Two "Forbidden Foods" That Can Give You Instant Energy

By Dr. Mercola

Does your health food repertoire consist of salads, baked chicken and broccoli? Are you looking for a way to add some excitement to your meals while maximizing their nutritional punch?
There's absolutely no need to be bored when eating healthy, but many believe this to be the case because they are missing out on some of the tastiest and healthiest options of all.
I encourage you to peruse the list below to take advantage of some of the healthiest foods on earth. Before we can talk about the best foods, we need to perform some nutrition "mythbusting" and address two major dietary myths that have permeated Western culture for decades:

1. Fat is bad for you—especially saturated fat
2. All microorganisms are dangerous

Myth #1: Fat is BAD for You

Conventional medical "wisdom" continues barking that consumption of saturated animal fats is bad for you and causes heart disease. Most medical "experts" believes this to be true. But a hundred years ago, fewer than one in one hundred Americans were obese, and coronary heart disease was unknown and we had FAR more fat intake then we do today.
The demonization of saturated fat began in 1953, when Dr. Ancel Keys published a paper comparing saturated fat intake and heart disease mortality. His theory turned out to be flimsy, to say the least, but the misguided ousting of saturated fat has continued ever since. Fortunately, the truth is finally starting to come out, as medical scientists have finally begun to question Keys' findings. The truth is, it's the trans fat found in margarine, vegetable shortening, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils that is the true villain, causing a multitude of health problems.
Coconut oil also fell into the "bad for your heart health" as a result of the saturated fat disparagement. This is most unfortunate as it is one of the healthiest fats on the planet. It is mostly medium chain triglycerides with over half of those belonging to lauric acid, which is an essential fat to regulate your immune system, and is also very prevalent in breast milk. It can curb hunger and help provide lasting energy.
I personally consume about one quart of coconut oil a week. It is the ideal fat to use when you are using intermittent fasting and seeking to replace calories from grains and sugar, and excessive protein. 

Myth #2: When It Comes to Bacteria, Be Afraid... Be Very Afraid

We have become one of the most germophobic cultures in the world, attempting to sterilize ourselves into a bubble—and our children as well. We haven't done ourselves any favors here. We live in a world of microorganisms... bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and our lives depend on living with them, rather than avoiding them. Literally.
Microorganisms are everywhere. You swallow them, breathe them, and they form invisible colonies on your skin. Your gut is home to approximately 100 trillion bacteria, both good and bad. These bacteria outnumber the cells in your body by about 10 to one, and maintaining the ideal balance of healthy and disease causing microflora forms the foundation for your health—physical, mental and emotional.

In fact, this microscopic zoo in your gut is the first-line defense of your immune system. While a few of these microorganisms can wreak havoc with your system, most of these little "bugs" are good, helping you digest your food, stay protected from infections, and even helping to prevent autoimmune diseases like asthma, allergies, and diabetes. An imbalance in your gut flora can be a major contributor to many serious illnesses, including autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
Your body's microbial community is so crucial to your health that researchers have compared it to "a newly recognized organ" whose function is so important that you simply cannot be optimally healthy without it. In addition to avoiding unnecessary antibiotics and antibacterial soaps, balancing your gut flora may be one of the most important steps you can take to improve your health. This requires "reseeding" your gut with naturally fermented foods and probiotics.

Are You Eating These 10 Healthiest Foods?

So, having dispelled two pervasive food myths, let me now focus on ten of the most healthful foods you could be consuming. Remember these are general recommendations. Not everyone will do well with these foods, but the vast majority will have health improvement by regularly consuming them. As always, it is important to listen to your body and let it guide you in making that determination. With some foods though, like fermented vegetables, you will need to start with very small amounts and work your way up to a healthy dose over a few months.
1. Fermented Vegetables
Fermented, or cultured, vegetables are teeming with essential enzymes and good bacteria needed for optimal digestion and they are easier to digest than raw or cooked vegetables. When you eat raw cultured vegetables loaded with enzymes, you give your body an opportunity to use its bodily stores of enzymes to rejuvenate itself instead of exhausting them trying to digest overly processed and otherwise dead food. Cultured foods also offer a multitude of medicinal rewards by:

• Alleviating digestive disorders - the flora in living cultured foods form a "living shield" that covers your small intestine's inner lining and resists pathogenic organisms like Escherichia coli, Salmonella and an unhealthy overgrowth of yeast
• Strengthening immunity with increased antibodies that fight off infectious disease
• Helping pregnant and nursing mothers transfer beneficial bacteria to their infants
• Effectively impacting the behavior of children with autism,ADD/ and ADHD
• Regulating weight and appetite by reducing cravings for sugar, soft drinks, bread and pasta -- all foods I strongly advise against

Fermented foods are also among some of the best chelators available. The beneficial bacteria in these foods are very potent detoxifiers, capable of drawing out a wide range of environmental toxins, including pesticides and and heavy metals. And you don't need to consume huge amounts either. Caroline Barringer recommends eating about a quarter to a half a cup of fermented vegetables, or cultured food such as raw yoghurt, per day. In the following video, she discusses the process of fermenting your own vegetables in some detail, so for more information, please listen to that interview.

Download Interview Transcript
2. Kale
Kale contains fiber and antioxidants, and is one of the best sources of vitamin A, which promotes eye and skin health and may help strengthen your immune system. A one-cup serving has almost as much vitamin C as an orange and as much calcium as a cup of milk. It's simply an excellent source of multiple vitamins and other nutrients, including:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B
• Vitamin C
• Calcium
• Lutein (helps protect against macular degeneration)
• Zeaxanthin (helps protect against macular degeneration)
• Indole-3-carbinol (may protect against colon cancer)
• Iron
• Chlorophyll

Carotenoid Blend contains 80% of the E.C. RDA of vitamin A as beta-carotene (4,000 IU), as well as other carotenoids including lutein, and zeaxanthin, as well as lycopene, cryptoxanthin, phytoene, phytofluene and astaxanthin.

3. Kefir and Other Fermented Beverages
Kefir is a fermented milk beverage that contains beneficial probiotics that may help give your immune system a boost, among other health benefits. One of the best and least expensive ways to get healthy bacteria through your diet is actually to obtain raw milk and convert it to kefir yourself. All you need is one-half packet of kefir starter granules in a quart of raw milk, which you leave at room temperature overnight. By the time you wake up in the morning you will likely have kefir. If it hasn't obtained the consistency of yogurt you might want to set it out a bit longer and then store it in the fridge.
A quart of kefir has far more active bacteria than you can possibly purchase in any probiotic supplement, and it is very economical as you can reuse the kefir from the original quart of milk about 10 times before you need to start a new culture pack. Just one starter package of kefir granules can convert about 50 gallons of milk to kefir. This is also a far healthier, and far more economical, way to nourish your body with probiotics than buying any of the commercial probiotic beverages on the market, as these typically contain added sugars and are made using pasteurized milk, which I don't recommend drinking.
Kombucha, a fermented drink, is another great addition to your diet. The key is variety. The greater the variety of fermented and cultured foods you include in your diet, the better, as each food will inoculate your gut with a variety of different beneficial microorganisms.
4. Sardines
These tiny fish are packed with omega-3 fats, which are excellent for your heart, brain, mood and more, and vitamin D. And, because of their lower position on the food chain, they don't accumulate as many toxins, such as mercury, PCBs and dioxin, as larger fish do, making them among the safest fish you can eat.
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5. Whey Protein Concentrate
Whey protein, a by-product of cheese production, was promoted for its health benefits as early as 420 B.C. As you age, your body gradually loses its ability to produce critical amino acids -- the essential proteins you need for energy production, immune actions and protein buildup in your muscle. Therefore, the need to supplement with these amino acids increases with age, and increases even more in times of high physical stress, like after a workout, or when recovering from injury or illness.
Whey protein concentrate (not to be confused with the far inferior whey protein isolate) is an ideal choice as it's a rich source of highly bioavailable amino acids that many are unaware of. Whey protein has been linked to a variety of health benefits, including:
Helping your insulin work more effectively, which helps maintain your blood sugar level after a meal -- This is important as research suggests lowering your blood sugar levels after meals may be more beneficial for your health than lowering fasting blood sugars.Promoting healthy insulin secretion, which is essential for optimal health. This is one of the foremost reasons for avoiding sugars and grains, as their overconsumption has a negative impact on both, and is a prime factor in developing type 2 diabetes.Helping to promote your optimal intake of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals needed for your overall wellness.Helping you preserve lean body tissue (particularly during exercise) as it delivers bioavailable amino acids and cysteine.Supporting your immune system, as it contains immunoglobulins.Maintaining blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range.
6. Organic Pastured Eggs (Raw)
While many people do eat eggs, many neglect to eat them raw, which is the healthiest way. Raw free-range or "pastured" eggs are an excellent source of high-quality nutrients that many people are deficient in, especially high-quality protein and fat.
A single egg contains:

• Nine essential amino acids
• One of the highest quality proteins you can find. Proteins are nutrients that are essential to the building, maintenance and repair of your body tissues such as your skin, internal organs and muscles. They are also the major components of your immune system and hormones
• Lutein and zeaxanthin (for your eyes)
• Choline for your brain, nervous- and cardiovascular systems
• Naturally occurring B12

Why is raw better? Heating the egg protein actually changes its natural biochemical shape, and this distortion can easily lead to allergies. If you consume your eggs in their raw state, the incidence of egg allergy virtually disappears. Eating eggs raw also helps preserve many of the highly perishable nutrients such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which are powerful prevention elements for age-related macular degeneration, which is the most common cause of blindness.
Fresh raw egg yolk actually tastes like vanilla, in my opinion. The egg white is usually what most people object to when they say they don't like the texture of raw egg. If this is an issue, consider blending the whole raw egg into a shake or smoothie.
Beware of consuming raw egg whites without the yolks as raw egg whites contain avidin, which can bind to biotin. If you cook the egg white the avidin is not an issue. Likewise, if you consume the whole raw egg (both yolk and egg white) there is more than enough biotin in the yolk to compensate for the avidin binding.
If you choose not to eat your eggs raw, soft-boiled would be your next best option. Scrambling your eggs is one of the worst ways to eat eggs as it actually oxidizes the cholesterol in the egg yolk. If you have high cholesterol this may actually be a problem for you as the oxidized cholesterol may cause some damage in your body.
7. Organic Coconut Oil
Often shunned for its high saturated fat content, the naturally occurring saturated fat found in coconut oil has some spectacular health benefits such as promoting heart health, weight loss, immune system health, thyroid function and more. Half of the fat content in coconut oil is lauric acid—a fat rarely found in nature—that could easily qualify as a "miracle" ingredient because of its unique health promoting properties. Your body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-protozoa properties.
And, because your body sends medium-chain fatty acids like those in coconut oil directly to your liver to use as energy, this makes coconut oil a powerful source of instant energy to your body, a function usually served in the diet by simple carbohydrates.
Coconut oil is also the ideal choice for all types of cooking. In fact, it's the only oil stable enough to resist mild heat-induced damage. So, whenever you need an oil to cook or bake with, use coconut oil instead of butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, margarine, or any other type of oil called for in recipes.Even though I don't fully recommend frying foods, if you must fry, by all means use coconut oil -- it's your smartest choice.
8. Avocado
Also shunned by many due to their fat content, avocados are actually incredibly healthy for this very reason. Healthy raw fat is a nutrient many are severely deficient in. I eat a whole avocado nearly every day. Avocados also provide close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including:

• Fiber
• Potassium (more than twice the amount found in a banana)
• Vitamin E
• B-vitamins
• Folic acid

9. Raw Grass-Fed Butter
Another type of healthy fat that many people do not eat is butter made from raw organic grass-fed milk. I typically eat about a half-pound to a pound of raw organic grass-fed butter per week, as it's an excellent source of high-quality nutrients, including:
Vitamins, such as vitamin A, needed for a wide range of functions, from maintaining good vision to keeping the endocrine system in top shape, and all the other fat-soluble vitamins (D, E and K2), which are often lacking in the modern industrial diet. Trace minerals, including manganese, chromium, zinc, copper and selenium (a powerful antioxidant). Butter provides more selenium per gram than wheat germ or herring. It's also an excellent source of iodine. Healthful fats, including short- and medium-chain fats, which support immune function, boost metabolism and have anti-microbial properties, as well as the perfect balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats, and arachidonic acid, which is important for brain function, skin health and prostaglandin balance. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), a compound that gives excellent protection against cancer and also helps your body build muscle rather than store fat. Glycospingolipids, a special category of fatty acids that protect against gastrointestinal infections, especially in the very young and the elderly. Wulzen Factor, a hormone-like substance that prevents arthritis and joint stiffness, ensuring that calcium in your body is put into your bones rather than your joints and other tissues. The Wulzen factor is present only in raw butter and cream; it is destroyed by pasteurization.
10. Pomegranate
The primary source of this fruit's benefits is its antioxidant content, particularly ellagitannin compounds like punicalagins and punicalins, which account for about half of the pomegranate's antioxidant ability. The juice and pulp of pomegranates have previously been studied for their potential heart- and joint health benefits.
Aim to incorporate as many of these foods into your diet on a daily or weekly basis as you can, and you'll be off to a great nutritional start. For even more advice on how to eat right by focusing your diet on whole, unprocessed "superfoods," see my nutrition plan.
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Nature’s Sunshine has harvested the most healthful fruits and natural extracts from around the world and combined them into this unique delicious, nutritious juice that has been specially formulated to neutralise excess free radicals.
This unique juice blend not only tastes great but gives your body what it needs to enjoy maximum health and long lasting vitality - not only will you feel revitalised but these antioxidants have a powerful effect on the health of the skin helping you to look great too.
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Rich in Polyphenols and Flavonoids Zambroza is proven to give unparalleled antioxidant protection.

The amazing (and somewhat unknown) benefits of fruit

 

Did NOT know about the citruline! Hmm... of course, I don't need it but...

I eat healthy...

 

Why do YOU eat healthy? Answers in the comments section please

Is Your Belly Infested With Toxic Bugs?

Within your gut reside roughly 100 TRILLION living bacteria and maintaining the ideal ratio of “good bacteria” (known as probiotics) to “bad bacteria” is now gaining recognition as perhaps the single most important step you can take to protect your health and further along your fat loss goals.

With specific regard to fat loss, while the ideal healthy ratio of “good” to “bad” bacteria in your gut is 9 to 1, virtually every study performed on the obese population analyzing gut bacteria found higher instances of “bad” bacteria and lower levels of “good” bacteria within these individuals. That's a far cry from the ideal 9 to 1 ratio and you can bet it's DEFINITELY a big reason why these folks are overweight and struggling to lose their stubborn belly flab.

That said, correcting this imbalance can have an IMMEDIATE waist-slimming effect as a recent double-blind study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that test subjects who took active measures to re-balance their gut bacteria ratio were able to reduce their abdominal fat by nearly 5 percent, while the “control” group experienced no positive changes in body fat levels at all.

So what exactly CAN you do to re-balance your gut bacteria ratio and begin experiencing these belly-flattening benefits for yourself?

With research suggesting that probiotic supplementation is even more important to your health than taking a daily multi-vitamin, and the fact that inadequate probiotic levels have been linked through research to more than 170 different diseases and health issues, including obesity and weight gain, we truly believe that EVERYONE should be taking a probiotic daily, ongoing, to continually fight against the bacteria-imbalancing factors that we are constantly exposed to every single day.
We recommend Probiotic Eleven.
 
 
Q:  What specifically makes Probiotic Eleven the best probiotic supplement in the industry?
A: A high potency, multi strain probiotic supplement that provides almost 12 billion bacteria per serving. The eleven strains of bacteria in Probiotic Eleven ensure you replenish your gut with a variety of beneficial flora.  Each capsule contains a built-in prebiotic to nourish and spread the bacteria throughout the gut. Lactobacillus strains release unique enzymes which help to break down larger milk proteins for absorption.  Contain Bifidobacterium strains: longum, infantis and bifidum, which help to create B vitamins
With traditional probiotic products, 93% of the cells are DEAD and useless before ever reaching their final destination.
Simply put, dead probiotics don’t and can’t work, and as mentioned earlier, not only are these products a complete waste of your time and hard-earned money, but much more importantly they are robbing you of the critically important health benefits of probiotics while continuing to leave your body in an endangered state.
In addition to that, Probiotic Eleven:

• Is manufactured via a patented allergen-free process
• Is gluten-free and 100% All Natural
• Contains no artificial additives, colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners

Q:  What are the ingredients and amounts used in the formula?

Q:  How do I use this product?
A:  Simply take one or two Probiotic Eleven capsules daily with meals, one capsule just prior to breakfast and one capsule before dinner.
Q:  Is it ok to take this supplement long term?
A:  Yes, absolutely, and that is what is recommended. As mentioned, research suggests that probiotic supplementation is even more important to your health than taking a daily multi-vitamin, and because inadequate probiotic levels have been linked through research to more than 170 different diseases and health issues, including obesity and weight gain, we truly believe that EVERYONE should be taking a probiotic daily, ongoing, to continually fight against the bacteria-imbalancing factors that we are constantly exposed to every single day.
Q:  If I have a medical condition, can I take this product?
A:  Probiotic Eleven is an all-natural formula that is considered safe and extremely effective for nearly everyone. However, if you take prescription medications or have a medical condition, we recommend that you show a bottle of Probiotic Eleven to your physician and/or pharmacist for proper approval.
Q:  How will this product be shipped to me and how quickly?
A:  We will ship your order directly to your home or office and you will have it within 1 to 3 business days.
Q:  Will anything else be sent to me, or billed to me, after I order?
A:  No. But if you want to make use of our auto-ship program, please indicate that when making your order.

Peer-Reviewed Research References

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture,  Office of Inspector General;  FSIS National Residue Program for Cattle, Audit Report 24601-08-KC, March 2010
2. W Kruis, G Forstmaier, C Scheurlen, F Stellaard. Effect of diets low and high in refined sugars on gut transit, bile acid metabolism, and bacterial fermentation; Gut, 1991, 32, 367-371
3. Steinhoff U (June 2005). "Who controls the crowd? New findings and old questions about the intestinal microflora". Immunol. Lett. 99 (1): 12–6.
4. Jean-Pierre Hugot. Inflammatory bowel disease: a complex group of genetic disorders; Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology, Volume 18, Issue 3 , Pages 451-462, June 2004
5. A Venket Rao, Alison C Bested, Tracey M Beaulne, Martin A Katzman, Christina Iorio5, John M Berardi6 and Alan C Logan. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of a probiotic in emotional symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome; Gut Pathogens 2009, 1:6
6. Huey-Shi Lye, Chiu-Yin Kuan, Joo-Ann Ewe, Wai-Yee Fung and Min-Tze Liong. The Improvement of Hypertension by Probiotics: Effects on Cholesterol, Diabetes, Renin, and Phytoestrogens; Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2009, 10, 3755-3775.
7. Gregory J. Leyer, PhDa, Shuguang Li, MSb, Mohamed E. Mubasher, PhDc, Cheryl Reifer, PhDd, Arthur C. Ouwehand, PhDe. Probiotic Effects on Cold and Influenza-Like Symptom Incidence and Duration in Children; Pediatrics 2009;124;e172.
8. Silvia Wilson Gratz, Hannu Mykkanen, and Hani S El-Nezami. Probiotics and gut health: A special focus on liver diseases; World J Gastroenterol. 2010 January 28; 16(4): 403–410.
9. Whitney P Bowe, Alan C Logan.  Acne vulgaris, probiotics and the gut-brain-skin axis - back to the future? Gut Pathogens 2011, 3:1.
10. Åsa Sullivan, Carl E Nord and Birgitta Evengård. Effect of supplement with lactic-acid producing bacteria on fatigue and physical activity in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome; Nutrition Journal 2009, 8:4.
11. Majamaa H, Isolauri E. Probiotics: a novel approach in the management of food allergy; J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1997 Feb;99(2):179-85.
12. Cani PD, Delzenne NM. Involvement of the gut microbiota in the development of low grade inflammation associated with obesity: focus on this neglected partner; Acta Gastroenterol Belg. 2010 Apr-Jun;73(2):267-9.
13. DiBaise JK, Zhang H, Crowell MD, Krajmalnik-Brown R, Decker GA, Rittmann BE. Gut microbiota and its possible relationship with obesity. Mayo Clin Proc. 2008 Apr;83(4):460-9.
14. Abou-Donia MB, El-Masry EM, Abdel-Rahman AA, McLendon RE, Schiffman SS. Splenda alters gut microflora and increases intestinal p-glycoprotein and cytochrome p-450 in male rats. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2008;71(21):1415-29.
15. Kadooka Y, Sato M, Imaizumi K, Ogawa A, Ikuyama K, Akai Y, Okano M, Kagoshima M, Tsuchida T. Regulation of abdominal adiposity by probiotics (Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055) in adults with obese tendencies in a randomized controlled trial; Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010 Jun;64(6):636-43.
16. Unpublished clinical study graphical data available upon request.
17. Del Piano M, Morelli L, Strozzi GP, Allesina S, Barba M, Deidda F, Lorenzini P, Ballaré M, Montino F, Orsello M, Sartori M, Garello E, Carmagnola S, Pagliarulo M, Capurso L. Probiotics: from research to consumer; Dig Liver Dis. 2006 Dec;38 Suppl 2:S248-55.
18. Islam, Mohammad Ariful, Cheol-Heui Yun, Yun-Jaie Choi, and Chong-Su Cho. Microencapsulation of Live Probiotic Bacteria; J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. (2010), 20(10), 1367–1377
19. Selvam R, Maheswari P, Kavitha P, Ravichandran M, Sas B, Ramchand CN. Effect of Bacillus subtilis PB6, a natural probiotic on colon mucosal inflammation and plasma cytokines levels in inflammatory bowel disease; Indian J Biochem Biophys. 2009 Feb;46(1):79-85.
20. Mayanagi G, Kimura M, Nakaya S, Hirata H, Sakamoto M, Benno Y, Shimauchi H. Probiotic effects of orally administered Lactobacillus salivarius WB21-containing tablets on periodontopathic bacteria: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial; J Clin Periodontol. 2009 Jun;36(6):506-13. Epub 2009 Apr 22.
21. Iwamoto T, Suzuki N, Tanabe K, Takeshita T, Hirofuji T. Effects of probiotic Lactobacillus salivarius WB21 on halitosis and oral health: an open-label pilot trial; Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2010 Aug;110(2):201-8.
22. McFarland L, Bernasconi P (1993). Saccharomyces boulardii: a review of an innovative biotherapeutic agent;  Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease 6: 157–71.
23. Kotowska M, Albrecht P, Szajewska H (2005). Saccharomyces boulardii in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in children: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 21 (5): 583-90.
24. Deters AM, Schröder KR, Hensel A. Kiwi fruit (Actinidia chinensis L.) polysaccharides exert stimulating effects on cell proliferation via enhanced growth factor receptors, energy production, and collagen synthesis of human keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and skin equivalents; J Cell Physiol. 2005 Mar;202(3):717-22.
25. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand, 2008, Volume 32, pages 20-25. Forty Second Annual Conference held in combination with the Australian Nutrition Society at Massey University, Albany Campus, Auckland, New Zealand (December 2007).
26. Bolino CM, Bercik P. Pathogenic factors involved in the development of irritable bowel syndrome: focus on a microbial role; Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2010 Dec;24(4):961-75.
27. Forno E, Onderdonk AB, McCracken J, Litonjua AA, Laskey D, Delaney ML, Dubois AM, Gold DR, Ryan LM, Weiss ST, Celedón JC. Diversity of the gut microbiota and eczema in early life; Clin Mol Allergy. 2008 Sep 22;6:11.
28. Frazier TH, DiBaise JK, McClain CJ. Gut microbiota, intestinal permeability, obesity-induced inflammation, and liver injury; JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2011 Sep;35(5 Suppl):14S-20S.
29. Cani PD, Delzenne NM. The role of the gut microbiota in energy metabolism and metabolic disease; Curr Pharm Des. 2009;15(13):1546-58.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. You should not stop taking any medication without first consulting your physician.

Recommended by Oprah and Men's Fitness Magazine‏

In this post I'm going to recommend to you a book by Tom Venuto, author of the fat loss bible "Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle".  It, allegedly, has been a true breakthrough for tens of thousands of men and
women who struggled for years with specific problems related to unwanted fat and obesity.

This is not about bodybuilding or getting "ripped" - this is for people who have yo-yo'd and struggled to keep weight off.

It's for people who struggle with inconsistent motivation, emotional eating, binge eating and other forms of self sabotage.

In very simple terms - this is for people who have a program but have a really hard time sticking to it.

This breakthrough is called "The Body Fat Solution."



It's a book available in paperback, hardcover and kindle/nook/ebook that has people talking and saying how different it really is....

"This is the book for women ready to tackle long term weight loss."
- Oprah Magazine

"One of the top 6 Diets of 2013"
- Mens Fitness Magazine

"Nothing fluffy about this book; just well-founded scientific research and clearly illustrated direction."
- Library Journal

"It's not a gimmick, it's not a quick fix, but it surely is a solution!"
- Dr. Chris Mohr, RD.

Trainers, bodybuilders, psychologists, producers, fitness bloggers, magazines, newspapers, researchers, skeptics, scientists, medical doctors and fitness seekers alike are ALL  saying the same thing: "This book is different."

That's because The Body Fat Solution is more about the psychology, emotions and social challenges of sticking with your program than the minutia of nutrition  and training science.

Or, as The Wall Street Journal said, "The Body Fat Solution is more attitude adjustment' than diet book."

The Body Fat Solution is not just about what program you follow, it's about  what makes you follow your program.

 (if that didn't make a light bulb go off in your head, then go back, read it again and really think about it!) .

By recognizing that there are emotional, psychological and social factors that can sabotage your success, The Body Fat Solution hones in on the root causes of body fat and provides a total lifestyle plan to take back control of your body, end emotional eating and stop self-sabotage for good - so you can get that fat off and KEEP IT OFF for life!

The diet and weight loss industries thrive on novelty and quick fixes, and each  program has a vested interest in convincing you that there's ONE evil culprit that's making you fat or ONE magic bullet that's the only way to get slim.  But unlike the new crop of fads you see on the bookshelves every year (which are gone the next), what what you'll learn in The Body Fat Solution are lifestyle principles, not diet tricks. Principles are timeless.

The Body Fat Solution is a #1 Amazon bestseller, a USA bestseller and it was an Oprah magazine and Men's Fitness magazine pick.

It's available at major bookstores and online at Amazon.

Trade paperback:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1583333738/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1583333738&linkCode=as2&tag=scottwalkethe-20

Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QBPM8M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001QBPM8M&linkCode=as2&tag=scottwalkethe-20

You are wondering what is the difference between this and Tom's first fat loss book - Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle.  Maybe you are wondering if you needed the new book if they already had Burn The Fat and wanted to know if there was anything new that would help further.

ANSWER: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) was designed to be a complete and definitive guide to nutrition for fat loss, based on the bodybuilding / fitness/ figure method of eating.
The majority of BFFM is devoted to nutrition, with ancillary chapters on setting goals effectively and on weight training and cardio, also following "the bodybuilding method".
The target audience for BFFM is anyone who is serious about fat loss, and who wants to maximize their results by putting in the time, paying attention to details, using advanced techniques (such as those used by bodybuilders before competition), and doing nutrition by the numbers (counting calories and macros). Generally, BFFM is for people who are highly motivated and enjoy or need structure.
The new hardcover book, The Body Fat Solution, was written for anyone who is overweight, or who was formerly overweight and who wants to maintain their ideal weight without struggle.
The Body Fat Solution is NOT for athletes, bodybuilders or people who need to get "ripped" or reach extremes of low body fat. Body Fat Solution is especially written for people who struggle with inconsistent motivation, emotional eating, binge eating and other forms of self sabotage.
The Body Fat Solution gives help for people struggling with everyday challenges - like frequent travel, restaurant temptations, busy schedules, high stress and social pressure - things that can can get in the way of the best nutrition or training strategy.
In The Body Fat Solution, one concise chapter on nutrition is included along with chapters on cardio training and a time-efficient weight training program for the busy person, which makes The Body Fat Solution a complete lifestyle program.
However, the major message is that "What nutrition or training program should you follow?" is not the most important question you should ask. The real critical question is... What makes you follow your program? And, conversely, "What makes you fall off your program so easily?"
The Body Fat Solution gets to the emotional and psychological root causes of body fat and shows you how to fix these hidden factors that sabotage most people.

3 Golden Rules to Adopting Healthy Habits

3 Golden Rules to Adopting Healthy Habits

1.  Don't expect yourself to follow it at all times (allow yourself a day off, once in a while)
2.  Realise that adherence ebs and flows, don't give up because you broke your habit once.  Get 'back on the horse'.
3. Only try to adopt one new habit at a time.  ie. make small changes at a time.  Change one meal or one day or one component.  Once you do that regularly, take on another healthy habit

Trust the process

Fat Loss Supplement Guide

by John Berardi, Ph.D.

Choosing nutritional supplements can be tough. There’s so much information available, and much of it is published by people who are biased in one direction or another. That’s why we have 3 PhDs on staff — to make sense of the mountains of supplement information available, legitimate or otherwise.

We translate high quality research into simple recommendations our clients can use to lose body fat. So when it comes to supplements, we’ve reduced years of research into 4 simple supplement recommendations that you can use right away.
The following 4 supplements are the ones we recommend specifically to our fat loss clients.
These products can reliably help in a fat loss program, while still being safe to use regularly.

1. Fish Oil

You may have heard a lot about Omega-3’s. And fish oil is the key source. There’s a ton of very positive research on fish oil supplementation, it’s been shown to be great for fat loss, and it’s your fish oil.

Choose the right product

Not all omega 3-rich foods are created equal. So, even though flax seeds and flax seed oils are high in omega 3 fats, you can’t substitute these foods in place of fish oils. Further, not all fish oils are the same.
For example, liver oils (like cod liver oil) aren’t the kind you should be using. No, to get the benefits we discuss above, you’ll want to choose omega 3 rich fish oils from the brands recommended below.

Choose the right dose

Our clients start out by using 1 gram of fish oil per percent body fat they have. So, if they’re 10% body fat, they use 10 grams of fish oil. If they’re 20% body fat, they use 20 grams of fish oil.
And so on, up to a maximum dose of 30 grams per day. We follow this protocol for 14 days.
Then, we cut the dose in half. So, if a client starts out taking 10 grams for 2 weeks, they cut the dose down to 5 grams after that. If they start out taking 20 grams for 2 weeks, they cut the dose down to 10 grams after that. This latter dose (1/2 gram per percent body fat) can be followed indefinitely.

2. Multivitamins

As you’ve probably heard, the modern diet often leads to small deficiencies of certain vitamins and minerals. These deficiencies can slow your metabolism and impair your ability to burn fat – among other things. And a good multivitamin can help fix that. Here are a few tips for choosing a good one for you.

Choose the right product

Like with most supplements on the market, choosing a multi-vitamin can be confusing. So many companies, so many products; it can be overwhelming. So, to keep it simple, here’s our advice.

Choose the right dose

It’s important not to overdose on vitamins as some of them (particularly the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K) can build up to toxic levels. That’s why you should stick with the recommendations on the label of the brand you choose.

3. Protein Powder

Protein powder’s not entirely necessary if you get enough protein from the foods you eat, like lean meats, chicken and fish. But since most people are crunched for time, they find themselves eating too little protein. That’s why adding some quick high-quality protein can be really, really helpful. So here are some tips for getting the most out of your protein supplementation.

Choose the right product

Protein powder has come a long way since the early days of chalky whey protein. Nowadays, protein powders are extracted from all types of food sources – dairy, eggs, soy, and a host of plant sources like hemp, pea kernels, certain seeds and more. Plus, many of these options actually taste good. So, whether you’re lactose intolerant, allergic to milk, or choose to follow a plant-based diet, you can pick the right product for your unique needs. The key, however, is to choose simple products, without too many additional ingredients.

Choose the right dose

As mentioned above, protein powders aren’t necessary as we can meet our daily protein powders from whole food sources. However, for those of us crunched for time, protein supplements cam come in handy.

The key is to not replace too much of those whole food sources with powders. That’s why we ask our clients to limit their protein powder to a maximum of 4 scoops (about 80 grams) per day.

4. Greens

If you get enough veggies, a greens supplement might not be entirely necessary. But most people simply don’t eat enough vegetables, and are missing out on the micronutrients they contain — many of which help you lose fat either directly or indirectly. And a greens supplement can come in handy here.

Choose the right product

Greens has been shown (in a handful of studies) to increase the antioxidant status of the body, improve pH, lower stress hormones, and more. We’ll, be honest. When we see that a product has been tested repeatedly in a research environment, we get excited. So we’re definitely excited about greens+ and its potential impact on fat loss as well as overall healthy.
So there you have it, our 4 supplements for long-term, sustainable fat loss. A lot of thought and lot of research have gone into these recommendations. These supplements are what I use personally. And they’re also what I have our clients use. Nothing more.So if you have a question about a supplement that we didn’t talk about in this guide, just know that we’ve been doing this a long time and have seen it all. If it’s not one of those 4 — fish oil, multivitamin, protein powder, greens supplement — then I don’t use it regularly, and neither do our clients. And we produce more dramatic fat loss stories than probably anyone else, anywhere else.

Source: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Supplements-For-Men.pdf

8 Health Benefits of Blackberries

Blackberries are a delicious little "aggregate fruit" that grow wild on thorny bushes and are cultivated on every temperate continent, including Africa and Asia. Composed of many individual drupelets, each like a small berry with one seed, each drupelet contributes extra skin, seeds and pectin with dietary fiber value to the nutritional content of blackberries, making them among the highest fiber content plants in the world.Blackberries can be eaten fresh, frozen and canned and are popularly made into jams, juices, desserts and even wine. Rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, blackberries are highly nutritious and rich in antioxidants. They are also low in calories, carbohydrates, and fat, making them one of the best fruits out there for a balanced diet.
Cancer Prevention
Anthocyanins, which give blackberries their dark color, are an antioxidant shown to reduce inflammation. As an antioxidant, they destroy free radicals in the body that harm cells and lead to cancer. Research has also shown that the ellagic acid in blackberries may have anti-cancer properties. One cup of blackberries contains half of the daily recommendation of the antioxidant vitamin C, which protects the immune system and may lower the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
Researchers have found that blackberries may reduce esophageal cancer by relieving the oxidative stress caused by Barrett's esophagus, a precancerous condition usually brought about by gastroesophageal reflux disease. Perhaps the greatest benefit from eating blackberries is their high level of phenolic acids which, besides having many other potential health benefits, are antioxidant compounds known as powerful anti-carcinogenic agents. Because of these compounds, blackberries have been given an ORAC value (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) of about 5350 per 100 grams, placing them near the top of ORAC fruits.
Cardiovascular Benefits
The anthocyanins that give blackberries their dark color are antioxidants shown to reduce inflammation by helping combat free radicals in the body that destroy cells and lead to heart disease. Vitamin C in blackberries acts as an antioxidant, and one cup of this delicious berry contains half of the daily recommendation of vitamin C. The immune system uses vitamin C to fight illness adequate vitamin C intake may lower the risk of developing heart disease. One cup of blackberries contains over thirty percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber, promoting healthy digestion and reducing the risk of heart disease.
Skin Health

As are all berries, blackberries are a great source of ellagic acid, an antioxidant shown to protect the skin from damage from ultraviolet light. Studies have also shown that ellagic acid may also repair skin damaged by the sun. Vitamin C helps heal wounds, and studies also show vitamin C may even lessen the appearance of wrinkles. Studies of cyanidin-3-glucoside, a compound found in blackberries showed it prevents skin cancer by inhibiting tumors from growing and spreading.
Eye Health
Vitamin C functions as an antioxidant in blackberries and one cup contains half of the daily recommendation of vitamin C. The body uses vitamin C for protection from immune system deficiencies, and may reduce the chances of macular degeneration, a condition in which fine vision deteriorates, resulting in central vision loss and is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50.
Women's Health
Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant estrogens found in blackberries that may help relieve the common symptoms of PMS like bloating, food cravings, and even menopausal symptoms including hot flashes.
Digestive Tract Health
Just one cup of blackberries contains over thirty percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber, which promotes healthy digestion and aids in maintaining bowel regularity by bulking up the feces and reducing the time it takes matter to pass all the way through the intestines. Bowel regularity is commonly associated with a decreased risk for colon cancer.
Diabetes
Thirty percent of the daily recommended amount of fiber is to be found in just one cup of blackberries. The steady movement of fiber through the digestive system allows for a measured breakdown of food into its component parts. This even breakdown of food helps to curtail extremes regarding simple sugar uptake from the digestive tract. An excess of simple sugar uptake all at once can produce an unwanted blood sugar spike. A lack of simple sugar uptake may produce a rapid blood sugar drop. Either extreme can upset blood sugar balance. The quantity of fiber in blackberries helps avoid both extremes.
Bone Health
Blackberries are a good source of vitamin K, offering 36% of the daily recommended amount of this nutrient used by the body for the clotting of blood and to aid the absorption of calcium.

Zambroza is a unique and powerful blend of juices that are naturally rich in vitamin C - a powerful antioxidant.  Not only will you feel revitalised but these antioxidants have a powerful effect on the health of the skin helping you to look great too. This is Nature’s Sunshine’s top selling product worldwide – a great tasting, synergistic blend that helps to increase vital energy and replenish the body.

BENEFITS OF ZAMBROZA

• Supply powerful nutrients that give the body energy and vitality
• Maintain a healthy immune system
• Neutralise free radicals throughout the body
  COMBATING FREE RADICALS
  • Antioxidants are natural substances that stabilise highly reactive molecules known as ‘free radicals’. 
  • Free radicals occur naturally in the body.  Pollution, chemical additives, stress, exercise, sunlight and other factors can increase free radical production.
  • Excess free radicals can have a damaging effect on the body’s cells.  A great deal of attention has been directed at the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E because of their function in protecting the cells from damage caused by natural body processes, lifestyles, and environmental and chemical pollutants.
  • These vitamins, along with the trace mineral selenium, help to prevent important molecules and structures within the cell from reacting with oxygen, which often injures the cell structure. This process is called oxidation.
  
  RICH IN POLYPHENOLS AND FLAVONOIDS
• Nature’s Sunshine has harvested the most healthful fruits and natural extracts from around the world and combined them into this unique delicious, nutritious juice that has been specially formulated to neutralise excess free radicals. 
• This unique juice blend not only tastes great but gives your body what it needs to enjoy maximum health and long lasting vitality - not only will you feel revitalised but these antioxidants have a powerful effect on the health of the skin helping you to look great too.
• Potency of antioxidants is measured by their ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity), which indicates their ability to neutralise and scavenge free radicals.  When tested by Brunswick Laboratories the results were astounding with Zambroza’s scoring more than twice that of the nearest competitor, demonstrating its superior protective properties.
• Rich in Polyphenols and Flavonoids Zambroza is proven to give unparalleled antioxidant protection.

Post-Workout Nutrition: Don’t Let Your Hard Work Go to Waste

By Charles Poliquin

Don’t let your hard work in the gym go to waste! Get the optimal dose of protein and amino acids to gain muscle and strength. A new review in the journal Nutrition and Metabolism provides tips for sustaining muscle protein synthesis for optimal strength and size gains. Included are strategies for older trainees to get the best protein synthesis results post-workout.

Did you know that you can increase muscle protein synthesis by three to five times if you get extra protein after resistance training? It’s true. By taking a protein that is high in amino acids you can enhance muscle protein synthesis by as much as 150 percent, and because resistance exercise stimulates the body to build muscle for up to 48 hours, you can enhance that process by getting extra amino acids.

For example, one study showed that when training to failure, taking 15 grams of whey protein post-workout equally enhanced protein synthesis with both a light load of 30 percent of the 1RM and a heavy load of 90 percent of the 1RM. Taking protein to provide extra amino acids was more important than load in this case!

Another essential tip for speeding recovery and muscle building is to take protein before bedtime because the extra pool of amino acids will dramatically stimulate overnight protein synthesis, which would normally not occur to any significant degree. In fact, not providing the muscles with extra fuel in the evening will produce a catabolic environment by morning. This new finding showed that taking 40 grams of protein at 11:30 pm before subjects went to bed increased protein synthesis by 25 percent and it was sustained all night!
Most important for maximal protein synthesis is to provide a large dose of the amino acid leucine in conjunction with the other essential amino acids. This is especially true for older individuals, who must take leucine in order to simulate a protein synthesis pathway called mTOR. With a post-workout whey shake that had 41 percent leucine, men over aged 50 were able to stimulate protein synthesis equally as 20-year-olds, whereas with only 26 percent leucine there was no increase in protein synthesis over baseline in the elderly.

Older trainees also need more total protein –studies show for young trainees 20 grams of whey may sufficient to maximally stimulate muscle building and a larger dose won’t have an effect. But in older trainees, at least 40 grams will provide a boost to protein synthesis and researchers suggest an even larger dose may be optimal.

Two additional strategies you may not be aware of are to take fish oil and that carbs are not needed for maximal muscle building. Studies show that taking at least 4 grams a day of omega-3 fish oil will increase protein synthesis in all ages . Researchers aren’t sure why fish oil does this, but it may be that it makes muscle cells more sensitive to insulin and amino acids.

In addition, recent evidence shows that as long as you get enough high-quality protein, muscle protein synthesis is maximized to an equal degree as if the protein was taken with 50 grams of carbs post-workout. For best results, take your protein with fish oil to support insulin sensitivity of your cells and skip the carbs unless you have done a sufficient volume to require glycogen resynthesis.

Reference
Churchward, T., Burd, N., et al. Nutritional Regulation of Muscle Protein Synthesis with Resistance Exercise: Strategies to Enhance Anabolism. Nutrition and Metabolism. 2012. Published Ahead of Print.

Lack of vitamin D can be root of many health issues

Decades of research and thousands of studies find it's something not in your diet that may be making you fat and putting you at a higher risk for cancers.

More than three-quarters of Americans are known to be deficient in this supplement.

It sounds too good to be true, but studies show one ingredient helps build stronger bones, regulate digestive and hormonal systems, fight depression and elevate mood, boost your immune system and fight off prostate and breast cancer.

"It's one of the most important hormones, and it truly is a hormone. It's not a vitamin," said Dr. Henri Roca, a former LSU Health Sciences Center doctor who is now at Greenwich Hospital where he is the Medical Director of Integrative Medicine.

The hormone vitamin D, is made in our bodies by strong midday sun exposure, but with the changing atmosphere, extreme heat and tremendous rise in skin cancers and skin damage - known as photo aging - we now need protective sunscreen. So our vitamin D must come from foods, such as fortified yogurt, orange juice, cereal, and naturally in cold water fish such as salmon and tuna. You can also get it from supplements.

The latest studies show if you get enough vitamin D and calcium you could potentially lose six times the weight as people who diet alone.

"It's going to change how receptive the body is to insulin, and so it is a key modulator in how the body deals with sugar and insulin. And that's it's connection to weight loss," explained Dr. Roca.

Not only does it help your body burn, rather than store fat, but it also works on receptors in the brain to keep hunger and cravings more normal. Roca says a vitamin D blood test is crucial. It's called 25-hydroxy vitamin D or 25-OH D. He aims for blood levels around 50 international units in his patients. But he stresses, more is not better.

"For people who's levels are greater than 50 there is a slight uptick, uptick in the rate of pancreatic cancer," Dr. Roca said.

Go very high, and your calcium and parathyroid hormone could be negatively affected too, although that is rare.

Calcium works with vitamin D to burn fat, so in general "The Vitamin D Diet" recommends 600 international units of vitamin D and 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily. But check with your doctor and get a blood test.

A new study suggests that people who take calcium supplements higher than 1,100 milligrams a day may increase their risk of a heart attack. People who ate a moderate amount of calcium daily had a lower risk of heart attacks than people who got too little. So always keep in mind that too much or too little of either supplement can cause health problems. Aim for balance and let your doctor guide you. Dark-skinned people are usually more vitamin D deficient.

For a phone consultation with Dr. Roca on all supplements: http://drhenriroca.com/

He finds that most people usually need 1,000 IU's a day but it is all individualized. Six nutrients for faster weight loss:

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/the-vitamin-d-diet

Meg's personal note:

I take all of these supplements and I also add in Green Tea supplements for the antioxidant and thermogenic (calorie burning) effect. I also take a packet of Juven a day after my workout to help repair and spare lean muscle mass.

Keep in mind that beginning in early adulthood, around the late 20's, we all start losing muscle which keeps us lean, strong and revs up our fat burning metabolism. That is why it is so important, especially for women, to do strength or resistance training along with cardio.

I do full body weight lifting along with my cardio of walking, jogging, high intensity interval sprinting, boxing, stair climbing and boot camp workout.

My doctor also has me on my body identical, non-oral, female hormone replacement therapy of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone and my blood is closely monitored to always be in the right range.

I never let my body sustain all the damage of going through menopause and lacking those three key hormones that are protective against so many terrible health problems including dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancers, bone loss and osteoporosis, muscle loss, eye problems, teeth loss, skin drying and wrinkling, urinary infections, and the list goes on and on.

The ones that work are patches, gels, injections or pellet implants, giving your cells all the "ingredients" they need to function properly. Your doctor will decide which delivery system works for you. I am on patches and gels.

Optimise use and recommend Nature’s Sunsine supplements.  Their labs provide for maximum purity, ensuring that raw materials and finished goods are what they claim to be.

You can purchase purifed Vitamin D capsules from Optimise or via our web shop online.

Why should I take supplements?

Why shouldn’t you take supplements is a probably a more appropriate question. Many people respond to this by saying you can get all you need from a balanced diet. This is very bad advice for two main reasons:

1. Who eats a balanced diet? When people say eat a balanced diet have you ever wondered what that means…? A balanced diet requires a perfect balance of the 3 macronutrients and thousands of micronutrients at every meal - even if you are eating incredibly healthy grass fed meats and bio-dynamic vegetable sources this perfect balance would be impossible to achieve. 
2. Not possible in the modern day - we once lived in a world where food was naturally free from pesticides, herbicides fungicides, GM foods and pollution. Unfortunately this time passed us by about 10,000 years ago and is getting worse and worse by the day. This has had a serious effect even on the highest grade of food available today (biodynamic - grade above organic). Our soil and air quality is so poor today it is impossible to grow foods how mother nature once intended. Throw into the mix all the preservatives, sweeteners, processes, stabalisers, hormones and genetically modified organisms now used by food manufacturers we all need support no matter how good our nutrition is. 

As an absolute basic day to day supplement protocol you should use a high quality, organically sourced, pesticide free multi-vitamin (Super Supplemental), Omega-3 fish oil and a greens drink (liquid chlorophyll (or Green Zone - born2move’s personal favorite). You can purchase all of these supplements at a 20% discount from Optimise or via our online shop.
www.optimisevitamins.co.uk