Recently, artificial sweeteners have been showing up in in pretty much any type of food or drink out there. These substances, such as saccharin, aspertame and sucralose (splenda), have a sweet taste while promising to be nearly calorie-free. Unfortunately, many of these sweeteners have been (tentatively) linked to numerous health problems, including CANCER and possibly even weight gain (the mechanism for how this happens is debated). But there is another low-calorie sweetener available that is completely natural and seems to be much safer.
This natural sweetener is stevia, a derivative of the plant Stevia rebaudiana, which grows natively in Paraguay and has been used for centuries by the natives. “Discovered” in 1903 by Dr. Moises Santiago Bertoni, this natural plant is 300 times as sweet as sugar but with virtually no calories or carbs! As an added benefit, stevia can withstand cooking temperatures, so unlike many artificial sweeteners it can be used in cooking.
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Recently, you may have been hearing about the health problems associated with a diet high in high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). But what does this sweetener do to your body biologically that makes it so dangerous? In this article, I will explain the history and the process of making HFCS, as well as the biological reasons why HFCS can be harmful to your health.
Up until the 1970′s, the only major sweetener was sugar (sucrose). But between 1975 and 1985, HFCS began to be rapidly introduced as a sweetener in the United States, less than 3 decades after its invention in 1957. This rapid introduction happened because in the United States sugar has high tariffs, which makes natively grown corn a much cheaper solution. Currently, although we know the risks of HFCS, removing these ingredients from American foods would be very difficult because it would devastate the corn industry, an important American agricultural industry. These high-fructose corn syrups are ny of a group of corn syrups which have undergone enzymatic processing in order to increase their fructose content and are then mixed with pure corn syrup (100% glucose) to reach their final form. Standard HFCS comes in 3 varieties: HFCS 90 which is approximately 90% fructose and 10% glucose; HFCS 55 which is approximately 55% fructose and 45% glucose; and HFCS 42 which is approximately 42% fructose and 58% glucose.
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With all the information out there about how to lose weight, naturally skinny guys (and girls) can feel neglected. For people with a fast metabolism, their greatest challenge is much different than that of a person of a more average build.Skinny people like this are called ectomorphic, which is one of the 3 basic body types. Unlike the other 2 basic body types, ectomorphs have trouble gaining weight and therefore must follow a much more disciplined eating plan to gain weight.
As I mentioned before, there are 3 different basic body types: endomorphic, mesomorphic, and ectomorphic.
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To be serious about gaining muscle mass, one must eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. For the average person (especially he average american), this can be difficult, as their diet consists of mostly grains, fruits, and vegetables and relaively small amouts of meat. While fruits and vegetables are very imporant to a healthy diet, these two food groups offer virually no dietary protein. To get this extra protein in your diet, you should eat more meat and dairy, with an emphasis on the foods in this list. These following 10 food are specifically chosen for their high protein content and ranked based on protein content and value (as well as biological value for one item in this list).
A muscular back is one of the ultimate symbols of power, as well as a very useful group of muscles to develop for athletic performance. In total, the dynamic bent-over dumbbell row works 13 separate muscles, including the middle trapezius, the lower trapezius, the rhomboids, and the biceps. With the help of this magnificent exercise, which is one of my favorites, you too can have a powerful back like the one in the picture to the right.
But before you can perform this great exercise, you are going to need some equipment. Most importantly, you will need a pair of dumbbells or a barbell (I will discuss this variation later), as well as a bench to support yourself on. You can purchase some pretty good adjustable dumbbells You can buy some great adjustable dumbbells here
As a person very interested in the fitness and nutrition world, I have read my fair share of Men’s Health magazines. You can find it in pretty much any grocery store, but does Men’s Health actually give good advice, or is it just bogus advice. In this article, I will review Men’s Health, revealing the pros and cons of this wildly popular magazine whilst answering the question many of you have: is it worth the money?
In 1987, Men’s Health began as a health-oriented service magazine founded by editor Mark Bricklin. But today, this once small magazine has evolved into a massive guide covering all aspects of a guy’s life: health, fitness, fashion, nutrition, relationships, travel, technology, fashion and finance. With over 12 million monthly readers, it has established itself as the best-selling men’s magazine in the US. Throughout its existence, Men’s health has been nominated for 8 National Magazine Awards. In addition, its website has over 40 million hits per month and provides free daily content similar to what you would find in the actual magazine. With all this hype, Men’s Health must be amazing, or at least good, right? Keep reading to find out…
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Before I can begin the countdown of the 10 healthiest cereals, I must first mention one disclaimer. If you are some 50 year old guy looking for the best cereal to lower his cholesterol, please, look elsewhere (I hear Cheerios are pretty good though). This article is for people interested in finding the best cereals for losing weight, being fit and overall living a healthy life. While these cereals may not significantly benefit your cholesterol, they have been specifically chosen as cereals that can be eaten in reasonable amounts without ruining your diet. For more information on what makes a healthy cereal, please read my article Are Breakfast Cereals Healthy?
10. Cheerios
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Turn on the TV for more than 30 minutes and you are bound to see a commercial for some magical cereal that help you lose weight and get healthy fast. But are these cereals really healthy, or are they just a gimmick that tastes good but doesn’t deliver?
To really analyze the nutritional value of cereals such as Special K, Total and Raisin Bran, one must first understand how to interpret nutritional labels. The first thing you should look out for is a cereal with lots of fat (more than 3 or 4 grams per serving). Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, look at the amount of carbs in the cereal. Preferably, there should be less than 30 or so grams of carbohydrates per serving, except perhaps in several cases. But most importantly, above all else you should look at the serving size, and I will show you why with this simple picture below.
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To start out, I would like to point out one key thing to remember about fitness: there are no shortcuts. But now that that’s out of the way, I can continue with what you really want, the 13 most effective ab exercises. While I have my own opinions on different abdominal exercises, I’m not just making his stuff up. In a recent study conducted by the Biomechanics
Lab at San Diego State University, researches took a unique look at 13 ab exercises, ranking them from best to worst.
To determine which exercises were most effective at working the abdominals, the researches used EMG equipment to monitor each participants muscle activity. Just for fun, researches included two infomercial products in the testing. For dramatic purposes, I will order the list from worst to best, starting with the least effective of the 13 exercises as ranked by the Biometrics Lab.
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mus·cle (m
s
l) n : A contractile organ consisting of a special bundle of muscle tissue, which moves a particular bone, part, or substance of the body.
While many magazines, TV shows, websites, and people are full of fitness advice, how much of this is actually credible? The fact is that scientists still don’t have the human body 100% figured out, but they do believe that they have a good understanding of how muscles work and grow. In this article, I will discuss the science behind how muscles function and grow, as well as what they are composed of.
Although the word muscle evokes thoughts of biceps and pectorals, in reality there are three different types of muscles.
1. Skeletal Muscle: this is what we normally think of when we think of muscle. Anchored by tendons to bone, this type of muscle is used to affect skeletal movement such as locomotion and in maintaining posture.
2. Smooth Muscle: this type of muscle is found within the walls of organs and structures such as the esophagus, stomach, intestines, bronchi, uterus, urethra, bladder, blood vessels, and even the skin (in which it controls erection of body hair). Unlike skeletal muscle, smooth muscle is not under conscious control.
3. Cardiac Muscle: Muscle found within the heart is cardiac muscle, which is not under conscious control but is much more akin to skeletal muscle otherwise.
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