Health & Fitness Blog

In our last fitness articles we discussed the types of fats, fitness and weight loss tips, micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).Today we will discuss the facts about building muscles and diet. Macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates and fats helps in building muscles. Despite the fact that carbohydrate and protein synthesis are vital to build muscles, many of us don’t pay enough attention to the food we eat.

One can write a book on muscle building and diet.  Even though science is fairly straightforward, researchers have determined that a person trying to build muscle needs between 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day. Many nutritionists like to use the lower number of 1.5 grams per kilogram of body. Trainers in health centres tend to round the number up to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily for building muscles.

A lot of extra protein ie more than 2 grams per pound of body weight may not help for muscle building. Protein has two qualities that help in weight loss and may curtail weight gain. First protein is metabolically expensive for our body to process, our body burns 20% of each protein calorie just digesting it (for carbs is 8% and  fats 2%).This is called thermic effect of feeding, second protein keeps you feeling fuller for longer, this is great tool for fat loss but not advisable  when you trying to gain muscle. On the other hand for fat loss via strength training we need to take in more than the recommended upper limit of protein while cutting back on fats or carbs. Without extra protein your body could lose muscle mass with fat, and lost muscle means a slower metabolism which can stall weight loss and fat can be regained at a faster pace.

The highest quality protein is found in meat, fish, eggs, milk and other dairy products. And the use of whey protein and meal replacement powders seem to be grudging support among nutritionists because of the convenience, the high quality of protein and safety of these supplements.

The timing of protein intake has gotten more attention recently. Research at university of Texas shows that ingesting a protein-carb supplement before strength training leads to more protein synthesis than a post workout supplement does. The most likely reason of this is that the blood flow increases during exercise, so if we have more protein in blood during exercise, more protein goes to the muscles thereby helping in muscles building.

Vitamins and Minerals and What they do – more details

In the last post, we saw that there are thirteen Vitamins, and sixteen (or more) minerals currently recognized by science.   We learned that, of these 13 Vitamins, there are two basic groups – Fat Soluble and Water Soluble.

This time I’d like to give a bit of detail as to what each Vitamin can do for you, and how much you should aim to get, in order to be sure that you have a healthy diet.

Let’s start with the Fat Soluble Vitamins:

Vitamin A

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin K

Vitamin A: (Also called Retinol)

Functions:

• Vitamin A is called the “anti-infective” vitamin because the human immune system cannot function without it. Vitamin A plays a central role in the development of lymphocytes – the white blood cells that play critical roles in the immune response.
• Vitamin A keeps skin flexible.
• It increases mucous secretion.
• It helps Night vision – carrots really are good for your eyes, just like your Mother used to tell you !
• Vitamin A is necessary for the growth and repair of body tissue
• Beta carotene (Pro Vitamin A) is a powerful antioxidant.

Sources: Colored fruits and vegetables are generally high in vitamin A. Spinach, Carrots, Broccoli, eggs, and other dairy products are some of the excellent sources of vitamin A

RDA: 2333 IU for adult women and 3000 IU for adult men.

Degradation: Vitamin A is reduced by heat, light, and oxygen.

Vitamin D (Also called the “Sunshine Vitamin” )

Functions:

• Vitamin D is essential for keeping your bones and your immune system healthy
• Vitamin D regulates the Calcium absorption and thus helps in building strong and healthy bones (and warding off osteoporosis) and keeping your teeth strong and healthy.
• Vitamin D can help prevent certain forms of cancer

Sources: Sunshine is the  healthiest source of Vitamin D, Milk Products, Salmon etc.

RDA: The RDA, for men and women, 25 to 50 years old, is 5 mcg per day.

Vitamin E (Also called Tocopherol)

Main Functions:

• Vitamin E is special because it’s especially good at protecting your cell membranes against free radicals – it’s what is known as an anti-oxidant.
• Vitamin E also teams up with Vitamin A, beta carotene, and Vitamin C, the other major antioxidant vitamins, to give you extra protection
• Vitamin E, when added to creams and lotions, can help in reducing the natural effects of aging on your skin.
• Vitamin E helps in the treatment of some skin diseases such as psoriasis and excema.

Sources: almonds, sunflower seeds, and cold pressed oils, wheat germ, and whole grain products.

RDA: adolescents and adults, 22.5 IU (15 mg); children, 6–16 IU (4–11 mg).

Degradation: can be oxidized during food preparation or storage.

Vitamin K (Also called the “Green Leafy Vitamin”)

Functions:

Vitamin K helps the clotting of blood and the healing of wounds. This vitamin can be obtained from green vegetables, milk products, cod-liver oil, apricots and whole grains.

Vitamin K is also produced by the natural healthy bacteria that are found in your large intestine.   These “friendly” bacteria are killed off if you’re taking a course of antibiotics for some infection, and this will reduce your levels of naturally -produced Vitamin K.   It will also reduce the levels of the other Vitamins which you absorb from your food, because the temporary lack of these “friendly” bacteria will weaken your digestion which in turn will reduce your system’s ability to process and absorb the nutrients in your food.

Vitamins and Minerals and What they do

The Basics

We all have heard of vitamins and minerals and their importance in our daily diet for good health.

The sheer variety of vitamins and minerals that is available in health shops and supermarkets may seem confusing and even a little scary – what to buy, and for what benefit ??

Vitamins are a fundamentally important part of the human diet, and in order to take the best care of your health and well being,  it’s useful to understand what each vitamin does – and why you need them. Once you understand the  basics and functions of each of the vitamins and minerals, then you’ll be able to shop wisely and choose food, and vitamin supplements, that will help improve your health and well being.

It’s not necessarily the pills containing the highest quantities of vitamins that are the best, and the more expensive ones aren’t necessarily better than the cheaper brands.

Given that most food today is highly processed, it is recommended that you check to see that you are getting your daily requirement of vitamins and minerals from your daily diet.   If  you’re not, then it’s worth making up the lack by taking supplements.

Some vitamins are actually produced by the body rather than being absorbed from food, but even then certain conditions are required to make this happen.   Vitamin D, for example, is produced from exposure to sunlight, and so our vitamin D levels fall in the Winter, and can be low if you work indoors.

What are Vitamins and Minerals?

Vitamins and Minerals are micro-nutrients which are required for the normal functioning of the body. Though they have no energy or calories, the body needs vitamins and minerals because of their various functions, and the chemical reactions they enable in the body and brain.

For example -

• Some Vitamins, including the B-group vitamins, convert food into energy, and help strengthen your nervous system – good if you’re overworked or stressed-out !.
• Vitamins are required to make enzymes and hormones.   Hormones are important substances used by the body and the brain to perform a number of essential functions
• Vitamins promote normal growth by aiding metabolism and helping to build protection against germs and viruses.
• Vitamins are very important for normal growth and development in children
• Vitamins and Minerals help in healthy bones and teeth
• These micro-nutrients are good for healthy skin, hair and nails and keeps you mentally strong

Vitamins D and K are INTERESTING IN THAT THEY ARE ACTUALLY produced naturally by the body. Vitamin D can be formed in the skin, given adequate exposure to sunlight, while vitamin K is normally produced by our natural healthy intestinal bacteria. However, it’s necessary to supplement the naturally-produced amounts of these two Vitamins because, partly due to the conditions of modern life, they are generally not produced in adequate amounts for your on-going needs.

So How Many Different Vitamins and Minerals Are There ?

There are thirteen Vitamins, and sixteen (or more) minerals currently recognized by science.  Of these 13 Vitamins, there are two basic groups – Fat Soluble and Water Soluble.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the fatty tissues in the body and in the liver. Vitamins A, E, D and K are fat-soluble – that is, they dissolve in fat, but not water.  Since these vitamins are stored in the body, it’s important not to take too high a quantity of them in a healthy diet.   Because the body stores them, their levels will build up in your body if you get too much of them, and in excess quantities they can be toxic and even cause health problems.

Water-Soluble Vitamins

The other group of Vitamins are the water-soluble vitamins. These Vitamins pass into the water in your body and pass out again when you pass water.   Vitamin C, and the B-group Vitamins are water soluble vitamins.   The good news is that, if you take too much of them, the excess is passed out of the body when you visit the toilet.   But the downside is that you need to keep taking them every day for the very same reason.   Also, when you cook your food, especially when boiling food such as vegetables, these vitamins are lost as they leach out into the cooking water.

In my nest post I’ll go into the details of the function that each Vitamin and Mineral plays in the body.   As I said above, once you know the function of each vitamin and mineral – and how much of each one you need – then it’s easy to pick the right combination that will maintain and improve your health.

Vitamins are Famous !

Of all the nutrients a healthy body needs, almost everybody has heard of Vitamins, and while most people have heard that “Vitamin C can help prevent you catching a cold”, most of us don’t know much about these essential micro-nutrients.   Hopefully now you’ve gained a bit of knowledge that will help you know what you’re looking for when you want to make some small changes to your diet that will improve your health.

Next Time

Come back soon, I’ll be going into more detail on what each Vitamin can do for you, and how much you should aim to get, in order to be sure that you have a healthy diet.

Last time we were discussing types of fats, why they’re good, why they’re bad, and why we need them. We looked at the different types of fat – the good fats and the bad fats.

That was a lot of information, so we stopped with a promise to come back and talk about the Trans Fats, or trans fatty acids.

What do you spread on your bread ?

Trans fatty acids, also called hydrogenated oils, are man-made processed fats.   The good thing about them is that they keep the fats solid at room temperature, and yet still easy to spread.  You know how butter out of the fridge is hard, and tears up your bread when you try to spread it ?  Well, margarine is just so smooth to spread on your bread, straight out of the fridge, and that’s what the trans fats do. But they come at a price.  So, please be careful to check if your margarine  contains any hydrogenated oils or Trans Fats.

Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat that is very bad for your health. It increases the risk of heart disease by raising the “bad” cholesterol (LDL), and lowering the “good” cholesterol (HDL) (more about Cholesterol later).

Trans Fats should be kept out of your healthy diet plan, for a number of reasons.

Truth about Trans Fats (?)

The trans fats pollute the cell membranes of your body and interfere with their functions. They may affect the reproductive functions by decreasing the levels of testosterone (remember this, men !), and they can  weaken your immune system, especially if you’re already a bit run-down or stressed-out.

If you want more bad news, then there’s a whole list of diseases that have been linked with hydrogenated oils including Diabetes, Obesity, and certain types of Cancer.

It is also called “brain poison”, because it may lead to depression, mood disorders, fuzzy thinking and sleep disturbances.

Fats and Facts

Having said above that trans fats are man-made, let me just clarify that with the detail. There are actually two types of Trans Fats:-

- Natural Trans Fats, found, in small amounts, in dairy products and meat, and
- Artificial Trans Fats, which are manufactured when the liquid oils are hardened into partially hydrogenated fats which are still easy to spread.

Natural trans fats are better than the artificial trans fats, especially if you choose low fat dairy products. The worst ones are the artificial trans fats which are used in fried foods, cookies, and some margarines.

Experts recommend that you reduce your trans fats intake to no more than 2 grams per day and that is of natural trans fats only.  Forget the artificial ones altogether.

According to FDA (Food and Drug Administration) there is NO recommended daily allowance of Artificial Trans Fats, since these trans fats should be entirely avoided in your daily diets.

Remember, all hydrogenated oils contains trans fats, and when you eat refined and processed foods, it is very difficult to avoid hydrogenated oils or trans fats.

So what should you do?

Here are a few more guidelines for you to avoid Trans Fats and switch over to healthy eating:-

- Always, with all foods you buy, look at the nutrition table at the back of the packet to check the Trans Fats.

- Also, check the ingredients list, looking for “partially hydrogenated vegetable  oils”. Avoid hydrogenated oils.

- As we discussed last time, try to limit fatty foods, take-away meals, and packaged foods to once a week, maybe just as a “treat” (no-one can be good all the time).

- Grill, Bake or opt for stir fry rather than deep fry, this will help to reduce a lot of fat intake, especially “bad” fat.

- With all dairy products including milk, yogurt, cheese etc, go for “lite” or low fat varieties.

- Use polyunsaturated oils like canola or olive oil in cooking.

- Remember, even “innocent” foods like crackers, that pastry desserts, potato chips (sorry, it’s true), microwave popcorns (yes, no kidding) all contain hydrogenated oils.   These trans fats  “hidden” in “innocent” foods mean that that many people are un-knowingly consuming quantities of trans fats and hydrogenated oils, on a daily basis, in quantities that could be considered toxic.

Don’t Worry Be Happy

But but but – my main message, as always, is that, in order to be healthy you don’t have to give up all those good things in life.  No, with just a few gradual small changes here and there, you will move towards a much fitter, healthier, and slimmer body without even noticing that you’re trying.

Follow my blog, and pretty soon you will realise that you have more energy, you feel better, and you look better than you did a couple of months ago. Stay with me, I will give you more good information each time, and I will keep you motivated !

Come back soon

Ash

TYPES OF FATS IN YOUR DIET: The good, bad, and the ugly

There are various types of Fats in your diet, let’s discuss them in detail:

Saturated Fats:

Everybody knows that the Saturated Fats are the “bad” fats and you should avoid them, right ?  Wrong !

Provided you eat  the recommended daily intake  of saturated fats of no more than 20 grams per day, and no more than one third of your total fat intake in a day, then saturated fats are actually good for you.

They help in the absorption of Omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for a number of things, including healthy lungs (smokers take particular note !).

Saturated fats also help in the absorption of calcium, and are therefore good for strong bones and for helping protect against osteoporosis as you get older (and this applies to men as well as women). Saturated fats will also help protect the cells in all parts of your body against invading infections and diseases.

However, like most good things, Saturated Fats are bad if you take them in excess. These are the fats that raise your blood cholesterol levels and clog your arteries.   These are the fats that cause heart disease.

Watch out for Saturated Fats in the diet.   Animal products (such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, lard and butter), as well as coconut, palm and other tropical oils are all rich in saturated fats. Butter, and the fats in meat and dairy products, are all especially high in saturated fat.   And margarine, you know – the stuff that the ads on TV say is good for you – margarine is also a supplier of saturated fats in your diet.

So what should you do ?

Although it sounds like all bad news, by just making a few changes in your diet, you can make a huge difference in your health, and in your life, by avoiding an excess of saturated fats as a part of your healthy diet.

At breakfast, choose skim milk verses full cream milk for your cereal.   Throughout the day, switch to skim milk in your coffee and tea.

Cakes and muffins have a lot of saturated fats, it is good if you can avoid them in your regular daily diet.   Then allow yourself to have the occasional one as a special treat now and then, and you will enjoy it all the more !

And here’s an interesting calculation – if you change to low fat dairy products instead of full cream, in one year you will reduce your intake of Saturated Fat by around 4 kilos.

Wherever possible, choose margarine instead of butter. Study the labels on the containers in the supermarket, and select a good low fat margarine that is better than regular butter.

As a final tip, reduce your intake of refined and processed foods such as white bread etc, and go for wholemeal products instead.   Not only will this reduce your fat intake, but also the extra fibre in wholemeal products will actually help to absorb and flush fat out of your body.   The fibre in the wholemeal bread will counteract the fat in the margarine that you spread on it.

Unsaturated Fats:

Unsaturated Fats are good for you, right ?  Right !  So most of your fat intake should be from unsaturated fats.

There are two types of unsaturated fats: Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated.

When you replace “bad” saturated fats with “good” unsaturated fats in your diet, they both (Mono-unsaturated and Polyunsaturated) help in lowering your cholesterol levels. Not only that – Monounsaturated Fats actually help in raising the amount of “good” cholesterol.

Polyunsaturated fats contain essential fatty acids that our body can not produce itself  –  Omega-6 and Omega-3.  Since the body needs these fats, but can’t manufacture them itself, we have to get these fatty acids from the food we eat.

So what should you do ?

Most cooking oils are unsaturated fats. Canola oil and olive oil are the best options for cooking, because of their ratio of monounsaturated to polyunsaturated fatty acids. But be aware – when you see a label on cooking oil that says “light”, this refers to the taste or the colour, and not the fat content. All oils are 100% fat, “oil” and “fat” is really just the same thing.

Mono- and Poly- unsaturated fats are found in most vegetable products and oils. Avocados, nuts and seeds, and olive oil, peanut oil, and canola oil,  these are excellent sources of the “good” unsaturated fats.

But don’t forget – “good” fats are still fats, and if you eat them in excess they will cause you the same problems as “bad’ fats in excess.   If you eat more than your body needs, then your body will still save them for you, adding them in handy layers around your nice slim waist, hips and thighs !

And Then There are Trans Fats

The more we hear about Trans Fatty Acids, the more we hear that they are the real fat villains.   But is this the true picture ?

Let’s discuss it in the next article! Come back soon

Everybody knows it – fat is bad for you, and if you can cut it out of your diet altogether you will be slim, fit, and healthy, right ?   Wrong !

Fat is actually an essential part of your diet, and is an essential part of your body.   You need fat in your body for absorption of fat soluble vitamins, you need fat to provide a steady supply of energy, and you need a layer of fat to insulate you against the cold.   Then you need fat to lubricate your joints, to keep nutrients flowing around your body, to help remove waste matter and toxins from your cells, and a host of other functions.   You need fat to keep your brain working, and to make your skin smooth and elastic.   And fats assist in your body’s production of sex hormones !

As if all that wasn’t good enough, fat also tastes great, and humans have an inbuilt desire, an ancient instinct, to stock up on fat through the diet.   In the caveman days, you didn’t know when you might catch your next dinosaur to eat, so nature gave you an inbuilt urge to stock up on fat while it was there in front of you.

The big question is not should you eat fats or not, the question is how much – and what type – of fats should you eat.

Fat, as a nutrient, is a concentrated source of calories, containing 9 calories in every gram. Fats supply more than twice as many calories (i.e. energy) than carbohydrates or protein

However, as we all know,  too much fat in your diet may lead to unwanted weight gain.   More than this, too much fat in your diet can increase your chances of developing diseases such cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other killers.

A good guideline is to get 25-30% of your total daily calories from fat.

Impress your friends !

If you want some facts to impress your friends with, here’s the good news about fats:-

• while Vitamins B and C are water soluble and can’t be stored by the body, other vitamins including A, D, E, and K are fat soluble, and your body fat will absorb and store these vitamins and release them in a steady supply, as and when they are needed
• Fats are known to be helpful in brain development
• Fats are good for your skin. A lack of essential  fatty acids can lead to dry skin, and possibly to skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and others.
• Fats are good for your sex life !   They help in the production of sex hormones in the body.
• Fats act like protective cushion for our body, and protective layer between your skin and your organs and bones.
• Last but not least, fat provides flavour in food, it just tastes so good.

OK, so that’s the good news.   Unfortunately, not all fats are alike.   Having too much of any type – even the so-called “good fats” – can be bad for you. Let’s discuss it in the next post about types of fats in the diet