We give you the skinny on lean

If someone asked you what “lean” meant, what would your answer be? Most likely you’d say something like “It means having less than 5% bodyfat.” Or, “It means being able to see my abs — all eight of them.” But if you ask the United States Department of Agriculture, it means something else entirely. And the definitions of “lean” that they’ve developed can help you achieve your own definition of lean. The Food and Drug Administration is the body behind the ubiquitous Nutrition Facts label, and it is tasked with regulating any number of industries (pharmaceuticals, supplements, cosmetics, medical devices), including the nutritional content of foods. As of 2007, it has developed a definition for “lean” that is given to foods that contain less than 8 grams of total fat, less than 3.5 g of saturated fat, and less than 80 milligrams cholesterol per serving.

In the early 1990s, the FDA worked with the USDA, which regulates meat and poultry products, to create a definition for the “lean” label that is applied to those products. The USDA defines ”lean” as cuts that contain less than 10 g of total fat, 4.5 g or less of saturated fat and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per 3-ounce serving. There is also an “extra-lean” label for products that have less than 5 g of total fat and less than 2 g of saturated fat, but even extra-lean products are allowed to contain 95 mg of cholesterol.

For ground beef, it gets a bit more confusing, as the labeling typically lists the percent lean and/or percent fat of the meat by weight. The maximum fat content in any ground beef is 30% (70% lean). A package of ground beef labeled as 90% lean/10% fat sounds much leaner than the 70% lean/30% fat ground beef your mother used to buy, but it still contains more than 20 g of fat per eight ounces. When selecting ground beef, your best bet is to choose meat that is at least 93% lean/7% fat, which provides about 15 g of fat per eight-ounce serving. Of course, the leaner the better, and if you can find ground beef that is 96% lean/4% fat, grab it.

SHORT CUTS

Cuts of chicken are easy to judge — almost all cuts are lean or, in the case of the breast, extra lean. Beef cuts are not as easy to judge, and they’re not marked as lean or extra lean. To make sure you’re buying a cut that suits your lean diet, you really need to know your cuts. This table shows the macros for FLEX’s favorite lean and extra lean cuts of beef (3-ounce portions, cooked).

sourse: http://www.flexonline.com

A leucine metabolite that can help add muscle

Of all the amino acids that make up protein, leucine has been established as the most anabolic. In recent years, scientists have begun to uncover the muscle-building effects of leucine metabolites, such as KIC and HMB (alpha-ketoisocaproate and beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, respectively). Now another leucine metabolite, HICA (alpha-hydroxyisocaproic acid), is also showing great promise for its effects on recovery from intensive training.

Leucine is considered to be a potent anabolic agent because it can activate cellular proteins that lead to muscle growth. Once leucine is broken down in muscle tissue, it forms a variety of related compounds (such as KIC and HMB). These compounds have also proven to be popular supplements, because studies have shown that they can decrease muscle breakdown while helping to increase overall strength and muscle mass. HICA, which is formed when leucine is completely broken down, has also been reported to inhibit muscle loss by blocking the action of certain catabolic compounds.The first study to test the effects of supplemental HICA was performed with competitive wrestlers. Each wrestler was given 1.5 grams per day of HICA during six weeks of heavy training in their sport. By the end of that period, the wrestlers had added about two pounds of muscle to their frames. It may not sound like much, but the results are rather impressive considering that they were training up to five hours per day, a time period during which they would be expected to lose muscle. The wrestlers also reported significantly less post-training workout pain compared to the previous six weeks, when they were not receiving the supplement.

THE STUDY
Based on the promising results of the preliminary study in wrestlers, researchers from Finland conducted a second study in soccer players. One group of athletes was given 500 milligrams of HICA three times per day; a second group received a placebo. All of the athletes participated in an intensive training program consisting of four practice sessions, one match and two weight-training workouts each week over four weeks

THE RESULTS
As reported in the original study, the athletes receiving HICA increased muscle mass — with almost one pound of muscle added to the legs alone. The placebo group lost muscle due to the high volume of training and energy expenditure. Postexercise muscle soreness was also significantly reduced in the HICA group compared to the placebo group. In addition to working by blocking muscle-damaging compounds, it is likely that HICA also worked by being converted back into the anabolic amino leucine.

THE DOSAGE
Both studies used 500 mg of HICA three times per day, which appears to be an effective dose. However, HICA may be hard to find at your local supplement shop — or even online. With news of these studies and the coverage here in FLEX, you can expect that to change soon. In the meantime, be sure you are dosing with plenty of leucinerich branched-chain amino acids. Go with 5-10 g of BCAAs with breakfast, your pre- and postworkout shakes, and your nighttime meal. When HICA becomes more readily available, you can add 500-1,000 mg to your BCAA dosing.

Twelve weeks of consuming a fermented milk product containing the Lactobacillus strain was associated with a 4.6 per cent reduction in abdominal fat, and a 3.3 per cent reduction in subcutaneous fat, according to findings published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Furthermore, body weight dropped by 1.4 per cent and waist size decreased by 1.8 per cent, report researchers from Snow Brand Milk Products, Kyushu University, Nippon Milk Community Co., Iwaki Meisei University, and Isogo Central and Neurosurgical Hospital.

The study extends previous findings from Kyushu University researchers, which showed LG2055 may reduce fat levels (adiposity) and fat cells in animals (British Journal of Nutrition, 2009, Vol. 101, pp. 716-724; 2008, Vol. 99, pp. 1013-7). In addition, Snow Brand scientists have reported that LG2055 in fermented milk “has the ability to establish in the human gastrointestinal tract and alters the composition and metabolism of the intestinal microflora and physical characteristics of faeces”, (J. Appl. Microbiol. 2001, Vol. 90, pp. 343-352).

Potential

With the World Health Organization estimating that by 2015, there will be more than 1.5 billion overweight consumers, incurring health costs beyond $117 billion per year in the US alone, the opportunities for a scientifically-substantiated weight management food product are impressive.

A breakthrough paper published in Nature in December 2006 (Vol. 444, pp. 1022-1023, 1027-1031) reported that microbial populations in the gut are different between obese and lean people, and that when the obese people lost weight their microflora reverted back to that observed in a lean person, suggesting that obesity may have a microbial component.

Fruit derived flavours (FTNF) are increasingly demanded. With a focus on orange and apple Döhler offers as of customer’s requirements composed FTNF flavours and just as well single fractions for flavour developments. Read more… Click here

A recent study, published in Science Translational Medicine (Vol. 1, Issue 6, 6ra14), advanced this by successfully showing that the human gut microbiota can successfully be transferred to germ-free mice, and that this can then be passed on from mother to offspring.

Study details

The Japanese scientists recruited 87 overweight people with an average BMI of 24.2 kg/m2 to participate in their multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled intervention trial. The participants were randomly assigned to receive 200 grams per day of fermented milk with or without LG2055 day for 12 weeks.

At the end of the study, significant decreases were observed in the Lactobacillus group in body weight, BMI (1.5 per cent), waist circumference, and in the hips (1.5 per cent). No significant reductions were observed in the control group, however.

“The probiotic LG2055 showed lowering effects on abdominal adiposity, body weight and other measures, suggesting its beneficial influence on metabolic disorders,” concluded the scientists.

Glucosamine

Few people realize that glucosamine is actually a combination of the amino acid glutamine and the sugar glucose. It is found primarily in joint cartilage. The body incorporates supplemental glucosamine into molecules called proteoglycans, which are part of joint cartilage and work to maintain the integrity of the joint and repair damaged cartilage. Research shows that glucosamine stimulates the generation of new cartilage by activating cartilage-producing cells known as chondrocytes. As a result, and as numerous studies confirm, glucosamine can help to alleviate the signs and symptoms of the joint wear and tear that can occur with heavy training. In fact, one study showed that glucosamine was as effective as ibuprofen for alleviating symptoms of osteoarthritis in the knee.

Curcumin

Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric, which is a spice used in many curry dishes. Research confirms that curcumin relieves pain and inflammation in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Research also shows that it is actually superior to some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for alleviating inflammation following surgery. A study from University of Arizona (Tucson) reported that rats given turmeric extracts after being injected with an arthritis-inducing solution had a 70% greater reduction in cartilage destruction than rats given a placebo. Curcumin’s ability to protect joints stems from its active ingredients, curcuminoids, which can inhibit a protein that instigates chemical steps in the body that result in inflammation.

Stack It Like This

Take 1,500-2,000 milligrams of glucosamine per day, in two or three divided doses. For curcumin, take 200-500 mg of turmeric-containing supplements that are standardized to 95% curcumin, two or three times per day.

sourse: http://www.flexonline.com

British scientists at the Queen Mary University of London found that drinking beet juice lowered blood pressure to healthy levels within 24 hours. In fact, it was just as effective as prescription nitrate tables in treating hypertension. In a previous study two years ago, the same research team had first observed that drinking beetroot juice lowered blood pressure — now they’ve figured out exactly why.

It turns out that the organic form of nitrate found in beet juice is the key to its blood pressure lowering benefits. Study author Amrita Ahluwalia, Professor of Vascular Biology at Queen Mary’s William Harvey Research Institute, said the investigators were able to prove the nitrate was the cause of beet juice’s beneficial effects on cardiovascular health because they showed beet nitrate increased levels of the gas nitric oxide in the circulation. Nitric oxide is a type of biological messenger in the body. It signals smooth muscle tissue to relax, induces vasodilation and increases blood flow, leading to a lower blood pressure.

“We gave inorganic nitrate capsules or beetroot juice to healthy volunteers and compared their blood pressure responses and the biochemical changes occurring in the circulation,” Professor Ahluwalia said in a statement to the press. “We showed that beetroot and nitrate capsules are equally effective in lowering blood pressure indicating that it is the nitrate content of beetroot juice that underlies its potential to reduce blood pressure. We also found that only a small amount of juice is needed — just 250ml — to have this effect, and that the higher the blood pressure at the start of the study the greater the decrease caused by the nitrate.”

“The research will be welcome news to people with high blood pressure who might now be able to use a new ‘natural’ approach to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease (including stroke and heart attacks) — the world’s biggest killer,” the researchers added in the media statement.

Different varieties can offer different benefits

Although creatine monohydrate is the tried-and-true form of creatine that most manufacturers sell, other types of creatine offer benefits that go beyond those of the mainstay. That’s why many creatine products now contain a variety of different forms of creatine. In addition, some manufacturers are smartening up and adding supplements to their creatine that enhance its uptake. Learn how to select a mixed creatine product that delivers results.

1. Creatine used to come in one flavor–gritty. Today’s powders are often flavored. This may make it taste better when you mix it by itself in water, but if you put it in a protein shake, the flavors may not work together. For example, lemonade-flavored creatine plus chocolate-flavored whey protein turns into a gross drink. Lemonade plus vanilla, on the other hand, is not so bad. Choose flavors wisely.

2. Many powders come in a couple of sizes, from roughly 1 pound to 2 pounds. Your best bet is to go with the larger size–you need at least a solid month’s trial of any new creatine product to ensure that it works for you. Once you find the product you like, you might as well nab the savings on the larger size.

3. The sodium content comes from the sodium creatine phosphate matrix, which enhances both the solubility of the creatine in fluid and its uptake at the muscle cells, due to a creatine receptor on muscle cells that is sodium dependent. Some sodium also comes from disodium phosphate, which enhances the energy that creatine provides the muscle cells by increasing the creatine phosphate levels in muscles.

4. Creatine ethyl ester-beta-alaninedual action composite (CarnoSyn) is the creatine ethyl ester you may know, along with a patented, timed-release form of beta-atanine.

5. Cinnulin PF is a trademarked cinnamon extract, which boosts creatine uptake by mimicking insulin’s actions on muscle cells (one of which is enhancing creatine uptake).

6. Creatine alpha-amino-n-butyrate is creatine with a metabolite of the amino acid leucine. This can help to increase muscle protein synthesis and decrease muscle breakdown.

7. Creatinol-o-phosphate-maiicacidisa creatine analog that is reported to enhance endurance.

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size: 1 scoop (16 grams)
Servings per container: 50
CALORIES: 30

Sodium Creatine Phosphate Matrix, Creatine Ethyl Ester-Beta-Alanine Dual Action Composite (CarnoSyn), Creatinol-O-Phosphate-Malic Acid Interfusion, Creatine Alpha-Amino-N-Butyrate

Dicalcium Phosphate, Clnnulin PF, Dipotassium Phosphate, Disodium Phosphate

* Percent Daily Values (%DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values May be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs

** Daily Values not established Other Ingredients: Maltodextrin, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Potassium Citrate, Citric Acid, Sucralose (Splenda), Calcium Silicate, FD&C Red 40

sourse: http://www.flexonline.com

So entailing this fact, here are the top 10 nutritional mistakes you may come across while planning a healthy lifestyle. Watch out!

1. Planning Weight-Loss DIE…T

It suddenly hits you that your body weight is increasing and you should go on a diet. After a long thinking process, you get up and the first thing you do is visit your fridge and consume a dozen calories within seconds! Sounds similar? A lot of people make a big mistake of “planning” to go on a diet. The more you plan, the more likely you are to fail.

So stop saying “I’ll go on a diet” and start replacing the thoughts with “I’m going to adopt a healthy lifestyle”.

2. Saying “No” To Proteins

Are you nuts? Protein intake wouldn’t make you fat or D-shaped, instead it will help convert your body fats into lean muscles. Guys dying to have the shape of bodybuilders and girls anxious to slim down to a model-like physique, protein are the elements to fulfill your dream! To identify the amount of protein you require daily, multiply 0.8-1.0 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.

Basic Sources of Protein: eggs, chicken, fish, lean red meat and protein supplements. You can also use the natural and safe HGH human growth hormone supplements to raise the production of proteins in your body.

3. Starvation Is The Key To Death, Not Weight Loss!

Starving is dangerous, and is not recommended at ANY cost. It would be surprising to know that the weight and fats you lose during starvation comes back with a double effect when the starvation period is over and resume your diet.

Since your body requires minerals on a daily basis, starvation may make it extract them from your muscles and NOT your fats (if that’s what you were thinking), making you feel all tired and weak. Consuming 5-6 short healthy meals daily will keep your metabolism rate higher and help you burn more fats, provided that you exercise as well.

4. All Salads Are Alike!

Are you kidding me? Salads loaded with meat, macaroni, cheese, sausages, potatoes, nuts and all mixed together in mayonnaise can add up to hundreds and even thousands of calories to your diet. Think a hundred times before you order a salad like this!

Salads including fresh pieces of fruits and vegetables, dressed with lemon juice or curd for an extra flavor are best for consumption and weigh stabilization.

5. Zero Knowledge about Calories

Hold it right there! Do you know how many calories you are ingesting on a daily basis under the disguised words like “low calories” or “fat-free”? Ever tried knowing? You’ll be amazed to know that the low-fat muffin you just swallowed contained 400 calories!

Hence, learn how much calories a certain food contains before ordering and keep a check on what you eat based on its caloric value. Here’s a simple way to know your daily calorie intake: multiply your weight by 12 and this is the amount of calories you need to consume daily.  If you want to lose fat, take a little less from this.

6. You Are Hungry and Shopping

Never shop when you are feeling hungry! Why? Because most of the time you end up buying things you never intended to, solely because you were starving and craving for food. Hence, to avoid all this hunger overspending, leave your home with a full tummy.

7. Bouncing Breakfast

Breakfast is the most essential meal for the entire day. Consuming a big breakfast is the real secret to a healthy and weight controlled body. Consuming breakfast one hour after getting up from bed boosts your metabolism and helps you burn more calories throughout the day, which you couldn’t have without breakfast. Moreover, filling up your stomach in the morning makes you less hungry all day, thereby reducing your chances of over-eating.

8. Gaining Calories from Liquids

Getting calories from certain beverages like fruit juices, alcohol, coffee, and tea can add to weight gain. Therefore, it’s much better to eat your calories in the form of protein and other mineral-rich diets rather than drinking them. If you really need to drink something, it should be WATER only. Physicians suggest drinking seven to eight glasses of water daily to flush out toxins and other wastes for a healthy body.

9. Grabbing Fast-Food on the Way…

You’re in a hurry and also hungry, what would you do? Probably grab a burger from the nearest fast food without realizing its side-effects in the form of increased body fats and a variety of other diseases. One-time drive through won’t hurt you, but regular visits would be a question of concern.

10. Suppressing Your Cravings

Your diet plan is going smooth and sound until suddenly you feel a strong urge to eat a chocolate. Whoa! What to do now? Well, common sense says, go for it! As long as your healthy lifestyle is going fine, it never hurts to eat a bar of chocolate once in a while and reduce your craving. After all, to err is human.

Follow the above mentioned tips and welcome a healthy lifestyle regime into your life!

A study team from Arizona State University conducted a cross-sectional study to compare the mood of vegetarians who never eat fish with the mood of healthy omnivorous adults.

An overall total of 138 healthy Seventh Day Adventist adults residing in Arizona and California (64 vegetarians and 79 non-vegetarians) were enrolled in the study and completed a health history questionnaire, food frequency questionnaire and two psychometric tests, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and also the Profile of Mood States..

Vegetarians had significantly lower mean intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and also the omega-6 arachidonic acid; they had higher intakes of the omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid and the omega-6 linoleic acid.

“Seed oils are the richest sources of α-linolenic acid, notably those of rapeseed (canola), soybeans, walnuts, flaxseed (Linseed oil), clary sage seeds, perilla, chia, and hemp.”

However, the vegetarians also reported significantly less negative emotion than omnivores in both psychometric tests. Mean total psychometric scores were positively associated with the mean intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid , and inversely related to alpha-linolenic acid and linolenic acid intake.

The research team noted there is also the chance that vegetarians may make smarter dietary choices and may generally be healthier and happier.

If you’d like to give it a try, here’s a good example of vegetarian recipe according to Italian cuisine

Italian Spaghetti with Zucchini

Ingredients:

* 17 oz. Spaghetti

* 24 oz. Of thin sliced zucchini

* A half cup of walnuts oil

* Some basil leaves

* 2 tablespoons of yeast flakes

* Salt and pepper

In a skillet or frying pan heat the oil and when hot, add garlic and zucchini. Raise heat and stir often to complete their cooking. They should be golden and crispy outside and tender inside. Cook the pasta, drain and sauté in pan with zucchini, basil and yeast. Serve immediately.

Zucchini contain fewer calories and have no fat. However they are a good source of potassium, vitamin e, vitamin c, folate, lutein and zeaxanthin.

Most of these nutrients are extremely sensitive to heat and to enjoy their benefits you should find a quick method to cook or even eat raw in salads.

From the therapeutic point of view, zucchini have laxative, refreshing, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and detoxifying action.

About the Author – http://www.vegetarianmenu.net

Don’t follow monotone diet

Make sure you diet has enough variety. When you stick to the same food every single day, you have higher chances of quitting since your taste-buds need variety of flavors.

Don’t fixate on the scales

Do not make the mistake of evaluating the results from the changes on the scales. Generally speaking, scale measurements provide rough estimate of changes, when you concentrate on the numerical changes too much you can easily fall into the overcompensation trap-hole. Visual changes (for example photos) provide better comparison.

Don’t start overeating

Some bodybuilders start overeating when they want to gain some mass. However, when you consume too many calories, they will simply turn into fat instead of feeding the muscles. While eating a lot of carbohydrates may be a good choice since they make good energy-source for intensive training, make sure to carefully calculate how much energy you need and consume exactly that much.

Don’t Rush Your Diet

It takes about three weeks for your body just to adjust to the new diet, so make sure you give it enough time. Patiently wait for changes. Allow around 21 days to see some results from high-car, low-fat, reduced calorie, and moderate protein diet.

Don’t follow others blindly

Diets of professional bodybuilders are often well-balanced and make good reference, but make sure you adjust them to your metabolism. For example, while Dexter Jackson’s and Jay Cutler’s diets are very similar, they are not completely identical.

Don’t turn “fat-free” into a rule

When you completely remove fat from your daily diet and instead fixate on fat-free proteins and foods (for example protein powders, fish, turkey) your growth or fat metabolism levels will drop. Instead, try to follow a low-fat diet, making sure that it includes essential fatty acids, which are present in such foods as meat, chicken, and fish.

Don’t see supplements as magic pills

If a bodybuilder overdoes it with the supplements, then he is very likely to either cut back on the calories and proteins too much and thus will not facilitate sufficient nutrients for successful muscle building, or overeat and put on fat instead of muscle. Keep this rule in mind: the supplements should accompany food, not replace it.

Don’t stress your body with rapid, large-scale changes

Gradually increase/decrease calorie intake, making sure that your body has enough time to adapt to the change. Sudden calorie cut will trigger body to accumulate fat, at the same time sudden increase will also result in fat accumulation.

Don’t follow monotone diet

Make sure you diet has enough variety. When you stick to the same food every single day, you have higher chances of quitting since your taste-buds need variety of flavors.Don’t fixate on the scales

Do not make the mistake of evaluating the results from the changes on the scales. Generally speaking, scale measurements provide rough estimate of changes, when you concentrate on the numerical changes too much you can easily fall into the overcompensation trap-hole. Visual changes (for example photos) provide better comparison.

Don’t start overeating

Some bodybuilders start overeating when they want to gain some mass. However, when you consume too many calories, they will simply turn into fat instead of feeding the muscles. While eating a lot of carbohydrates may be a good choice since they make good energy-source for intensive training, make sure to carefully calculate how much energy you need and consume exactly that much.

Don’t Rush Your Diet

It takes about three weeks for your body just to adjust to the new diet, so make sure you give it enough time. Patiently wait for changes. Allow around 21 days to see some results from high-car, low-fat, reduced calorie, and moderate protein diet.

Don’t follow others blindly

Diets of professional bodybuilders are often well-balanced and make good reference, but make sure you adjust them to your metabolism. For example, while Dexter Jackson’s and Jay Cutler’s diets are very similar, they are not completely identical.

Don’t turn “fat-free” into a rule

When you completely remove fat from your daily diet and instead fixate on fat-free proteins and foods (for example protein powders, fish, turkey) your growth or fat metabolism levels will drop. Instead, try to follow a low-fat diet, making sure that it includes essential fatty acids, which are present in such foods as meat, chicken, and fish.

Don’t see supplements as magic pills

If a bodybuilder overdoes it with the supplements, then he is very likely to either cut back on the calories and proteins too much and thus will not facilitate sufficient nutrients for successful muscle building, or overeat and put on fat instead of muscle. Keep this rule in mind: the supplements should accompany food, not replace it.

Don’t stress your body with rapid, large-scale changes

Gradually increase/decrease calorie intake, making sure that your body has enough time to adapt to the change. Sudden calorie cut will trigger body to accumulate fat, at the same time sudden increase will also result in fat accumulation.