Nutrition

What Does "Organic" Mean?

admin@UltraFitSystems.com — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:44:00 GMT

Most of you know that in our Personal Training sessions we recommend that you eat lean meats, fruits and vegetables. And if possible you want to try and get all organic products. The only problem is that like many things in consumer products, the term is used in many forms due to weak law enforcement on its use and the different variations within the law that allow you to use the term "organic" under different circumstances.

Organic foods are grown without the use of chemical fertilizer or pesticides and have not been processed using irradiation or added hormones. Ideally this is the type of organic products you want to buy.

The law allows a wide dispersion on the use of the term as it applies to food products. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, products that are labeled “100 percent organic” must contain only organic ingredients. The only exception to this rule is water and salt. Products that are labeled “organic” must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Lastly any products that are made with at least 70 percent organic ingredients are allowed to be labeled “made with organic ingredients".

Given the fact that organic foods can cost 2-3 times more than other similar food products you may want to focus on certain foods that would be much healthier and safer if consumed as organic products. According to the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit that advocates for cleaner safer foods, the worst offenders for toxic practices such as pesticides and fertilizers that you should seek organic options for are:

Apples
Celery
Cherries
Grapes (imported)
Lettuce
Nectarines
Peaches
Pears
Strawberries
Sweet bell peppers

FDA Warns Consumers to Stop Using Hydroxycut Weight-Loss Products

admin@UltraFitSystems.com — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:36:57 GMT

From ConsumerAffairs.com

Dietary supplements linked to one death; risk of liver injury

May 1, 2009
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products after learning of a number of serious liver injuries. Iovate Health Sciences, the manufacturer, has agreed to recall Hydroxycut products from the market.

The FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. One death due to liver failure has been reported to the FDA. Other health problems reported include seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure.

Liver injury, although rare, was reported by patients at the doses of Hydroxycut recommended on the bottle. Symptoms of liver injury include jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes) and brown urine. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, excessive fatigue, weakness, stomach or abdominal pain, itching, and loss of appetite.

“The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risk. Adverse events are rare, but exist. Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they are experiencing symptoms possibly associated with these products,” said Linda Katz, M.D., interim chief medical officer of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Hydroxycut products are dietary supplements that are marketed for weight-loss, as fat burners, as energy-enhancers, as low carb diet aids, and for water loss under the Iovate and MuscleTech brand names. The list of products being recalled by Iovate currently includes:
• Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets
• Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets
• Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets
• Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix)
• Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Liquid Shots
• Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink)
• Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed
• Hydroxycut 24
• Hydroxycut Carb Control
• Hydroxycut Natural

Although the FDA has not received reports of serious liver-related adverse reactions for all Hydroxycut products, Iovate has agreed to recall all the products listed above. Hydroxycut Cleanse and Hoodia products are not affected by the recall. Consumers who have any of the products involved in the recall are advised to stop using them and to return them to the place of purchase.

The agency has not yet determined which ingredients, dosages, or other health-related factors may be associated with risks related to these Hydroxycut products. The products contain a variety of ingredients and herbal extracts.

Diet Pills

admin@UltraFitSystems.com — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:24:53 GMT

What works and what doesn't work

Just a quick comment here for all of you that are constantly asking me about what diet pills work and which ones don't. The reality is that almost all diet pills don't work for one main reason:

When they do work it means that it is taking the body out of homeostasis which means that it is changing the chemistry of the body. When you change the chemistry of the body you are classified as a drug. The big drug companies spend 10 years and billions of dollars testing drugs just to pass the FDA requirements for human use through medical prescriptions. This costs them a ton of money and they are not going to let any old Joe to come up with a product that really works and not force them through the same hoops they go through. So they act as the FDA's police force reporting those over the counter miracle cures that are changing the body.

This is not such a bad thing as often these drugs can cause all kinds of problems such as irregular heartbeats, fainting and organ damage. Ephedra, Herbal Phen-Fen and St. Johns Wort are the prime examples of weight loss drugs sold over the counter in the past that actually help in weight loss. The FDA banned the sale of ephedra-containing supplements on April 12, 2004 and all the miracle weight loss products on the market that used it scrambled and most settled on plain old caffeine as their active ingredient. Caffeine is the active ingredient in many weight loss products such as Hydroxycut. I can't tell you how many people I know that took Hydroxycut that had heart problems, fainting, and a host of other issues. I know the drug companies have been known to tell a tale or two about their testing results, but the over the counter market does no testing to speak of and represents the wild wild west in snake oil potions and miracle cures. As of May 1st many of the Hydroxycut products have been recalled by the FDA:

FDA Warns Consumers to Stop Using Hydroxycut Weight-Loss Products

There are currently 32 known species of ephedra, ephedra sinica (Ma Huang) and ephedra viridis (Mormon Tea) being the two most commonly used varieties. Ephedrine is the the active ingredient in ephedra. Not all varieties of ephedra contain Ephedrine. Ephedra sinica has strongest concentration of ephedrine while ephedra viridis usually contains no ephedrine alkaloid.

Ephedra (also known as Ma huang, Chinese Ephedra and epitonin) is one of the oldest medicines known to man. It was discovered in China more than 5000 years ago. Ephedra has been shown to increase metabolism and help promote weight loss. In addition, it relaxes the air passages in the lungs to help treat asthma and the common cough, promotes perspiration which assists the body in recovery from minor colds and it promotes urination to help relieve fluid retention.

Ephedra has been widely researched for its thermogenic (fat burning) qualities. Research has shown that ephedra promotes fat loss while sparing lean muscle tissue a problem in most diets and weight loss products.

Herbal Phen-Fen, a popular herbal formulation used for dieting, is a combination of ephedra and St. Johns Wort. Phen-Phen was taken off the market but St. John's Wort is still available but is more effective in the treatment of depression than weight loss. Additionally the manufacturers of these products are learning not to put very much active ingredient in the pills so as not to reach a point that the pill is really doing anything for fear they get taken of the shelf as well.

A popular stack called ECA (ephedra, caffeine, aspirin) had been used by bodybuilders to burn fat, and increase energy.

It is believed that the alkaloids in ephedra are the main active ingredient that gives ephedra its fat burning abilities. Alkaloids are a stimulant that speeds up the metabolism. The FDA banned alkaloid containing natural ephedra for use in dietary supplements but it didn't ban ephedra varities which have less effectiveness. (In other words alkaloid containing natural ephedra cannot be used as tea, in Oriental medicine or produced by the pharmaceutical industry.)

So if they do not work then nobody cares. The FDA does not care as long as the manufacturers or retailers are not making crazy claims about curing diseases and the big drug companies do not care because they have no scientific proof that it is doing anything to the body to report you for to get you removed from the shelves. And most of the time if it does not work it will not sell very well as they won't be able to afford the ad dollars to promote the commercials or Internet ads.

So to recap, if it works it will probably be dangerous to your health as it is untested and it will get removed from the shelf because people will be reporting massive success with the product or lots of complaints about side effects. If it does not work the product will probably remain on the shelf as long as the manufacturer can make a profit.

So don't be stupid, save your money and go with things that are known to be safe, natural and effective. Increasing meal frequency, higher fiber content and low glycemic index foods are examples of low hanging fruit that will pay off in weight loss and better overall health. The most safe and natural way that science has proven to raise your metabolism is with natural herbs and spices found in our everyday foods which is a whole article in itself. That being said, one of the most effective ways to naturally speed up the metabolism is with Green Tea. It has been proven to raise the caloric burn rate and protect the body from many diseases. So forget the snake oil and go natural!

Where Do You Get Your Nutritional Information? Why Doctors Aren't Always the Best Nutrition Advisors

admin@UltraFitSystems.com — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:49:45 GMT

If you are like most people;

You pick up your information off the street from friends and colleagues who have never studied or trained in the human biological sciences
If you are really concerned about getting good information you might check the Internet
And if you are in need of 100% correct information you go to your doctor.

I won’t comment on 1. or 2. But by commenting on 3. You can decide about the information you get in 1. and 2.

The following is an abstract and summary from a study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:

Background: Numerous entreaties have been made over the past2 decades to improve the nutrition knowledge and skills of medicalstudents and physicians. However, most graduating medical studentscontinue to rate their nutrition preparation as inadequate.

More...

The Poisoning Of Our Food System

admin@UltraFitSystems.com — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:36:36 GMT

Many of you know that I have several rules that I use as a basic foundation for my eating habits. If you have not seen them, I will display them at the end of this post. The main goal of those rules is to try and keep your foods as unprocessed and as natural as possible. I understand in a fast paced world this is not always possible, but we should try and eat healthy at least 90% of the time. That means if you eat 6 meals and snacks a day or 42 per week, you could eat less healthy about 6 times that week.

That being said, there are some things you just should steer clear of such as chemicals that don't belong in foods, such as the ones you can't even pronounce or items such as dyes and coloring. The body can't use this stuff and eventually the liver and kidneys will have to filter it out and it may even do cellular damage in the meantime.

In addition, a study posted in The New England Journal of Medicine a couple of years ago declared trans-fats as toxic in very low quantities to our system. Low is defined as 1-3 grams. You can get over 10 grams in a small french fries! That is why they have called for the outlaw of this substance. Many European nations have already banned trans-fats from their food system.

Many of you know that I recommend staying away from High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). I know what you are saying, it is in everything and the medical community including the dieticians keep saying they can't find much wrong with it other than it is another empty calorie that we don't need. Well, this past week they found something wrong with it. The report, published on the web site of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), shows detectable levels of mercury in 17 out of 55 tested products rich in high-fructose corn syrup. I don't have to tell you of the toxic dangers of mercury do I? Do you remember the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland? The term was coined due to mercury that was once used in the lining of certain hats like top hats which leached into the body through the skin causing people to go crazy as mercury damages the brain.

Well, guess what? We have been eating this stuff in a lot of our food for years, and although the process that produces mercury induced HFCS is all but gone in 90% of the US manufacturers, much of our food ingredients are globally sourced and it is still being used in other parts of the world as well as in the United States.

The research group purchased 55 products that list high-fructose corn syrup first or second on their list of ingredients, which means high-fructose corn syrup was a leading ingredient in those products.

They found detectable mercury in 17 of 55 samples, or around 31% of the products tested. These were products on the shelf during the fall of 2008.

Here is the list of those products:

Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars
Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
Manwich Gold Sloppy Joe
Market Pantry Grape Jelly
Smucker's Strawberry Jelly
Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
Hunt's Tomato Ketchup
Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
Coca-Cola Classic: no mercury found on a second test
Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
Minute Maid Berry Punch
Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
Nesquik Chocolate Milk
Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk

Do not be fooled into thinking these are the only products that have this problem. They only tested 55 and there are on average thousands of products on our shelves that contain HFCS. This is a big problem which every food manufacturer will deny or admit that the levels are permissible by law and not dangerous. The problem is that HFCS is in everything, just check your ingredient labels. Our children get tons of it all day, especially in some ketchups which they tend to put on everything. As such as consumers we need to be aware of not just the one product but the total daily consumption as mercury accumulates in the system and is difficult to get rid of.

So what kind of Russian Roulette do you want to play with your health and the health of the innocent child that relies on you to keep them safe from harm? They need you to make good decisions for them until they are able to think and fend for themselves. A quick tip, Heinz makes an organic ketchup that does not have HFCS.

One last comment if you think that the food industry has your best interest at mind... Peanut Butter... the item all our kids eat has been tainted and evidence is mounting the the company that sold it may of known about it and let it go out. Their peanut plant in Texas was unlicensed for 3 years and has been shut down. The CEO was called in by a congressional committee and the CEO has pleaded the 5th, no comment...

Rules for healthy food consumption:

No trans fats (hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils)
No artificial sugars
No high fructose corn syrup
Reduce or eliminate caffeine - Drink Green or White tea
Consume 35 grams of fiber daily
Consume low glycemic load carbohydrates
Sleep at least 7 (adults) - 9 (children) hours per night
Consume a multivitamin daily
Get at least 500-1000 mg of vitamin C daily
Get at least 1200-1500 mg of Calcium daily
Consume foods high in Omega 3's
Reduce consumption of Red meats - lean meats only
Reduce refined sugars and carbohydrates
Increase whole grain foods instead of white processed flour
Consume 5-6 meals per day (3 meals and 2 snacks)
Consume organic meats and produce, eliminate chemicals and hormones
Avoid artificial food dyes
Drink approximately 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water daily
Reduce saturated fats to 10% or less of caloric intake
Do not skip meals and do not fast
Always eat breakfast and make it your largest meal of the day
Eat as soon as possible after exercise to expedite muscular recovery

Bonking - Running Out Of Juice

admin@UltraFitSystems.com — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:52:04 GMT

Many clients don not understand the term "bonking" when I first use it with them. It was originally a term coined by runners to describe what happens to them after a long run where the body runs out of fuel and is no longer capable of movement. Much like a car that runs out of gasoline, the body has depleted its ready sources of glucose and is unable to adequately create energy from fats or glucose at that point and begins to shut down.

This phenomenon normally happens to marathon runners but it most commonly happens to 90% of the population in a much more mild form when they begin any new exercise regimen. That shakiness you get 5, 10 or 15 minutes into your new exercise program that makes you feel unstable on your feet and unable to finish your routine comes from a lack of glucose or more properly in this case an inability to convert glucose or fat into energy fast enough to fuel the demand being made on the muscle tissue.

Sadly, this is a result of a severe deconditioned state and indeed affects as much as 90% of the population if we were to get them all started in an exercise program today. The reason for this is why we have such an increase in Type II diabetes today. We use our muscles so little in our sedentary lifestyles, that they have no reason to store glucose for ready energy in the muscle tissues (commonly called glycogen storage). The tissue becomes insulin resistant meaning it will no longer allow insulin to feed glucose up to the tissue since it does not need it. As such all the energy you eat (fats and carbs) are then just stored as fat in your body rather than being stored in the muscle tissue for energy. In addition the body becomes very inefficient in converting these fat stores back to readily usable energy and therefor the body is incapable of completing its physical task.

In a marathon runner, they totally deplete the body of this energy even though they are highly trained and have very efficient storage and burning mechanisms. The end result is the same, bonking. They are unable to create movement due to a lack of fuel in the body. In the case of the rest of the population, they are cut short in the early stages of their exercise routines as they don't have efficient storage mechanisms and they are unable to convert fat to energy fast enough to fuel their bodies. The result again is bonking. This is what causes many people to try an exercise program once and then just stop because they believe it is too hard.

The reality is if you just accept your short-term limitations and don't push past that point initially you will quickly begin to overcome this problem starting with your very next workout. After the first workout your muscle tissue immediately begins adaptation by taking in more fuel (glucose) than they normally would for the new increased challenge demanded of them. Although slight at first, the muscle tissue rapidly becomes better at storing energy and at converting fat to fuel its movements within even a few short workouts.

In our gym, this problem normally happens in the first few days while performing our warm-ups. The client quickly runs out of fuel and is unable to complete the warm-up routines but this is designed to be this way. The initial days of new training are meant to reeducate the muscle tissue to begin to store more glucose, burn fats better and develop neuromuscular pathways from the brain to improve form and technique. So don't let what is normal distract you from your goals. Take it one step at a time as you quickly begin to move through your entire workout routines with no problem. When you reach this point you will be storing more energy in the muscles and less as fat causing you to be leaner and more energetic.

See Pre-Workout Nutrition

See Post-Workout Nutrition

Bean Salad

admin@UltraFitSystems.com — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 04:43:57 GMT

Folks, how hard is this? I got home at 7:30 PM after a long day at work that started at 6:00 AM. I am hungry and I need something fast and healthy...

2 Cans of Garbanzo Beans
2 Cans of Kidney Beans
2 Cans of White AlbacoreTuna
4 Scallions
2 Tomatoes
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
1/8 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar
Oregano, Sea Salt, Fresh Ground Pepper and Garlic to taste

Toss and Serve - 10 minutes preparation time
4 Servings

What Should You Be Drinking?

admin@UltraFitSystems.com — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:14:13 GMT

Stop believing what the company tells you on the TV or in the advertisement, read the ingredients for yourself, and if you don't know how, call me and I will teach you.

What they don't tell you is often more important than what they do tell you. Ever wonder why you don't see "Milk builds better bones" on the milk bottle? Because the FTC and the FCC regulate advertising and they have a lower threshold for what you can and can't say regarding nutrient value of products, where as the FDA that regulates food products and labeling requires scientific research as proof of a heath claim. The FDA does regulate advertising of food, drugs and supplements that make claims to healing disease or known medical problems, so you can't make any statement you want but it is much more liberal than what they allow for packaging and labels.

Guess what? There has never been any conclusive research that supports the milk, calcium, and bone density relationship and to the contrary there is evidence to the opposite. The theory goes that milk is acidic in comparison to your blood and the pH balance is upset requiring the bones to leach calcium back into the blood stream to balance out the acidity. Thus creating a loss of calcium and bone density!

All those Vitamin Water drinks fall in the same category, no real proof that they do anything and more evidence that they harm you.

Drink water and green or herb teas, the rest is just belly wash!

You have to check the ingredients:

U.S. group sues Coke over VitaminWater health claims

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE50E54L20090115

20 Worst Foods in America

admin@UltraFitSystems.com — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:00:39 GMT

These are the 20 worst foods for you per Men's Health. We here at UltraFit Clinic can think of about 500 more but this is a pretty good eye opener. Number 16 was unnpublished in the digital addition so it is left out below:

20. Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonald's

(5 pieces) with creamy ranch sauce

830 calories

55 g fat (4.5 g trans fat)

48 g carbohydrates

19. Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz)

900 calories

10 g fat

183 g carbs (166 g sugar)

18. Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie)

1,020 calories

64 g fat

86 g carbs

17. Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger

1,145 calories

71 g fat

56 g carbs

15. Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese

1,210 calories

62 g fat

3,450 mg sodium

16. Unpublished

14. Quiznos Classic Italian (large)

1,490 calories

85 g fat

4,510 mg sodium

96 g carbs

13. On the Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef

1,450 calories

102 g fat

78 g carbs

2,410 mg sodium

12. Carl's Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger

1,520 calories

111 g fat

11. Lonestar 20 oz T-bone

1,540 calories

124 g fat

10. Bob Evans Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Stacked and Stuffed Hotcakes

1,540 calories

77 g fat (9 g trans fat)

198 g carbs (109 g sugar)

9. Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

1,600 calories

78 g fat

215 g carbs

8. P.F. Chang's Pork Lo Mein

1,820 calories

127 g fat

95 g carbs

7. Chili's Honey Chipotle Crispers with Chipotle Sauce

2,040 calories

99 g fat

240 g carbs

6. On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans

2,100 calories

130 g fat

169 g carbs

4,750 mg sodium

5. Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza

2,310 calories

162 g fat

123 g carbs

4,470 mg sodium

4. Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce

2,430 calories

128 g fat

207 g carbs

5,290 mg sodium

3. On the Border Stacked Border Nachos

2,740 calories

166 g fat

191 g carbs

5,280 mg sodium

2. Chili's Awesome Blossom

2,710 calories

203 g fat

194 g carbs

6,360 mg sodium

1. Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing

2,900 calories

182 g fat

240 g carbs

7 Secrets to a Healthy Diet

admin@UltraFitSystems.com — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:37:54 GMT

Dieting is not what we practice here at UltraFit Clinic^™. Diet is a noun not a verb. We don't diet, we have a lifelong way of eating that constitutes our "Diet". The words we like to use are "nutritional program" to describe the mindful activities we deploy each day as we eat for energy, life, recovery and for pleasure. Yes, for pleasure! Healthy eating does not have to be bland, dull or bad. It is full of flavors, aromas and colors that keep you satisfied and looking forward to all your meals.
Now some simple tips to make that happen:

1. Increase the amount of meals you eat to a minimum of 5-6 per day. Do not increase the total amount of food, but reduce portion sizes and spread your daily intake over more meals and snacks.
2. Increase the amount of dietary fiber you consume by eating more fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and whole grains with each meal. Consume carbohydrates, proteins and fats together at each meal when possible. Consume low glycemic index and low glycemic load foods.
3. Increase your ability to store glucose (sugars) in your muscle tissue as well as the amount of calories you burn daily by exercising at least 5 times per week for at least 20 minutes at higher intensities or up to one hour at lower intensities.
4. Reduce the total amount of calories you eat by approximately 250-500 calories daily.
5. Improve the quality and types of foods you eat by fulfilling all nutrient and dietary fiber requirements including essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, high nutrient to calorie ratio carbohydrates, optimal vitamins and minerals and soluble and insoluble fibers.
6. Drink at least half your weight in ounces of water daily.
7. Take a multivitamin supplement daily with a meal.