Health Labs

It’s a strange concept - losing weight by eating more, isn’t it? Flies in the face of just about every notion we have of weight loss, dieting etc. Doesn’t add up.

But when you understand how it all works, and how the body deals with the food we give it, it becomes a lot easier to understand. And to believe that it could work.

There are a lot of false ideas about why we put on weight, why we keep it on, and what we can do to lose it again. And most weight-loss vendors have a poor understanding of the root causes of the body’s storage of fat.

The main enemy for dieters has always been seen as the food we eat, and the solution as how to eat less. But food is not the central issue, and eating less will not solve your problem.

If you did a survey, very few people would believe that it’s possible to change your body in 11 days - by losing 9 pounds of fat. Dieting is regarded as a long, drawn-out affair.

But this can be achieved, and indeed has been achieved by many different people. The system is tried and tested worldwide, with great results.

To simplify it, the system works because of what happens when we eat. There are 2 types of hormones produced - a fat-burning type and a fat-storing type.

The production of hormones can be controlled, so that there will be more of the fat burning hormones, and less of the fat storing hormones are released by the brain.

It’s a briliant concept - and the way it’s controlled is through the food. Certain foods trigger one hormone type or another, and when you follow the correct sequence, it’s like switching on a light.

It’s important, for the system to work as it was designed, that you eat more than 3 meals a day, according to the pattern. This is a critical part of it.

Its a very effective dieting system, and it works faster than most systems that are available now. It works better than any low-carb or low-fat diet, and a lot less stressful.

Nutrition Nutrition

Many weight trainers who want to reduce their fat and build up muscle take bodybuilding supplements. The reason they take them is often to make it easier to recover after training and to improve their overall performance as well.

Some supplements are necessary to insure that you body receives the right amount of nutrition when you are increasing your activity due a training program. Lack of these can cause you to not have the energy necessary to do the strenuous exercises involved in bodybuilding.

Creatine as well as whey protein are top protein supplements and used to help build more muscle. Vitamins and minerals are also needed, and good supplements can provide you with those you need, helping to make sure you don’t deal with a vitamin deficiency when you train.

Vitamins and minerals basically change the food we eat into energy. Vitamins also help with muscle building and burning fat. Protein supplements that will help you with building muscle along with your training program include creatine, amino acids, testosterone boosters, and whey protein. These proteins are essential for building muscle and help with muscle soreness.

Carb blockers, fat burner supplements, and appetite suppressants will help you along with burning excess fat. Antioxidants such as green tea are good for a natural energy boost. There are many energy boosters and supplements on the market to help give you more energy and stamina during your training program.

Eating balanced meals that are healthy is very helpful and important. Supplements are not the only way you should be getting the nutrition that you need. Of course even though we eat good foods, we don’t get all the nutrition needed because of cooking the foods and processing them. Supplements can provide the extra nutrients needed.

Vitamins and minerals alone will not build muscle. It takes hard work and dedication to build lean hard muscle mass and lose fat. Taking supplements alone without a good diet and training program will not help you build muscle.

When it comes to bodybuilding, steroids are a bad choice. They can help to build up muscles fast, but they can harm the body. When the muscles grow so fast, the ligaments and tendons often can’t keep up. This causes those using steroids to deal with more injuries.

Steroids can also cause people to be more aggressive, it can damage the liver, and even can cause problems with other important bodily functions. There is no pill that will magically help you lose fat and build up muscle without working hard. Products that try to do this are very dangerous to your body.

Nutrition Nutrition

In 3,300 B.C., a tribal elder from Val Venosta, Italy, trekked across an Alpine glacier in an attempted getaway from enemies. But his foes got the better of him and with a well-aimed arrow pierced his subclavian artery, leaving him to bleed to death in a glacial cave where his mummified remains were discovered in 1991. Among the belongings of Oetzi the Iceman were two medicinal mushrooms, the earliest evidence in existence of mushrooms used as remedies.

One of the mushrooms he carried was a traditional de-wormer known as Birch polypore (Piptoporus betulinus), which makes sense because whipworm eggs were found in Oetzi’s intestines. The other mushroom was a species frequently used to cauterize wounds, Tinder fungus (Fomes fomentarius). The Iceman’s right hand had been injured days earlier and was in the process of healing when he was killed.

Both of these are polypores, so named because they have pores instead of gills underneath. No species of polypore is known to be poisonous. They usually grow on trees, dead or alive.

With a couple of notable exceptions, most polypores are inedible because they are woody and fibrous. But as natural remedies in the form of tea, extracts and poultices, they have been invaluable to people all across the globe for many millennia.

Oral traditions of Native Americans bear tale of many types of polypores being used to help against the diseases brought by the Europeans, including Birch polypore but also Reishi (Ganoderma resinaceum), Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor), Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) and the now almost vanished species Agarikon (Fomitopsis officinalis).

As it so happens, Agarikon is also the oldest mushroom referenced in European medical literature. It was listed by Dioscorides in the Materia Medica of 65 B.C. as a treatment for tuberculosis. In confirmation of this, Polish researcher K. Grzywnowics published an article in 2001 titled Medicinal mushrooms in Polish Folk Medicine where he states that Agarikon tea was historically used in his country as a remedy for lung conditions, as well as rheumatoid arthritis, open bleeding and infected wounds.

Up to this point, we’ve only covered the use of medicinal mushrooms in the West. However, their use has been far more widespread in Asia. There are at least three Asian species that would be criminal to leave out of any article on the history of medicinal mushrooms.

First is the polypore Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), which has been used in China and Japan as a health bestowing mushroom of immortality for at least two millennia. It was first mentioned in the 2,000 year old book Shen Nong’s Herbal Classic. Many ancient wood-carvings and temple engravings in the Orient bear testament to the homage paid to this acclaimed cure-all mushroom.

Next is Cordyceps, a minute fungus from the Tibetan plateau, parasitising on silk caterpillars. Cordyceps sinensis was first mentioned as a medicinal mushroom in The Classic Herbal of the Divine Plowman from 200 A.D. It is popular with athletes to improve physical stamina. Historically, it’s been used as an aphrodiciac.

Finally there is Shiitake, the number one gourmet mushroom of the Orient. Shiitake has been cultured in China for approximately 1,000 years as a food. What is less known is that it is also one of the most researched medicinal mushrooms in the world. A polysaccharide extracted from Shiitake is approved in Japan as an anti-cancer drug. Other qualities hinted at by research include antibiotic and immune enhancer.

Medical research on mushrooms appears to have begun in the late 1960’s in Japan. It gained attention in the West through the research by Dr. Ikekawa, who found that families growing mushrooms had lower cancer-rates than other people in their communities. Since those early days, medical research into mushrooms as grown exponentially and is still increasing. Medicinal mushrooms are continuing to make history.

Note: This article is for informational purpose only. None of the mushrooms mentioned herein have been approved for medicinal use by the FDA. Never use any mushroom medicinally without consulting a licensed medical practitioner.

Nutrition Nutrition

Kids don’t have that strong a relationship to vegetables. Kids will go through the motions, pushing broccoli and lima beans around their plate a few times, but few veggies actually reach the inside of a kid’s mouth.

And yet, we want our kids to eat veggies on a regular basis. The best way to do this is to serve fresh veggies daily, and make sure WE eat all the vegetables on our plates!

Why bother? It turns out that vegetables - all kinds of vegetables - contain super powerful ingredients that help keep us healthy and help us ward off a wide range of serious illnesses.1,2 These magical substances - phytochemicals - give fruits and vegetables their big nutritional kick!

“Phyto” is Greek for “plant”. Brightly colored fruits and vegetables have the most nutrients and the most phytochemicals.

Well-known phytochemicals include lycopene, found in tomatoes; isoflavones, found in soy; and flavonoids, found in fruits such as blueberries and cranberries.3 Phytochemicals have wide-ranging effects - some are antioxidants, others stimulate enzyme activity, and others have hormonal action. All phytochemicals act to enhance health and well-being and human performance.

Antioxidants provide significant protection for your body’s cells against the destructive oxidation potential of free radicals. Free radicals are produced by normal metabolic activities, and they are neutralized by antioxidants which we obtain in a well-balanced diet.

But if we’re not consuming our daily requirement of fruits and vegetables, our body’s reserves of antioxidants are decreased, and free radicals can destroy cells and create disease. For example, certain types of cancer are linked to free radical damage.

The bottom line - broccoli spears are much more than flowery green things your Mom used to make you eat. Broccoli is a superfood, rich in antioxidants and rich in cancer-fighting ability.

Carrots, another superfood, are rich in beta-carotene, an important antioxidant. Your body converts a portion of beta-carotene into Vitamin A, which helps strengthen the immune system and protects the digestive tract.

Tomatoes round out the list of the top three super-veggies. Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a potent antioxidant. Lycopenes give tomatoes their rich, red color. These phytochemicals have proven health benefits in the areas of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

Eating vegetables every day provides so much benefit for people of all ages. Five to nine portions of fruits and vegetables are recommended in a balanced nutritional program.

Your chiropractor is an expert on nutrition and will be glad to help you construct food plans that work for you and your family.

1Hayes JD, et al: The cancer chemopreventive actions of phytochemicals derived from glucosinolates. Eur J Nutr 47(Suppl 2):73-88, 2008 2Nair S et al: Natural dietary anti-cancer chemopreventive compounds: redox-mediated differential signaling mechanisms in cytoprotection of normal cells versus cytotoxicity in tumor cells. Acta Pharmacol Sin 28(4):459-472, 2007 3Vinson JA, et al: Cranberries and cranberry products: Powerful in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo sources of antioxidants. J Agric Food Chem June 2008 (in press)

Nutrition Nutrition

The acai berry’s been in the news, and there’s a lot of hype surrounding it. You may have heard some pretty amazing things about the acai berry but it is far from a magic bullet. To realize its full benefit, you’ll need to use acai berry with diet and exercise. Acai isn’t a miracle, get-slim-quick scheme- it’s meant for those who are serious about living clean and losing weight.

Before you believe any of the claims about acai’s effectiveness remember this- the more outlandish the claim, the less likely that the supplement will live up to it. Discuss its use with your physician, and while there aren’t any major side effects that we’re aware of, it might affect the way that some medicines work.

However, if you combine it with proper diet and exercise, the acai berry can definitely help. Its tiny, purplish skins are chock-full of antioxidants, Acai berry is most effective when it’s combined with a nutritious diet and a good fitness plan. It’s not much bigger than a blueberry, and like we said it’s a great antioxidant source. They’re also full of amino acids and phytosterols that will help your body stay in top condition.

However, if you combine it with proper diet and exercise, the acai berry can definitely help. Its tiny, purplish skins are chock-full of antioxidants, Acai berry is most effective when it’s combined with a nutritious diet and a good fitness plan.

Eating foods that have a high omega-3 content will strengthen your heart and improve your overall health. Acai berries, as well as other foods like flaxseed and olive oil, are excellent sources of omega-3s.

Acai berry can be a great way to jump start your diet and exercise program, because they are so great at burning fat and boosting your metabolism.

Omega-3 acids are important for heart and overall health, and acai berries are a great source- right along with fish oil and flaxseed. You have to eat foods that are rich in omega-3s, because your body doesn’t make them on its own.

Phytosterols are great at removing cholesterol from the body, and acai berries are rich in them. Some people could see their levels drop by almost 15%.

Diets rich in omega-3 and amino acids, like those found in the acai berry, help the body to burn fat and the muscles to work more smoothly.

You can use the acai berry much as you would another kind of fruit. The juice and pulp are delicious in a smoothie, and the berries can be used in many of the same ways that blueberries are.

As we mentioned, the acai berry can help to repair muscles and boost energy. This is why some athletes take it before games- it’s believed to naturally enhance performance.

While not perfect, the acai berry is rich in protein and complex carbohydrates, which are great for providing a long-lasting energy boost. If an athlete can use it to safely increase their stamina, you can certainly benefit from an acai berry supplement.

Nutrition Nutrition

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could prevent bruising and eat healthier at the same time we’re doing it? The real facts of the matter are that fruits and vegetables have lots to do with how well our body deals with bruising, and if you are someone who has the tendency to bruise easily, or if you know of someone who does, we may determine that it is time for us to visit the produce aisle. When we’ve made the decision to start putting more fruits and vegetables on our table, we’ll soon see that we can make a major impact on our bodys ability to heal improve the bodys ability to prevent bruises that we might otherwise be getting.

Let’s begin our discussion of the foods that are high in vitamin C. Vitamin C can not only provide a boost to our immune system, it can also make our body more resilient and more able to rebound from injuries like bruises. If we eat foods that are rich in vitamin C we can get a quick boost in energy, as well as aiding us to heal more rapidly from any bruises that we may have already gotten. When we are trying to determine which foods have an abundance of vitamin C, we should consider citrus fruits first. If we want to try something a little more off the beaten path, we should think about sweet potatoes.

Another thing that should be part of our evaluation is to consider foods that are abundant in vitamin A. Vitamin A is a primary nutrient that our body uses to reduce cellular damage and the effects of trauma, which makes it an excellent addition to our diet if you are interested in reducing the incidence of bruising. Although some people say that vitamin A is a nutrient that can be properly obtained with supplements, but we need to be aware that doing so could lead to vitamin A poisoning; even though this poisoning is a very rare occurrence, it has been known to take place. The proper path to take is for us is to involve adding vitamin A into our diet by increasing our intake of a variety of foods like carrots, pumpkin, cantaloupe, apricots and collard greens.

You should also consider the fact that iron is a mineral that you should be getting in your diet. Not only does getting enough iron in our diet prevent us from turning anemic, it can also help in strengthening components of our circulatory system which is an essential step to consider when we are dealing with combating bruises. When you want to eat foods that are rich in iron, take a look at the dark-colored green vegetables. These can include spinach, mustard greens, kale, broccoli and Swiss chard. Your body will absorb the iron, and this can be instrumental in helping to keep you healthy.

You should spend the time necessary to really consider what your choices are going to be for attempting to find the means to prevent bruising. You should take control of your own dietary options, and figure out the effects that your diet can make on improving your chances to prevent bruising.

Nutrition Nutrition