Thursday, January 8, 2009

What Happens When You Get Too Little Protein in Your Diet

Proteins are composed of long chain like forms of amino acids. Amino acids are basic and fundamental to life. As a chemical compound, it is made of amine and carbonyl functional groups. To put it simply, they are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen and on some rare occasions, sulfur. These four or five materials build themselves into various chain-like structures and form different types of protein. Protein is the life line of human health.

Human cells, muscle tissue, and the organs of the body are made up of protein. Long chains of amino acids are structured to make different types of proteins. There are 22 types of amino acids and the human body needs all of them to be healthy.

Different types of proteins in our body execute different body functions. Our body's strength, its flexibility and elasticity are taken care of by a protein called collagen, and our hair and skin are composed of the same protein.

Proteins we consume through food are broken down into amino acids in the process of digestion and absorbed by the body only to be rebuilt into different types of proteins that are the requirement of the body. There are twenty two kinds of amino acids essential for the human body. And in that 14 are produced by the body and the remaining 8 are to be obtained though food.

Complete and incomplete Proteins

A protein that can be obtained through one food source like a meat or dairy product is called a complete protein. A complete protein is obtained generally though meat, diary products, eggs, fish and poultry. Vegetables, fruits and nuts do not contain all the essential proteins in one food items and so it is termed as incomplete.

Importance of Proteins

For proper growth, sustenance and repair of body cells, for the health of muscles, tissues, organs and for body function like metabolism, digestion, transportation of nutrients and oxygen through blood circulation, proteins are imperative.

Apart from that more importantly for the production of antibodies, or in other words, antibodies are little soldiers who fight any infection that invades into our body and fights diseases and makes us healthy. The healthy skin and shining hair of which we are proud of is due to the proteins.

Too little Protein means ill health

Like our grand mothers say often, 'anything too much or too little is harmful' is absolute truth in case of protein. Too much protein intake leads to many uncomfortable physical complications just as too little of protein intake can lead to complications.

Protein is needed to repair and create new cells, tissues, hormones, enzymes and muscles and lack of protein would impair these important body functions leading to grave situations. Many foods which supply protein do contain certain other minerals and vitamins like iron, a lack of which creates an eternal tiredness and fatigue. The person who lacks iron feels weak and becomes listless with lack of energy.

Physical activities consume protein daily, and so it is essential to give regular supply of protein to the body daily. And too little protein can cause severe skin ailments and would make you look lusterless and pale.

Children need a lot of protein as they are in the phase of growing and insufficient protein in children hampers their growth very much.

For a period of time if the body fails to get sufficient amount of protein through food, it starts breaking the muscles which contain large amount of protein to fulfill its need. This means eroding of the muscle and it is generally known as muscle wasting. And prolonged such situation leads to a vicious cycle of protein energy malnutrition where in when the body does not get any other source of energy, body's muscles and organs a re broken down for energy. The digestive system suffers with the loss of cell lining which is important for absorption of nutrients from the digested food. Thus a vicious cycle of poor diet and insufficient absorption of nutrients from food lead to severe body wasting.

So, too little protein intake is dangerous and very harmful to health.


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Tuesday, November 11, 2008

What is Organic Coffee and how is it Grown

Organic is a new word used in the context of coffee, tea, cocoa and other food materials in recent times around local shops and super markets. Every year the word is being used by buying public more than the previous year and its use is growing year after year resulting in higher sale proportion of tea or coffee marked as 100% organically grown.

What is organically grown?

To simply put it, organic farming methods leave least or no harmful impact on the surrounding environment. Organic agricultural production systems are mostly traditional methods evolved through learning from nature. In the organic farming methods no synthetic chemical fertilizer or pesticide is used. So that organic production means natural, pure and healthy.

How coffee grows in nature

The coffee plant does not need much direct sun light and so it grows under the shade of large trees. The ground is never sprayed with any chemical insecticide or fertilizer and so the ground water remains pure and uncontaminated. From the canopy of trees leaves fall steadily and the ground is covered by fallen leaves layer on layer. The layers of fallen leaves work as a blanket and protect the moisture of the ground. The moisture in turn help the process of compost to turn the bottom layers of leaves into natural manure to nourish the land.

The thick foliage of shade trees over the coffee bushes house many varieties of birds and also attracts the migratory birds. The birds live on small insects and pests. So they work as natural pest controllers and keep the coffee plants healthy.

The coffee that grows in the shade of other local trees become original and pure in taste and flavor Organic Coffee.

The proposed plantation site is selected carefully. And if the site was being used to grow some other crop using chemical fertilizer or chemical insecticides, then a minimum period of three years are given as conversion years for the proposed site to get over the effects of the harmful chemicals.

After the conversion years coffee bushes are planted along with local shade trees. Care is given equally to the coffee bushes and shade trees and effort is put in to leave bird population to grow undisturbed.

The fallen leaves are left undisturbed to convert into manure to nourish the land and keep it fertile. The bird population effectively controls the pests and harmful insect and protects the coffee bushes. And finally for decaffeinating, approved processes are employed including the Swiss Water process. The coffee thus produced is organic coffee.

Organic vs. commercial production

Organic production methods along with producing coffee intend to protect environment. In this process of growing coffee, more and more trees are grown due to that local biodiversity is achieved. In this method, soil fertility and nutrients are sustained. No chemical pollution is created to harm the human health.

In contrast in commercial profit oriented method of growing coffee, the trees are felled and the cumulative effect is deforestation. Deforestation leads to soil erosion and severe depletion. The commercial grower cuts trees to allow direct sun light which increases production. As there are no birds to control pests and due to the absence of trees and its natural manure, farmers are forced to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides severely harming the environment.

Organic coffee - lifeline of future

Organic production process is eco friendly and helps to repair the environment spoilt by the greedy profit oriented approach of commercial growers of coffee through growing more and more shade trees.

Protecting environment locally helps to enhance the eco system. Rejuvenation and eco system alone can help the planet from disaster and help to sustain life on this planet.

Organic coffee is our responsibility, almost a human duty and life line to healthy future of mankind.


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Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Stop Gaining Fat by Zero Carb Cravings

Do you ever find that you're feeling really hungry and craving sugary food? If there's anything sweet in sight, you just can't control yourself. That piece of cake just looks so good. It's because of feelings like these that some people think that carbohydrates aren't good for them. They think that the key to losing weight is to avoid carbs. But actually, Americans have gotten fatter since low carb diets came on the scene. Today, over 60% of Americans are overweight or obese.

If you find yourself craving carbs it doesn't mean that carbs are bad for you. Cravings are our body's way of telling us that it's missing something. In Americans, the cravings are often associated with one of two things: the American custom of eating three meals a day, or low calorie diets.

If you eat three large meals a day, you're probably eating more at each meal than your body can handle. Even if you're eating nutritious foods like fresh fruit and vegetables, cereals or lean meat, if you give your body more calories than it can use at the time they will be stored as fat.

When you eat, your body releases insulin to process the sugars in your bloodstream. Any sugar that isn't required at the time is stored in your fat cells. Once the insulin is released, it keeps on doing its job until all the sugar has been processed. At this stage, the levels of both sugar and insulin in your blood will be very low. If this happens, you can be left feeling tired and irritable. This is why, if you have a large lunch and then don't have another meal until that night, you start feeling hungry around mid-afternoon.

This mid-afternoon hunger and tiredness is your body telling you that it needs more fuel to keep it functioning. Remember, there's no sugar in your bloodstream at this stage because the insulin has already processed it all and sent it to your fat cells. So you start to crave foods with lots of sugar because this is what your body desperately needs. If you give in to your cravings, your body then releases lots of insulin again to process the sugars and the cycle of highs and lows of blood sugar continues.

Maybe you managed not to give in to your cravings and didn't have anything to eat between lunch and dinner. Your body still needed energy so where did it come from? If there's no other source, your body will convert muscle tissue to sugar to use as energy. The end result of this is that your metabolism will become slower. Your body will become accustomed to burning fewer calories and you will build up more fat. This is what happens if you are on a low calorie diet.

So back to the two reasons you crave carbs that were mentioned earlier. If you're eating just three meals a day you are constantly putting your body through a series of sugar and insulin peaks and troughs and not providing it with a constant supply of fuel to convert to energy. And if you're on a low calorie diet, you're forcing it to find fuel from your muscles and slowing your metabolism.

So what's the solution? If you eat more regularly and have five small, nutritious meals throughout the day, you will keep up the fuel supply to your body. You won't go through periods of hypoglycaemia (which is when you have used all the sugar in your bloodstream) and you won't need to draw on your muscles to provide the sugar you need. Once you get into the habit of eating this way, you'll find that your cravings for carbs are a thing of the past.


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Tuesday, October 7, 2008

What is the Best Alcohol to Drink When on a Diet

We have all heard to cut alcohol out of your diet when you are attempting to lose weight. Alcohol is empty calories if you look at from the calorie perspective. There are good qualities to alcohol assuming that the consumption is moderate and not associated with any addiction. Different alcohols or spirits can be a part of a good weight loss or healthy diet. The best may be the Bacardi and Diet Coke.

First we have to look at alcohol being consumed in moderation. The liver can remove 2 glasses of beer or wine, and one mixed drink per day. Sorry, you are unable to save them up to have 10 on the weekend. On the LIVE Nutrition Plan one light beer, glass of wine, or distilled spirit is one fat exchange. The average person will have 3-4 fat exchanges throughout the day. Remember what we said about your liver, using all of your fat for alcohol would not be a good idea for the health of your liver.

Alcohol has many stress relieving properties. Alcohol is a depressant which means that it will support your ability to relax. Drinking alcohol in moderation, less than two a day, has been demonstrated to lower stress so that you live longer than people who drink no alcohol. Just remember two or less.

Light Beer on a Diet

Light beer seems to be the obvious choice when on a diet. The average lite beer is less than 100 calories with some of the new ultra beers having even less. If you can keep your consumption of these beers to two or under a day this is a good choice. The problem with lite beer is the quantity that most people can drink. Many people can consume multiple light beers with ease. Though each beer has few calories they start to add up having if you have 4-6 on a night.

Microbrews on a Diet

Wow, I get to drink dark beer on a diet? Aren’t dark beers more calories? The answer is yes dark beers are more calories; the good thing is it is easier to drink just one. The average person who could drinks 5 light beers will probably only be able to drink one dark beer, and the total calories. You total calories from one dark beer will be less than the 5 light beer calorie total.

Diet Wine

Wine in moderation has been known to lower the risk of heart disease. It doesn’t seem to be wine specifically, but the stress relieving properties of alcohol, as long as they are consumed in moderation. Wine works the same as light beer, less than 100 calories per glass and one fat exchange on the LIVE diet plan.

Bacardi and Diet Coke

One Bacardi and Diet Coke has 66 calories. Two of these mixed drinks are only a few more calories than one beer. Two Bacardi and diet Cokes are a lot less caloric than many beers on the market. This isn’t Bacardi specific, most distilled spirits and diet soda are going to be around the same number of calories. Remember that even though they have less calories, your liver doesn’t care when it comes to the amount of alcohol. Moderation of 2 or less is still best. Bacardi and Diet Coke is simply the most popular, which I found out while in Puerto Rico touring the Bacardi Distillery.

Alcohol as a part of a responsible diet can be a part of a person’s weight loss program or healthy diet. Remember the key is moderation and picking drinks lower in calories. Enjoy your next party.


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Thursday, September 11, 2008

Bodybuilder Muscle Mass Diet on a Budget

When you are into bodybuilding you can start to see that your bill every month for food is greater than buying expensive gas at the pump. For those that want to achieve their muscle building diet and still have money left over, we have tips for bodybuilders on a budget.

Top 5 Tips for Bodybuilder's Food on a Budget

1. The most important thing you can do it make a grocery list. One of the worst things you can do is go into a super market especially hungry and attempt to figure out what you need on the fly. Most often without a grocery list we get food we don't need and forget something that is important that we have waste more gas going back to the store.

2. You can buy complex carbs in bulk. Stocking up on brown rice, potatoes, and oatmeal allows for you to save money on the high volume shopping. Unlike most people who buy and bulk and the food gets spoiled before eating, if you are a serious bodybuilder than you know the amount of calories you are going to eat and the food won't get wasted.

3. You get what you pay for. This stills seams to be the situation with supplement brands, though not with food items. The store brands in most grocery stores are just as good as the name brand and cheaper. Go with the store brand and save money.

4. You body needs the vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables. What is also important is variety. We typically get into such routines that we only eat certain fruits or vegetables. Start buying the deals and sale items in your produce section of the grocery store. This will give you more variety and you can save money on always buying the same items at their normal higher price.

5. Buy food around the outside path at the grocery store. Almost always the processed foods are in the aisles while the natural meats, vegetables, and breads are along the outside wall around the store. Natural foods are typically cheaper than the process and boxed counterparts and hold much more nutritional value.

You can make any bodybuilding diet work on any budget. Also, as an added tip think of your protein shakes and meal replacement shakes as part of your grocery bill instead of supplement bill. These are cost effective way to get calories at the right calorie ranges. Since your protein powders are food, it won't make your supplement bill look so big any more either.


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Thursday, July 31, 2008

What is Ecdysterone?

So what are your goals? For some it is improving their athletic performance, burn away those love handles, build lean muscle tissue, and for others improving their overall health. We know that it does take working out to achieve our results though we want some help to make our results go faster.

You have probably heard about sport supplements like prohormones, creatine, protein powders, and vitamins. Each one of these products plays a vital role in improving an aspect of your health, fitness, or performance in some capacity. Especially, with all the attention from Congress and Major League Baseball, you have heard about steroids, and the negative side effects associated with them.

If you though you knew what supplements can do than you don't know anything now.

Ecdysterone is an exceptionally potent compound that has been researched and studied in clinical trials for some time. The best part of ecdysterone is that through all the research there hasn't been one negative side effect found. That is right zero negative side effects. Ecdysterone is rapidly becoming the supplement of choice for health enthusiast, fitness competitors, and bodybuilders.

What is Ecdysterone?

The technical name for ecdysterone is 20-hydroxyecdysterone with common names of ecdisten, ecdysone, isoinokosterone, and ecdysterone. It was first discovered with insects who require it for survival as part of their own growth hormone.

Ecdysterone doesn't come from insects; it comes from the herbs rhaponticum/ leuzeae and cyanotis vaga which are all natural. The biggest issue until now for ecdysterone is that their was no way to extract it into a usable and viable form. Now, with the latest in extraction technology, Scifit has found a way to extract it at a 97% standardization. This exceptionally high potency makes it possible now to get the health and muscle mass benefits for ecdysterone in a supplement.

There has been over 50 research studies on the effects of ecdysterone. Ecdysterone in clinical trials has been shown to improve almost every physiological function with producing any negative side effects. Within 10 days people have achieve muscle mass gains of 6-7%. That is right just 10 days. Not only that, subjects lower their body fat in those same ten days. Ecdysterone has become the perfect fat loss and muscle mass building supplement on the market.

SciFit's Ecdysterone 300 is the only ecdysterone supplement to be in an useable form. Ecdysterone has been demonstrated to increase muscle tissue by 6-7% in just 10 days.


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