Wednesday 29 June 2011

The Missing Link Destroying Your Health

-- Yes, You Most Likely ARE Deficient in This

by Mike Geary - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of best-selling program: 
The Truth about Six-Pack Abs

I think most people in this day and age are starting to understand the concept that for animal-based foods, the health of the animal and whether that animal ate what it was meant to eat in nature greatly affects whether that food is healthy for you to eat, or not healthy, and whether it has nutritional imbalances.

But with this article, I want to expand this discussion from just the diet of the animal to another possibly even MORE important factor that nobody is really talking about. And this directly relates to one of the MOST important substances in your body that you probably ARE deficient.  In fact, most people are deficient in this.

More about that in a minute, but first, let's make sure we're on the same page with quality of the diet of animals in our food supply.

For example, as you probably already know, grass-fed beef from cattle that roam outside in grassy fields is MUCH healthier for you than typical grain-fed beef from a factory farm feedlot.  The unhealthy grain-fed beef has been consistently shown to have lower levels of vitamins and minerals (particularly Vitamin A and E) and lower levels of the healthy fat, CLA compared to properly raised grass-fed beef.  We also know that grain-fed beef has an unhealthy ratio of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats compared to grass-fed beef, which contains ideal healthy ratios of these fats.

Another example would be chicken... Unhealthy chickens that are raised in factory chicken houses, never see an outdoor environment, and fed unnatural amounts of grains are going to produce a significantly less healthy chicken meat for your meals compared to a chicken that spent most of its time outdoors roaming fields and eating greens, seeds, bugs, worms, and other natural items that chickens like to eat.  The chicken that ate a natural diet roaming outside is going to have more vitamins and minerals and healthier omega-3 to omega-6 ratios compared to the chicken that lived a horrible life inside a factory farm chicken house, and ate unnatural amounts of grains to be fattened up quickly.

This also applies to your source of eggs... healthy hens that roam outdoors and eat what they are supposed to eat naturally (not piles of grains) will supply healthy eggs for your consumption... unhealthy hens in factory hen houses fattened up on nothing but grains will produce less healthy eggs with lower vitamin and mineral content, less carotenoids, and lower omega-3 levels.

I know this for a fact, as I get my eggs from a local farmer here in Colorado where the hens get 40 acres to roam on daily and eat whatever their little hearts desire...all the greens, bugs, worms, etc that they want. Their eggs have thick strong shells and DEEP orange yolks indicating super high levels of nutrition and carotenoids in those yolks.  Compare that to the thin weak shells and pale yellow yolks of most eggs that you'll find at grocery stores or restaurants which came from factory raised hens.  It's a shocking comparison when seen side by side, but sadly, most people in this day and age have never seen what real egg yolks are supposed to look like, and have never experienced the quality nutrition that those egg yolks were supposed to have.

Ok, so I think we're pretty clear on the fact that the diet of an animal directly relates to how healthy that meat or eggs (or even milk or butter) will be for our consumption as a food source.  But here's a vitally important aspect of how an animal is raised that almost nobody is talking about...

How much sunshine did those animals receive?

Yes, if you know a lot about nutrition, I think you know where I'm going with this... how much vitamin D is in that meat, dairy, or eggs based on how much sun the animal received?
As you may have heard, it's no secret that there's a major epidemic going on in "westernized" countries in this day and age... and that's Vitamin D deficiency in us humans... but nobody is talking about vitamin D deficiency in our animals that make up our food supply, hence further exacerbating the problem.

Part of the reason for this mass scale vitamin D deficiency is that there's a major propaganda campaign going on where companies and the media constantly tell you that you should never go out in the sun between 10am to 3pm as those "deadly" sun rays will automatically give you cancer (by the way, this is the ONLY time that UV-B rays are strong enough to trigger vitamin D production in your body).

They also tell you that you should slather on chemical-based carcinogenic sunscreens (which absorb through your skin and into your blood stream) to protect yourself from the so-called "deadly" sun... this excessive use of chemical sunscreens also means that your body can't properly produce the vitally important Vitamin D from your sun exposure.

But I have to digress on that topic so I don't stray too far from this discussion of animals health.  If you want to read more, here's an article where I show why most people may actually be underexposed to the sun which is making them even more vitamin D deficient.

Now with that said, one of the other major reasons that the majority of the population in "westernized" countries are more and more vitamin D deficient is that our animals are being raised in indoor factory environments nowadays and are seeing MUCH less sunshine than the animals are meant to see.

You see, many animals and birds are just like us humans in that they depend on the sun to produce vitamin D through oils that react with sunlight (UV-B rays) shining on their skin, fur, or feathers.

So what do you think happens now that most of the animals in our food supply are raised in horrendous indoor environments and see much less sunshine than our animals from farms several decades ago did?
Well, that means that the meat, eggs, and dairy from those animals has significantly less vitamin D than it used to contain back in our grandparents day...in addition to all of the other nutritional deficiencies that we talked about earlier in this article.

Let's go back to the eggs example from above, but this time lets relate it to vitamin D content instead of omega-3's and carotenoid deficiencies.  In today's factory hen houses where the hens never see any sunshine, this means that they do not pass on much Vitamin D to the egg yolks, and you end up with Vitamin D deficient egg yolks.

However, remember those eggs that I told you about that came from hens that roamed around outside every day on 40 acres eating greens, bugs, seeds, and worms?  Well, what we didn't talk about earlier is that those hens are also being exposed to daily sunshine and that helps the hens produce Vitamin D, and therefore pass that Vitamin D onto the egg yolks. In this case, you get egg yolks with MUCH higher vitamin D levels... this is what we were meant to get in nature, and grocery store eggs are a far cry from the eggs that our grandparents and great grandparents would have eaten 60-100 years ago.

When you combine the fact that most people are NOT getting adequate small doses of daily sunshine, are over-using chemical-based sunscreens that prevent your body from producing vitamin D, and are also getting less Vitamin D from the meat, dairy, and eggs in our food supply these days, you can see why Vitamin D deficiency is a major problem right now.

Remember that Vitamin D is NOT just any old "vitamin"... it's actually produced into a hormone in our body and is one of the most important substances in our bodies that regulates everything from hormone balance, to helping prevent cancer, to helping control blood sugar, to helping you lose fat and build muscle.
Remember that Vitamin D is also the MOST important factor involved in how strong your immune system is... why do you think people get sick more in the winter with colds and flu and not in the summer?  Yep, it's almost 100% involved with Vitamin D levels in your body that decline in the winter from lack of sun exposure.  Come on, did you really think there were more "germs" floating around in the winter...nope, it's all about Vitamin D levels and your immune system.

Side note:  From late October through early March in the northern hemisphere, north of an imaginary line from approximately Atlanta to Los Angeles, the sun's rays are too weak, and UV-B rays cannot pass through the atmosphere due to the low sun angle during those months.  This means that UV-B rays are inadequate during those months to trigger any Vitamin D production in your body.  Your only solution is either a tropical vacation (which will only temporarily help improve vitamin D levels) or obtaining your vitamin D from your diet and carefully chosen supplements.

By the way, since you may already be a Prograde nutrition customer, the source of vitamin D in Prograde's VGF25 whole-foods based multi-vitamin is obtained from fish liver oil and is therefore a good quality source.  But even with 400IU daily, although this is the recommended daily value, most scientists warn that this level will not sustain adequate vitamin D levels in your body, and therefore, you will still need regular sunlight and additional vitamin D from the right food sources to make sure you get enough D.  Fatty fish, organ meats, egg yolks, and pork fat are reasonable sources of vitamin D, but cod liver oil or other fish liver oils are the highest in vitamin D.

The only way to know if you're dangerously deficient in Vitamin D is to get a blood test.  When I had my Vitamin D levels tested a while back, I ordered a self testing kit that you can do at home instead of going to a doctors office, and you mail it to the lab for analysis. It's much cheaper than a doctors visit. I haven't asked permission to mention the company's name that performs this Vitamin D testing service, so I will contact them and see if it's okay to do so.  I'll update you on that soon.

I also plan to put together a whole series of articles that will shock you and show you a few important videos on this topic as well, so please be on the lookout for my articles in your email inbox.  Please don't take this information lightly... vitamin D is one of the most important substances in your body, and almost any health issue you're having can possibly be traced back to low vitamin D levels, and that includes sicknesses or anything immune system related, hormone imbalance, etc.

Please share this article with your friends and family, as it is so important to our health.

Monday 27 June 2011

3 Major Fat Loss MISTAKES

AVOID these 3 mistakes and start burning fat faster!
 
by Dr. Kareem Samhouri - CSCS, HFS
Neuro Metabolic Fitness & Rehab Expert
Author of the popular program:  Abs Strength Guide


If you want to lose stubborn abdominal fat faster, don't make these 3 common fat loss mistakes below...

1. Relying on Abs-Specific Training:

For some reason, the misconception of spot reduction continues.  No argument has ever convinced me that you can lose fat in a specific area by contracting the muscle in that specific area.  Fat loss just does not work this way.  Yet for some reason, we see hundreds of people every day at the gym doing hundreds of crunches and situps and thinking that they are somehow burning fat from their abdomen, when in reality, they're just wasting time!

Fat loss is a systemic effect that takes place as your body morphs into a healthier you.  Fat storage patterns vary person to person according to hormonal levels, genetic fat storage patterns, myofascial restrictions, and inflammation.  Reducing body fat in those areas through exercise is only done if you are working to modify hormonal levels that have related fat storage areas, for example.

However, there has yet to be convincing evidence that you can do tricep presses, for example, and lose fat in the back of your arms... Just doesn't work that way.  The same is true with your abs.  In this case, even if you do 3000 sit ups per day, you wouldn’t be doing much for fat loss.  Fat loss is about:

1. Energy system training
2. Compound movements targeting many joints at once
3. Muscle balancing
4. Motor unit recruitment, and
5. Multi-planar movement


It’s impossible to add all of the above into an abs exercise, or even a series of abs exercises.  The goal is to tire as much of your body as possible, to a safe extreme.  This is referred to as momentary muscular failure, and it’s when lactic acid onset takes place.  Remember, lactic acid, which is what makes you sore, is a very good thing.  It means your body is working hard to reduce inflammation and repair.  You’re well on your way to rapid fat loss.  You’ll see incredible results when you accept this:

I believe muscle soreness following a fat loss workout should be a 5 - 7 (on a 0 to 10 scale), most of the time, where:

0 = no pain whatsoever, no muscle soreness
10 = extreme muscle soreness, emergency level

This is a big wake-up call for a lot of people, but it may just shed light on why you're not seeing the fat loss results for which you were hoping.

2. Low To Moderate Intensity Cardio For Long Duration:

Walking.  This, alone, simply won't work for long-term fat loss results. It may work at first for somebody who is extremely obese and has been sedentary, but not for most people.  While I strongly believe in the benefits of walking for stress relief, personal time, reflection with movement, blood pressure and cholesterol modification, etc., I do not consider it a good method to lose body fat.

Losing fat is about shocking your body and stimulating a repair process.  Giving your body the chance to adapt to a demand over time doesn't help you lose fat quickly.  Sure, you can see some initial results, often masked as 'toning', but in the end you're turning your Type IIa muscle fibers (oxidative-glycolytic, or medium speed fibers) to Type I (oxidative, or slow muscle fibers that have great endurance).  The only trouble is that the Type II muscle fibers do a much better job of getting you lean.

By stimulating muscular strength (not necessarily "bulking") you are enhancing your metabolism.  It takes energy to build and restore lean muscle tissue.  Allowing it to grow consumes a bit more energy, but you don't have to bulk up to see great results.  Rather, just create a muscle repair process while stimulating your metabolism with fat-burning foods and you'll see your results go wild.

After a full-body resistance-based alternation-style workout session, you'll spike your metabolism for 2-3 days as your body re-uptakes the lactic acid from your bloodstream, restores oxygen to the muscle tissue you've worked, and repairs the micro-tears that took place in your muscles.  Supersets or circuits in full body workouts is one example of this, and interval training accomplishes this too, but what if we take things a step further and get you off a machine?

I suggest that we alternate body parts, directions, speeds, intensities, and muscle synergies, or pairs.  Alternation in any form, even when the intensity is a bit lower, is still a rapid fat loss signal to your body.  You're sure to see wild fat-burning results once you start thinking about fat loss as "shocking the fat away".

3. Caloric Restriction:

Caloric restriction = muscle starvation = fat loss grinds to a halt.

Muscle requires calories to grow.  Without some degree of muscle growth, it will atrophy under duress.  If you're exercising intensely, which you should be, your muscle will be eating itself to survive.

It's really important that you feed your system so it can grow and maintain its level of function.  Your body requires food for muscle repair, concentration, heart health, and digestive health.  Regular meals are best.

There are 2 schools of thought with eating for fat loss:

1. Eat 3 meals per day and up to 2 snacks.
2. Eat 5-6 small meals per day.

Normally, I recommend #2, because I find this is a great way to ensure you are not snacking on things that are bad for you, because you are eating healthy small meals often enough.  Also, I tend to never feel hungry when I'm eating on this schedule.  That's very helpful for fat loss.

Contrarily, eating 3 meals per day seems like it should also allow you ample time to digest and re-spike your metabolism.  I believe there should be a small bout of exercise in between each meal if you choose this approach.  If thats the goal, let's go at it.

Again, my recommendation is 5-6 meals/day, where you pre-plan your week's meals over the weekend, cook many meals at once, and prepare yourself for fat loss.  The most helpful resource I've read to date, on this, is Fat Burning Kitchen.  I recommend you read this also.

Most importantly, make sure you are getting enough calories.  Yes, you do need a caloric deficit to lose fat over a certain time period, but taking your daily calories too low can reduce your metabolism and halt your fat loss.

Under no circumstance should an active female eat less than 1300 calories or an active male eat less than 1500 calories when trying to lose weight.  Within a few months of coaching, most of my female clients are eating 1800 - 2000 calories, and my male clients are eating 2100 - 2800 calories.  ...and they keep losing fat faster and faster.  The goal should be to stimulate your metabolism to be able to eat more, not less.

In summary, there are 3 major fat loss mistakes you absolutely want to avoid:

1. Low to moderate intensity cardio for long duration - great way for your body to adapt to exercise and stop burning fat.  Plus, you're converting your muscle fibers to the wrong type.

2. Abs-specific training - 3000 sit ups and no result?  That's just depressing.  Train for full body systemic fat loss.  You'll be glad you did.

3. Caloric restriction = starving muscle = no more fat loss; instead, make the goal to eat more and build more fat-burning muscle to ramp up your metabolism, permanently.
 
I specialize in helping people just like you burn fat at absolutely ridiculous rates.  I've focused on this for 12 years now, and I've even added advanced physical therapy techniques that exploit how your nervous system works to get you results faster than anything you've ever seen.  I'd like to teach you all about this awesome method that has people losing fat at record speed with these 2 special gifts below:

Gift #1How to Lose Fat 9x Faster  <--- awesome method for rapid fat loss

Gift #2:  Dr K's FREE video >> 3 Metabolic Tricks for a Flat Stomach

Bodyweight Cardio for Fat Burning

by Craig Ballantyne.

You're surrounded by nothing. Stuck in a house or hotel, miles from the  furthest gym.Perhaps visiting the in-laws, or a seminar in Independence, Ohio (trust me, I've been there), but you still want to do a fat burning
workout.

You can't even go for a walk because its a) raining, b) snowing, c) there are no sidewalks (hello independence, Ohio).

So what can you do?

A bodyweight cardio fat burning workout to the rescue. Some other trainers might call it metabolic conditioning, and sure, you can do similar workouts with kettlebells or even dumbbells, but those
implements can't help you now because you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with now way out.

The only "equipment" you have is your own body, but all they taught you in gym class was how to do crunches, pushups, and flexed arm hangs. And you aren't doing that from the doorframe here in the
doubletree.

Fortunately, I've spent my entire adult life researching wild workouts, exotic exercises, and bodyweight movements. My bodyweight exercise obsession all started back in college, when I came home for a Christmas break in my freshman year, and had no ride to the gym, or even the money to afford a day pass.

So instead, I went through all of my old issues of Men's Health magazine and put together a list of every body weight exercise I could find. Eventually, I stumbled across a workout that wasn't full of crunches, situps, and plain old pushups. I somehow managed, at the age of 19, to figure out a bodyweight circuit that was
tough, worked the entire body, and didn't require equipment.

Fast forward fifteen years later, and I'm still on the hunt for more bodyweight workouts. You've probably used one of my bodyweight challenges from Men's Health magazine, or found one of my workout
videos on youtube.

This fat burning workout video below is probably my most famous, the no-equipment 5 rounds of 5 minutes bodyweight workout program. You don't need anything - other than your own bodyweight - to get
an amazing full body workout, anytime, anywhere.



You don't need to be outside to do this bodyweight cardio fat burning workout, but hey, it doesn't hurt to be out in the sunshine, getting a glorious sweat on with this intense bodyweight
workout.

A minute of bodyweight exercises doesn't sound like much, but seriously, when you get down to the brass tacks, it sure is a heck of a challenge. I'd love to know what you think of this workout and other ones like it. I have dozens of interval-type workouts that don't require you to sit on a stationary bike or use a treadmill.
And you absolutely have no need to ever suffer the 'dishonor' of slow boring cardio ever again.

Thanks to bodyweight exercises (plus kettlebells, dumbbells, TRX exercises, etc.), there are far too many fun workouts out there that can help you burn fat without the need for expensive, overcrowded gym memberships.

That said, you can also do a tremendous workout in a hotel room (even in Independence, Ohio), in your in-laws living room, your backyard, the park, or even your office (but you'll want to shut the door, of course).

Bodyweight cardio fat burning workouts to the rescue.

For over 101 bodyweight exercises plus more bodyweight cardio and a 6-month bodyweight workout plan, get the Ultimate BodyweightExercise deal here.


You'll be able to burn fat with bodyweight exercises anywhere,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

Sunday 26 June 2011

The Top 5 Healthiest Fat-Burning Foods

If you want to lose body fat faster, try incorporating these 5 healthy super-foods into your diet & regular meal plans.
by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author - The Truth about Six Pack Abs


grass-fed beef healthier than grain-fed beef1.  Grass-fed beef or bison (NOT your typical grocery store beef!) - I know most people think that red meat is unhealthy for you, but that's because they don't understand how the health of the animal affects how healthy the meat is for consumption.  Keep this in mind -- "an unhealthy animal provides unhealthy meat, but a healthy animal provides healthy meat".

Typical beef or bison that you see at the grocery store is raised on grains such as corn and soybeans. Soy and corn are NOT the natural diet of cattle or bison, and therefore changes the chemical balance of fats and other nutrients in the beef or bison.  Grain-fed beef and bison is typically WAY too high in omega-6 fatty acids and WAY too low in omega-3 fatty acids.

grass-fed steaks, healthy fat burning foodOn the other hand, grass-fed beef from cattle and buffalo (or bison) that were raised on the type of natural foods that they were meant to eat in nature (grass and other forage), have much higher levels of healthy omega-3 fatty acids and lower levels of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids (that most people already eat way too much of) compared to grain fed beef or bison.

Grass fed meats also typically contain up to 3 times the Vitamin E as in grain fed meats.
Not only that, but grass-fed meat from healthy cattle or bison also contain a special healthy fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in MUCH higher levels than grain-fed meat.  CLA has been proven in scientific studies in recent years to help in burning fat and building lean muscle (which can help you lose weight!).  These benefits are on top of the fact that grass-fed meats are some of the highest quality proteins that you can possibly eat... and this also aids in burning fat and building lean muscle.

Grass-fed meats are a little harder to find, but just ask your butcher or find a specialty grocery store and they usually have cuts available.  I've also found a good site to order grass-fed meats online - http://healthygrassfed.2ya.com

avocados - healthy fats and high nutrition2.  Avocodos - Even though these are typically thought of as a "fatty food", it's all healthy fats!  Not only is this fruit super-high in mono-unsaturated fat, but also chock full of vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, and antioxidants.

Also, I think guacamole (mashed avocados with garlic, onion, tomato, pepper, etc) is one of the most delicious toppings ever created, and you can be happy to know that it's also one of the healthiest toppings you can use on your foods.  Try sliced avocados or guacamole on sandwiches, burgers, scrambled eggs or omelets, in salads, or as a side to just about any meal.

The quality dose of healthy fats and other nutrition you get from avocados helps your body to maintain proper levels of hormones that help with fat loss and muscle building.  Also, since avocados are an extremely satiating food, eating them helps to reduce your appetite in the hours after your meal.  Say goodbye to junk food cravings and bring on that lean body!

eggs - another healthy fat burning, muscle building food3.  Whole Eggs, including the yolk (not just egg whites) - Most people know that eggs are one of the highest quality sources of protein.  However, most people don't know that the egg yolks are the healthiest part of the egg... that's where almost all of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (such as lutein) are found in eggs.

Egg Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids.  Also, the protein of whole eggs is more bio-available than egg whites alone due to a more balanced amino acid profile that the yolks help to build.

Just make sure to choose free-range organic eggs instead of normal grocery store eggs.  Similar to the grass-fed beef scenerio, the nutrient content of the eggs and the balance between healthy omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids (in excess) is controlled by the diet of the chickens.

Chickens that are allowed to roam free outside and eat a more natural diet will give you healthier, more nutrient-rich eggs with a healthier fat balance compared with your typical grocery store eggs (that came from chickens fed nothing but soy and corn and crowded inside "egg factories" all day long).

nuts - more healthy foods to burn fat4.  Nuts:  Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans, Macadamia, etc --  Yes, this is yet another "fatty food" that can actually help you burn fat!  Although nuts are generally between 75-90% fat in terms of a ratio of fat calories to total calories, this is another type of food that is all healthy fats, along with high levels of nutrition such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Nuts are also a good source of fiber and protein, which of course, you know helps to control blood sugar and can aid in weight loss.

Nuts also help to maintain good levels of fat burning hormones in your body as well as helping to control appetite and cravings so that you essentially eat less calories overall, even though you're consuming a high-fat food.  My favorite healthy nuts are pecans, almonds, pistachios, and walnuts, and by eating them in variety, you help to broaden the types of vitamins and minerals and also the balance of polyunsaturated to monounsaturated fats you obtain.

Try to find raw nuts instead of roasted nuts if you can, as it helps to maintain the quality and nutritional content of the healthy fats that you will eat.

Also, try to broaden your horizons beyond the typical peanut butter that most people eat, and try almond butter, pecan butter, or macadamia butter to add variety to your diet.

healthy berries - a superfood for fat loss and a lean body5.  Berries - including blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and even the "exotic" Goji berry:  Berries are a powerhouse of nutrition... packed with vitamins and minerals, and also some of the best sources of antioxidants of any food in existance.  Berries also pack a healthy dose of fiber, which slows your carbohydrate absorption and digestion and controls your blood sugar levels to help prevent insulin spikes (which can stimulate fat gain).

Get creative and mix up your berry intake by using the basics -- blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries... but also get adventurous and give a more "exotic" berry a try, such as Goji berries (which are one of the most nutrient-dense and highest protein berries on the planet).
I like to add berries to my yogurt and cottage cheese mixtures, as well as oatmeal or oat bran, salads, or just taking a bag of mixed berries and mixed nuts with me for the day as a mid-day healthy snack!

I hope you enjoyed this look at some of the healthiest fat-burning foods you can possibly eat.  I could list a ton more, but wanted to give you my favorites for now!

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Friday 24 June 2011

The Ultimate Hard-Body Exercise

Get a rock-hard body from head to toe, and ripped abs with this exercise! 

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
author of best-selling program -
The Truth about Six Pack Abs





A Look at the "Front Squat" (a surprising exercise not only for legs, but also rock hard abs!)


As you may have already discovered, the squat is at the top of the heap (along with other greats like deadlifts and clean and presses) as one of the most effective overall exercises for stimulating body composition changes (muscle gain and fat loss). 

This is because exercises like squats and deadlifts use more muscle groups under a heavy load than almost any other weight bearing exercises known to man.  Squats and deadlifts use hundreds of muscles throughout your entire body to move the load and also to stabilize your body while doing the drill.

Hence, these exercises stimulate the greatest hormonal responses (increasing fat-burning & muscle building growth hormone, testosterone, etc.) of all exercises

Another weird fact:  University research studies have even proven that inclusion of weighted squats into a training program increases upper body development, in addition to lower body development, even though upper body specific joint movements are not performed during the squat. Whether your goal is gaining lean muscle mass, losing body fat, building a strong and functional body, or improving athletic performance, the basic squat and deadlift (and their variations) are a couple of the ultimate exercises to accomplish this. 

If you don’t believe me that squats and deadlifts are THE basis for a lean and powerful body, then go ahead and join all of the other overweight people pumping away mindlessly for hours on boring cardio equipment and getting zero results!

Squats can be done with barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, or even just body weight. Squats should only be done with free weightsNEVER with a Smith machine!  (This article shows why smith machine squats are a horrendous exercise for your body)

Side note:  My program, The Truth About Six Pack Abs contains the full story on why machines are so inferior and even potentially DANGEROUS compared to free weights.

The type of squat that people are most familiar with is the barbell back squat where the bar is resting on the trapezius muscles of the upper back.  Many professional strength coaches believe that front squats (where the bar rests on the shoulders in front of the head) and overhead squats (where the bar is locked out in a snatch grip overhead throughout the squat) are more functional to athletic performance than back squats with less risk of lower back injury. 

I feel that a combination of all three (not necessarily during the same phase of your workouts) will yield the best results for overall muscular development, body fat loss, and athletic performance.  Front squats are moderately more difficult than back squats, while overhead squats are considerably more difficult than either back squats or front squats. I'll cover overhead squats in a future newsletter issue.

If you are only accustomed to performing back squats, it will take you a few sessions to become comfortable with front squats, so start out light. After a couple sessions of practice, you will start to feel the groove and be able to increase the poundage.

To perform front squats:

The front squat recruits the abdominals to a MUCH higher degree for stability due to the more upright position compared with back squats. It is mostly a lower body exercise, but is great for functionally incorporating core strength and stability into the squatting movement. If you're doing front squats right, you'll feel a hard contraction in your abs during these.

It can also be slightly difficult to learn how to properly rest the bar on your shoulders. There are two ways to rest the bar on the front of the shoulders.

In the first method, you step under the bar and cross your forearms into an “X” position while resting the bar on the dimple that is created by the shoulder muscle near the bone, keeping your elbows up high so that your arms are parallel to the ground. You then hold the bar in place by pressing the thumb side of your fists against the bar for support.  This technique is a bit tricky and you want to make sure to have the weight resting on muscle and not bone!

Alternatively, you can hold the bar by placing your palms face up and the bar resting on your fingers against your shoulders. For both methods, your elbows must stay up high to prevent the weight from falling. Your upper arms should stay parallel to the ground throughout the squat. Find out which bar support method is more comfortable for you.

Then, initiate the squat from your hips by sitting back and down keeping the weight on your heels as opposed to the balls of your feet. Squat down to a position where your thighs are approximately parallel to the ground, then press back up to the starting position. Keeping your weight more towards your heels is the key factor in squatting to protect your knees from injury and develop strong injury resistant knee joints.

Keep in mind – squats done correctly actually strengthen the knees; squats done incorrectly can damage the knees. Practice first with an un-weighted bar or a relatively light weight to learn the movement.  Most people are surprised how hard this exercise works your abs once you learn the correct form.

You also need to use a good bit lighter weight on front squats compared to back squats.  For example, personally, I use about 250 lbs for 8 reps on the back squat, but on the front squat, I need to be around 175 lbs for 8 reps, so a good bit lighter.


START/FINISH

MIDPOINT

So there you have it... one the best exercises for both rock hard abs, and a rock hard body from head to toe!  I could list a LOT more, but wanted to focus on front squats today as they are one of the most under-utilized.

Help spread health and fitness to your friends and feel free to share this article



Thursday 23 June 2011

New Study Reveals LIES about High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Does high-fructose corn syrup make you fatter than sugar?  See this new study and you decide...
laboratory chemicalsby Mike Geary - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of best-selling program: 
The Truth about Six-Pack Abs


A "Corny" Lie?

Unless you've been under a rock for the last year or two, you've undoubtedly seen the massive media campaign that the Corn Refiners Association (the CRA) has been running on TV commercials, online ads, etc trying to "clean up" the poor public image of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

They have even tried a re-branding campaign trying to change the name to "corn sugar" instead of high-fructose corn syrup.

In addition, the TV commercials try to convince you that HFCS is "no worse than sugar", and even try to imply that it is somehow 'natural', with this phrase:

"It's made from corn, has no artificial ingredients, has the same calories as sugar and is okay to eat in moderation"

REALLY?  I'd say that it's a downright LIE to say that HFCS has no artificial ingredients if you've ever seen how HFCS is refined and processed and the chemicals involved in that process.  Watch the entertaining documentary King Corn and you'll see the NASTY chemicals involved in refining HFCS!

And let's not forget that HFCS is almost always made from Genetically Modified corn.  Not so "natural" anymore huh!

In response to this CRA propaganda campaign to revamp the image of HFCS, Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest stated: "High-fructose corn syrup starts out as cornstarch, which is chemically or enzymatically degraded to glucose and some short polymers of glucose. Another enzyme is then used to convert varying fractions of glucose into fructose... High-fructose corn syrup just doesn't exist in nature".

What about the debate:  Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup worse for you than sugar?

This seems to have been an ongoing debate for the last couple years, but I personally think it's a stupid debate...  In terms of your health and your waistline, they are BOTH pure evil!  Over time, with excess consumption of either HFCS or sugar, they can both lead to diabetes, obesity, and other major health problems, including premature aging, and a bulging belly!

However, with that said, I personally avoid HFCS at all costs, but I don't necessarily avoid sugar altogether. I minimize sugar greatly, but I don't avoid it like I avoid HFCS.  Have I mentioned that I haven't had a soda pop since I was a teenager... not one!  Two things that I try to avoid almost 100% are HFCS and trans fats... because they are easily two of the MOST evil food additives that cause the most damage from a biochemical standpoint internally in your body (keep that in mind when you're about to eat or drink them, and it's easy to say no).

The only HFCS I get is probably the minor amounts that I might get in ketchup at a restaurant (sorry, I'm not giving up my ketchup... but I do get organic ketchup at home, which has no HFCS).  But other than ketchup at a restaurant, I stay away from anything and everything with HFCS in it, including store-bought salad dressings which are often laced with high amounts of HFCS.  Instead, I make my own healthy lean-body salad dressings at home.

The reason that I avoid HFCS more than I avoid plain sugar is that there is just too much evidence at this point that your body DOES process HFCS differently than sugar... despite the propaganda that the Corn Refiners Association is trying to shove down your throat with their ads.

New Princeton Study reveals that HFCS can stimulate more weight gain than sugar

Leave it to those geniuses at Princeton to give us some good evidence that HFCS can make you fatter than sugar!  In a 2010 Princeton University study, researchers found that rats given water sweetened with HFCS gained significantly more weight than those given water sweetened with plain sugar, despite calorie intake being the same between both groups.

Princeton researchers also state:  "In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides".

And what about those claims by the Corn Refiners Association that HFCS is "no worse than sugar"?  Well, let's get past the propaganda, and hear what an actual researcher has to say:

According to professor Bart Hoebel, who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction... "Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn't true, at least under the conditions of our tests.  When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight."

Princeton researchers also noted that the HFCS groups in the studies gained significant amounts of visceral fat around the belly.  As you might know, visceral fat is more deadly than subcutaneous fat and is a serious health concern as it releases inflammatory molecules into your system.

One reason that HFCS appears to cause more weight gain than plain sugar is that HFCS doesn't trigger a leptin response in the body.  This means that it won't signal the body to decrease appetite despite those HFCS calories that were consumed.

Another reason that HFCS affects our bodies differently is this... according to Princeton researchers, although HFCS only has 10% more fructose than table sugar (55% fructose content vs 50% fructose content in sugar), the fructose in HFCS is more sinister... According to Princeton, "as a result of the manufacturing process for high-fructose corn syrup, the fructose molecules in the sweetener are free and unbound, ready for fast absorption and utilization. In contrast, every fructose molecule in sucrose that comes from cane sugar or beet sugar is bound to a corresponding glucose molecule and must go through an extra metabolic step before it can be utilized."

Aha... very interesting!

Well, I hope that's enough evidence for you to simply try to fully avoid HFCS from now on.  Again, this doesn't mean eating loads of table sugar is good for you either (that should be obvious), but these studies clearly show that HFCS is at least one step WORSE for you than sugar.  And you also know that HFCS contributes to more abdominal fat, so with that said, why in the world would you ever want to touch another soda again!

You also now know that the deceptive advertisments by the Corn Refiners Association have basically been LYING to you with their propaganda that "HFCS is no worse for you than sugar".  Yeah, right.

How about some good comedy about HFCS to finish this off...

When I first saw this SNL skit that mocks the Corn Refiners Association ads on TV, I didn't know which direction they were going with it... but if you watch to the end, you'll see where they went with it... hilarious!  See what I mean below...



Too funny!
Please share this article with your friends and family to help them avoid the dangers of HFCS (and also to share a good laugh

Monday 20 June 2011

3 Counterfeit Foods Marketed as "Healthier" that are Deceptive

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
author of best-selling program: 
The Truth about Six Pack Abs


I was at the grocery store yesterday and had to shake my head at all of the deceptive labels with everything claiming all sorts of things that are supposedly "healthy", but aren't really. 

One of the things that really disturbed me was that I saw several examples of healthy foods in their natural state, but I saw counterfeit versions of these foods claiming that they were healthier than the original... 

Yet in reality, all of these "counterfeit" versions were actually MUCH worse for you than the original, and more highly processed... and they still have the balls to claim that their overly processed "junkified" versions are better.

This is food marketing deception at it's worst!

Example #1:  Product claiming "Better than peanut butter" by being a low-fat peanut butter

This product is ridiculous!  I can't believe anyone would ever believe that this junk is better for them than natural peanut butter.

What I'm talking about here are the types of peanut butter that claim to be "lower-fat peanut butter"...  But remember that "low-fat" many times just means more added sugars and carbs to replace the fats they took out.  Not good!

First of all, if you buy a good simple peanut butter (organic is best), it is usually nothing but 2 ingredients... peanuts and salt. And they don't add much salt so it's not high in sodium.  Note: Remember to always avoid peanut butters that contain harmful hydrogenated oils.  Peanut butter that contains palm oil is a better alternative than added hydrogenated oils... but natural peanut butter with just peanuts and salt is best.

Back to the counterfeit peanut butter... This counterfeit peanut butter which claimed it was "better than peanut butter" (trying to seem healthier than peanut butter based on it's label claims) had a list of junk in it you wouldn't believe. First of all, they strip most of the healthy fats out of the peanuts so that it is a "low fat" product. Ok, now you've just taken away one of the healthiest parts of the product...the appetite satisfying healthy fats that you need to control cravings and manage more stable blood sugar levels.

To make things worse, the healthy fats were replaced with TWO different types of sugary syrups as well as additional dehydrated cane juice (aka SUGAR), in addition to added refined starches.

This product has taken something as simple and natural as peanut butter, and turned it into what should really be called some sort of processed candy. Yet, they claim that it's healthier than peanut butter because it's "lower fat".  And somehow they get away with deceiving people like this. Don't be their fool!  

This overly processed peanut butter may be lower in fat (by removing the healthy fats), but it's also higher in sugar and total carbohydrates, bringing the calorie total pretty close to regular peanut butter.

Example #2: Product claiming to be "better than eggs".

I won't get as detailed on this one because I recently talked about this entire topic in another newsletter.

But basically, this product was just egg whites with a bunch of added chemical colorings, flavorings, and other nonsense, including fake added vitamins.

Again, this product has essentially ruined a good thing by removing the healthiest part... the YOLKS!  And yes, the yolks ARE the healthiest part of the egg. Anybody that tells you different doesn't understand much about REAL nutrition.  The important thing to look for in quality whole eggs are cage-free and organic, and also the diet that the hens ate.

Most commercial egg farms are a disaster for the health of the hens, as they are crowded inside hen houses and never see the light of day, and are fed unhealthy amounts of grains.

Your best bet is to find a local farmer that you know allows the hens daily time outdoors to roam freely on land and eat a variety of greens, bugs, etc.  I understand that not everybody can find a local farmer that does this type of thing... so what you want to look for at the grocery store is organic, free-range eggs, and also brands that claim higher amounts of DHA or omega-3's.  

A slight improvement over standard eggs is if the hens had flax seed or algae feed included in their diet to increase the omega-3 content of the eggs.  These eggs will have a better ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats.

If you missed my previous article about whole eggs vs egg whites, you can view it here...

Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Healthier?

Example #3:  A product claiming to be "better than butter".

This was essentially crappy margarine loaded with highly processed and deadly trans fats, yet it had the nerve to claim it was "better than butter".

Who are they fooling!

Even low quality butter is healthier than ANY margarine. One problem with butter can be pesticides and hormones from improperly raised cows.

For this reason, you always want to choose organic butter, and if you can find "grass-fed" organic butter, then I would even say it can be healthy for you.  In fact, a little known fact is that adding a little butter to your steamed vegetables helps your body to absorb more of the vitamins and minerals in the veggies.  It's true...having veggies with a fat source aids your assimilation of vitamins and minerals.  

Another factor in favor of butter:

Due to the content of stable saturated fats in butter, this makes butter one of the healthiest oils or fats to cook with. Oils high in polyunsaturated fats are the worst to cook with due to their highly unstable nature, which contributes to excess free radical production.  For more info about this topic, here's an article I did about healthy vs unhealthy cooking oils

What about the saturated fats in butter?

No, the saturated fat in butter is NOT bad for you. If you've been reading my newsletters for some time, you know that we've already beaten that topic to death. If you're new to this newsletter, you can go back to this page to see why saturated fats are a perfectly natural part of the human diet and always have been:  

Evidence that saturated fat is NOT bad for you

 Feel free to share this article with your friends and family and help to protect their health:

Sunday 19 June 2011

Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Better for You?

By Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
Author -
The Truth About 6-Pack Abs
 


whole eggs are a perfect foodI was on a weekend trip with some friends recently and one of my friends was cooking breakfast for the whole group. I went over to see what he was cooking and saw he was getting ready to make a big batch of eggs.


Well, to my shock and horror, I noticed that he was cracking the eggs open and screening the egg whites into a bowl and throwing out the egg yolks. I asked him why the heck he was throwing out the egg yolks, and he replied something like this...

"because I thought the egg yolks were terrible for you...that's where all the nasty fat and cholesterol is".

And I replied, "you mean that's where all of the nutrition is!"

This is a perfect example of how confused most people are about nutrition. In a world full of misinformation about nutrition, somehow most people now mistakenly think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG!

By throwing out the yolk and only eating egg whites, you're essentially throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. The yolks contain so many B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients... it's not even worth trying to list them all. 

In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolks.


Even the protein in egg whites isn't as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more bio-available. Not to even mention that the egg yolks from free range chickens are loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids (EFAs).

And now the common objection I get all the time when I say that the yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg...

"But I heard that whole eggs will skyrocket my cholesterol through the roof"

No, this is FALSE! 

First of all, when you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates it's internal production of cholesterol to balance things out. 

On the other hand, if you don't eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more since cholesterol has dozens of important vital functions in the body.

healthy whole eggsAnd here's where it gets even more interesting...

There have been plenty of studies lately that indicate that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry.

And 3rd... high cholesterol is NOT a disease!  Heart disease is a disease...but high cholesterol is NOT.  Cholesterol is actually a VERY important substance in your body and has vitally important functions... it is DEAD WRONG to try to "lower your cholesterol" just because of pharmaceutical companies propaganda that everyone on the planet should be on statin drugs.
If you're interested in this topic of cholesterol specifically, I have another article listed at the bottom of this page about why trying to attack cholesterol is a mistake, and what the REAL deadly risk factors actually are.

In addition, the yolks contain the antioxidant lutein as well as other antioxidants which can help protect you from inflammation within your body (the REAL culprit in heart disease, not dietary cholesterol!), giving yet another reason why the yolks are actually GOOD for you, and not detrimental.

To help bring even more proof that whole eggs are better for you than egg whites, I recently read a University of Connecticut study that showed that a group of men in the study that ate 3 eggs per day for 12 weeks while on a reduced carb, higher fat diet increased their HDL good cholesterol by 20%, while their LDL bad cholesterol stayed the same during the study.  However, the group that ate egg substitutes (egg whites) saw no change in either and did not see the improvement in good cholesterol (remember that higher HDL levels are associated with lower risk of heart disease) that the whole egg eaters did. 

So I hope we've established that whole eggs are not some evil food that will wreck your body... instead whole eggs are FAR superior to egg whites

But what about the extra calories in the yolks?

This is actually a non-issue and here's why... even though egg yolks contain more calories than just eating the egg whites, the yolks have such a high micro-nutrient density in those calories, that it increases your overall nutrient density per calorie you consume.  Essentially, what this does is help to regulate your appetite for the remainder of the day, so you end up eating less calories overall.  In addition, the healthy fats in the egg yolks help to maintain a good level of fat-burning hormones in your body.

Overall, this means that the extra fats (healthy fats) and calories from the yolk are so nutrient-dense that they actually HELP you to burn off body fat!

Also, your normal supermarket eggs coming from mass factory farming just don't compare nutritionally with organic free range eggs from healthy chickens that are allowed to roam freely and eat a more natural diet.  Your typical cheap grocery store eggs will have lower nutrient levels and a higher omega-6 level and lower omega-3 level.  On the other hand, the cage-free organic eggs from healthier chickens allowed to eat more natural feed and roam freely will have much higher vitamin and mineral levels and a more balanced healthier omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio.

I recently compared eggs I bought at the grocery store with a batch of eggs I got at a farm stand where the chickens were free roaming and healthy.

Most people don't realize that there's a major difference because they've never bought real eggs from healthy chickens... The eggs from the grocery store had pale yellow yolks and thin weak shells. On the other hand, the healthier free range eggs from the local farm had strong thick shells and deep orange colored yolks indicating much higher nutrition levels and carotenoids... and just a healthier egg in general.

This is due to the fact that a free-roaming hen allowed to roam on plenty of land will eat a variety of greens, insects, worms, etc transferring MUCH higher levels of nutrients to the eggs compared to an unhealthy hen that is trapped inside a dark factory farm hen house in horrible conditions and fed nothing but piles of corn and soy.  It's a DRASTIC difference in the nutrition that you get from the egg.

So next time a health or fitness professional tells you that egg whites are superior (because of their "fat-phobic" mentality towards dietary fats), you can quietly ignore their advice knowing that you now understand the REAL deal about egg yolks.

And can we all please STOP with this sillyness about eating an omelete with 4-5 egg whites and only 1 egg yolk... If you want real taste and real health benefits, we'd all be better off eating ALL of our eggs with the yolks.

After all, do you REALLY think that our ancestors thousands of years ago threw out the yolks and only ate the egg whites?  NOT A CHANCE!  They intuitively knew that all of the nutrition was found in the yolks.  But our modern society has been brainwashed with misinformation about fats and cholesterol.

Another interesting study about eggs...

I read a study recently that compared groups of people that ate egg breakfasts vs groups of people that ate cereal or bagel-based breakfasts.  The results of the study showed that the egg eaters lost or maintained a healthier bodyweight, while the cereal/bagel eaters gained weight. 
It was hypothesized that the egg eaters actually ate less calories during the remainder of the day because their appetite was more satisfied compared to the cereal/bagel eaters who would have been more prone to wild blood sugar swings and food cravings.

Oh, one last thing I almost forgot... I personally eat 4 whole eggs almost every day with breakfast, and I maintain single-digit bodyfat most of the year.  

Enjoy your eggs and get a leaner body!

If you liked this article, please share it with your friends

Saturday 18 June 2011

Does Canned Food and Bottled Water Increase Your Abdominal Fat Through Hidden Chemicals?

..and 9 Tips to Minimize Your Exposure to these Harmful Chemicals
by Mike Geary - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of best-selling program -
The Truth About 6-Pack Abs

You may have started hearing in the news about some of the hidden chemicals that might be lurking in your canned foods and bottled water and other drinks.  Some of them are known as xenoestrogens, which have the potential to cause serious health problems over time, as well as increase abdominal fat from the estrogenic effect.

Today, I want to share with you some important details about one of the MOST problematic chemicals that you're being exposed to specifically from canned foods and bottled drinks, etc...
It's called Bisphenol A (BPA).

BPA can be found as a component of some types of plastic bottles, and also in the lining inside of canned foods.

Since BPA is a known "xenoestrogen", it's been linked in animal studies (at surprisingly small doses) to all sorts of various health issues such as cancer, metabolic disorders, heart disease, diabetes, and fertility problems and birth defects or miscarriages... and of course, any xenoestrogens in large enough amounts can trigger your body to hold onto abdominal fat (aka - stubborn belly fat).

The major offenders to look for are polycarbonate bottles (some plastics with the #7 symbol on the bottom are polycarbonate, but not all) and also canned foods, since the lining of most canned foods contains BPA, which can leach into food.  The longer that a can of food sits on a shelf and the higher the temperature, the more BPA can leach into your food. The same can be said for polycarbonate bottles that contain food or drinks.

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), BPA was detected in the bodies of 95% of Americans in one CDC study (this is a worldwide issue though, not just limited to the US).  This is nothing to shrug off either... look at this scary finding...

The Environmental Working Group reports, "analysis of our tests reveals that for one of every five cans tested, and for one-third of all vegetables and pastas (ravioli and noodles with tomato sauce), a single serving would expose a pregnant woman to BPA at levels that fall within a factor of 5 of doses linked to birth defects — permanent damage of developing male reproductive organs".

If that didn't get your attention, how about this... 

The EWG also reports evidence of... "An investigation demonstrating that low doses of BPA spur both the formation and growth of fat cells, the two factors that drive obesity in humans (Masumo et al. 2002)."

This is not surprising, since as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, BPA is a known xenoestrogen, and any xenoestrogens can contribute to what's been referred to as "stubborn abdominal fat" as well as cancer and other health problems.

It's also important to note that any canned tomato products (canned ravioli, pastas, canned tomato pastes, tomato sauces, etc) are some of the biggest offenders with the highest BPA concentrations due to the acidic nature of tomatoes, which leaches more of the BPA.

So what steps can you take to minimize your exposure to BPA and it's negative effects on bodyfat and other health risks?

 1. Try to always avoid canned foods as much as possible and choose frozen or fresh foods instead.  Buy the ingredients yourself and prepare the meal the old fashioned way instead of resorting to canned foods.  Also, a better alternative to canned foods is products in glass containers.

 2.  If you do resort to using canned foods instead of fresh foods, try to find labels that say that the cans are free of BPA.

 3.  If you need tomato products, always avoid canned varieties and search for tomato sauces, pastes, etc in glass bottles instead (unless the can specifically states that it is BPA-free).  Or just make your own tomato dishes from scratch with fresh tomatoes.

 4.  If you use plastic wrap, plastic ziplock bags, plastic containers for food storage, etc, try to investigate on the label if the product is BPA-free or not.  Some brands packaging will label if their products are BPA-free.

 5.  If you for some reason choose to use a microwave with your food (which by the way, microwaved food is thought to have negative health effects), then by all means, do not microwave the food in plastic containers as it can increase the leaching of chemicals including BPA.

 6.  If you drink bottled water, or water from reusable plastic bottles, make sure that it is not a polycarbonate bottle, or make sure that the label says BPA-free. Plastic that shows #7 on the bottom will sometimes contain BPA, but not always.  If a bottle shows "PC" on the bottom, it is made from polycarbonate, so it will contain BPA.  In addition, sometimes aluminum bottles will contain a lining that has BPA, so avoid these.

 7.  Avoid soda cans, as the EWG states analysis showed that 42% of soda cans contained BPA.  Of course, if you care about your health and your body, I'm sure you never drink soda anyway -- it's pure evil for your body... and yes, that includes unhealthy diet soda too, with it's dangerous artificial sweeteners.

 8.  Never use plastic cups for hot liquids such as hot tea or coffee, as this can accelerate leaching of BPA and other chemicals, depending on the type of plastic.

 9.  As much as you can try to avoid BPA and other xenoestrogens, you will most likely still be exposed to some levels of xenoestrogens from various chemicals in your foods (from pesticide/herbicide residues, packaging chemicals, etc), chemicals in your water supply, chemicals from cosmetics, lotions, etc.
However, you can help to protect yourself and counteract these harmful xenoestrogen chemicals in your body with certain powerful phytonutrients in foods like onions, garlic, chamomile and green teas, and cruciferious vegetables.  In fact, read this article to see how 3 specific veggies can help you to fight abdominal fat by counteracting xenoestrogens.

If you stick to most of these guidelines, you can help to protect yourself and your family from the health dangers of bisphenol-A (BPA).  And you can also help protect yourself against the issue of "stubborn abdominal fat" that can be caused by the xenoestrogen effect of BPA exposure too... which I'm sure you'd rather avoid!

Please share this article with your friends and family to help them protect their health from BPA exposure.

Thursday 16 June 2011

7 "FATTY" Foods that Can Help You to Get a Flat Stomach

(some of these will surprise you!)

These 7 shocking Fatty (but healthy) super-foods can actually help you to burn body fat faster!
by Mike Geary, Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of the best-seller -- The Truth about Six Pack Abs


1.  Super Dark Chocolate (at least 72% cacao content or higher) - It might not be a secret anymore, but yes, dark chocolate (NOT milk chocolate) can be a very healthy food, even though it is technically calorie dense.

However, I would contend that dark chocolate can actually HELP you to burn off more body fat if you're the type of person that has a sweet tooth and likes to eat a lot of desserts.  In this case, just 1 or 2 small squares of dark chocolate can many times satisfy your sweet tooth for only 30 or 40 calories as opposed to 500 calories for a piece of chocolate cake or a piece of pie.

Also some brands of dark chocolate that are in the mid 70's in % cacao content or higher, can have a fairly high ratio of fiber content (I've seen some brands have 5 grams of fiber out of 15 grams of total carbs per serving), and relatively low sugar content compared to the amount of healthy fats.  In fact, that's one of the "tricks" I use to select a good quality chocolate... I look for more total fat than total carbs (or about the same number of grams of each).

The importance of that fact is that it means many dark chocolates will not greatly affect your blood sugar and will have a fairly blunted blood sugar response compared to other "sweets".

In addition, dark chocolate is also very rich in healthful antioxidants, including a powerful compound called theobromine which has been shown to help lower blood pressure and have other health benefits.  The fat content in a good dark chocolate should come solely from the natural healthy fats occuring in cocoa butter and not from any other added fats.  Any chocolates with added fats or other additives will generally not be as healthy.

The reason I say to choose dark chocolates with at least 72% cacao content is that the higher the % of cacao, the lower the % of sugar.  However, this does mean that any chocolate over 80% cacao content will generally start to get a more bitter taste and have very little sweetness.  If you like this type of taste, then the higher % cocao, the better. Otherwise, a good 75% dark chocolate is in my opinion an almost perfect combination of lightly sweet with a rich chocolate taste.  Just remember to keep those daily quantities of chocolate small as it is calorie dense!

You can also reap the benefits of the antioxidants and fiber without all of the calories by using organic unsweetened cocoa powder in your smoothies or other recipes.

coconuts have healthy fats2.  Coconut milk, coconut flour, and coconut oil --  Coconut milk and oil are great sources of a super healthy type of saturated fat called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), including a component called lauric acid, which is a powerful nutrient for your immune system, and is lacking in most western diets.  In addition, MCTs are readily used for energy by the body and less likely to be stored as bodyfat compared to other types of fats.

Along with coconut milk and coconut oil as healthy fat choices, we've also got coconut flour as a healthier flour option for baking. Coconut flour is an extremely high fiber flour alternative (almost ALL of the carbs in this flour are fiber and not starch!).  Coconut flour is also VERY high in protein compared to most flours and is also gluten free!

Just beware that if you're going to use coconut flour for baking, it absolutely NEEDS to be mixed with other flours as it sucks up moisture like crazy... I've made delicious baked goods by mixing coconut flour with almond flour and quinoa flour in equal parts, and adding slightly more liquid ingredients than the recipe calls for.

healthy fats in butter3.  Grass-fed (pasture-raised) butter -- yes, delicious smooth and rich BUTTER (real butter, not deadly margarine!)... It's delicious, contains loads of healthy nutritional factors, and does NOT have to be avoided in order to get lean.  In fact, I eat a couple pats of grass-fed butter daily and maintain single digit bodyfat most times of the year.

There's a lot of confusion about this topic... in fact, I just saw a TV show today that was talking about unhealthy foods and one of the first things they showed was butter.  It just shows that the majority of the population has zero idea that butter (grass-fed only!) can actually be a healthy part of your diet.
This discussion of why butter is actually healthy would take up too much room on this article, so I refer you to this article:  how REAL butter can make you leaner.

If you have a hard time finding a grass-fed butter at your grocery store, Kerrygold Irish butter is one of my favorites, and even though the label doesn't clearly state "grass-fed", the cows are 100% grass-fed on lush green pastures in Ireland. It's one of the richest butters in color that I've seen, which indicates high levels of carotenoids.

whole egg nutrition to burn body fat4.  Whole Eggs, including the yolk (not just egg whites) -- Most people know that eggs are one of the highest quality sources of protein.  However, most people don't know that the egg yolks are the healthiest part of the egg... that's where almost all of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (such as lutein) are found in eggs.

In fact, the egg yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids.  Also, the protein of whole eggs is more bio-available than egg whites alone due to a more balanced amino acid profile that the yolks help to build.

Just make sure to choose free-range organic eggs instead of normal grocery store eggs.  Similar to the grass-fed beef scenerio, the nutrient content of the eggs and the balance between healthy omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids (in excess) is controlled by the diet of the hens.

Chickens that are allowed to roam free outside and eat a more natural diet will give you healthier, more nutrient-rich eggs with a healthier fat balance compared with your typical grocery store eggs (that came from chickens fed nothing but soy and corn and crowded inside "egg factories" all day long).
If you want more details on eggs, here is an article that details more about why egg yolks are BETTER for you than egg whites.

grass-fed beef healthier than grain-fed beef5.  Grass-fed beef or bison (NOT the typical grocery store beef!) -- I know most people think that red meat is unhealthy for you, but that's because they do not understand how the health of the animal affects how healthy the meat is for consumption.  Keep this in mind -- "an unhealthy animal provides unhealthy meat, but a healthy animal provides healthy meat".

Typical beef or bison that you see at the grocery store is raised on grains, mainly corn (and to some extent, soybeans). Soy and corn are NOT the natural diet of cattle or bison, and therefore changes the chemical balance of fats and other nutrients in the beef or bison.  Grain-fed beef and bison is typically WAY too high in omega-6 fats and WAY too low in omega-3 fats.  In addition, the practice of feeding cattle corn and soy as the main portion of their diet upsets their digestive system and makes them sick... and it also increases the amount of dangerous e-coli in the meat.  This is not the case with grass-fed meat.
grass-fed steaks, healthy fat burning foodOn the other hand, grass-fed beef from cattle and buffalo (or bison) that were raised on the type of natural foods that they were meant to eat in nature (grass and other forage), have much higher levels of healthy omega-3 fats and lower levels of inflammatory omega-6 fats (that most people already eat way too much of) compared to grain fed beef or bison.

Grass fed meats also typically contain up to 3 times the Vitamin E as in grain fed meats.
In addition, grass-fed meat from healthy cattle or bison also contain a special healthy fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in MUCH higher levels than grain-fed meat.  CLA has been proven in scientific studies in recent years to help in burning fat and building lean muscle (which can help you lose weight!).  These benefits are on top of the fact that grass-fed meats are some of the highest quality proteins that you can possibly eat... and this also aids in burning fat and building lean muscle.

Grass-fed meats are a little harder to find, but just ask your butcher or find a specialty grocery store and they usually have cuts available.  I've also found a great site to order grass-fed meats online and have gotten to know the owner of this company well, and they are dedicated to the quality of their foods.

avocados - healthy fats and high nutrition6.  Avocodos -- Even though avocados are typically thought of as a "fatty food", they are chock full of healthy fats!  Not only is this fruit (yes, surprisingly, avocados are actually a fruit) super-high in monounsaturated fat, but also chock full of vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, and antioxidants.

Also, in my opinion, guacamole (mashed avocados with garlic, onion, tomato, pepper, etc) is one of the most delicious food toppings ever created, and you can be happy to know that it's also one of the healthiest toppings you can use on your foods.  Try sliced avocados or guacamole on sandwiches, burgers, eggs or omelets, on salads or with fish, or as a delicious side to just about any meal.

The quality dose of healthy fats, fiber, and micronutrients that you get from avocados helps your body to maintain proper levels of hormones that help with fat loss and muscle building.  Also, since avocados are an extremely satiating food, eating them helps to reduce your appetite in the hours after your meal.  Say goodbye to junk food cravings and bring on that fat burning!  I personally eat anywhere from a half to a full avocado DAILY and it only helps to keep me lean.

nuts - more healthy foods to burn fat7.  Nuts:  Walnuts, Almonds, Pistachios, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Macadamias, etc --  Yes, this is yet another "fatty food" that can actually help you burn belly fat!  Although nuts are generally between 75-90% fat in terms of a ratio of fat calories to total calories, this is another type of food that is all healthy fats, along with high levels of micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Nuts are also a good source of fiber and protein, which of course, you know helps to control blood sugar and can aid in fat loss.

Nuts also help to maintain good levels of fat burning hormones in your body (adequate healthy fat intake is vitally important to hormone balance) as well as helping to control appetite and cravings so that you essentially eat less calories overall, even though you're consuming a high-fat food.  My favorite healthy nuts are pecans, pistachios, almonds, macadamias, and walnuts, and by eating them in variety, you help to broaden the types of vitamins and minerals and also the balance of polyunsaturated to monounsaturated fats you obtain.
Try to find raw nuts instead of roasted nuts if you can, as it helps to maintain the quality and nutritional content of the healthy fats that you will eat.

Also, try to broaden your horizons beyond the typical peanut butter that most people eat, and try almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, or macadamia butter to add variety to your diet.
One of the little "tricks" that I've used with clients when trying to cut down body fat is to have them eat a handful of nuts such as almonds or pecans about 20 minutes before lunch and dinner.  This ends up being a perfect time to control your appetite before lunch or dinner and helps you to eat less overall calories on that meal.

I hope you enjoyed this look at some of the healthiest "fatty" fat-burning foods you can possibly eat.  I could list a ton more, but wanted to give you a few of my favorites for now.  Enjoy!