Time Your Eating to Maximise Performance For a Sport

By James Redwood

When exercising it is important to have all the energy that you need for your session, and we can often be tempted to eat just before hand if we are feeling peckish. Eating immediately before doing exercise is not healthy as it will not provide the body with the full energy gained from this food. And an athlete must have energy that equals what he consumes before and during his exercise. The most important source of fuel for muscles is carbohydrates that is stored in the form of glycogen. That's why you should eat after doing exercise to be good during the next session.

You should eat before you exercise by about 1 to 4 hours (The ideal time to get your meal fully digested) and it depends on the nature of your meal. Exercising on a full stomach is really bad as you will feel nausea and cramping and other stomach symptoms. If you push yourself hard, your body will even make you vomit, as the energy your stomach needs is binge diverted to your exhausted muscles. If you have an early exercise or race, you should get up early to get your pre exercise meal. If you were late you should drink something that gives you energy because drinking is easier for the stomach to digest. It will take about 20 to 30 minutes. But don't ever eat or drink just before your exercise.

Glucose is the best energy source for human body, so you must include rich carbohydrates food in your meal and it must be easily digested, such as: breads, fruits, pasta and drinks. Sometimes eating sugar (glucose) 30 minutes before exercise is very helpful but it varies from one to another, so you should experiment with it by yourself because sometimes the sudden increase in blood glucose has a bad effect on the performance, that's why you should find out what works for you.

Caffeine is great because it is a powerful stimulant for the Central nervous system. So drinking coffee or one of the many energy drinks on the market is useful before the exercise. Although caffeine is again dependant on the individual and has many dramatic side effects for some. There are some people that are sensitive to caffeine and can experience these side effects such as: headache, nausea and muscle tremors. Also excessive caffeine has strong diuretic effect that may cause dehydration which will decrease your performance.

Good Fats Vs Bad Fats - What You Should Know

By Jonnie Blaylock

Most people today who wish to lose weight resort to paying close attention to their daily meals. First on the list of the things they avoid is fat. For many people, the assumption on nutrition is simple - if you're trying to reduce the size of your belly you should avoid eating meals that contain fat. This is not true. Although few people realize this, removing this from your diet can result in many unhealthy side effects.

Just like other nutrients, our body requires a daily intake of fats in order to function effectively. Amongst many other roles, fats are required for the maintenance of our body cells and is utilized in the transmissions of signals through our nerves as well as the absorption of nutrients. Avoiding them is therefore a big mistake.

The problem with a person's dietary needs is not the fact that fat is included in a diet but more on the type that is found in the diet. Simply put there are two types of fats that can be found: good and bad fat. Like the name suggests eating meals that contain good fat is important in order to stay healthy whilst foods that contain bad types are bad and unhealthy for you sometimes resulting in heart diseases, possible cancer and annoying weight gain.

Instead of avoiding fat, a better approach to losing weight is to study and learn the differences between these two groups. By being able to recognize what these various meals are, you will be able to ensure a more balanced and healthier diet.

The Good Fats
So what are good fats? Good fats are meals which are high in unsaturated fats. These might be either monounsaturated fats or polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fat is vital to healthy human growth. Its presence reduces the amount of bad cholesterol found in the body whilst increasing the levels of good cholesterol (yes there is a difference).

Regardless of the type of unsaturated fats, both provide a wide range of health benefits. Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) while increasing HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Polyunsaturated fats are also found to perform similar actions.

Some good sources of polyunsaturated fats include vegetable oils and sea foods. These fats are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which greatly reduce the risk of person developing heat conditions amongst others. Sea foods such as salmon, mackerels and catfish are very rich sources of this.

Monounsaturated are just as important. They can usually be identified by their tendency to solidify when cooled. Examples of these include nuts such as cashews, walnuts, hazel nuts and peanuts. Monounsaturated fats are also very good oxidants and a rich source of vitamin E.

The Bad Fats
On the other side of the health scale are the unwanted fats. The kind known as saturated fats. It is these that are responsible for the increase of negative cholesterol levels. People who eat these types of meals will not only tend to gain fat at a much faster rate, they also will increase their risk of developing heart conditions and diseases.

Examples of saturated fats include meals such as meat, dairy, eggs and sea food. Alongside these animal products, saturated fats can also be found in plant produces such as coconut oil, eggs, meat, palm kernel and some sea foods. If you plan on losing weight or burning fat then you will need to reduce the amount of these fats that you consume. Saturated fats are dense in calories and thus provide people with fat more than they require.

There are various ways of limiting the amount of bad fats in your diet. You could substitute oils that are high in saturated fats when cooking for those that have low fat contents. Instead of using coconut oil or palm oil you can instead cook your meals with olive oil or canola oil. You should also opt for dairy product with low fat content. This will reduce the amount of unsaturated fat which you consume in your diet daily.

One way of identifying the type of cooking oil which you are using is to read the writing on the packaging. Most companies will let you know exactly what type of fats are contained within.

Finally, it is a good idea to avoid eating junk meals that have been fried or produced with saturated fats. Chips and chocolates for instance might be appealing, but they contain a high concentration of these negative fats.

Do You Know How Important Dietary Nutrition Is?

By Christine Crotts

A poor diet can have serious implications to the health on an individual, with the possibility of deficiency diseases developing over time. This is why dietary nutrition is important to each and every person, especially those involved in strenuous activities.

The key factor to remember is that dietary nutrition is a combination of several nutrients that are essential to keeping the body in optimum form and ensuring that all bodily functions happen without causing any complications. Chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular deficiencies, as well as obesity, are the result of a lack of proper nutrition.

As part of a balanced diet, the following nutrients play an essential part in daily life: carbohydrates, fats, minerals, protein, vitamin and water. All the nutrients are required by the body in a balance, as too much of one or too little of the other can cause health problems.

Carbohydrates are the energy-providers, readily absorbing in the blood and contributing to the sugar level. However, in terms of dietary nutrition, they are not essential to the human diet as the content of vitamins and minerals is quite low. However, having enough fiber as part of dietary nutrition is good for the digestion system in the body, helping to reduce the chances of constipation and diarrhea.

The fast food generation has developed a taste for fatty solids, which play havoc with an individual's dietary nutrition. While certain fats are good, like omega-3 and omega-6 found in fish, most fats are detrimental to health and over time can cause serious complications in the body. Fats have been attributed with heart conditions, obesity, variations in cholesterol levels and many other health problems.

A key component of dietary nutrition is protein and calcium. Referred to as the building blocks of the body, protein and calcium keep the bones strong and help in body growth. White meat, like chicken and fish, are high in protein and should form an important part of any diet. Similarly, milk and cheese can help in ensuring your body is strong to face up to the demands of the world, as well as strengthen your immune system.

The importance of dietary nutrition lies in understanding what each nutrient does for your body and how it can play an essential part in maintaining an active lifestyle. Additionally, having a balanced diet that is a combination of all necessary nutrients can help avoid life-threatening diseases and help towards a longer, healthier life.

Dietary nutrition information has become a big part of daily life, with restaurants and food outlets having to display the details so that customers can make a better choice of what they plan to eat. So, learn about the essential nutrients that your body needs, and use the dietary nutrition information to make a better lifestyle choice by improving your health.

Christine Crotts enjoys searching through garage sales for unique gems and jewelry. Christine has written a site containing reviews on gold cross necklace, as well as 14k gold cross necklace.

Athletic Nutrition

By Tina Avon

When it comes to training and sports healthy eating habits are a must. Proper athletic nutrition is crucial to give you that boost of energy you will need to get you through those intense training sessions.

Indeed, one of the most important aspects of training and keeping at a healthy weight is to take an honest, harsh look at what you put in your mouth. Regardless of whether you are training 1 hour per day or 10 hours per day, the quality of the foods you eat are going to go a long way in either boosting your training sessions or bringing them crashing down on you.

Medical science has proven that one of the most significant health indicators is the food that we eat and athletes need to be hyper vigilant about this. While you are working out, you lose minerals and this is normal - however, it is crucial to replace those minerals with a healthy diet. If you do not eat well, you will find yourself either being very sluggish and tired all the time or you might end up wondering why on earth you are not gaining/losing weight as you should be and the answer is in the foods that you consume.

While it was believed that athletes needed to eat more fats than "usual" people, this has now been disputed. As a matter of fact, athletes should be eating a combination of healthy carbs (such as grains) and protein as well as minimal fats.

It is also important to eat your meals at strategic times. If you like to train in the mornings, then you should eat some light fruit and perhaps an ounce or two of nuts to get you through your morning session. After you have finished the workout, make sure to eat within two hours. Your body is still in "burning" mode and will easily process a healthy breakfast. It is imperative that you eat breakfast each morning - do not skip this important meal.

If you work out at lunch or later, then consider eating a small, light meal approximately 1 hour before you go for your workout - this should be light and considered a "mini" meal. The goal is to give you the energy that you will need for the workout - without making you feel full. Once the workout is completed, you should have your meal - remember that you should be having a healthy meal and this meal should not be too close to your sleep time. Your body needs time to digest.

For many people, eating more small meals during the day makes a lot of sense. As long as it is healthy stuff! Finally, don't forget to drink as much water as possible - water cleans out your body and removes the toxins that can make you ill.

Tina Avon
http://www.cutting-edgesp.com

Do High Protein Diets Help You Lose More Fat or Body Weight?

By Johnny Palmer

If I ask you how what percent of your diet at the moment is carbs, proteins and fats, could you answer within a 25% confidence interval? Most people just eat and forget. When all it takes is a few days of tracking your daily intake and you will know more than 99% of the population. Protein is essential in your diet, but is not the be all and end all.

Diets are made up of all different percentages based upon certain factors such as your goals, your current weight, your budget, your level of ignorance, your willpower etc etc.
Example: If you wanted to lose weight, you would go on a diet high in proteins, low in carbs, eat some beans to get a good enough caloric intake so that you won't get tired, but also eat a lot of fats.

People wonder about this and always think it is a mistake or a typo.

'It is neither.

We need to eat healthy fats to lose weight.

A diet should be based around a high percentage protein, medium percentage healthy fats and low percent carbs.

Proteins are chicken, lean meats, eggs, beef, turkey etc Carbs are bread, pasta, rice, fruit drinks, puddings etc Fats are avocados, eggs, e.v olive oil, fish, most meats

A diet like this will leave you lacking in energy if you cut out all the carbohydrates such as bread and pasta, rice, puddings so...

Eat some legumes in each meal!

This is the meal plan used by most intense bodybuilders, if you can stand eating the same things over and over again.

One day a week (I prefer Sat) it is advisable to eat all the carbs you want to stop your body

adjusting to the diet.

Johnny Palmer is a fitness fanatic and practices what he preaches. He stays in great shape all year round and helps people get abs, build muscle, lose body fat and maintain a sexy figure, no matter what their current weight/shape.

Athletic Nutrition

By Tina Avon

When it comes to training and sports healthy eating habits are a must. Proper athletic nutrition is crucial to give you that boost of energy you will need to get you through those intense training sessions.

Indeed, one of the most important aspects of training and keeping at a healthy weight is to take an honest, harsh look at what you put in your mouth. Regardless of whether you are training 1 hour per day or 10 hours per day, the quality of the foods you eat are going to go a long way in either boosting your training sessions or bringing them crashing down on you.

Medical science has proven that one of the most significant health indicators is the food that we eat and athletes need to be hyper vigilant about this. While you are working out, you lose minerals and this is normal - however, it is crucial to replace those minerals with a healthy diet. If you do not eat well, you will find yourself either being very sluggish and tired all the time or you might end up wondering why on earth you are not gaining/losing weight as you should be and the answer is in the foods that you consume.

While it was believed that athletes needed to eat more fats than "usual" people, this has now been disputed. As a matter of fact, athletes should be eating a combination of healthy carbs (such as grains) and protein as well as minimal fats.

It is also important to eat your meals at strategic times. If you like to train in the mornings, then you should eat some light fruit and perhaps an ounce or two of nuts to get you through your morning session. After you have finished the workout, make sure to eat within two hours. Your body is still in "burning" mode and will easily process a healthy breakfast. It is imperative that you eat breakfast each morning - do not skip this important meal.

If you work out at lunch or later, then consider eating a small, light meal approximately 1 hour before you go for your workout - this should be light and considered a "mini" meal. The goal is to give you the energy that you will need for the workout - without making you feel full. Once the workout is completed, you should have your meal - remember that you should be having a healthy meal and this meal should not be too close to your sleep time. Your body needs time to digest.

For many people, eating more small meals during the day makes a lot of sense. As long as it is healthy stuff! Finally, don't forget to drink as much water as possible - water cleans out your body and removes the toxins that can make you ill.

Tina Avon
http://www.cutting-edgesp.com/

Can Cinnamon Help Me Lose Weight?

By Johnny Palmer

A large range of herbs and spices can help the body burn fat, but because you take them in such small quantities, you wouldn't even think that they can help in the least. Herbs and spices can be used to make boring meals far more flavorsome, enticing, and therefore easier to stick to a certain pattern of eating. Cinnamon is one of the more popular spices to help burn fat, and here is why.

Cinnamon can help the body increase its metabolism far beyond its normal levels, enabling you to burn fat far easier, especially fat stored away that your body was going to use on a rainy day. Cinnamon can also help control your appetite and food cravings by lowering blood sugar levels.
Cinnamon can be used on so many different foods, pumpkin is one of the odd things that I use it on!

Sprinkle some on yoghurt and have a cinnamon coated banana with it. Delicious healthy snack that will help you burn fat.

Have a cup of tea, green tea or coffee and sprinkle some cinnamon on it and stir it up. Great way to squeeze some more fat burning foods into your day.

I have used it on many different vegetables and fruits and meats. I think the only way for you to get a good dose every now and then is to put your pack of cinnamon right in plain view and use it on heaps of different foods until you find something that really grabs you!

Do you want to learn how I do it? Download your free course on How To Get Abs today, visit my fitness blog.

Johnny Palmer is a fitness fanatic and practices what he preaches. He stays in great shape all year round and helps people get abs, build muscle, lose body fat and maintain a sexy figure, no matter what their current weight/shape.

Nutrition and Eggs - Another Food Myth Laid to Rest

By Tina Marian

Deciding to eat healthy, nutritious and truly natural food is one of the best things you can do for your quality of life. Decision made, you would think determining the quality of the food you eat would be a fairly straightforward process. No so -- the facts about nutrition and eggs are yet another example of what I've come to call 'a food myth.'

Unfortunately, what ends up in your shopping cart, and in turn your body, is often based on incorrect information -- information that, once put forth by some marketing department or other, proliferates wildly, becoming the 'truth' upon which we base the dietary decisions so integral to our health.

Eggs are one of the healthiest foods you can eat; the story about them is also one of the best (or worst) examples of a food myth that comes to mind. Unfortunately, eggs have been vilified by many who believe their consumption contributes to the cholesterol problem.

A recent study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry identified several different peptides in eggs that actually act as natural ACE inhibitors (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, a group of pharmaceuticals that are used primarily in treatment of hypertension and congestive heart failure.)

Many people routinely avoid eggs because of the cholesterol propaganda to which they have been linked in recent years. The original study that put eggs on the dangerous food list was done by the Cereal Institute 50 years ago, and was conducted using dried egg yolk powder.

Louise Gittleman, author of Your Body Knows Best, states that, "Recent refutations of that study point out that dried yolk powder, in and [only] of itself, is toxic to blood vessels because it has been oxidized. No subsequent studies have been able to prove any cholesterol dangers or any other kind of dangers from eating eggs."

In reality, it's hard to say enough good things about eggs. Eggs are nature's most perfect food - providing better quality protein than milk, beef, whey and soy. They contain all nine essential amino acids and are loaded with vitamins and nutrients that support your eyes, brain and heart.

In addition, egg yolks contain choline, a chemical similar to the B-vitamin family, which is essential for heart and brain function and for the health of your cell membranes. Choline also protects our livers from cholesterol and fat build-up, is the precursor molecule for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and more.

In terms of preparation, take care not to overcook eggs, as the cooking process can damage vital nutrients. Overcooking can cause the cholesterol that is natural in the egg to become oxidized. The best way to eat eggs is soft-boiled, poached or sunny side up.

Throwing a raw egg into a super nutritious shake is also a great, easy way to add eggs to your diet. If the idea of raw eggs bothers you, just remember that the meringue on a pie and the dressing on your favorite Caesar both contain raw eggs.

Choose free-range organic varieties and try to purchase your eggs directly from a farmer to ensure quality. As to storage, in Europe and South America, eggs are stored on the counter and not in the fridge. Neither method is right or wrong; store them where they are least likely to lose moisture.

Another food fallacy laid to rest. Unless you are allergic, eggs have an important part to play in good nutrition.

Tina Marian holds a rare combination of certifications that straddle both the world of allopathic and that of alternative medicine: she is both a Registered Nurse (of 34 years) and a certified Integrative Health Counselor. For your free full hour consultation go to http://www.tinamarian.com. Just one simple conversation could change your life for good.

Weight Control and Meal Planning

By Coltus G.

Library shelves and bookstores are filled with books about weight control, because many people are concerned with being overweight. This concern is justified. Obesity, the condition in which too much of the body is composed of fat, is a serious health problem.

If you are overweight and serious about losing extra pounds, the solution is simple _consume fewer calories and get more exercise. Do this on a moderate, regular schedule _no crash or fad diets and no furious exercise programs. It takes 3,500 calories to make one pound of body fat, so by cutting only 500 calories a day, a dieter can lose one pound in a week. This is a safe amount to lose and an effective way to diet.

Cutting down on calories does not mean cutting down on nutrition. A wise weight-control diet will be based on the Four Food Groups. Accumulating extra weight is a long-term process, and so is getting rid of it. Just as gaining extra pounds is due largely to poor eating habits, losing them will depend upon developing new eating habits _habits that once established ought to last a lifetime.

Meal Planning
Planning for nutritionally balanced, appetizing meals will become second nature to you if you understand the Four Food Groups and use the guidelines of the Daily Food Guide. Put together a variety of foods from the four groups, adding from the Other Group for flavor and fun, and you can hardly go wrong. Try to include foods that have well-rounded nutrient personalities, with a combination of food values (protein, calories, vitamins, minerals, etc.). Choose foods wisely so you benefit from everything you eat.

Breakfast should provide at least one fourth of the daily food needs. If the usual breakfast foods leave you cold, try an appealing array of cheeses, muffins or breads, fruits, and yogurt. After all, lox, cream cheese, and bagels are a common breakfast combination.

Make lunch worth something by selecting a meat, fish, or egg sandwich (on enriched or whole grain bread). Add something from the Fruit and Vegetable Group as a garnish or go-with. Cheese, fruit, and enriched bread or crackers are even easier to fix and still supply what you need to get on with the day.

Usually the evening meal is planned around a main dish. A green or yellow vegetable, rich in vitamins, will complement any main dish. Salads and breads are frequent accompaniments to dinners and suppers. Vary the greens you use in tossed salads. When a tossed salad doesn't seem to fit the bill, offer fruit salad, cole slaw, or a relish tray. Muffins, biscuits, or French bread can add a special touch to a meal, too. Desserts should be chosen to complement the dinner. Choose a light dessert, such as sherbet or fruit, to follow a heavy meal.

Why You Should Consider Low Carb Cooking

By Ryan Yerffle

If you have always struggled with your weight, then you might want to consider making a few lifestyle changes. This means that you are not just going to start a diet that can end in a few weeks time. With a lifestyle change, you will be starting some changes that can more or less become permanent primarily because of the healthy effects they bring. One such example is taking on low carb cooking. True, you can always start your usual diet but if you do not really change the way you cook, there is a high chance that you simply go back to your old eating habits. In the end, the diet that you have worked hard for can become useless.

Low carb cooking entails utilizing recipes that create foods and meals that are low in carbohydrates. Yes, each person needs carbohydrates but the problem lies in the fact that most of us simply consumes more than what is actually needed. Now, if you lower down your carbohydrate intake, you can definitely lose much of your unwanted pounds as carbs turn to stored fats if unused or unburned by the body.

When planning to start a low carb diet, it would be more practical to learn low carb cooking. This means that you will not just rely on ready to eat foods that are low in carbohydrates but you can make low carb meals right in your own kitchen. You would not need to feel frustrated with restaurants that do not serve foods that are low in carbs. Learning how to cook your own meals gives you a power of self efficiency. You do not have to rely on a health store to put up a healthy instant meal for you. You also do not need to spend as much because you can buy raw ingredients and come out with the perfect dish on your own. If you know how to cook low carb dishes, then you can maintain your lifestyle change more effectively.

Of course, starting this kind of lifestyle change is not about eliminating carbohydrates from your meals. You simply lower them in line with what your body really needs. You have to remember that eliminating them totally from your diet is unhealthy so you have to create a kind of balance.

If you seriously consider learning low carb cooking, then you can maximize the vast rich of resources around you. You can dig around the Web to find low carb diet recipes. This would not be a difficult task as there are quite a number of websites which focus on healthy cooking. If you are new to this kind of healthy living, then you can also find online support groups quite helpful. Not only will you find new cooking and meal ideas but you can also become part of an online community that supports healthy eating and cooking.

Going for low carb cooking is definitely healthy and easy. You can also use this lifestyle change to lose the pounds that you have always wanted off your body. In the end, low carb cooking and eating brings you nothing but health and aesthetic benefits.

Ryan Yerffle tries to stay warm during the long cold winters in Chicago. He likes to sit inside by the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa instead of braving the frigid cold outside. Ryan has a site with reviews of indoor outdoor thermometers, as well as a review of an Acu-Rite thermometer.

Peanut Butter is Actually Good For You

By Miles Keeler

Peanut butter is made from peanuts which are not truly nuts like walnuts or cashews. Peanuts are part of the legume family that contain chickpeas, fava beans and lentils. Peanut butter really fills you up when you eat it and it helps to suppress your appetite. While they are high in fat, peanuts are mostly made up of unsaturated fats that do not raise cholesterol levels.

In fact, the December 1999 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed the peanuts in peanut butter lowered blood cholesterol levels much like olive oil does. Most peanut butters, even the store bought varieties contain only trace amounts of trans fats, if any. In a study completed by researchers at Purdue University, they found serum triglyceride levels reduced by up to twenty four percent when peanuts were added to the diets of healthy men and women for over 30 weeks. The reduction of the triglyceride levels meant a possible reduction in heart related diseases by up to six to eight percent.

Natural or organic butters retain the heart healthy benefits of peanuts and contains less salt and sugar than store bought brands. Some store bought varieties of peanut butter may indeed contain trans fats because of the partially hydrogenated vegetable oil to help with separation, but the trans fats are in such low levels the FDA grants them a zero rating. The FDA also allows peanuts to be advertised as providing health benefits. Besides protein and unsaturated fats, peanuts contain folate, fiber, copper, magnesium and arginine.

Miles has been writing about health, fitness and nutrition for over three years now. He is a lifelong fan of the NFL Denver Broncos and the Denver Broncos blog by Horvil Tiki.