Cause and Effect - Diet and Nutrition

Cause and effect

For the most part here in America we have the same diet we did 100 years ago. We consume the same amount of calories, carbohydrates, protein, etc. The main difference between now and then is 100 years ago you didn't just hop in your car and run to the Mc Donald's drive-thru. As a matter of fact getting any where required a lot of work 100 years ago. Feeding and brushing your horse before you saddle it, then hooking it up the wagon. And before you even leave for the day you had to milk the cows and collect eggs from the chickens. I won't go into much more detail but what I am trying to explain is that the trivial things we do daily would have burned hundreds or thousands of calories daily back then yet, our diet and appetite are basically the same.

We consume large amounts of white flour. It is in everything from bread and crackers to pasta and cereal. It converts to energy immediately in the body and if not used it gets stored on as fat. This worked out 100 years ago but now after we eat our eggs and toast for breakfast, there are no cows to milk (for most of us) no horses to saddle up and we don't need to go out and collect the eggs to begin with. After we eat our eggs and toast, most of us take less than fifty steps to our car where we just sit there until we get to work. After we are at work, the majority of us either sit all day or stand in one place all day; yet we consume the same amount of calories we did back then. Do you think there was any need to exercise back then? Not when your regular daily duties included chopping wood for hours or bailing hay with your bare hands for most of the day.

The few Americans that are in shape today are those who exercise to make up for the excess of calories. Is it a sacrifice to take a little time out of the day to actually get some exercise? I don't think so, especially when we get done with a long hard day of sitting we come home to sit some more while we watch TV.

The cause of eating way too many calories leads to the effect of being over-weight. Being over-weight leads to varies health problems. The cause of having health problems leads to the effect of a shorter life. Does this make sense to anyone?

-Brendan
http://www.powerofpositivemind.com

Proper Vitamins and Minerals Nutrition

Vitamins and minerals have all the necessary nutrients that are essential for our body to remain healthy and fit. Any deficiency in this nutrition can weaken our immune system, thereby leading to various diseases. Let us take a look at what steps one has to take to maintain proper level of vitamins and minerals nutrition in the body.

If you want to get the nutritional benefit of almost all the vitamins and minerals, then you have to make your diet more varied. The vitamins important for our physical well being include Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K. The main minerals that one will need for a healthy life include calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, and sodium.

Proper vitamins and minerals nutrition will enable your body fight against various diseases like osteoporosis, hemoglobin deficiency, various eye diseases, diarrhea, and anemia. That is why you need to ensure that your meals are well balanced and enriched with vitamins and minerals.

Pregnant women and infants need these nutrients more than anyone else. Proper vitamins and minerals nutrition help in the growth of children. Make sure a child gets food high in Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and calcium. In case a pregnant woman does not get enough nutrients, the newborn might face life risk because it will be too weak. A pregnant woman must get folic acids or Vitamin B9 in addition to other vitamins and minerals.

With proper vitamins and minerals nutrition, one can live a healthy life. It will also prevent deaths due to malnutrition.

Grace Leer has written some successful e-books about proper vitamins and minerals nutrition.

Fun Nutrition Facts

Nutrition is one of the most important issues in life, but for most people it is also one of the most dull and confusing. All that talk of calories, proteins, antioxidants, and vitamins just tends to make most people's eyes glaze over in disinterest. Even people who are in the process of dieting to lose weight often find nutrition facts to be something of less interest than the overall number of calories that they consume - a fact that leads so many people to fail in their efforts to lose weight. Nutrition facts need not be the unwanted guest at the party, however. To prove it, here are some fun nutrition facts that you may not have heard.

Four quick Facts: the colors we eat

One example of these nutrition facts is that red is apparently an important color in our diets - since research indicates that naturally red foods seem to contain high levels of antioxidants. These include strawberries, tomatoes, and even red wine! You need these antioxidants to maintain healthy cells and prevent disease. Another of these fun facts concerns the color orange. Just take a look at carrots, which were first cultivated for their medicinal uses and have in recent times been proven to not only improve the health of your eye tissues but your night vision as well. Orange is also the color of pumpkins, which are a rich source of antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin A.

Color also plays a role in the fast food that we eat. Studies have revealed that warm colors like red, orange, and yellow seem to cause us to be hungrier. Can you think of any restaurants that use those colors in their logos and building designs?

Four more facts about food

Of course, nutrition facts aren't all about color relationships. Some are about things you wouldn't expect to hear. Take, for example, broccoli and apples. Did you know that it takes more than 200 apples to equal the amount of vitamin C present in a third of a pound of broccoli? How about nutrition facts like the average human being annually consumes a weight of food equal to the weight of a full grown grizzly bear - nearly 1500 pounds! Are you aware that the stomach requires 3 hours of work to digest every meal?

Then, of course, there are nutrition facts that defy myths - like the fact that frozen vegetables can actually be healthier for you than so-called fresh produce, since vegetables lose their nutrients as they wait to be eaten and freezing your vegetables stops that process.

Two for the road

If you're dieting, consider using applesauce in baked products to reduce your caloric intake. It's an excellent replacement for butter. Another of these nutrition facts that we should all know has to do with food allergies. The most common of these allergens are also some of the most commonly eaten foods: eggs, milk, peanuts, wheat, fish, and various nuts from trees. Now those are some nutrition facts that can liven up any conversation about food!

Christine Crotts loves to cook in her kitchen with a crowd seated around the kitchen island. Christine has written a site with reviews of custom kitchen islands, as well as a review of butcher block islands.

Nutrition For Natural Stress Relief

We’ve all had stress at one point in our life or another. There are some types of stress that are healthy and beneficial to life. Unfortunately, the majority of the stress we encounter in today’s world is destructive and may even help to shorten our lives.

According to a study done at Duke University’s Medical center and reported to the American Journal of Cardiology, a link can be found between an “aggressive” personality and the likelihood of death in people younger than age 61 who currently have heart disease. If you can’t find a way of managing stress properly, it will help to kill you.

There are several tools available nutritionally for stress management. Some vitamin supplements give natural stress relief and bring body balance when stress saps your energy. Some natural sources for managing stress are foods, herbs, and some from nutritional supplements.

Stress Management with Food

When thinking of managing stress in the body and food sources, the key is maintaining a balance between the many chemicals within the body that control mood.

Serotonin is a chemical released within the body that works to control mood.

Overall, when stressed, depending on what your activity level it can be a good idea to eat a diet rich in complex carbohydrates. These help to release serotonin into the body and elevate mood. Some good food sources of complex carbohydrates include broccoli, potatoes, squash, and brown rice.

In addition, you should likely look to increase your consumption of B vitamins in food as the B vitamins are essential in stress management. Foods high in B vitamins include asparagus, beets, soybeans and spinach.

Finally, including tryptophan in the diet is important in maintaining a balance of serotonin levels in the body and stress management. Foods rich in tryptophan include poultry (chicken, turkey, etc.), eggs and nuts

For more information on foods rich in stress reduction properties, visit the food and stress page at [http://www.wholehealthmd.com/hk/remedies/disp/1],1459,516,00.html – Whole Health MD.com

Natural Stress Relief with herbs

One of the biggest “stars” of the herb world relative to stress management has become St. John’s Wort. St. John’s Wort has been shown to be effective in treating mild to moderate depression in clinical trials conducted in Europe.

St. John’s Wort acts much the same as some medicinal serotonin inhibitors such as Prozac. St. John’s Wort helps to balance serotonin levels in the body. This leads to an overall elevation in mood.

The biggest concern about St. John’s Wort is its possible interaction with other drugs and/or supplements. The use of St. John’s Wort should be discussed with a physician or health professional before beginning a course of stress management therapy.

Another herbal remedy for natural stress relief is chamomile. Chamomile has a sweet apple-like fragrance-in fact, it’s name comes from the Greek kamai melon which translates to “ground apple”. Chamomile can be taken as a supplement but is likely a better tool for natural stress relief as a hot tea.

While the herb “kava-kava” has been promoted as a possible herbal remedy for natural stress relief, the U.S. FDA has issued a warning about the possible effects of this herb on the liver. Please read the article [http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/addskava.html] here.

Stress Reduction with natural supplements

When choosing natural supplements for managing stress, it’s a good idea to look at those natural supplements which directly combat stress.

The B-Complex of vitamins is a great place to start. All of the B-Complex of vitamins are important in managing stress and elevating mood. While you can take them individually for a variety of issues, for managing stress, it’s beneficial to take a B-Complex tablet which includes all of the vitamins in the B-Complex.

In general, natural stress relief is possible in many ways by the foods we eat, by herbal remedies and even by natural supplements. By learning how to properly incorporate natural stress relief elements into our diet, we can achieve stress reduction and live a happier life.

This has been a short overview of a few methods to use for managing stress naturally and nutritionally. For more information, please visit the reference sources listed below.

References

Chamomile: Herb Profile and Information - http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/c/chammo49.html

UK Health And Nutrition Information – Depression
[http://www.healthandnutrition.co.uk/articles/depression.htm]

St. Johns Wort (Hypericum perforatum) and the Treatment of Depression
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/

Stress Management, Diet, Food and Stress-Controlling Stress by Diet, Food, Nutrition
http://www.holistic-online.com/stress/stress_diet.htm

Hostility may speed death from heart disease
http://www.somersetmedicalcenter.com/115569.cfm

Ben Douglas is the webmaster for VitaminFan.com. VitaminFan.com is an internet portal with independant information and resources on vitamins, nutrition and overall health. VitaminFan.com is a site by vitamin "laypeople" specifically geared to the needs of nutrition consumers. Please visit VitaminFan.com at http://www.vitaminfan.com.

Good Nutrition For Alzheimer's Patients

Alzheimers! This is a word that no one wants to hear in a diagnosis. Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative condition that is progressive, causing the loss of many functions in elderly people, including memory. Often, it is the short-term memory that is affected, and often, patients will relive memories of their distant pasts.

Millions of Americans are affected by Alzheimer's, and in addition to affecting the memory, this devastating condition also affects the physical and emotional functions as well. Many Alzheimer's patients inherited their condition through a faulty gene, but there are a number of theories as to how and why Alzheimer's starts in many patients.

Progressively, Alzheimer's patients will experience memory loss, the inability to communicate and even the inability to perform simple daily tasks that were once commonplace for the patient. In most cases, patients with Alzheimer's are over the age of 65, but there have been a number of reported cases of patients being much younger. Unfortunately, there is no test for Alzheimer's disease, but a CAT scan or MRI can diagnose Alzheimer's, or at least rule out other causes of dementia. Following stroke, heart disease and cancer, Alzheimer's is the fourth leading cause of death in the elderly.

Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

There are many theories about the mysterious Alzheimer's disease, one being that it is caused by a faulty enzyme related to neuron activity in the brain. The pattern of decline is the same in all Alzheimer's patients, but the rate and level of impairment varies from patient to patient.

Noticeable symptoms of Alzheimer's disease can include an abnormal loss of memory as well as confusion. Many patients will begin to forget things, such as the names of loved ones, dates, places, etc. They may begin to forget simple things, like the names of many items that they use every day. Often, Alzheimer's patients become nasty when they were once loving and kind and have been known to become violent as well.

Many Alzheimer's patients, when they become confused, look for a means to escape their confusion. Therefore, these patients must be watched at all times. All too often, Alzheimer's patients have been picked up by police officers as they are wandering around the streets, confused and scared. In time, it will be necessary for most Alzheimer's patients to move to a facility where they can receive around-the-clock care and attention.

Life Expectancy of Alzheimer's Patients

Unfortunately, physicians are unable to correctly predict the life expectancy of Alzheimer's patients because the disease, as mentioned above, has the same level of decline but every patient has different symptoms and their conditions degenerate at different rates. Early on in the disease, patients will start experiencing confusion and memory loss, which will increase over time.

The second stage of Alzheimer's may not be reached by the patient for a number of years, and once the disease is into the third stage, decline is rapid. This is when the patient is no longer able to care for themselves, including eating and even getting dressed. Other illnesses can develop at this time as well as an increased rate of bone breakage, particularly in the hips. At this stage of the disease, the patient is usually bed-ridden and may even need to be tube-fed.

The Free Radical Damage Theory

Some researchers theorize that Alzheimer's may be the result of damage caused by free radicals concentrated in the brain. These are found naturally in our bodies, and can cause damage by stealing electrons from healthy cells to use themselves. Free radicals can be found throughout the body, and there are a number of environmental factors that are known to increase the presence of free radicals in the body, including pollution, alcohol, smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke.

Nutrition's Role in Alzheimer's Treatment

Factors that contribute to free radical damage include too much sun exposure and having a poor diet. In order to prevent, or treat, Alzheimer's disease, everyone needs to follow a healthy diet plan that is rich in the proper vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Vitamin E is important, but because it can be dangerous when taken in high doses, it should only be taken on the advice of a physician. Vitamin E can also have adverse effects on other medications. Thiamin is also beneficial and may help in memory improvement. Again, this should only be used under a physician's care, because large doses can cause cases of mild nausea. Another important nutrient that is necessary for all diets, especially for Alzheimer's patients, is protein.

Protein for Alzheimer's Patients

Protein is a macronutrient that is necessary in order for survival. Of course, one of the problems associated with Alzheimer's disease is a loss of appetite and difficulty eating, and this can cause patients to not get the nutrients they so desperately need, including protein. But they need to digest the right proteins. There is a blood protein, ApoE, which transports cholesterol throughout the bloodstream, which, in Alzheimer's patients, deposits extra amyloid plaque compounds in the brain. It may also cause these compounds to harden as well. People who test positive for the ApoE-4 gene are eight times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than people with the ApoE-2 or ApoE-3 genes.

Using Protein Supplements in the Treatment of Alzheimer's Patients

Because appetite and the ability to eat are affected by Alzheimer's disease, many people need to find other ways to get the nutrients that they need without resorting to being tube-fed. As we get older, we need more and more protein in our systems in order for our bodies to function properly, and if Alzheimer's patients are not getting the protein that they need from dietary sources, they may need to add protein supplements to their diets.

In addition to the many powdered and liquid protein supplements available on the market today. Supplements like this are great for Alzheimer's patients because they are usually small, so there is not a lot for them to have to drink and digest. Liquid supplements are ideal for Alzheimer's patients who are having difficulty swallowing solid foods.

About Protica Research

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm specializing in the development of protein-rich, capsulized foods (dense nutrition in compact liquid and food forms). Protica manufactures Profect protein beverage, IsoMetric, Fruitasia and more than 100 other brands in its GMP-certified, 250,000 square foot facility.

You can learn more about Protica at http://www.protica.com

Copyright - Protica Research - http://www.protica.com

The Amazing Benefits of Spinach Nutrition

Spinach Nutrition

Everyone has heard good things about spinach nutrition, but not many people know about the specific healthy properties of spinach.

When one looks at the scientific evidence, it's easy to see that spinach deserves its reputation as health food par excellence.

In fact, when compared calorie for calorie to other vegetables, nothing is as nutrient dense as spinach.

Those who prize good health, therefore, should make sure to include spinach regularly in their diet.

Healthy Effects of Spinach

Spinach nutrition isn't just about the vitamins and minerals found within its leafy, green exterior. To be sure, it is loaded with such antioxidants as Vitamins A, C, E, K, B1, B6, minerals like potassium, calcium, zinc, and so much more.

But, more than this, the major healthy properties of spinach are attributed to special substances it contains. For example, research has shown that spinach is packed with over a dozen phytonutrients.

These phytonutrients are potent substances that have properties that can fight cancer. In fact, extracts of spinach used by researchers have reduced the occurrence of skin cancers on tested animals and lessened cell division in stomach cancer cells.

The incidence of breast cancer may also be cut with the consumption of spinach by women. For men, prostate cancer risk may be slashed because of a carotenoid substance spinach contains called neoxanthin.

Women who are worried about osteoporosis should consume spinach because it is a rich source of calcium and vitamin K.

For the millions of people who are concerned about cardiovascular health, the healthy effects of spinach are promising due to its free radical fighting antioxidants.

More and more, a substance called homocysteine is believed to be just as an important marker of heart disease and high levels are also associated with elevated risks of stroke. However, one of the components of spinach nutrition is folate. Folate can help neutralize harmful homocysteine.

Do you suffer from arthritis? You'll be glad to know that one of the healthy properties of spinach is that it harbors anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Are you worried about macular degeneration and other common eye diseases people get as they age? Spinach has lutein, which is a nutrient that has been extensively shown in Government studies to protect against not only macular degeneration but also cataracts.

Spinach has a long history of providing good nutrition. History books reveal that it was consumed in China in the 7th century and, later, in Europe by royalty.

Preparing Spinach

To get optimal spinach nutrition, you should thoroughly wash it and eat it raw. It works well in salads. Many dishes are prepared on a bed of spinach. In culinary terms, this is referred to as "a la Florentine."

If you cook it, try to cook it lightly to preserve most of its beneficial spinach nutrition.

If you don't like the way it tastes, or can't seem to find enough time in your busy schedule to consistently eat spinach, you may want to do what I do and take it in capsule form in a whole food supplement.

Russell Cantwell is editor of http://www.whole-food-supplements-guide.com/ Visit us to learn more about spinach nutrition and to learn about whole food supplements that contain it.

Post-Exercise Nutrition

The importance of post workout nutrition cannot be undermined. In order to recover properly from your workouts your body needs essential nutrients to rebuild and re-energize. You've worked hard in the gym, or just completed your run, or just finished an intense game and don't want your sweat and effort to go unrewarded right? Well, the following information is essential in assuring you get the most from your training as well as helping your body recover as best it can.

It is important to realize that making poor food choices following exercise can not only reduce the benefits of exercise but it can also weaken your immune system, increase the likelihood of injury, cause hypoglycemia (drop in blood sugar) and reduce your energy and performance during subsequent exercise sessions.

Carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats all have an important role in the post exercise nutrition. While working out or exercising, your body mainly uses muscle glycogen and blood glucose as its main fuel sources. These glycogen and blood sugar levels can be severely depleted upon completion of an intense workout and must subsequently be replenished to ensure proper recovery.

Exercise, and specifically weight lifting, causes microtears in the muscle fibers (protein degradation). This is what causes muscle soreness but also what stimulates their recovery to a stronger state than before. Since muscles are made up of protein, post-workout protein consumption is important to foster quick and full regeneration.

I also highly recommend adding essential fatty acids for the role they play in reducing inflammation, supporting the immune system, and building healthy cell membranes.

Another component I recommend adding to a post-exercise smoothie is Maca. Maca is an ancient Peruvian root vegetable that has tremendous adrenal supporting benefits. Considering that intense exercise places significant stress on the adrenal glands, maca can play a noteworthy role in helping your body come back to balance and reduce its stress load. Maca powder is the easiest form to use.

After your exercise session, fuel replenishment (glycogen stores), muscle regeneration, and rehydration (discussed later) are your three main goals. As such, food choices that stimulate the release of insulin (ie. sugars) will cause the most effective uptake of carbohydrates into the muscles. This increase in insulin levels due to consuming carbohydrates after exercise also increases muscle repair because insulin stimulates muscle protein synthesis. High quality protein and essential fatty acids will foster proper recovery of muscle tissue and other cellular damage, respectively.

The quicker you can get the proper nutrients into your body after your workout, the more effective your recovery will be. And just to reiterate, by ensuring that nutrients come from plant-based whole foods, you will greatly assist your recovery. One study out of Denmark showed that a vegetarian group of athletes recovered in 1/5 of the time it took the "meat-eating" athletes. Something to consider the next time you reach for that steak!

The ideal is to consume a quickly absorbable (high glycemic index) form of carbohydrates within 15 minutes of your workout's end. This can take the form of a sport drink, fruit juice, fruit, or the sport gels and puddings. After this initial glucose-rich drink/snack, you can have a more substantial smoothie that balances carbohydrate-rich foods with high quality alkalizing proteins (hemp or whey) and essential fatty acids.

Whey protein has been found to stimulate the release of insulin. Therefore, it would be an effective protein to consume after an exercise bout as the extra boost of insulin will help drive nutrients into the muscle cells. Whey protein is also a very high-quality protein that would help muscles recover more quickly. You can throw in some Maca if you like as well.

After your smoothie, it is preferable to have a more balanced and substantial meal no later than 2 hours post workout. As with your smoothie, this meal should contain good sources of carbohydrates, proteins, and essential fatty acids. Remember that you want to choose whole living plant-based foods for they have tremendous life force, contain huge amounts of enzymes, and are mostly alkaline forming in the body.

Yuri Elkaim is the owner and founder of Total Wellness Consulting, a leading health, fitness, and wellness company offering health-conscious individuals the most innovative information, programs, and technologies to help reach their goals of physical and mental well being. He is a Certified Kinesiologist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, former Professional Soccer Player, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the University of Toronto men's soccer program, and regarded by many as Canada's leading fitness expert.

For more information on Yuri and his nutrition expertise, please visit us at http://www.eatingforenergy.ca

A Balance Intake Of Health Nutrition

Health nutrition from food you eat and drink is your health and strength. What you eat is part of what you are and what you will become. What you choose for a meal has an impact on our body either positively or negatively. The quality of food you take affects the length and quality of your life. Many life threatening diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancers, are often, at least in part, linked to poor nutrition. Much of these diseases could be prevented with sufficient health nutrition intake.

We are often told that we must eat a balanced diet to obtain health nutrition for our wellbeing. However, what is a balanced diet? How do you know you are achieving the correct balance? Many of us do not eat enough healthy carbohydrates. Many of us are unaware of a diet which is very low in fat can cause as much harm to our body as a high-fat diet. Many of us do not know that we eat more protein than we really need, and that too much can be bad for us. Many of us fall short on the daily requirement of vitamins and minerals that our body need.

A perfect diet should contain all needed health nutrition such as carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals, fibre, in the right quantities. The WHO suggests at least fifty per cent of calories in our diet should come from complex carbohydrates, no more than thirty five per cent comes from fat and up to fifteen per cent comes from protein. The allowance for alcohol consumption is no more than five per cent.

To get fifty per cent or so of carbohydrates you need to ensure that at every meal you have a good portion of starchy carbohydrates food such as rice, pasta, potatoes, or bread. At most meals, you need good portion of vegetables and/or fruits. You should also include small portion of low- or moderate-fat protein such as fish, poultry, pulses and lean meat in our diets. High-fat protein such cheese, dairy product and fatty meats should be eaten less frequently and in even smaller portions. As all fat is a calorie-dense food, ideally you should include only small quantities of oil such as olive or corn oil in your meals. The majority part of your daily calorie needs have been taken up. There is only little room for alcohol and for the sugars. So, add these to your diet in moderation, if at all.

A variety and a balance intake of health nutrition is the most important element of a healthy diet for life. To ensure adequate amounts of all necessary vitamins, minerals, fat, protein, carbohydrates and fibre, eat as wide a variety of foods as you can. You should eat different sources of carbohydrates, varying types of protein, lots of different vegetables, salads and fruits.

There is no need to worry too much about the exact nutritional content of every morsel of food you eat. The fact is that almost any kind of meal can be adapted to form part of a healthy diet if you follow the abovementioned guidelines.

Food Chart. Food For Weight Control. Food as Medicine. Everything About Food Nutrition Such As Vital Vitamins, Dietary Minerals, Fibre, Fat and Carbohydrate.

3 Sports Nutrition Myths

Perhaps the biggest reason why people failed to achieve the level of performance they want in their sports endeavors is poor or improper nutrition.

Because they don't have the right information. they are trapped in various sports nutrition myths. They behave according to whatever beliefs they have regarding what they should eat in order to prepare their bodies for the sports they want to excel in.

As a result, they focus too much in a particular type of nutrition while neglecting others. This will cause more harm than good. This article highlights 3 common sports nutrition myths.

Sports Nutrition Myth #1: Carbohydrates Is The Most Important Food Component

Carbohydrates is the most important food component as it gives energy. Because people preparing for a particular sport uses a lot of physical energy during training, they think that this is the most important nutrients to consume. No doubt, carbohydrates are important sources of fuel for the body. They provide the energy required for the vigorous training activities.

However, the body needs a balanced combination of different foods to function well. Other nutrients are just as important, if not more important than carbohydrates, for optimal performance. In fact, an athlete's body requires nutrients like iron and calcium more than carbohydrates.

Sports Nutrition Myth #2: One Should Eat As Much Carbohydrates As Possible

One should eat as much carbohydrates as possible in order to have as much energy as possible to perform well. The body needs plenty of energy for the workout during training and carbohydrates provide this energy.

However, loading the body with too much carbohydrates will fill the tummy and leave the person feeling tired even before the training session starts.

Sports Nutrition Myth #3: Take Plenty of Protein and Amino Acid Supplements for Muscle Building

In order to build large and strong muscles, a person has to take plenty of protein and amino acid supplements. Many young aspiring athletes in their haste to build big strong muscles take too much protein and amino acid supplements. This often results in accusations of unauthorized drug intake that frequently ends careers before they even get started.

There are no short-cuts. Building muscles and strength requires hard workouts and regular training.

Many people have these erroneous thinking about their nutritional needs because of inadequate knowledge. As a result, they do not have proper dieting which will lead to their inability to cope with the rigorous demand on their bodies. However, with proper information, one can discard such sports nutrition myths and eat healthily for peak performance in their activities.

Lenox Smith is a sports nutrition specialist who is dedicated to helping sportsmen and women achieve their peak performance through good nutrition.

The Benefits of Good Nutrition

There are multiple benefits to good nutrition. Good nutrition is essential for the maintenance and health of you and your body. It is known that good nutrition can provide mental health relief, promote sleep, and increases energy. Good nutrition also provides the body with the nutrients it needs to fight of disease and germs.

Sugary food and foods that are filled with excessive amounts of fat can stymie your energy throughout the day and limit the energy you can produce. Since fats digest more slowly than other molecules, they cannot provide the body with a constant source of fuel. Sugars also promote higher blood sugar levels, which can leave a body feeling tired once the initial sugar rush is gone. Diet that limits sugar intake can leave a body feeling energized and vigorous. It is also known that excessive sugar levels forces the body to store sugar as fat, causing you to actually gain weight, instead of losing weight.

What keeps standing upright is the one thing we forget to nourish. The skeleton is necessary for our survival, and as we age can begin to deteriorate. By consuming a healthy diet, we can provide the bones the needed calcium for bone growth and maintenance. This will help us avoid painful medical conditions later in life. The skeleton is one of the most important elements to our bodies, and not caring for it can leave us crippled and paralyzed.

It is also important to avoid sugary, high fat foods because of the damage it can do the biggest muscle in our body: the heart. Research provides us the evidence that certain foods do increase the risk of heart disease and other conditions, while eating a smart, balanced diet can actually reverse the signs of aging in our heart. By avoiding unsaturated fats, the heart can keep pumping for years to come. Since all the body's blood flows through the heart, it is best to keep that muscle as healthy as possible, so your body can receive fresh, clean blood to function.

Making the choice to eat healthier and better makes us feel better about ourselves and our bodies. The comfort good nutrition allows us to feel about our body is immeasurable. The mental benefits of good nutrition are strong reason to make the change to healthier eating. When you eat better, you feel better and it shows in your smile, your skin, your attitude. Eating a more balanced diet can actually perfect your complexion, clear up any blemishes on your skin and give you a nice, healthy glow. Sugary, high fat foods will do just the opposite.

Looking at the variety of benefits good nutrition can offer a person, you realize what a better lifestyle healthier dieting and better food choices can be. And it can begin with one meal. Anyone can enjoy the benefits almost immediately, with just one plate. So load up on the fruits, vegetables and lean protein. Enjoy the healthy life style you have just chosen. Your body will thank you for it.

Find the latest weight loss diet exercise and fitness information here http://www.greater-weightloss.com.

Athletic Nutrition

When it comes to training and sports healthy eating habits are a must. Proper athletic nutrition is crucial to give you that boost of energy you will need to get you through those intense training sessions.

Indeed, one of the most important aspects of training and keeping at a healthy weight is to take an honest, harsh look at what you put in your mouth. Regardless of whether you are training 1 hour per day or 10 hours per day, the quality of the foods you eat are going to go a long way in either boosting your training sessions or bringing them crashing down on you.

Medical science has proven that one of the most significant health indicators is the food that we eat and athletes need to be hyper vigilant about this. While you are working out, you lose minerals and this is normal - however, it is crucial to replace those minerals with a healthy diet. If you do not eat well, you will find yourself either being very sluggish and tired all the time or you might end up wondering why on earth you are not gaining/losing weight as you should be and the answer is in the foods that you consume.

While it was believed that athletes needed to eat more fats than "usual" people, this has now been disputed. As a matter of fact, athletes should be eating a combination of healthy carbs (such as grains) and protein as well as minimal fats.

It is also important to eat your meals at strategic times. If you like to train in the mornings, then you should eat some light fruit and perhaps an ounce or two of nuts to get you through your morning session.
After you have finished the workout, make sure to eat within two hours. Your body is still in "burning" mode and will easily process a healthy breakfast. It is imperative that you eat breakfast each morning - do not skip this important meal.

If you work out at lunch or later, then consider eating a small, light meal approximately 1 hour before you go for your workout - this should be light and considered a "mini" meal. The goal is to give you the energy that you will need for the workout - without making you feel full. Once the workout is completed, you should have your meal - remember that you should be having a healthy meal and this meal should not be too close to your sleep time. Your body needs time to digest.

For many people, eating more small meals during the day makes a lot of sense. As long as it is healthy stuff! Finally, don't forget to drink as much water as possible - water cleans out your body and removes the toxins that can make you ill.

Tina Avon

http://www.cutting-edgesp.com

Nutrition Label - 4 Deciphering Tips!

One of the great marvels of modern science: the surprisingly complicated nutrition label.

Here's the scene: You're standing in the aisle of the grocery store, staring at the enticing labels and packaging of the foods you are considering adding to your increasingly full shopping cart.

One says "Extra Healthy" right on it, whereas another one reads "For a Healthy Diet" or some other play on a disappointingly false statement. What about "Low Fat" vs. "Less Fat" and the infinite possibilities continue... which do you buy?

Well, there's no truly easy answer to that. Clearly the goal in this scenario is to find the healthier food, but how can we make that determination based on what a well-thought-out marketing label is telling us?

The key is to make sure you're checking the right label and the important information. And no, it's not the gimmicky, brightly-colored cartoon characters on the front; the label you should be checking is the nutrition label.

How to Read Nutrition Labels

1. First, check to see if the food contains any unhealthy fats. These would be your trans fats, in some cases your saturated fats, or perhaps even interesterified or stearate-rich oils.



2. Second, pay attention to the amount of sugar. Do your best to avoid foods that contain too much. Not only will it elevate your blood glucose levels, but it may lead to added weight gain and several other health complications.
   
   Especially, be wary of "drinking" too many calories that come from high-sugar drinks such as soda and fruit juice. You want to enjoy your calories from healthy solid foods, not waste them on a few gulps of liquefied sugar.



3. Third, look for foods high in fiber. Basically, the more, the better. Apples and other fruits and vegetables are a great source, and you're probably getting far less fiber than you need.



4. Lastly, examine the overall number of ingredients. In most cases, more ingredients means you're holding in your hand a highly-process and unhealthy "food."

Try to stick to whole, natural foods that have the fewest number of ingredients, little or no added sugar, lots of fiber, and healthy fats. Once you make this a habit, checking those misleading labels will be a thing of the past!

Once you've got a handle on the nutrition label, it's time to delve deeper and find out what exactly each ingredient and macro-nutrient REALLY means at http://www.fitbuff.com

Quality Nutrition for a Healthy Body

Body health is directly dependent upon the quality of nutrition that it derives from the food that we consume. We need a balanced meal that includes cereals, pulses, green vegetables, fruits and dairy products. Nutrition assumes more importance in case of people who are working on building their body and muscles and are following strict regimen with daily workouts.

A balanced home cooked mean with less oil and including small portions of meant, cereals, pulses, green veggies and light meat products like fish, egg along with dairy products etc provide required nutrition.

Depending upon your body weight and height, your calorie requirement per day can be calculated using body mass index. In case of people engaged in body building and training workouts, the calorie requirement would increase by at least 40 calories per kg of body weight. This extra calorie would be required to support the muscle strengthening and building process.

Saying yes to body building workout requires you to say no to Junk food.

When into body building training, your body will require extra supplement of proteins along with rest of the nutrition. A professional nutrition expert would be the right person to draw up a diet for you, keeping in mind your calorie requirement and the need for extra calories and proteins.

Body building activity calls for higher quantities of proteins along with carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are used by the body to produce glycogen, which provides the energy to the entire body. Body also requires vitamins and minerals apart from proteins to be able to strength the bones, increase and maintain body tissues as well as other functions. Fruits and vegetables combined with dairy products are rich sources of vitamins, minerals and calcium.

To strengthen the bones and produce blood continuously, the body depends upon zinc, iron and calcium found in plenty in green vegetables, dairy products and fruits. A dietician will draw up a comprehensive diet plan including all of these nutrients required for overall body growth along with the need of building body muscles.

You can also explore using addition protein supplements or bio organic supplements that are available in the form of power, shakes and bars to help you get instant energy as well as required nutrition for the body.

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Body Building And Nutrition

Things To Take Into Account Before Starting Your Body Building Routine

It goes without saying that nutrition is a crucial element for anyone starting an exercise habit. I would even go as far as to say that one of the first things to be considered when contemplating a body building routine is your nutrition. The two, body building and nutrition go shoulder to shoulder. Within the body building nutrition, you need to pay attention to two aspects: frequency of meals and meal ratios

Frequency Of Meals

The main goal of body building nutrition is to stimulate the assimilation of the nutrients into the growth of lean muscle, clearance of body fat and the diminishment of water retention. A good way to do this is to increase your meal frequency, meaning smaller but more frequent meals. In practice you can eat every two and a half to three hours. This higher frequency keeps your metabolism going and ensures that your body's engine never stalls. Not only is the frequency of the meals important but also the characteristics and composition of the meals.

Additionally to a higher frequency, it will also be important to plan your meals in a strategic way. As stated before, body building and nutrition go shoulder to shoulder, but also in regards to when the meals and nutrients should be ingested. The intake of calories should be geared towards the times of exercises: more intake when doing the routine and less in times of inactivity.

Constituence and Composition Of Meals

Frequency of your meals is not the only thing that relates body building and nutrition. The composition of your meals is another relating factor between the two. The most important factor here is the arithmetical proportion of carbohydrates and proteins in your nutrition. The ideal ratio would be 40% carbohydrates, 40% proteins, and 20% fats. As for fats preference should be given to the fats found in lean meats or in plant oils. Proteins consist of amino acids and these amino acids are assimilated by the body to form muscle tissue. Carbohydrates produce the energy needed to get going during a workout. And although fats have been attributed with a bad name, they too are a fundamental element. They work in two key parts in the body: the protect essential organs by procuring a cushion around them and they also work as an insulator and coating for nerves. Needless to say that a smart body builder makes sure that his nutrition contains enough fats.

Did I hear you say water?

Body building and nutrition can't go without water, it is again one of the important and essential constituents and indeed water is critical to your body building excellence. Water has many uses for every person but certainly for a body builder: it can help in cooling the body down after an intense workout. Water also flushes out any toxins that build up in the body. Making sure you get plenty of water controls the appetite and some research shows that cold water helps to spruce up metabolism.

Frank Rom runs and operates a natural vitamin supplements | herbal supplements | nutritional information site.

The Importance of Good Nutrition

The American Academy of Pediatrics in a published report concluded that childhood obesity and malnutrition are on the rise. As a result incidences of diseases like diabetes, heart disease and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are on the rise. More children are being seen for these disorders now than ever before. In the 1940's overweight children made up a sheer 13% of the population whereas today the numbers are pushing 50%. Of these children who are overweight, 12% are obese and another 7% are at risk for obesity. During a time when we know so much about good nutrition, have a wealth of information at our fingertips and more regular doctor check-ups than ever why are our children suffering from what essentially is a lack of good nutrition.

The days of coming home from school and playing in the backyard are long gone. Kids are either in daycares or are involved in so many extra curricular activities that they don't get the time they need to just play and exercise. Additionally, busy lifestyles have more than half of elementary school kids skipping breakfast and bringing prepackaged foods to school for snacks. Even though school lunch menus have become closely monitored by the Department of Agriculture, this one wholesome meal is not enough to balance out a child's nutrition.

Many critics blame the fast food phenomena as the reason why nutritional values have failed so miserably. While more families are eating out and catching a bite on the road than ever before, there is no way that one can place blame. The bottom line is every family has choice and with so many healthy options now being served at fast food restaurants it takes more than knowledge to persuade people to choose the apples over the fries.

The other problem is that with the influx of so much information, even smart people have lost their way when it comes to nutrition. They are confused about carbohydrates and proteins, good fats and bad and are choosing processed foods and fake sugars over natural ingredients. The habits of convenience and lack of knowledge can be difficult to break. Leading nutritionists have tried to help by offering limited information for people and simple rules to follow that will help them make a turn in the right nutritional direction. If you can follow these simple rules for one month straight, you will be on the road to better nutrition.

1. Drink water! And plenty of it. Forego sodas and other caffeinated highly sugared drinks that only add empty calories to your diet. Water is in.

2. Eat 5 times a day. Start with breakfast, lunch and dinner and then add just two healthy snacks through out your day. This balances out sugars, stops cravings and keeps your metabolism working.

3. Keep portion sizes no bigger than your fist. As you learn to eat smaller amounts, smaller amounts will begin to satisfy you.

4. Replace your normal carbohydrate foods with whole grain or whole wheat foods.

5. If any of the first four ingredients in any food you choose is hydrogenated fat, high fructose corn syrup, sodium or sugar - DON'T EAT IT! This means they are in high content and none of them are good for you.

6. Take a multi-vitamin but try to get your vitamins, nutrients and minerals from food first.

7. Eat more fruit and vegetables than anything else. Natural foods are best.

8. Eat out only once a week.

9. Exercise every day. This can be a brisk walk around the mall or cleaning the house in high gear to upbeat music. Make exercise fun and a family affair.

10. Don't buy snacks and junk food thinking you will moderate it. You won't. Not only will you save money but you won't get that immediate fix right before bed.

11. Don't eat at least two hours before bedtime.

12. Last but certainly not least - before you eat anything...think garbage in and garbage out. And forget diets. They just set you up to fail.

These simple rules don't take a degree in nutrition to understand. In fact, they are pretty simple and straight forward. Most of you already know this stuff but because of lack of energy or willpower you make choices that go against good nutrition. The problem is that as you get older and as you raise a family, nutrition is as important as life insurance or heat in the wintertime. It keeps you going. It doesn't make sense that more people take better care of their cars than they do their own health. You wouldn't fill your tank with sludgy gas yet you are willing to consume foods that will clog your arteries, cause you to gain weight and put you at heightened risk for diseases. Don't pass this on to your family. Begin instituting rules of simple, good nutrition and in no time you will feel better and be visiting the doctor less.

David Beart runs the Professors House [http://www.professorshouse.com]. Our family based site covers everything from pregnancy to raising children, health [http://www.professorshouse.com/family/health/health.aspx], nutrition and marriage advice.

Nutrition and a Healthy Liver

If you have HEP-C, you usually don't need a special diet. Just healthy eating habits and not being overweight should be adequate to maintain healthy liver functions.

That being said you should also understand that a bad diet can sometimes can lead to liver problems. If your diet provides too many calories, you will gain weight. Being overweight is linked to the buildup of fat in the liver, called "fatty liver." Over many years, fatty liver probably contributes to a person with hepatitis C developing cirrhosis. Being overweight and having a fatty liver also have been shown in numerous studies to lead to lower rates of successful treatment with interferon and ribavirin.

A person's diet also can contain toxins that are harmful to the liver. Some toxins act quickly. Eating certain poisonous mushrooms, for example, can cause liver failure and death within days. Other toxins, such as alcohol and excessive sugar intake can damage the liver over time.

On the other hand a healthy diet can improve overall liver functions in a person with hepatitis C. A well balanced diet can lead to lowered risk of cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver. It also can help the immune system stay strong and fight off illness. Fresh, organic, fruits and vegetables have been shown to be free of toxins normally associated with foods treated with pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Adding organic vegetables to your diet will increase you chances for maintaining a healthy liver and potentially slowing the progression of liver disease.

Finally, people infected with hepatitis C have higher rates of diabetes than those who are not infected. A good diet can help reduce body fat and control blood sugar thereby lowering diabetes risk.

People with hepatitis C don't need to follow a special "hepatitis C diet." The advice that an average, healthy person gets will work just as well for people with hepatitis C, unless those people also have cirrhosis or another condition, such as diabetes, HIV, or kidney disease.

General dietary advice:

Eat regular, balanced meals
Eat plenty of cereals, breads, and grains
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
Get adequate protein
Go easy on fatty, salty, and sugary foods
Drink enough fluids
Reach and maintain a healthy weight
Cautions:

Avoid alcohol
Be careful with dietary supplements

If you use care and practice moderation in your eating habits, you will enjoy a happier, healthier life.

I am a retired banker who served in the military during the Vietnam era. I am the author of books on mortgage lending and maintain blogs about Military Veterans Health. I work with a group of Vietnam veterans who are dedicated to helping educate other military veterans about the benefits of maintaining good health through proper nutrition. I became afflicted with Hepatitis-C during my military service. This is a terrible disease which eventually leads to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver and death. As the disease progresses it leads to other conditions such as Thyroid disease and Type II Diabetes, both of which I have. The traditional medical protocols have proven to be ineffective in treating my condition. The other veterans in our group are in similar situation. We have all had success at preventing the advancement of our disease through proper diet and nutrition. Our goal is to help educate our military veterans about ways they can reduce their overall dependency on pharmaceuticals by maintaining proper diet and nutrition. We have a blog for discussing our issues at; http://www.foodforveterans.wordpress.com

Infant Nutrition

When your child is in its infant stage, he or she certainly needs good amount of nutrients to develop the body organs in proper way. Always remember that for proper growth of body organs, your child needs adequate amount of proteins, vitamins, antioxidants. Read this article below that guides on the topic of infant nutrition to all expecting mothers!

The importance of breastfeeding is gaining important day by day due to various researches that have proved the benefits of breastfeeding world widely. Breastfeeding provides numerous benefits to the infant. First and foremost breastfeeding helps in developing the proper immune system of the baby. Since the newborn has quite fragile immune system so breastfeeding helps in providing the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals that can boost the baby immune system in an effective manner. Secondly, you all would be glad to read that breast fed baby has a very little chance of getting affected by obesity problem. There are no chances of water bound contamination if the baby is breastfed. Moreover the breastfeeding process also improves the health of mother too!

It is true that there is no substitute for breastfeeding, but formula feed can be used when mother is unable to produce milk or when mother is suffering from any infectious ailment. The formula feed is basically a Soya or milk feed. But keep in mind that formula feed, being unnatural can cause some side effects on the child. Many people believe that formula feed can distort the emotional bondage between mother and her baby. Formula feed is not as fresh as breast milk and can even make the baby prone to obesity ailment.

Once the child is six months ago, you can feed him or her with solid food in gravy or semi liquid form along with breastfeeding.

Neha Rathore is an experienced writer with propheciency in various health related topics. She writes around health and lifestyle topics [http://living.expertscolumn.com] usually. Check her latest article based on infant nutrition [http://www.living.expertscolumn.com/infant-nutrition] here.

A Nutrition Plan That Works

Why most nutrition plans fail

95% of all programs fail because people don't know what they are and how they work. A nutrition plan is more or less a plan of action. What action is that? Well nutrition plans are created to lose weight, gain muscle mass, lower cholesterol, all sorts of reasons. Whatever the reason you have for needing a plan you have to keep one thing in mind. Nutrition plans are useless without exercise. This one simple fact is the reason most plans fail. People seem to think that if they change their diet that's all they need and that is just not the truth. So let's take the most popular plan, weight loss, and let me show you how to make it work for you.

Nutrition plans for losing weight

The first key to a weight loss plan is what to eat? There are many weight loss plans out there so I am going to give you some key ingredients to look for so you know you're getting a good plan. When you're looking for a good weight loss program you want the food you eat to taste good. I know this goes without saying but I've come across some programs where the food you ate really did taste horrible. For a nutrition plan go work, a plan you can stick with, you want to be able to enjoy the food your making. Anything less is a recipe for failure.

The second key to a weight loss nutrition plan is you do not want to be cooking any different than you normally cook. What I mean by that is you don't want to spend any more time on your plan than you usually do making your meals. If you have to spend any more time on a nutrition plan than you usually do you will definitely fail. Making this as unnoticeable as possible to your regular routine is another key factor to success when it comes to changing your diet.

The third and final key to a weight loss nutrition plan is exercise. Like I mentioned above, exercise is the single most important factor to nutrition. Now I know when it comes to exercise you're like me, who wants to spend all day every day in the gym. No one, I guarantee you. The trick to exercise is to make it as enjoyable as possible. One of the few things that I integrate into my exercise program is music. This is a must. This helps to take my mind away from the rigors that are going on in my body. Now that we have our mind fooled into thinking that exercise is fun, it's time to get to the actual exercise techniques that work every time.

Exercise Routine for nutrition plans

Having experience in boot camp and joining the army at an early age I have a program that will take care of your nutrition plan. This program comes directly from the United States military and is effective in the care of your nutrition. The first thing that must be integrated into your plan is you must get in the habit of running. This is one of the top ways to lose weight. I like to very my running different days of the week. It is not healthy and can be quite harmful to run every single day. Now again no one likes to run but you cannot leave this out of your plan. The two things are straight forward. They are push ups and sit ups. I know this seems like a very dull exercise routine but these 3 exercises are the core exercises you need to maintain a healthy and nutritional body. You can add swimming if you like but the point is that the above 3 exercises I mentioned must be included in your plan. Stick to this plan and you will see your nutrition plan will affect your life and you will see changes within the matter of a month.

This is where you can find the product I use: http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Best-Nutrition-Plan. Check it out, it works

BSN Nutrition - A Leader In The Bodybuilding And Nutrition Industry

BSN is a major player in the muscle building and weight loss industry. It produces products that improve the physique, endurance, strength and performance. BSN Nutrition products also increase the lean muscle tissue and reduce fat. There are many different types of supplements from BSN. Each supplement has its purpose and it will produce different results. Consider your goals and objectives before selecting a BSN supplement. For example, there are supplements that should be used before a workout, and there are others that should be used after an exhausting workout. Some categories that BSN Nutrition products fall into are:

Muscle
Building muscle is almost every man's desire. The undeniable truth, however, is that it is very difficult to gain muscular weight. It is more than just training relentlessly. Other factors like nutrition, recovery and muscle-building supplements also need to be considered. The body that modern bodybuilders strive for cannot be achieved with exercise and diet alone. However, with the right bodybuilding supplements, an individual can achieve the desired results.

Similar to the general category of BSN Nutrition products, there are a variety of bodybuilding supplements, each one different from the other. Some are useful in muscle gain, while others are effective in retaining muscle. You will have to try out different combinations to find the right match. Some bodybuilding supplements from the BSN stable are BSN Axit-HT, BSN Cellmass and BSN Lean Dessert Protein.

Other than the above-mentioned BSN products, a few other supplements from other brands that can assist you in building muscle are USPLabs Pink Magic, EAS Pro Science Reload and MaxCuts from Olympian Labs.

Nutrition
For bodybuilders and athletes, nutrition is, arguably, the most important issue. In fact, even ordinary people, who value good health, appreciate nutrition. You can invest a lot of time and energy in training; however, if you ignore your body's nutritional needs, you will achieve very little in the end. Worse, you could fall sick or even damage your body!

Nutritionists agree that there is no alternative to a fine selection of fresh produce. Athletes and bodybuilders should see to it that they get their daily nutrition. As they train hard, there is a significant risk to the immune system. The proper nutrients can boost the immune system. Your diet should also contain sufficient carbohydrates, as well as some oils like fish oil or olive oil. Some BSN Nutrition supplements are BSN Syntha-6, BSN True Mass and BSN Volumaize.

Some other nutritional supplements are Gaspari Novedex XT, USN Muscle Fuel Mass and Mutant Mass from PVL.

Hormone
Hormones are chemicals that are produced in your body that act as messengers. These chemicals, which are secreted by the cells or glands in one area of the body, send a message to the cells in other areas of the body. Hormones can induce several effects on the body. These include growth inhibition or stimulation, mood swings, activating or inhibiting the immune system and metabolism regulation. Certain hormones also regulate the secretion of other hormones in the body. It is obvious that hormones are a very important aspect of our system. They can affect every aspect of our health.

When the body is in a healthy state, it regularly produces hormones to convey the message to the cells. However, if the individual is unwell, hormone production is affected. This results in an imbalance. The primary objective is to maintain health. A few supplements can help in adjusting hormone levels. A good hormone level will result in better outcomes.

An effective BSN Nutrition product that targets hormone levels is the BSN Axit-HT. Other great non-BSN alternatives are PrimaForce ZMA, PowerFull by USPLabs and Olympian Labs DHEA.

Chris Kennelly is the author of several articles at Sports and Supplements. He will be happy to assist you if you have any questions.

A great product from the stables of BSN Nutrition is the Lean Deserts Protein. You can also consider the Xenadrine RZR-X from Cytogenix.

Power Nutrition to Stop Hangovers

While there are dozens of hangover cures, the most effective are those that are taken before the drinking occurs. Hangover pain is mostly from dehydration, allergic impurities in the alcohol and poisoning known as acetaldehyde damage. Speaking from experience, drinking plenty of water before and during drinking, can lessen the effects of the alcohol. Drinking alcohol with fewer impurities in it, can also lessen hangovers. For example, good quality vodka will tend to give the drinker less of a hangover than dark rum. My best drinking experience, as a young soldier, was fruit juice with medical alcohol. I only suffered some fatigue and dehydration without the usual blood shot eyes, headaches and nausea.

However, be very, very careful when drinking any kind of "medical alcohol." The DIETHYL alcohol is relatively safe in moderate quantities. But METHYL alcohol (aka wood or rubbing alcohol) is poisonous and can kill you. Several soldiers once drank a punch made from methyl alcohol. One went blind and another died. This is another good reason to stick with bottled drinks when visiting strange establishments.

Aside from drinking plenty of water between drinks, you should also eat before and during drinking. Fruits will supply water and electrolytes, but proteins and fats will slow down the absorption of alcohol. Unfortunately, most pubs try to encourage thirst by feeding their patrons pretzels, chips and crackers. Mostly empty carbohydrates. If you can, snack on meats, seafood and cheese. The German tradition of eating bratwurst (sausage) with their beer might have postponed many a hangover. Since alcohol depletes the body's reserves of zinc, Vitamin A and protein, these high protein foods will replace many of the nutrients lost while drinking.

Before attending a party, I will often take several multiple vitamins, especially vitamin B1 and C. I also have been known to take the amino acid cysteine. If no cysteine or cystine is available, I will knock back a raw egg. Eggs are very high in cysteine and the raw form is most potent. Caution point here: ensure that the egg is fresh, thick, hard and clean with no cracks in its surface. Raw eggs sometimes run the risk of salmonella poisoning and consuming too many raw egg whites will inhibit your body's supply of Vitamin B7 (Biotin). The raw egg should be placed in hot or boiling water for about 10 seconds to kill off the protein known as avidin. Avidin is part of the egg's natural defense mechanism that binds with biotin in invading microbes. Lightly poached eggs will also work will also work to sterilize the shell and neutralize the avidin.

This raw egg strategy is not something that I just made up. A scientist, Dr. Herbert Sprince, discovered a nutrient combination that gave strong resistance against alcohol by-product (acetaldehyde) damage. In his experiment, he gave one group of rats enough of acetaldehyde to kill 90% of them. The second group large dosages of vitamin B1, C and cysteine. None of the second group of rats died. How about that? I wonder how many alcohol poisoning cases could be prevented with this kind of prevention.

Of course, people with long range foresight usually do not find themselves poisoned by alcohol in the first place.

This is anti-hangover formula is just old information rediscovered. Medical interns have been known to give themselves vitamin B1 shots for hangovers and there is an old wife's hangover cure of a raw egg stirred into orange juice. The raw egg contains cysteine and the orange juice contains vitamin C. How about that? Grandma already knew what the scientists had to prove in the laboratory.

Doug Setter holds a Bachelor's Degree in Foods and Nutrition. He instructs and consults nutrition problems, fitness, weight-loss, stomach flattening and kick-boxing. He has trained over 800 people in fitness and military skills.

www.2ndwindbodyscience.com