Category: Diets (Page 22 of 23)

Keep it simple with your diet

Anyone who has taking the time to do the research on getting into shape undoubtedly has come across general rules to dieting. Mike will often post on how important your diet is to either losing weight or packing on muscle. Dieting is the key to everything. Having the best workout plan and following it perfectly will crumble under a poor diet.

What people tend to have trouble with as far as dieting goes is that they think of it as a diet. Diets don’t work. Think of the way you eat as a lifestyle change and you’ll be more apt not to binge and have poor habits. If staying in shape and looking your best is worth it to you, nobody should have a problem with a complete lifestyle change as opposed to trying gimmicky diets.

I found a solid article at MSN.com about how to control your cravings. One of the general rules in the article is to eat approximately every three hours. As it’s detailed in the article, it can’t be stressed how important it is to continuously eat throughout the day. Eat four to six meals every day so that you don’t have spikes in your blood sugar, which causes you to binge it and grab anything and everything in your site (i.e. junk or fast food). I know, people work. But don’t use that as an excuse. Fight through it and find a way to bring small snacks to continuously eat throughout the day. Your optimum health depends on it!

Click here to check out the MSN.com/Men’s Health article.

10 Foods Tough to Digest

Ever feel like your stomach is about to explode even after having a healthy meal? Ever have heartburn or a mild case of irritable bowl syndrome? Well it could be the specific foods that you’re eating on a daily or bi-daily basis.

MSN.com posted a recent article containing 10 foods that are tough for your body to digest.

The 10 (not in any specific order):

– Fried chicken nuggets
– Spicy food
– Chocolate
– Citrus juices
– Mashed potatoes
– Raw onion
– Ice cream
– Broccoli and raw cabbage
– Beans
– Sugar-free gum

I definitely agree with broccoli and beans being on this list. Frequently after workouts I’ll combine chicken with broccoli and beans over rice. Afterwards my stomach blows up like a bowling ball for several hours. It’s interesting to now get confirmation on why that happens.

Click here to read the entire article with brief descriptions of why these foods are tough to digest.

“Gain 10lbs of Muscle in 10 Weeks.” What the F**k!!

It is 2007 right? I just can’t believe that I still see articles like the one in the March 2007 issue of Muscle & Body, “Gain 10lbs of Muscle in 10 Weeks.” Just the title alone should be enough to let people know how ridiculous the following information is.

The article starts off with a bang. “To add mass, you have to take in more calories than you need for body weight maintenance. It’s that simple.” The recommendation is to eat 1000 extra calories per day. That’s right it’s not a misprint, 1000 calories per day.

The author Steve Stiefel’s rational for prescribing such a drastic increase in calories is just as ridiculous. He writes, “In fact, if you’re training hard with weights, and you’re not adding as much muscle as you think you should, the most likely reason you’re not attaining your goal is that you’re undereating.” The author Steven Stiefel has his head up his ass.

The article goes on to give recommendations on the proper way to add 1000 calories:

Eat More Protein. This is the only recommendation I agree with. Most people who are looking to gain muscle don’t eat enough protein. Protein maintains and repairs everything in our bodies, if you don’t consume enough you be spinning your wheels.

Eat More Carbs – Increase carb consumption by 150 grams per day. The way in which people process carbohydrates varies greatly from person to person. This will do nothing but make the average person fat.

Eat More Fat. Do most people need to eat more fat? Absolutely. I couldn’t agree more. However it’s the type of fat that’s recommended that I emphatically disagree with. Avocados, canola oil, nuts and seeds. If you’ve read my article, “Fats, Cholesterol and the Lipid Hypothesis”, you know where I stand with polyunsaturated fats. Not only do they wreak havoc on our bodies, they promote fat deposition. If you’re looking to increase your fat consumption use virgin coconut oil and omega-3. Both are extremely healthy and both promote a lean body.

The rest of the article is not worth commenting on. Just more worthless info. There really isn’t anything else to say. The only thing, however, I can say for sure this prescription for gaining 10lbs will do, is get you bigger. And as long as you don’t mind 10 lbs of more fat, you’re set.

Eat fat and forget about your cholesterol.

The lipid hypothesis states there is a direct link between the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet and the incidence of heart disease. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Before the mid 1920’s cardiovascular disease was literally unheard of and eggs, butter and lard were conumed in abundance. In 1900 when heart attacks were nonexistent, egg consumption was three times what it was in the mid 1950’s when cardiovascular disease was already the nations #1 killer.

Scientific data just doesn’t support the supposed benefits of reducing saturated fat and choesterol. 20 studies have shown that people who have had heart attacks haven’t eaten any more saturated fat than other people, and the degree of atherosclerosis at autopsy is unrelated to diet. On the contrary, saturated fats have been nourishing societies for millenia.

Below is a list of guidelines we can and should follow to be healthier and reduce our risk of the nations number one killer:

Read food labels.

Consume whole, unprocessed foods.

Don’t consume any product that contains trans fat.

Don’t be fooled by products that advertise “zero trans fat.” Always read the ingredient list and if “hydrogenated vegetable oil,” “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil” or “shortening” are listed, understand that it has trans fat. By law, companies can claim “zero” if there is .5 grams or less of trans fat per serving. There is no safe level of trans fat.

Don’t consume any product that contains vegetable oil, hydrogenated vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or shortening listed as one of the ingredients.

Only use oils that are labeled “Cold Pressed,” “Expellar Pressed” or “Extra Virgin.”

Consume eggs laid by free range chickens. They are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, biotin, and vitamins A, D and E.

Use peanut oil, sesame oil or olive oil for cooking if you do not want to use animal fats. These oils can also be used for one-time frying.

Use coconut oil for cooking or frying. It’s very stable, and has strong antimicrobial properties.

Use butter, not margarine.

Don’t use trans fat-free spreads. They are still made with highly processed oils that are rancid.

Keep your consumption of polyunsaturated fats to a minimum. They are high in omega-6 fatty acids.

Consume meat.

Don’t eat like a vegetarian. We do not possess multiple stomachs, nor do we chew cud. Our stomachs produce hydrochloric acid, which is not found in herbivores. We are omnivores. There are essential nutrients in animal products that cannot be gotten in sufficient amounts by eating plants.

Don’t feed your children a low-fat diet. If they’re fat, it’s because they sit on their asses too much and eat too much junk. Not coincidentally, these are the same two reasons many adult Americans are overweight.

Supplement your diet with vitamins and other nutrients: A, D, E and C, CoQ10, fish oil (omega-3), selenium.

Don’t smoke.

Exercise at least three days per week.

Taken from, “Fats, Cholestarol and the Lipid Hypothesis

Can spicy food help you lose weight?

MensHealth.com posted a recent article on the top 15 foods that can help you shred pounds. Some of the usual suspects that you would find on a list like this were chicken, turkey and lean meats. Salmon and tuna also make an appearance, which is expected given how omega-3 fatty acids should be a staple to any diet geared to lose weight.

Interestingly, jalapeno, habanero and cayenne peppers also made the list. Not only were they noted, but ranked second after milk, whole grains and oatmeal. According to the article, a ‘single spicy meal can boost your metabolism by up to 25 percent, with the spike in calorie burning lasting for up to three hours after you finish eating.’ The general idea behind eating spicy food for weight loss is to speed up your heart, which burns calories.

To read the entire MensHealth.com article, click here.

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