Prograde University

Is it ok for me to say the health care debate is making me SICK?

I know it’s a VERY touchy subject. I know people have VERY strong opinions about it.

But what nobody really wants to talk about is the fact we could simplify the heck out of this by doing one thing:

Take better care of ourselves.

We have this incredible love affair with making things so complicated. It’s absurd really.

Small, simple changes to the way we live our lives and the entire country would be SOOO much healthier.

Let me give an extreme example:

Years ago I had a personal training client whose co-worker ate TWO Big Macs every day for lunch. Yes, two of them. And yes, EVERY day. At least that is what I was told.

Now, this person started at around 300 pounds when they made one simple change to their life that caused them to drop 50 of those pounds very quickly.

Can you guess what it is?

This person started eating ONE Big Mac for lunch every day instead of two.

Is that ideal? Of course not.

Is it a start? Sure is.

Now, I’m afraid I do not know what happened to this person. I hope they used this as a starting point and went on to make similar changes and shed a whole lot more weight.

But the moral of the story is simple: We’re making things a whole lot harder than they need to be.

Small changes add up to BIG results. They always have and they always will.

Does it solve all our problems? No.

But does it solve a lot? Yeah, it really does.

So what do you do now? I suggest you read this awesome special report on Six of the Most Powerful Antioxidants to help you better undertand the role nutrition plays in the anti-aging process.

Yours in health,

Jim Labadie

Co-founder, Prograde Nutrition

PS - Just click here to discover some simple, but powerful, nutrients that may have confused you in the past.

Americans are swallowing 22 teaspoons of sugar each day according to the American Heart Association.

Most women should be getting no more than 6 teaspoons a day of added sugar which is the sweeteners and syrups that are added to processed foods and foods made at home that call for extra sugar.

The recommended limit for men is 9 teaspoons. 

The guidelines do not apply to naturally occurring sugars like those found in fruit, vegetables or dairy products. 

Most of the added sugars actually come from candies, soft drinks and processed foods.

Males age 14-18 are consuming around 34 teaspoons of sugar each and every day. 

Rachel Johnson a professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont in Burlington says:  "Take a good, hard look at your diet".  "Figure out where the sources of added sugars are and think about how to cut back on that."

Now don’t get me wrong sugar does play a role in enhancing the taste of food and in some cases is necessary.  What you need to watch for though is excessive sugar or products that are primarily sugar with very little fiber or protein.

We all know added sugar leads to weight gain and by just cutting out 1 12oz soft drink or about 140 calories a day can save you over 50,000 calories in a one year time frame. 

So instead of gaining the average 10 pounds a year you could be losing 4-5 pounds in a year. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has an online database for the added sugars in some foods.

USDA Database for the Added Sugars Content of Selected Foods

Yours in good health,

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS

A high protein diet as part of your healthy eating guidelines enhances fat loss according to researchers at Skidmore College. 

They found that when subjects followed a high-protein diet 40% or more of total daily calories from protein for eight weeks they lost significantly more bodyfat than those following a low-fat/high carb diet. 

Particularly they lose more in their abdominal fat region.

One reason for this was eating more protein boosts levels of peptide YY, a hormone that is produced by gut cells that travel to the brain to decrease hunger and increase satiety. 

Make sure you if you want to accelerate your weight loss efforts to include high quality protein meals into your healthy eating guidelines.

Yours in good health,

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS
 

Another benefit to consuming Omega 3 fatty acids and high quality fish oil such as krill oil.

A new study presented in Clinical Cancer Research, shows diets high in omega 3 EPA and DHA may decrease the risk of prostate cancer.  This link appears to be most apparent in those individuals with a genetic link to developing the prostate disease.

In the study researchers looked at 466 men with aggressive prostate cancer and 478 healthy men and they assessed their eating habits using a food frequency  questionnaire.   The men were also screened for a variant of a gene known as COX-2, which helps your body regulate and control inflammation in the body.  

There is a certain variant of this gene is known to increase the risk of developing prostate cancer.

The study shows that those men who ate dark fatty fish one to three times per month had a 36 percent lower risk of prostate cancer as compared to those who had zero dark fish consumption.  

Those that ate dark fish at least once a week had a 57 percent decrease in risk.  

On the contrary those who consumed little to no omega-3 EPA/DHA and who also carried the specific COX-2 variant were five times more likely to develop advanced prostate cancer.  

However, this association was essentially reversed with increasing consumption of omega-3 EPA/DHA.  

Your take home point:  Consume dark fish such as salmon ideally 1x a week and supplement with a high quality krill oil supplement to ensure you do everything you can to decrease your risk of prostate cancer.

Yours in good health,

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS
 

You should be ignoring the bad rap on burgers and include this and other red meat into your healthy eating guidelines.

Why should tips for healthy eating include red meat?

Because red meat DOES NOT raise your LDL(bad) cholesterol says UK researchers.

In their study they tracked 1,152 people for 10 years.

Those that ate as much as 8 ounces of red meat daily had the same levels of LDL cholesterol as those who ate no more than 1 ounce a day.

The researchers believe one reason for this is because about two thirds of the fat in red meat doesn’t raise bad (LDL) cholesterol according to previous studies.

Now this doesn’t mean you can go back to eating 2 burgers a day or a steak every single night for dinner. 

What this does mean is that you can incorporate red meat into your healthy eating plans and tips for healthy eating. 

Yours in good health,

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS
 

Many societies still think that a common beer belly is a sign that life has been good to you.

Others know that it probably isn’t the healthiest thing to have, but they follow healthy eating tips so internally everything should be good and healthy. 

You just make look less than stellar on the outside. 

Well, research is now finding that the beer belly is linked to heart disease, hypertension, insulin resistance and Type II diabetes.

More importantly having that beer belly may chemically be causing you to destroy those healthy eating guidelines and healthy eating tips. 

What is behind this bulge is a neuropeptide Y (NPY) and this protein is produced by the hypothalmus which is known to increase hunger and encourage the body to store food as bodyfat.

So it not matter if you are following healthy eating guidelines or not.

Those healthy eating tips may be getting pushed to the side internally as your body is telling you to eat more all the while storing more food as bodyfat. 

What research is also finding is that visceral fat - the kind responsible for central obesity or better referred to as the beer belly also produces this protein that leads to increased hunger and stored bodyfat. 

The solution is to keep following those tips for healthy eating, but also increase the high intensity interval strength training as well as the cardio to burn off that beer belly.  Not only will you look better, your back will feel better, but your body will store less food as bodyfat and you won’t eat as much.

Yours in good health,

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS

Resource:  Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (7):2, 452-2, 464, 2008

Today, I am going to tell you a little secret. I am going to reveal three women’s vitamins to help you enjoy a better lifestyle. In recent times, women’s vitamins have become an important part of any nutrition plan. Combined with a good exercise and diet plan, women’s vitamins can make a huge difference to your lifestyle. I am going to give you the top three such women’s vitamins which help improve the quality of your lifestyle.

Modern society has resulted in women who lead multifaceted lives. They are longer just confined to their homes and their kids. They have to play the role of a good wife, a good mother and have to be a top performer as work as well. At some point this is bound to impact your quality of life. By taking women’s vitamins, you can actually give yourself an energy boost and improve your overall lifestyle at the same time.

Women’s vitamins actually help women cope with the different roles they play through their life and also ensure that they remain healthy while they’re at it.

Ok, here you go, my top three women’s vitamins to help you enjoy a better lifestyle are:
 
1) Vitamin B and Vitamin C – Two of the best women’s vitamins available in the market today and the richest source of numerous health benefits. They contain antioxidant properties to cope with stress and pollution, ultimately leading to a more relaxed lifestyle.

2) Vitamin E is used extensively in anti-aging products and skin creams. It is essential for overall good health. It is also know to be effective in regeneration of deal cells caused by pollution and other environment factors.

3) Calcium and Vitamin D – We all know that good bone health in essential to maintain an active and higher quality lifestyle as we grow old. It’s a no brainer then that we should look for a women’s vitamins product which provides a combination of vitamin D and calcium. Why vitamin D, it helps the body absorb the calcium more effectively.

Ok, that was 4 vitamins.  I thought I would throw in an extra women’s vitamin for good measure.

What if I told you that I can show you how to create a healthy weight loss diet plan that actually works? I know many people who would give an arm and a leg to find a healthy weight loss diet plan that produces decent results. Well, here goes, I am going to give you some solid tips to create a healthy weight loss diet plan that actually works. The key here is to find a healthy weight loss diet plan which works with your body’s unique needs and helps you become healthier while you lose weight.

Sometimes, in fact most times, finding a healthy weight loss diet plan which works for you is really difficult. This is because a healthy weight loss diet plan does not mean you need to deprive or starve yourself. In fact, you need to actually eat well but eat the right foods to achieve sustainable long term weight loss.

Here are some tips which will help you a healthy weight loss diet plan that actually works:

1) You can eat but you should eat healthy – Your healthy weight loss diet plan should ensure that you eat the right foods in the right proportions. You should avoid all processed and packaged foods which are loaded with preservatives and fats whenever you can.

2) Switch your carbs from simple to complex – Simple carbs are not as healthy as complex carbs. If you are eating too much of simple carbs like white bread and white rice, switch to more complex carbs such as whole wheat bread, whole grain brown rice, millet, quinoa and barley. They provide more energy and help you burn more calories.

3) Plan your diet in advance - Plan your healthy weight loss diet in advance. Don’t eat anything on an impulse. Instead plan your meals before hand and carry small portions of healthy snacks with you.

If you are looking for a healthy snack check out these organic low calorie snack bars.  Healthy Snacks

Yours in health,

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS

Why do you need women’s vitamins? The answer lies in the fact that our body’s requirements for vitamins and minerals are no longer met by eating regular foods.  I am going to give you three reasons why exactly we need women’s vitamins. Studies have shown that women’s vitamins perform certain vital bodily functions such as improving overall immunity and increasing energy levels to be able to handle the pressures of day-to-day life.

Women are different from men in many ways. They need a different vitamin formula than men. Good quality women’s vitamins should ideally contain nutrients proven to support the functioning of a female body. Fortunately for all the women out there, nutrition supplement manufacturers have developed women’s vitamins which provide the necessary vitamins and minerals specifically targeting women.

Ok, so here you go, three reasons why you should be taking some women’s vitamins:

Vitamins are a great source of multiple health benefits. This is easily one of the most important reasons why we need women’s vitamins. Antioxidants, vitamin B complex, vitamin A, selenium, vitamin D, calcium, etc can all be found in one easy to take multivitamin for women.

Anti-aging products for women must be one of the best selling nutrition products of all time. We all are obsessed with looking young and youthful. Certain vitamins like vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamins B3 and B6 are known to have powerful anti-aging properties. They are essential for overall good health, skin and healthy cell regeneration.

Lifestyle diseases like diabetes are just as common in women nowadays as they are in men. Women’s vitamins that contain minerals like chromium help protect against diabetes. This is because studies have shown that chromium helps regulate the insulin levels in our body.

I cannot stress enough the importance of supplementing our regular diets with women’s vitamins. Look for a multivitamin with a combination of many vitamins and minerals for best results.

Yours in health,

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS

Osteoporosis is a disease which is fast gaining importance in today’s day and age and if we don’ wake up and do something about, we will have to face the consequences in the long run. Today, I will reveal the link between a healthy men’s nutrition plan and the prevention of osteoporosis.

It is extremely important to spread awareness amongst men about osteoporosis, a disease that weakens bones and leaves them brittle. I firmly believe that a balanced men’s nutrition plan can help cope with the causes of osteoporosis that are in our control.

Prevention is better than cure, is what our elders used to say. The best way to prevent this is by having a good healthy men’s nutrition plan. What is really surprising is that most men don’t know what osteoporosis is until they have it. Studies have shown that most of the cases of osteoporosis in men are caused by factors that can be controlled through a good men’s nutrition plan.

I cannot stress enough on the importance of a good men’s nutrition plan to keep your bones healthy and strong.

Here are really effective men’s nutrition tips which can actually help prevent osteoporosis:

1) Calcium is the most important mineral available for good bone health. Its overall benefits for bones are well known. Include about 500-1000 mg of calcium in your diet on a daily basis.

2) We all know that alcohol can cause a lot of harm to the human body. Alcohol works against any men’s nutrition plan by interfering with body’s ability to absorb calcium and decreases bone formation. Drinking, if not kept in control, can become one of the most common risk factors for osteoporosis.

3) If you work hectic hours, then you must also have irregular eating habits. Men with irregular eating habits are at a higher risk of loss of bone mass in their hips, wrist, and lower backs. Following a good men’s nutrition plan can help you get back on track with your eating habits.

Make sure you have a solid nutritional foundation and then provide insurance through a good men’s vitamin and meal replacement drink if your meals are irregular.

Yours in health,

Jayson Hunter RD, CSCS