he said. A lot of deep body fat can give a person an apple shape, and it "seems to be associated with all health problems on which fat seems to have any bearing.

• The more visceral fat you have, the higher the level of free fatty acids in your blood.The most prominent health benefit resulting from a low body fat amount is almost certainly the reduced threat of heart disease that may crop up due to clogged arteries or veins.

•  A number of persons might enjoy good health even after having a elevated body fat percentage, but when it comes to the general populace, figures undoubtedly reveal that most of the people suffering from heart problems have a higher amount of body fat. Reports have shown that people with more fat around their stomach are more expected to suffer from Type 2 Diabetes than those with lesser body fat around the waist.

• Low body fat percentage and lower visceral fat reduces the threat of an assortment of cancers such as uterine, gallbladder, cervical, ovarian, and colon cancer in females. In males, chances of colon, prostate, and cancer of the rectum are less.

• Low body fat is related with a less risk of Sleep Apnea, which can produce shortness of breath and even lead to heart attacks in a number of cases.

• Can reduce load on joints allows for more mobility and lessens the risk of muscle and joint problems as well as back problems.

How do you measure body fat percentage?

There are five ways body fat percentage is estimated it's a useful tool to track your progress but the reasons for doing this calculation goes beyond asthetics. Research has shown that people with 25% or greater BFP have greater amounts of viceral fat. The percenatge of viceral fat is directly linked with many diseases which include Diabetes, to Liver and Kidney disease, Cardiovascular diseases as well as cancer. Viceral fat has also been linked to premature death and at a time of medical advances where 70 is not considered very old when compared to just twenty or thirty years ago. When people passed away in their 70's back then; it was thought well they lived a nice long life. Nowadays people are living well into their eighties and are active due to better health and medical advances.

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How Much Sugar Is In Your Food?

In June 2012, researchers from Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity revealed that even though cereals aimed at kids had become more nutritious, cereal companies (such as Kellogg, General Mills, and Post) had increased their advertising spending considerably. Cereal advertising aimed at children increased by 34% between 2008 and 2011.

Marlene Schwartz, deputy director of the Rudd Center, said:

"While cereal companies have made small improvements to the nutrition of their child-targeted cereals, these cereals are still far worse than the products they market to adults. They have 56% more sugar, half as much fiber, and 50% more sodium.

The companies know how to make a range of good-tasting cereals that aren't loaded with sugar and salt. 

How much sugar do breakfast cereals contain?

*(per 100 grams)

• Cheerios - 1.1 teaspoons of sugar
• Corn Flakes - 2.4 teaspoons of sugar
• Cocoa Krispies - 9.6 teaspoons of sugar
• Froot Loops - 10.6 teaspoons of sugar
• Raisin Bran - 7.8 teaspoons of sugar
• Frosted Flakes - 8.9 teaspoons of sugar
• Honey Smacks - 14 teaspoons of sugar
• Rice Krispies - 2.5 teaspoons of sugar
• Special K - 3 teaspoons of sugar
• Wheaties - 3.8 teaspoons of sugar
• Trix - 8 teaspoons of sugar
• Lucky Charms - 9 teaspoons of sugar
• Rice Chex - 2 teaspoons of sugar
• Wheat Chex - 2.6 teaspoons of sugar
• Corn Chex - 2.8 teaspoons of sugar

Western Style Diet Increases Risk Of Premature Death

Data from a new study of British adults suggest that adherence to a "Western-style" diet (fried and sweet food, processed and red meat, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products) reduces a person's likelihood of achieving older ages in good health and with higher functionality. Study results appear in the May issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

Researchers followed 3,775 men and 1,575 women from 1985-2009 with a mean age of 51 years from the Whitehall II study. Using a combination of hospital data, results of screenings conducted every five years, and registry data, investigators identified mortality and chronic diseases among participants. The outcomes at follow-up stage, classified into 5 categories were:

1. Ideal aging, defined as free of chronic conditions and high performance in physical, mental, and cognitive functioning tests -- 4.0 percent
2. Nonfatal cardiovascular event -- 12.7 percent
3. Cardiovascular death -- 2.8 percent
4. Noncardiovascular death -- 7.3 percent
5. Normal aging -- 73.2 percent

Aging process reversed with positive lifestyle changes

Positive lifestyle changes, such as adopting a healthy diet and moderate exercise, may reverse the aging process, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology.

Researchers from the University of California in San Francisco have discovered that certain lifestyle changes may increase the length of telomeres. Telomeres have been compared with the plastic tips on shoelaces because they prevent chromosome ends from fraying and sticking to each other, which would scramble an organism's genetic information to cause increase aging, cancer, other diseases or death.

Positive lifestyle changes, such as adopting a healthy diet and moderate exercise, may reverse the aging process, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology.

Researchers from the University of California in San Francisco have discovered that certain lifestyle changes may increase the length of telomeres.

What is My Ideal Healthy Weight?

BMI (Body Mass Index) has been used for over 100 years in population studies, by doctors, personal trainers, and other health care professionals, when deciding whether their patients are overweight. However, BMI has one important flaw - it does not measure your overall fat or lean tissue (muscle) content.

An Example of Where Body Mass Index (BMI) is Flawed

Imagine you were asked to advise two men on their bodyweight:

The couch potato: He is 1.83 meters tall (6 feet tall), never does any exercise, and weighs 92 kilograms (203 lbs). His BMI is 27

The athlete: He is an Olympic champion 100-meter sprinter, 1.83 meters tall (6 feet tall), does an incredible amount of exercise, and weighs 96 kilograms (211 lbs). His BMI is 28

# 3 Health food that's not healthy at all: AGAVE

In the health food isle at the supermarket, you will definitely find some “sugar-free” products that are sweetened with Agave.

This sweetener is touted as a healthy alternative to sugar because it is natural has a low glycemic index.

But the harmful effects of sugar have little to do with its glycemic index, it is harmful primarily because it is loaded with excess amounts of fructose.

Too much fructose in the diet can cause all sorts of problems, especially in people who don’t exercise much.

All fructose is metabolized by the liver. If the liver is full of glycogen the fructose will be turned into fat. This can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and all kinds of metabolic problems like resistance to the hormones insulin and leptin, which will ultimately lead to obesity and diabetes.

While regular sugar is 50% fructose, the fructose content of Agave is as high as 90%. If anything, agave is even worse than sugar!

Bottom Line: Agave nectar is loaded with fructose and therefore causes all the same problems as regular sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Drinking water is associated with weight loss

Drink water throughout the day, and especially during your workout to burn more calories and all your body to perform better during exercise duress.

• Drinking lots of water is commonly espoused in weight loss regimens and is regarded as healthy; however, few systematic studies address this notion. In 14 healthy, normal-weight subjects (seven men and seven women), we assessed the effect of drinking 500 ml of water on energy expenditure and substrate oxidation rates by using whole-room indirect calorimetry. See Study

• Water will help you lose weight even if you don't diet or exercise: See Study

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Get rid of belly fat

• Drink chilled water at least 12 oz or more if you can stomach it first thing when you get up.
• Eat breakfast with one hour of waking up.
• Don't skip meals
• Eat multiple small meals
• Say NO to sugar, sugar is not your friend
• If you can't not eat carbs switch to whole grain everything
• Can't exercise start walking even if it's 5 mins a day and increase it a min a week
• Eat good fats like avocado
• find ways to decompress, relieve stress
• cut down on caffiene and caffinated beverages especially after 4 pm to provide better sleep
• do this with a partner and keep each other accountable, harder to cheat
• Get a pedometer know your BMR, count your calories (if you are trying to lose weight
• Get a calorie app for your phone
• measure your inches and track your progress

**** you WILL get bored, you WILL get flustered, you WILL want to resort to old habits (been there done that), it's just a part of CHANGE. You don't have to eat tasteless food, infact over the past couple of years I have come up with meals that my kids even love. Here are some cookbooks you can look at.

So remember, it's okay if you get off this path (as long as you don't stay off too long) because you can always get back on the right road; another thing to remember is this isn't a sprint it's a marathon. It's like one of my friends tells me "you are traveling from NYC to Miami and your GPS sends you off on some dirt road, you're not gonna go back to NY and start over, meaning you won't lose all the progress you've made. 

It's a day at a time process... so remember to be GENTLE with yourself. 

15 Food Companies That Put Wood Pulp In Food

LIST OF 15 MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR COMPANIES THAT SERVE US WOOD

Cellulose (wood pulp) is added to most foods it's practically in everything you buy at the store, that come in a box, bag, plastice container you get the point, even shredded cheese and ice cream. But one of the bad things about cellulose is not that it's everywhere. The worst thing is that it is not food at all. And even though the government says it's safe, do you really want to eat wood?

Cellulose is unlike the actual any normal food items you think you're paying for, completely undigestible by humans so it has no nutritional value.

Cellulose is virgin wood pulp that has been processed and manufactured to different lengths for functionality, though use of it and its variant forms (cellulose gum, powdered cellulose, microcrystalline cellulose, etc.) is deemed safe for human consumption, according to the FDA, which regulates most food industry products. The government agency sets no limit on the amount of cellulose that can be used in food products meant for human consumption. The USDA, which regulates meats, has set a limit of 3.5% on the use of cellulose, since fiber in meat products cannot be recognized nutritionally.

#2 FOOD TO AVOID: WHOLE WHEAT

ALLEGED HEALTH FOOD #2
WHOLE WHEAT

Many of us love bread it was the most difficut food to almost eliminate from my diet because like most people were addicted to the taste and texture of it. As you know by now I am big propoenent of the high protein and low carb diet, so in the begining if youre having a hard time getting off the carbs cut your portions in half, and increase meat and vegetable portion. Here are some Whole wheat facts and studies:

Foods To Avoid: JUICE

This is a first in a series of  "Health foods to avoid"

Alleged Health Food : #1 ORANGE JUICE (Juice drinks or other juices)

There are foods many foods that are marketed to us as "Healthy Foods". One of the worst on that list is ORANGE JUICE but juices marketed to us are bad for us in general and if you are taking a multivitamin or have a good balanced diet you don't need to add all that sugar to your diet.

Now other than the facts about sugar listed below let me tell you what I found about the packaging and distribution of OJ.

If I asked you to close your eyes and tell me the first thing you see in your mind when I say the words Fruit Juice. Most likely a picture of an orange pops up or you think of words like sweet, healthy and delicious. Why do you suppose it's so. That's because forever we have been sold a bill of goods by the FDA, the manufacturers of these products, Florida Orange Growers Assoc etc.,

Who doesn't think natural 100% made from fresh fruit isn't good for you? It's all in the marketing...

Okay, here are some thing you may not know:

Protein Rich Meals Burn Calories Regardless Of Exercise!

Eating a low carb diet despite all the scientific date has long been questioned but the benefits of eating a protein rich diet have only recently been investigated. Researchers have found that having
protein rich meal, with 70% of its caloric value due to protein, had significantly greater thermogenesis than the high carbohydrate meal.

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If you have any questions, send them over I will answer as many as I can...

Jump Start Your Metabolism

Eat Regularly.
It might seem counterproductive to eat if you're trying to lose weight, but studies show that eating breakfast within an hour of waking up keeps your insulin levels steadier and your LDL cholesterol levels lower. Other studies show the negative effects on metabolic activity due to irregular eating or skipping meals

Regular eating has beneficial effects on fasting lipid and postprandial insulin profiles and thermogenesis.

Decreased thermic effect of food after an irregular compared with a regular meal pattern in healthy lean women.

The irregular meal frequency appears to produce a degree of insulin resistance and higher fasting lipid profiles, which may indicate a deleterious effect on these cardiovascular risk factors.

FOR A MORE WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR METABOLISM CHECK OUT MY BOOK

LOW CARB NUTRITION PLANS WORK HERE'S PROOF

People love to be spoon fed, and who has time to read and make sense of all the information that is available on the web. The studies and their links below is all the proof you're going to need if you doubt the power of a low Carb Nutrition Plan and it's ability to get you that magazine sexy body you want...Once you have the right information how could you possibly put junk in your body?. And it's not just about looks, it's about your health and well being for the long-term.

1. Soenen, et al. Relatively high-protein or “low-carb” energy-restricted diets for body weight loss and body weight maintenance? Physiol Behav. 2012 Oct 10;107(3):374-80.
2. Krebs NF, et al. Efficacy and safety of a high protein, low carbohydrate diet for weight loss in severely obese adolescents. J Pediatr. 2010 Aug;157(2):252-8.
3. Hernandez, et al. Lack of suppression of circulating free fatty acids and hypercholesterolemia during weight loss on a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. Am J Clin Nutr March 2010 vol. 91 no. 3 578-585.
4. Brinkworth GD, et al. Long-term effects of a very-low-carbohydrate weight loss diet compared with an isocaloric low-fat diet after 12 mo.Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jul;90(1):23-32.
5. Volek JS, et al. 
   Carbohydrate restriction has a more favorable impact on the metabolic syndrome than a low fat diet. Lipids. 2009 Apr;44(4):297-309.
   
   Tay J, et al. Metabolic effects of weight loss on a very-low-carbohydrate diet compared with an isocaloric high-carbohydrate diet in abdominally obese subjects.
6.  J Am Coll Cardiol. 2008 Jan 1;51(1):59-67.
7. Keogh JB, et al. Effects of weight loss from a very-low-carbohydrate diet on endothelial function and markers of cardiovascular disease risk in subjects with abdominal obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Mar;87(3):567-76.
8. Shai I, et al. Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, or low-fat diet.N Engl J Med. 2008 Jul 17;359(3):229-41.
9. Dyson PA, et al. A low-carbohydrate diet is more effective in reducing body weight than healthy eating in both diabetic and non-diabetic subjects.Diabet Med. 2007 Dec;24(12):1430-5.
10. Halyburton AK, et al. Low- and high-carbohydrate weight-loss diets have similar effects on mood but not cognitive performance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Sep;86(3):580-7.
11. Gardner CD, et al. Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN diets for change in weight and related risk factors among overweight premenopausal women: the A TO Z Weight Loss Study: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2007 Mar 7;297(9):969-77.
12. McClernon FJ, et al. The effects of a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet and a low-fat diet on mood, hunger, and other self-reported symptoms. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jan;15(1):182-7.
13. Nickols-Richardson SM, et al. Perceived hunger is lower and weight loss is greater in overweight premenopausal women consuming a low-carbohydrate/high-protein vs high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005 Sep;105(9):1433-7.
14. Meckling KA, et al. Comparison of a low-fat diet to a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss, body composition, and risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease in free-living, overweight men and women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Jun;89(6):2717-23.
15. JS Volek, et al. Comparison of energy-restricted very low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets on weight loss and body composition in overweight men and women.Nutr Metab (Lond). 2004; 1: 13.
16. Yancy WS Jr, et al. A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-fat diet to treat obesity and hyperlipidemia: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2004 May 18;140(10):769-77.
17. Aude YW, et al. The national cholesterol education program diet vs a diet lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein and monounsaturated fat: a randomized trial.Arch Intern Med. 2004 Oct 25;164(19):2141-6.
18. Brehm BJ, et al. A randomized trial comparing a very low carbohydrate diet and a calorie-restricted low fat diet on body weight and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Apr;88(4):1617-23.
19. Sondike SB, et al. Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor in overweight adolescents. J Pediatr. 2003 Mar;142(3):253-8.
20. Samaha FF, et al. A low-carbohydrate as compared with a low-fat diet in severe obesity. N Engl J Med. 2003 May 22;348(21):2074-81.
21. Foster GD, et al. A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity. N Engl J Med. 2003 May 22;348(21):2082-90.

• Main take home: Low-carb diets usually lead to more fat/weight loss than low-fat diets, even when the low-fat groups are calorie restricted while the low-carb groups are not.

• Low-carbohydrate diets also significantly improve major risk factors for diseases like cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes.