Archive for the ‘General’ category
24 Day Lean Out Challenge
April 7th, 2011AdvoCare LeptiLean
March 1st, 2011Eating Gluten Free For Your Health
February 16th, 2011There are good reasons why many people are choosing to adopt a gluten free diet. On the one hand a gluten free diet is recommended in the treatment of anyone who has celiac disease or an allergy to wheat or other grains. On the other hand it is recommended for anyone who wishes to adopt a healthy whole food diet that can contribute to general good health and effective weight management.
Gluten is a protein in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, kamut, spelt, and triticale. Some people do not tolerate gluten well and this can cause an autoimmune disorder called celiac disease. The gluten can cause the villi of the small intestine to become damaged or atrophied. The result is that important health giving nutrients are not well absorbed by the small intestine and pass out of the body without providing benefit.
Symptoms of celiac disease vary widely and may include vitamin and mineral deficiency diseases, fatigue, anemia, osteoporosis, ulcers, and diarrhea. As a result of the wide variety of possible symptoms, diagnosing celiac disease can be difficult. One study indicated that in the United States one person out of 133 suffers from the disease, but due to the difficulty in diagnosing the disease the incidence rate may be much higher.
Another good reason for a person to eat a gluten free diet is that it is a very healthy diet. The diet forces a person to avoid processed convenience foods, sometimes called “junk” foods, because nearly all convenience foods contain wheat gluten of some kind. The diet also keeps a person from dining at fast food restaurants because most menu items at those restaurants contain gluten or are cross-contaminated with gluten containing cooking agents. So, just by avoiding convenience foods and fast food restaurants a person will be able to avoid a lot of excess calories, fats, and carbohydrates in their diets. And their gluten free diet will be substituting healthier foods in their place.
Among the foods to avoid are the numerous products made with wheat, barley, and rye. More specifically, this will preclude many cereals, breads, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, tortillas, beer, chips, many sauces, ketchup, hot dogs, many sausages, muffins, numerous snack foods, and ice cream. Also, some cosmetics such as lipstick and lip balm may contain gluten.
Fruits and vegetables are naturally gluten free, but the labels of any processed fruit and vegetable products should be checked to see if any gluten has been added. Unprocessed meats are also gluten free and fine for the diet. Flours made from potatoes, nuts, beans, rice, and buckwheat (which is not related to wheat) can be used in baked goods, including bread. Therefore, a person can still enjoy some tasty bakery item treats. As you can see, a gluten free diet can include a satisfying variety of foods and does not have to be a bland diet.
There are many cookbooks and resources on the Internet to help guide a person who has chosen to cook and eat gluten free meals. It’s a good, healthy choice, and many people have decided that it is the right way to go.
For my CrossFit and Paleo peeps… this is why we want you to avoid grains – it’s the gluten!
AdvoCare Bio-RQ
November 28th, 2010Why You Got Fat
April 20th, 2010Teach Every Child About Food
March 31st, 2010Have a Plan Before Actually Starting
March 16th, 2010Plans are fun – really! They’re also extremely helpful when you’re trying to reach a goal. Whether you’re deciding to quit smoking, lose weight, begin an exercise routine or any number of health goals, a plan will not only help you reach your goals, it will help you stay motivated. Here are a few items to include in your plan:
Goals
Of course you likely already have a goal in mind. Maybe you want to lose weight, quit smoking, exercise more or feel less stressed. A good goal is a goal that is measurable. For example, how much weight do you want to lose? How much do you want to work out? Good goals are also timely. When do you want the weight gone? When will you absolutely have your last cigarette? Your goal also needs to be realistic. Does your goal make sense for your lifestyle? If you want to run five miles a day but you work ten hour days, it might not be feasible. How can you make your goals fit into your life? Maybe instead of five miles a day, you run three miles a day during lunch and ten miles on Saturdays.
Rewards
How are you going to reward yourself? Rewards are important for keeping the motivation alive. However, they can also derail you from your goal if the rewards are inappropriate. For example, if you’re on a strict, no sugar plan and you reward yourself for a week with no sugar by eating a piece of cake, then you just set yourself back.
However, if you reward yourself with a massage, a night out at the movies or a treat that you would enjoy that isn’t full of sugar, then that is an appropriate reward you can look forward to and feel good about. Make the rewards fit the accomplishment. If your large goal is to run three times a week and you’re starting with an initial goal of running once a week, reward yourself for running once a week with a smaller reward like a new song for your iPod. And when you reach the goal of running three times a week you, reward yourself with new running clothes or a new pair of jeans.
Steps you’re going to take
Any large and lofty goal needs a plan, a plan that will include steps to take to achieve your goal. For example, if you set a goal of losing 50 pounds, how are you going to do it? Certainly losing 50 pounds cannot be accomplished overnight. Perhaps a tiered plan of losing five pounds a month would be easier to achieve, with the end goal of losing 50 pounds in ten months. Now you can break down each month into tangible steps. For example, losing ten pounds a month will likely require dietary and physical lifestyle changes. What will you need to change in your life to reach your goal each month?
What will you do when you have setbacks?
Setbacks will happen to most people, just like bad days will happen. It can be extremely helpful to plan how you’re going to handle any setbacks. For example, will you journal about the setback to help you understand why it happened? Will you rally your support group around you when you feel on the verge of a setback? How will you make setbacks okay? How will you power through the tough times and keep working toward success?
What you’ll do when you attain your big goal?
This is the fun question, once you reach your goal – and you will – what will you do? Will you celebrate by yourself or with friends and family? Will you rent out a blimp and announce your success to the world in bright lights? Will you document your success so you can refer to it when you feel the need to reflect? Will you keep the ball rolling and set another goal to attain, now that you know how to do it like a pro?
Get on this: 24 Day Rigorous Weightloss Challenge It’s a step-by-step plan you can follow.
Advocare Muscle Fuel
January 28th, 2010Got Fish Burps? How About Krill Oil…
January 15th, 2010There are all sorts of crummy supplements on the market you don’t need. Some of the stuff is flat out junk. Some of the stuff is good, but the actual product and brand is lousy.
And then, there are some products that are just flat out awesome for you.
Bottom line: The health benefits associated with a quality Krill Oil supplement are just too powerful to ignore. I don’t know if I can be any more blunt about it.
Besides the fact Krill Oil doesn’t cause “fish burps” like fish oil capsules do (some of my clients complain of this which is why I turn them to Krill Oil), its just one of the best sources of Essential Fatty Acids.
Krill Oil can also:
Help protect your heart
Improve your memory
Strengthen your immune system
Minimize the damage caused by free radicals
Reduce joint pain and PMS symptoms
Aid the fat loss process
I’m telling you, it really is one heck of a powerful supplement. And the only brand I recommend is the brand I trust completely – Prograde Nutrition.
Their EFA Icon is the best Krill Oil product on the market, as far as I’m concerned.
Make it a great day!
Richard
PS – Again, there are all sorts of lousy supplements on the market. But a solid Krill Oil product is NOT one of them. It’s an extremely powerful nutritional product with extraordinary benefits. For the best quality Krill Oil get Prograde Nutrition’s EFA Icon http://www.ProgradePerformance.com/efa-icon
PPS – Prograde also includes the research studies on Krill Oil. Just click on one of the links above to check those out. You’ll find them at the bottom of the page.
Top Vitamins for Women Revealed
January 13th, 2010Okay, so you know Vitamins and Minerals are important. Most every woman knows that.
However, not everyone understands WHY they are so important for their body. So I recently asked Registered Dietitian Jayson Hunter to give us the easy rundown on the Top Women’s Vitamins. Here’s what he had to say:
Vitamin A – This vitamin contributes to the health of you eyes, skin and nails.
Vitamim B – While B Vitamins are often referred to as “energy vitamins” they don’t actually give you a surge of energy, per se. What they actually do is help facilitate metabolic reaction in the body to create energy. They’re also necessary for a healthy metabolism.
Vitamin C – This women’s vitamin is a great antioxidant and immune system booster. It also helps skin health.
Vitamin D – Helps women absorb calcium. And it may help prevent certain types of cancer.
calcium – It’s actually a mineral not a vitamin. And as most women know already, it improves bone density.
Pretty simple, right? But you can also see why it’s so important to understand vitamins for women. When we understand the reasons to make healthier choices it helps us make them.
Now, I get asked all the time by women which vitamin supplements, if any, they need to be taking. Great question.
Well, if your nutrition is 100% perfect all the time then you probbaly don’t need to take any.
But that’s not the case for most women. Most women are busy as heck and don’t always find the time for proper nutrition. So if that’s the case with you I recommend taking a Whole Foods based Multi-Vitamin. And the only one I recommend is Prograde Nutrition’s VGF 25+ for Women.
It’s actually really cool because it’s literally made from 25 veggies, greens and fruits. You should definitely check out Prograde’s Womens Vitamins. At the very top of the page is the list of ingredients. You can see the 25 whole foods they use to make VGF 25+ for Women.
Make it a great day!
/Richard
