3.1 Post-Workout Nutrition: Secrets to a Hard, Lean Body
As you’ve probably heard before, your post-workout meal may very well be your
most important meal of the day. The reason is that when you’re finished with an
intense workout, you’re entering a catabolic state where your muscle glycogen is
depleted and increased cortisol levels are beginning to excessively break down
muscle tissue. These conditions (if left to go too long) are not good and the only
way to reverse this catabolic state (and promote an anabolic state) is to consume a
quickly digestible post-workout meal as soon as you can after training. The goal is
to choose a meal with quickly digestible carbs to replenish muscle glycogen as well
as quickly digestible protein to provide the amino acids needed to jump start
muscular repair. The surge of carbohydrates and amino acids from this quickly
digested meal promotes an insulin spike from the pancreas, which shuttles
nutrients into the muscle cells. The post-workout meal should generally contain
between 300-500 calories to get the best response. For example, a 120-lb female
may only need a 300-calorie meal, whereas a 200-lb male may need a 500-calorie
post-workout meal. Your post-workout meal should also contain anywhere from a
2:1 ratio of carbs:protein to a 4:1 ratio of carbs:protein. While most of your other
daily meals should contain a source of healthy fats, keep the fat content of your
post-workout meal to a bare minimum, since fat slows the absorption of the meal,
which is the opposite of what you want after a workout.
When choosing what to make for your post-workout meal, the first thing to realize
is that you DON’T need any of these expensive post-workout supplement
formulations that the magazines (who advertise for them) will tell you that you
absolutely NEED! As with any nutritional strategies, natural is always better. A
good source of quickly digestible natural carbs such as frozen bananas,
pineapples, raisins, honey, or organic maple syrup are perfect to elicit an insulin
response that will promote muscle glycogen replenishment and a general anabolic
(muscle building) effect. The best source of quickly digestible protein is a quality
non-denatured whey protein isolate, some fat-free or low-fat yogurt, or even some
fat free or low fat ricotta cheese. Ricotta is mostly whey protein, so it is fast
digesting. Cottage cheese, on the other hand, is mostly casein and is slow
digesting and would not be good as a post-workout meal (even though it is great
any other time of day). Here are a couple ideas for delicious post-workout
smoothies that will kick start your recovery process:
Chocolate Banana – blend together 1 cup water, ½ cup skim milk, one and a half
frozen bananas, 2 tbsp organic maple syrup, and 30 grams chocolate whey protein
powder – 38 g prot, 72 g carb, 0.5 g fat, 440 calories.
Pineapple Vanilla - blend together 1 cup water, ½ cup vanilla yogurt, one cup
frozen pineapples, 2 tbsp honey (preferably raw), and 30 grams vanilla whey
protein powder – 35 g prot, 71 g carb, 0.5 g fat, 425 calories.
When looking to lose body fat, keep in mind that post-workout meals should have
the opposite characteristics of all of your other meals throughout each day. While
post-workout meals should have quick high glycemic index carbs, quickly digested
proteins, and minimal fat, all of your other meals throughout the day should be
comprised of low glycemic index, slowly digested carbs, slow release proteins, and
ample healthy fats. These are powerful strategies towards developing a lean
muscular body with a low body fat percentage. Another great thing about postworkout
meals is that you can satisfy even the worst sweet tooth, since this is the
one time of the day where you can get away with eating extra sugars without
adding to your gut. Instead, it all goes straight to the muscles! Enjoy!
3.2 Don’t be Afraid of Dietary Fat! Even Some Saturated Fats are
Healthy for You
I’ll preface this section by saying that it will help if you have an open mind and
accept that some of these facts are a slap in the face to politically correct nutrition
in this day and age where fats are admonished by many well intentioned, but
mislead health professionals, doctors, the mass media, etc.
To start, eating an adequate supply of healthy dietary fats is vitally important to
your overall health. Fats are one of the main components in all of the cell
membranes throughout your entire body. If you eat enough healthy natural fats,
your cellular processes will proceed normally. On the other hand, if you eat manmade,
heavily processed, chemically altered fats (damaged fats) that are found in
most processed foods, your cellular function will be impaired as these damaged
fats become part of your cell membranes, the body will have to work harder to
operate correctly, and degenerative diseases can develop. In addition, healthy
dietary fats are essential for optimal hormone production and balance within the
body and are therefore essential for the muscle building and fat burning processes.
Did you know that eating a diet that is too low in fat will reduce your testosterone
levels? You know what the results of that are: less muscle and more fat on your
frame. Females, don’t be afraid…your testosterone is not going to go through the
roof by eating more fat. It helps to keep everything in balance for both men and
women, as long as you eat the right fats (more on the right fats in a minute). Other
important functions that dietary fats play in a healthy body are aiding vitamin and
mineral utilization, enzyme regulation, energy, etc.
I cringe every time I hear so called "health experts" recommend restriction of
dietary fat, claiming that a low-fat diet is the key to good health, weight loss, and
prevention of degenerative diseases. Restriction of any one macronutrient
(protein, carbs, or fat) in your diet works against what your body needs and can
only lead to problems. All three basic macronutrients serve important functions for
a lean, healthy, and disease-free body. As Dr. Mary Enig, Ph.D, and one of the
leading fats and lipids researchers in the world notes in several of her books and
articles, there is very little true scientific evidence supporting the assertion that a
high fat diet is bad for us. For example, if these so called "health experts" that
admonish fat are correct, and a low-fat diet is the solution to good health, then why
did traditional Pacific Islanders who typically obtained 2/3 to 3/4 of their total daily
calories from fat (mostly from coconut fat), remain virtually free from heart disease,
obesity, and other modern degenerative diseases (that is, until Western dietary
influences invaded)? Also, why did traditional Eskimo populations, consuming up
to 75% of their total caloric intake from fat (mostly from whale blubber, seal fat,
organ meats, and cold water fish), display superior health and longevity without
heart disease or obesity? Why did members of the Masai tribe in Africa remain free
from degenerative diseases and maintain low body fat percentages on diets
consisting of large quantities of raw whole milk, blood, and meat? What about the
Samburu tribe of Africa, which eats an average of 5 times the quantity of dietary fat
(mostly from raw whole milk and meat) as overweight, disease-ridden Americans,
yet Samburu members are lean, healthy, and free of degenerative diseases? What
about traditional Mediterranean diets, which are known to be very high in fat
(sometimes up to 70% fat), and are also well known to be very healthy?
These examples of high fat diets and the associated excellent health of traditional
populations around the world go on and on, yet it seems that many doctors,
nutritionists, and government agencies still ignore these facts and continue to
promote a diet that restricts fat intake. It’s not that their intentions are bad, it’s just
that everyone has been brainwashed by poor science over the years, when in fact,
there really is no hard evidence that
Well, the problem that has led to this misconception is that the good fats (the
natural, unprocessed, health promoting fats) have gotten mistakenly lumped
together in nutritional advice with the deadly processed fats and oils that make up
a large percentage of almost all processed food that is sold at your local grocery
store, restaurant, deli, fast food joint, etc. These deadly processed fats are literally
everywhere and almost impossible to avoid unless you know what to look for and
natural unprocessed fats are bad for us.make smart choices in what you feed your body with. Take note that I’m not
recommending following a super high fat diet. Active individuals that exercise on a
regular basis certainly also need adequate supplies of healthy carbohydrates for
energy and muscle glycogen replenishment, as well as good sources of protein for
muscle repair. The above examples of the high fat diets of traditional populations
and their corresponding excellent health were simply to prove the point that you
don’t need to be afraid of dietary fats as long as you make healthy natural choices
and stay within your daily caloric range to maintain or lose weight (depending on
your goals). Following is a list of some of the healthiest fatty foods (some will
surprise you!) as well as some of the deadliest fatty foods to try to avoid at all
costs:
The Healthy Fatty Food Choices:
•
saturated fat, yet surprisingly to most people, is considered a very healthy
natural fat. The health benefits of coconut fat lie in its composition of
approximately 65% medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Specifically, about
50% of coconut fat is a MCT called lauric acid, which has very potent antimicrobial
properties helping to enhance the immune system. Also, MCTs
are more easily utilized for immediate energy instead of being stored as
body fat. Coconut oil is also an excellent cooking oil for stir-frying, baking,
etc. since saturated fats are much more stable and do not oxidize like
polyunsaturated oils when exposed to heat and light, which creates
damaging free radicals. The best sources of healthy coconut fat are organic
coconut milk, virgin coconut oil, or fresh coconut. Palm oil (nonhydrogenated)
is another healthy tropical oil that is highly saturated. Keep in
mind that most mainstream health and fitness professionals have been
brainwashed to believe that tropical oils are unhealthy. So you will see other
health professionals all over the place writing statements such as “avoid
saturated fats at all costs” and similar. Come on now. Think about it. A large
portion of our natural food supply on this planet is composed of saturated
fats, substances that we humans are meant to eat and thrive on. It is only
Coconut fat (and other tropical oils): Coconut fat is approximately 92%when we humans take natural food and put it through all kinds of chemical
and physical processing (that it was never meant to undergo naturally), that
it becomes unhealthy. If you’re interested in a detailed article regarding why
saturated fats can actually be good for you, and how you’ve been
brainwashed with decades worth of propaganda against saturated fats, here
is one of the best I’ve found written by Dr. Mary Enig, PhD:
•
saturated, and 13% polyunsaturated. Choose “extra virgin” olive oil, which
comes from the first pressing of the olives and has higher quantities of
antioxidants. Unlike most other oils on supermarket shelves, extra virgin
olive oil is not extracted with the use of harmful industrial solvents and is
one of your healthiest choices for liquid oils. Try making your own salad
dressing by mixing a small amount of olive oil with vinegar. This is healthier
than most store bought salad dressings, which are usually made with highly
processed and refined (chemically damaged) soybean oil extracted with
industrial solvents.
Extra virgin olive oil: Olive oil is approximately 71% monounsaturated, 16%•
very concentrated source of antioxidants and responsible for part of the
health benefit of dark chocolate. The fat portion of the cocoa bean (cocoa
butter) is a healthy natural fat, composed of approximately 59% saturated
fat (mostly healthy stearic acid), 38% monounsaturated fat, and 3%
polyunsaturated fat. I’ll limit the description of healthy chocolate to ONLY
dark bittersweet chocolate with >70% cocoa content. Most milk chocolates
are only about 30% cocoa, and even most dark chocolates are only about
50% cocoa, leaving the remainder of those products composed of high
amounts of sugar, milk fat, corn sweeteners, etc. Look for a quality dark
chocolate that lists its cocoa content between 70%-80%. A dark chocolate
with cocoa content in this range will contain mostly cocoa and very little
sugar, but still have a mildly sweet taste with a smooth and creamy texture.
Keep in mind that although dark chocolate can be a healthy treat, it is still
calorie dense, so keeping it to just a square or two is a good idea.
Dark, bittersweet chocolate (>70% cocoa content): The cocoa bean is a•
grown) is approximately 60% monounsaturated, 25% saturated, and 15%
polyunsaturated. Avocados are a very healthy natural food that provides
many nutrients, fiber, and healthful fats, while adding a rich flavor to any
meal. Try sliced avocado on sandwiches or in salads or use guacamole in
wraps, sandwiches, or quesadillas.
Avocados or guacamole: The fat in avocados (depending on where they’re•
Just about any fish or seafood are good sources of natural omega-3
polyunsaturated fats, but the higher fat fish listed above are the best
sources of omega-3’s. Due to the radical switch to a higher proportion of
omega-6 polyunsaturated fats like soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, etc. in
our food supply during the middle of the 20
diet is currently way too high in omega-6’s compared to omega-3’s, which
wreaks havoc in your body. This is where good omega-3 sources like high
fat fish, walnuts, and flax seeds can help bring you back to a better ratio of
omega-6/omega-3.
High fat fish such as wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, trout, etc.:th century, the average western•
Nuts are great sources of healthy unprocessed fats as well as minerals and
other trace nutrients. Macadamias, almonds, and cashews are great
sources of monounsaturated fats, while walnuts are a good source of
unprocessed polyunsaturated fats (including omega-3’s). Try to avoid nuts
that are cooked in oil. Instead, choose raw or dry roasted nuts.
Nuts (any and all - walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, macadamias, etc.):•
All of these seeds are great sources of natural unprocessed healthy fats. In
particular, flax seeds have received a lot of attention lately due to their high
omega-3 content. However, keep in mind that omega-3 polyunsaturated fats
are highly reactive to heat and light, and prone to oxidation and free radical
production, so freshly ground flax seed is the only way to go. Instead of
using the store bought ground flax seed, you can buy whole flax seed and
use one of those miniature coffee grinders to grind your own flax seed. Try
grinding fresh flax seed into your yogurt, cereal, or even your salad. If
you’re using flax oil, make sure it’s a cold-pressed oil in a light-proof
Seeds (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, etc.):refrigerated container, and use it up within a few weeks to prevent it from
going rancid. NEVER cook with flax oil!
•
most people have been misinformed by the mass media. Animal fat is
inherently good for us, that is, if it came from a
beings have thrived on animal fats for thousands of years. The problem lies
in the fact that most mass produced animal products today do NOT come
from healthy animals. They come from animals given loads of antibiotics
and fattened up with hormones and fed un-natural feed. The solution is to
choose organically raised, free-range meats, eggs, and dairy. At this time,
the price is still a little higher, but it is worth it, and as demand grows, the
prices will come down.
The fat in organically raised, free-range animals: This is one area wherehealthy animal. HumanThe Deadly Fatty Foods:
•
produced chemically altered oils subjected to extremely high pressure and
temperature, with added industrial solvents such as hexane for extraction,
and have a metal catalyst added to promote the artificial hydrogenation,
followed by bleaching and deodorizing agents…..and somehow the FDA still
allows this crap to pass as food. These oils aren’t even worthy of your
lawnmower, much less your body! They’ve been linked to obesity, heart
disease, diabetes, cancer, and more. Even small quantities of as little as 1
to 2 grams of trans fats/day have been shown in studies to be dangerous.
For comparison, if you eat a normal order of fries at a fast food joint or any
restaurant, you can easily get 5 grams or more of trans fats. Now if as little
as 1 gram daily can be dangerous to your health, imagine what you’re doing
to yourself with 5 grams…and that was only the fries! What about all of the
cookies, cakes, chicken fingers, donuts, and other stuff people eat on a
regular basis? Some people are getting more than 20-30 grams of trans fats
every day and don’t even realize that they’re slowly killing themselves with
this crap. If you care about your health, check the ingredients of everything
you buy, and if you see partially hydrogenated oils of any kind, margarine,
Hydrogenated oils (source of artificial trans fats): These are industriallyor shortening, protect yourself and your family by choosing something else.
If I were asked to pick one thing that is most harmful to our health that is
used in our food supply, it would be the artificial trans fats by a landslide.
They are simply THAT dangerous that they must be avoided. In my opinion,
artificial trans fats are right up there with cigarettes in terms of negative
health effects. Because of the growing awareness and concern over the
negative health effects of trans fats, the FDA mandated that all food
manufacturers show the quantity of trans fat on all labels starting back in
January 2006. However, they can still claim that their product is “trans fat
free” or “no trans fat” if it has 0.5 grams of trans fat or less per serving
according to regulations in the US. So all they have to do is reduce the
serving size portion small enough so that it has 0.5 grams of trans, and they
can claim “no trans fat”. Don’t trust them! You must inspect the ingredients
for yourself to know if it’s free of hydrogenated oils, margarine, or
shortening.
•
supermarket shelves are refined, even most of the so called “healthy”
canola oils. Most refined oils still undergo the high temperature, high
pressure, solvent extraction, bleaching, and deodorizing processes.
Anything labeled vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil,
safflower oil, and even many canola oils have been damaged by this
refining process. This damages the natural structure of the fats, destroys
natural antioxidants, creates free radicals, and produces a generally
unhealthy product. Take note that the explosion of heart disease in the
middle of the 20
the use of hydrogenated and refined oils in the food supply at that time,
while the consumption of
the early 1900’s and present time. Think about that. I think you’ll begin to
see the real culprit for heart disease…hydrogenated and refined oils, not the
natural healthy saturated fats that have received an undeserved bad rap.
Refined oils: Even if the oils are not hydrogenated, most oils on yourth century coincides quite nicely with the rapid increase insaturated fats has actually decreased between•
donuts, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, etc. It’s all fried in hydrogenated or
Anything deep fried: including tortilla chips, potato chips, French fries,refined oils…most of the time using cheap oils like cottonseed or soybean
oil. All of this crap doesn’t even pass as real food in my opinion! If you can
actually find something that’s deep fried in a non-hydrogenated tropical oil
like palm or coconut (which are stable oils under heat), then that might be
the only deep fried food that’s acceptable. It’s unlikely you’ll find that these
days though.
•
Traditional populations around the world thrived in perfect health while
consuming huge quantities of raw, non-pasteurized, non-homogenized, full
fat dairy products. Once again, food processing ruins a good thing by
pasteurizing and homogenizing milk fat, rendering it potentially dangerous
inside the human body. Unfortunately, you will find it almost impossible to
find raw milk in the US unless you personally know a farmer. Check out
Homogenized milk fat - Milk fat is a very healthy fat in its natural raw state.available near you. As an alternative, cultured dairy products like yogurt
have at least had beneficial microorganisms added back to them making
them better for you. Just watch out for the yogurts that are loaded with
refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Instead, find one that’s just
lightly sweetened with honey or real maple syrup, or just use plain yogurt
and add your own fruit to sweeten. Realistically, since you probably won’t
find raw milk, sticking to skim milk is probably the best option. Just keep in
mind that a large percentage of the population has difficulty digesting (or
has allergies to) cow’s milk either due to the lactose for some people, and
the proteins for others. If you use butter for cooking, cultured organic butter
is the best option.
I hope this section has shed some light on the truth about dietary fats and made
you realize their importance in a healthy diet. This doesn’t mean I’m promoting any
sort of gimmicky high-fat, low-carb diet. I’m simply trying to show you that a
balanced diet including ample healthy fats (including the healthy saturated fats) is
very important to your overall health and training results.
for more info on the benefits of raw milk and to find out if it’s3.3 Healthy Trans Fats vs. Unhealthy Trans Fats Revealed
I'm going to talk about something in this section that most of you have probably
never heard...that there is a distinction between good trans fats and bad trans fats.
There is some evidence that the good trans can help you with fat loss, muscle
building, and even cancer prevention, while the bad trans fats have been shown to
cause heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and the general blubbering of your body.
I'm sure most of you have heard all of the ruckus in the news over the last few
years about just how bad man-made trans fats are for your health. If you've been a
reader of my newsletter and my "Truth about Six Pack Abs" e-book program, then
you definitely know my opinion that these substances are some of the most evil
food additives of all and are found in the vast majority of all processed foods and
fast foods on the market today. In my opinion, man-made trans fats are right up
there with smoking in terms of their degree of danger to your health. After all, they
are one of THE MAIN factors for the explosion of heart disease since
approximately the 1950's.
As you may have heard recently, the FDA has mandated that food manufacturers
include the grams of trans fat on all nutrition labels starting back at the beginning of
2006. This means that as inventory is replaced in the grocery stores, you should
start to see grams of trans listed on all packages from now on, providing you with
an easier way to avoid them.
With all of the talk about trans fats in the news these days, I wanted to clarify some
things, particularly regarding bad trans fats vs. good trans fats. If you've never
heard of good trans fats before, let me explain in a bit.
The Bad Trans Fats
First, the bad trans fats I'm referring to are the man-made kind. These are
represented by any artificially hydrogenated oils. The main culprits are margarine,
shortening, and partially hydrogenated oils that are in most processed foods, junk
foods, and deep fried foods. These hydrogenated oils are highly processed using
harsh chemical solvents like hexane (a component of gasoline), high heat,
pressure, have a metal catalyst added, and are then deodorized and bleached. A
small % of the solvent is allowed to remain in the finished oil. This has now
become more of an industrial oil rather than a food oil, but somehow the FDA still
allows the food manufacturers to put this crap in our food at huge quantities, even
with the well documented health dangers.
These hydrogenated oils cause inflammation inside of your body, which signals the
deposition of cholesterol as a healing agent on artery walls. Hence, hydrogenated
oil = inflammation = clogged arteries. You can see why heart disease has exploded
since this crap has been loaded into our food supply over the last 5 to 6 decades.
As time goes on, and science continues to unveil how deadly these oils really are, I
feel that eventually they will be illegal and banned from use. The labeling laws
were just the first step. In fact, certain countries around the world have already
banned the use of hydrogenated oils in food manufacturing or at least set dates to
phase them out for good.
However, keep in mind that as companies are starting to phase out the use of
hydrogenated oils in processed foods, they are replacing them, in most instances,
with highly refined cheap vegetable oils. These are still heavily processed oils
using high heat, solvents, deodorizers, and bleaching agents. Even refined oils are
known to produce inflammation in your body...a far cry from natural sources of
healthy fats. Once again, for the best results, your best bet is avoiding highly
processed foods altogether and choose whole, natural, minimally processed foods.
Your body will thank you!
The Good Trans Fats
Ok, after having trash talked the man-made trans fats, let me clearly state that
there IS such a thing as healthy natural trans fats. Natural trans fats are created in
the stomachs of ruminant animals like cattle, sheep, goats, etc. and make their
way into the fat stores of the animals. Therefore, the milk fat and the fat within the
meat of these animals can provide natural healthy trans fats. Natural trans fats in
your diet have been thought to have some potential benefit to aid in both muscle
building and fat loss efforts. However, keep in mind that the quantity of healthy
trans fats in the meat and dairy of ruminant animals is greatly reduced by massproduction
methods of farming and their grain and soy heavy diets. Meat and dairy
from grass-fed, free-range animals always have much higher quantities of these
beneficial fats.
One such natural trans fat that you may have heard of is called conjugated linoleic
acid (CLA) and has been marketed by many weight loss companies. Keep in mind
that these man-made CLA pills you see in the stores may not be the best way to
get CLA in your diet. They are artificially made from plant oils, instead of the
natural process that happens in ruminant animals. Once again, man-made just
doesn't compare to the benefits of natural sources.
Now that all of your labels should be listing grams of trans fat, keep in mind that if a
quantity of trans fat is listed on a meat or dairy product, it is most likely the natural
good trans fats that we've discussed here. Otherwise, if the quantity of trans is
listed on any processed foods, it is most likely the dangerous unhealthy crap from
artificially hydrogenated oils, so stay away!
I hope you've enjoyed this interesting look at good trans fat vs. bad trans fat and
use the info to arm yourself with more healthful food choices for a better body.
3.4 The Top Fitness Foods to Stock Your Cabinets With…Making
Smart Choices Starts at the Grocery Store
In most of my newsletters, I like to provide a healthy snack or meal recipe that not
only is delicious, but also helps to get you closer to that hard-body appearance that
everyone is looking for. In this section, I'd like to give you healthy food ideas in a
different way. This time, I figured I'd just give you some ideas of what I stock my
kitchen with. Remember, if you don't have junk around the house, you're less likely
to eat junk. If all you have is healthy food around the house, you're forced to make
smart choices. Basically, it all starts with making smart choices and avoiding
temptations when you make your grocery store trip. Now these are just some of my
personal preferences, but perhaps they will give you some good ideas that you'll
enjoy.
Alright, so let's start with the fridge. Each week, I try to make sure I'm loaded up
with lots of varieties of fresh vegetables. During the growing season, I only get
local produce, but obviously in winter, I have to resort to the produce at the grocery
store. Most of the time, I make sure I have plenty of vegetables like zucchini,
onions, asparagus, fresh mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, red peppers, etc. to use in
my morning eggs. I also like to dice up some lean chicken or turkey sausage into
the eggs, along with some swiss, jack, or goat cheeses. Coconut milk is another
staple in my fridge. I like to use it to mix in with smoothies, oatmeal, or yogurt for a
rich, creamy taste. Not only does coconut milk add a rich, creamy taste to lots of
dishes, but it's also full of healthy saturated fats. Yeah, you heard me...I said
healthy saturated fats! Healthy saturated fats like medium chain triglycerides,
specifically an MCT called lauric acid. If the idea of healthy saturated fats is foreign
to you, check out an eye-opening article at truthaboutabs.com called "The Truth
about Saturated Fats".
Back to the fridge, some other staples:
• Cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and yogurt - I like to mix cottage or ricotta
cheese and yogurt together with chopped nuts and berries for a great mid-morning
or mid-afternoon meal.
• Chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamias, etc. - delicious and great
sources of healthy fats.
• Whole flax seeds - I grind these in a mini coffee grinder and add to yogurt or
salads. Always grind them fresh because the omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are
highly unstable and prone to oxidation, potentially creating inflammation causing
free radicals from pre-ground flax.
• Whole eggs - one of natures richest sources of nutrients and high quality protein
(and remember, they increase your GOOD cholesterol).
• Nut butters - Plain old peanut butter has gotten a little old for me, so I get creative
and mix together almond butter with sesame seed butter, or even cashew butter
with macadamia butter...delicious and unbeatable nutrition!
• Salsa - I try to get creative and try some of the exotic varieties of salsas.
• Butter - don't believe the naysayers; butter adds great flavor to anything and can
be part of a healthy diet (just keep the quantity small because it is calorie
dense...and NEVER use margarine, unless you want to assure yourself a heart
attack).
• Avocados - love them...plus a great source of healthy fats, fiber, and other
nutrients. Try adding them to wraps, salads, or sandwiches.
• Whole grain wraps and whole grain bread (look for wraps and bread with at least
3-4 grams of fiber per 20 grams of total carbs).
• Rice bran and wheat germ - these may sound way too healthy for some, but they
actually add a nice little nutty, crunchy taste to yogurt or smoothies, or can be
added when baking muffins or breads to add nutrients and fiber.
• Leaf lettuce and spinach along with shredded carrots - for salads with dinner.
• Home-made salad dressing - using balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and
Udo's Choice oil blend. This is much better than store bought salad dressing which
mostly use highly refined soybean oil (source of inflammation-causing free
radicals).
Some of the staples in the freezer:
• Frozen fish - I like to try a couple different kinds of fish each week. There are so
many varieties out there, you never have to get bored. Plus, frozen fish is usually
frozen immediately after catching, as opposed to fresh fish, which has been in
transport and sitting at markets for days, allowing it more opportunity to spoil.
• Frozen berries - during the local growing season, I only get fresh berries, but
during the other 10 months of the year, I always keep a supply of frozen
blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, etc. to add to high
fiber cereal, oatmeal, cottage cheese, yogurt, or smoothies
• Frozen veggies - again, when the growing season is over and I can no longer get
local fresh produce, frozen veggies are the best option, since they often have
higher nutrient contents compared to the fresh produce that has been shipped
thousands of miles, sitting around for weeks before making it to your dinner table.
• Frozen chicken breasts - very convenient to nuke up for a quick addition to wraps
or chicken sandwiches for quick meals.
• Frozen buffalo, ostrich, venison, and other "exotic" lean meats – Yeah, I know,
I'm weird, but I can tell you that these are some of the healthiest meats around,
and if you're serious about a lean healthy body, these types of meats are much
better for you than the mass produced, hormone-pumped beef and pork that's sold
at most grocery stores.
Alright, now the staples in my cabinets:
• Oat bran and steel cut oats - higher fiber than those little packs of instant oats.
• Cans of coconut milk - to be transferred to a container in the fridge after opening.
• Various antioxidant rich teas - green, oolong, white, rooibos are some of the best.
Surprisingly, even chammomile tea has been shown to provide important trace
nutrients and antioxidants.
• Stevia - a natural non-caloric sweetener, which is an excellent alternative to the
nasty chemical-laden artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharine, and
sucralose.
• Organic maple syrup - none of that high fructose corn syrup Aunt Jemima
crap...only real maple syrup can be considered real food. The only time I really use
this (because of the high sugar load) is added to my post-workout smoothies to
sweeten things up and also elicit an insulin surge to push nutrients into your
muscles.
• Raw honey - better than processed honey...higher quantities of beneficial
nutrients and enzymes. Honey has even been proven in studies to improve
glucose metabolism (how you process carbs). I use a teaspoon or so every
morning in my teas.
• Whole wheat or whole grain spelt pasta - much higher fiber than normal pastas
• Brown rice and other higher fiber rice - NEVER white rice
• Cans of black or kidney beans - I like to add a couple scoops to my Mexican
wraps for the fiber and high nutrition content. Also, beans are surprisingly one of
the best sources of youth promoting antioxidants!
• Tomato sauces - delicious, and as I'm sure you've heard a million times, they are
a great source of lycopene. Just watch out for the brands that are loaded with
nasty high fructose corn syrup.
• Dark chocolate (as dark as possible) - This is one of my treats that satisfies my
sweet tooth, plus provides loads of antioxidants at the same time. It's still calorie
dense, so I keep it to just a couple squares; but that is enough to do the trick, so I
don't feel like I need to go out and get cake and ice cream to satisfy my dessert
urges. Choose dark chocolate that lists it's cocoa content at 70% or greater. Milk
chocolate is usually only about 30% cocoa, and even most cheap dark chocolates
are only around 50% cocoa. Cocoa content is key for the antioxidant benefit...the
rest is just sugar and other additives.
• Organic unsweetened cocoa powder - I like to mix this into my smoothies for an
extra jolt of antioxidants or make my own low-sugar hot cocoa by mixing cocoa
powder into hot milk with stevia and a couple melted dark chocolate chunks.
Of course, you also can never go wrong with any types of fresh fruits. Even though
fruit contains natural sugars, the fiber within most fruits usually slows down the
carbohydrate absorption and glycemic response. Also, you get the benefit of high
antioxidant content and nutrient density in most fruits. Some of my favorites are
kiwi, pomegranate, mango, papaya, grapes, oranges, fresh pineapple, bananas,
apples, pears, peaches, and all types of berries.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this special look into my favorite lean body meals and
how I stock my kitchen. Your tastes are probably quite different than mine, but
hopefully this gave you some good ideas you can use next time you're at the
grocery store looking to stock up a healthy and delicious pile of groceries.
3.5 Are Vitamin/Mineral Supplements Necessary or Just Money Down
the Toilet?
As a fitness professional, I receive questions about vitamins all the time. Questions
like……What kinds should I take? How much? Should I take a multi or just a
couple of the important individual ones like C, E, calcium, or zinc? Will they help
me lose weight or build muscle? So with all the talk and hype about vitamin and
mineral supplements…Are they really necessary for optimal health? The answer is
a definitive…..HELL NO! That is, if you’re eating a balanced healthy diet, which
most people don’t. Let me put it this way…a vitamin/mineral supplement probably
will be somewhat beneficial to you if you have a poor diet. However, if you’re really
serious about getting lean and ripped and truly healthy for good, why would your
diet be poor? So, in the case that you’re eating a healthy, balanced diet, the
answer is that you don’t need a vitamin supplement.
Let’s think about this for a second. Did humans thrive on the planet for tens of
thousands of years by popping an artificially created vitamin pill. Out of tens of
thousands of years of human existence, vitamin pills have only been around for a
couple of decades, yet the population is in worse health than ever before. Sure,
maybe the human race is not in its worst health from a contagious disease
perspective, but we definitely are from a degenerative disease perspective. Now I
admit that we do live longer these days compared to historically, but that is only
because medical advances keep us alive longer even though we are in horrendous
shape physically. People might live longer now, but they’re simply living longer
while being overweight, crippled with degenerated joints, plagued with heart
disease and cancers, and on and on. You get the point.
So let us get right to some answers as to why I contend that vitamin/mineral
supplements are a waste of money and are not necessary to optimal health. Well,
first and foremost, a healthy balanced diet consisting of a large variety of natural
unprocessed foods (from meats, dairy, eggs, fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts,
seeds, legumes, etc.) provides a rich array of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and
all the other nutrients we need to thrive in perfect health. The problem is that many
people don’t choose a healthy balanced diet full of variety. They claim they are too
busy, or it’s too inconvenient. Well, I hope that you take your body and the health
of you and your family more seriously than these people that apparently don’t care
about the physical being that they are walking around in day in and day out.
Another problem with attempting to obtain your vitamins and minerals from a pill
instead of natural foods is that your body does not absorb and utilize the nutrients
from a pill as efficiently as those obtained from natural food. Whole foods naturally
contain vitamins and minerals in combinations that are best assimilated. On the
other hand, vitamin/mineral pills contain lots of vitamins and minerals that many
times interfere with each other. For example, zinc and copper taken at the same
time interfere with each others absorption. Also, high doses of Vitamin E can
interfere with absorption of beta carotene (a vitamin A precursor) and other fat
soluble vitamins. Many other combinations interfere with each other as well.
Another problem with vitamin pills is possible excess consumption of fat soluble
vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K). Fat soluble vitamins accumulate in fatty tissue
in our bodies, and therefore it is easier to overdose on these compared with water
soluble vitamins (vitamin C and the various B vitamins). Excess fat soluble vitamin
accumulation can cause various toxic effects within the body. It is much harder to
take in excess quantities of fat soluble vitamins through natural foods. You would
have to consume exorbitant quantities of liver and other organ meats to take in too
much Vitamin A and D. It would be rare for someone to overeat on foods such as
that. Also, it would be hard to over consume a plant-based precursor to Vitamin A
(beta carotene), found in sweet potatoes, carrots, etc., because your body simply
would shut down the conversion to Vitamin A once it has obtained what it needs.
There are even some instances where mega-doses of water soluble vitamins can
be toxic. Mega doses of some B vitamins can potentially cause nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, and even liver damage. However, in most instances, you simply excrete
excess water soluble vitamins in your urine. That is why many times, your urine will
be a deep yellow color a couple of hours after taking a vitamin that has high doses
of vitamins B and C. So, when you take a vitamin pill, most of the water soluble
vitamins are simply flushed down the toilet. You might as well just eliminate the
middleman and flush your money right down the toilet!
Another problem with vitamin pills is that they often use synthetic versions of
vitamins that can actually be unhealthy. For example, the forms of vitamin E that
are found in pills can be either d-alpha tocopherol (a natural version) and dl-alpha
tocopherol (a synthetic version). First of all, the bioavailability of synthetic vitamin
E is much lower than natural vitamin E. In addition, I’ve seen many studies cited
that indicated that there could be potential health dangers with taking synthetic
vitamin E. Once again, we get back to the fact that natural is always better than
something that has been heavily modified by man.
The bottom line is that as long as you eat a balanced diet full of a good variety of
fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, meats, dairy, eggs, etc.,
you will obtain all the nutrients your body needs to operate efficiently without the
need for a manmade vitamin/mineral pill.
Exercise is obviously very important for losing body fat and building a strong, lean
body, but always remember that proper nutrition is even more important. A lousy
diet means a flabby, unhealthy body, regardless of how often someone works out.
3.6 Make Healthier Choices When Forced to Eat Fast-Food
I was out recently with some friends and we stopped at a fast food joint. I hate fast
food joints, but sometimes when everybody else wants to go there, you just have
to make the best of it and find something at least somewhat healthy. If you're
forced to eat fast-food, here's a tip to make sure that you're not doing much
damage to your body...ALWAYS AVOID the soda and anything deep fried
including french fries, hash browns, and anything breaded like chicken nuggets,
chicken patties, or breaded fish sandwiches. These are all absolutely soaked in
deadly trans fats from the industrial hydrogenated vegetable oils they use to fry all
of these items.
Remember, as I've said before, I've seen studies indicating that as little as 1-2
grams of trans fat per day can have serious degenerative internal effects in your
body such as inflammation, clogging and hardening of the arteries, heart disease,
various forms of cancer...not to mention packing on the ab flab. That's as little as
1-2 grams! Consider that a typical fast-food meal of a breaded chicken sandwich
(or fish sandwich), along with an order of fries can contain as much as 10 grams of
trans fat! Add on a cookie or small piece of pie for dessert (which are usually made
with deadly margarine or shortening), and now you're up to about 13 grams of
trans fat with that entire meal. If 1 gram a day is slowly killing you, imagine what 13
grams is doing! And that was only one meal that you ate. Some people are
consuming 20-30 grams of trans fat per day, and not even realizing what they're
doing to themselves internally. Please realize that nobody, I mean NOBODY, is
looking out for your health, except for YOU.
Anyway, back to the topic of how to avoid this stuff and eat a reasonably healthy
meal on the rare occasion that you're forced to eat fast-food. As for drinks, avoid
the sodas...they're nothing but chemicals along with heavily processed high
fructose corn syrup which will surely end up as extra belly blubber. Water is always
the best drink, but if you need something with flavor, try unsweetened or lightly
sweetened iced tea. At breakfast, the best choices are an egg, ham, and cheese
on an english muffin (not on a croissant, which is full of nasty trans!), or one of
those fruit & nut salads. At lunch or dinner, the best choices are a grilled chicken
sandwich, the chili, a grilled chicken salad without croutons (again...croutons =
more trans), or even just a plain cheeseburger. The main take-away point from this
little fast-food article is that the nastiest stuff at these fast food joints are the sodas
and fries, and any other deep fried items.
For any of you that have seen the movie "Super-Size Me", you saw how eating fast
food every day absolutely destroyed that guy's health, but did you happen to notice
the one guy that was the king of eating big macs (or some kind of burger)? I don't
remember what kind of burger it was, but basically this guy has eaten these fast
food burgers almost every day of his life for the past 30 years or something like
that. Did you notice that he stated that he almost never eats the fries or soda, even
though he eats the burgers every day? And he's not necessarily overweight. Now
I'm not saying that fast-food burgers made with their refined white bread and low
quality beef and cheese are the healthiest thing, but the point is...it's the fries and
sodas that are the real health disaster.
Alright, so next time you're out at one of these places, remember these tips and
choose smart!
By the way, if you haven't heard yet, McD's has started adding a nutrition label to
all of their food wrappers, so now you can at least be aware what you’re eating.
Remember that as little as one gram of trans may cause some internal harm and
now you can actually see how many grams of trans fat you're eating right on the
food wrapper. That might change your mind about finishing it.
Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed this e-book. I tried to give you some of my insider
secrets of a fitness junkie for developing a lean, muscular, and truly healthy body
for life! Again, feel free to email this e-book to any of your friends, family, or coworkers
that you think might enjoy this information.
If you’re interested in my fully comprehensive program that I’ve
developed for losing as much body fat as you want by following
a smart, scientifically designed training and nutrition program,
check out my
Here’s a taste of what some of the people from around the world have been saying
about the
Truth about Six Pack Abs program.Truth about Six Pack Abs program:Stephanie before Stephanie after
Mike,
I attached a couple photos to show you how far I've come
since starting your program.....it was quite shocking to see
what I looked like just last year!! I had forgotten how
overweight I was, and looking at these before and after pics
again almost made me cry...but tears of joy this time, as I'm
so thankful for how much progress I've made.
Not only do I feel so healthy and vibrant, but I feel that I
look younger now too! Its wonderful! I went from a size 14 to
a 5. Weight wise I was around 190 lbs when I started and now
I am 120 lbs. I’m so passionate about your book and style of
nutrition...it's absolutely amazing...I don’t crave unhealthy
stuff anymore...I have eliminated an insane sweet tooth.
I happened upon your book about 9 months ago. Once I
downloaded and printed your ebook, I read it once, and then
again. There is so much information in there that expands
beyond just working out and abs. The nutritional information
was fascinating, and I believe that was what helped me get to
where I am today. The workouts are also so challenging, and
talk about breaking a sweat! I love it.
I have SO MANY people ask me what diet I was doing to lose
all that weight. They just don't understand that I'm not on a
diet... It’s been a total lifestyle change. I would recommend
your book to anyone! I feel exceptional, and I am in the
best shape of my life!
I hope that my testimonial will help you out, as well as
other people that have struggled to get in shape. Thank you
so much!!
Stephanie Hurst
Tulia, Texas
Mike,
I have been following your workout plans from your
book for past couple months. I wanted you to know
that I have seen great results. When I started I
was 190 lbs, waist 35 inches, bench was 165lbs.
I'm now 175 lbs, with a waist of 33 inches, and
benching 225lbs. Your full body workouts are some
of the best I've ever used. I'm also making much
better food choices now based on your advice and staying away
from the junk I used to have trouble with. Thanks for
everything.
John P. Hembree, Sergeant, US Military
Dear Mike,
I thoroughly read your e-book a few weeks ago but
have been too busy lately to get myself to the
gym. However, I did start applying your diet and
food recommendations, and even with just that,
I've already lost 6 lbs (10 lbs to go). I
finally got to the gym this morning and printed
out your e-book to bring with me.
I did some of the workout examples you specified
like the one arm snatches, dumbbell swings, staggered lunges
and all the ab exercises (from level 3).
Man, that was one of the best and most intense workouts I
have had in ages! I did not waste hours jogging or doing all
that other stuff I used to do (which by the way never got me
anywhere). I am so excited to go back to the gym and have
your book with me as a personal trainer's guide.
Thank you so much!
Laura Kawasmi, Brownsville, TX
Hi Mike. I have just recently started your program and i LOVE
it so much. I just wanted to tell you how fantastic I think
your approach and lay out to losing stomach fat is. I'm
already feeling the effects of your workouts. My body feels
firmer and fitter and I look forward to the sweat.
Truth be told I was BORED TO TEARS with our usual routine at
the gym. Not to mention it wasn't really getting my stomach
flat!! I love your approach cause it explains everything,
and I am a person that needs to know the reasons for why I am
doing what I am doing! I like the variety and the shorter
workouts, as apposed to the long boring workouts and
repetitive isolating exercises I used to do.
Following your program I am certainly getting the heart
pumping and the sweat is flowing like I've never felt
before. It feels great. Thanks, and I will keep you posted!
Michelle Smith, Ontario, Canada
Mike,
I have been on your program for the last three or four weeks.
All I can say is WOW! I have been body building for well over
20 years and I can honestly say that you have allowed me to
break out of what I call the classical mess of weight
lifting.
I have made some great gains and I am well on my way to being
in the best shape of my life at 39 years of age. I get a kick
out of the Guys at the gym when they see me perform some of
your exercises. They often come up and ask what I am doing.
I just tell them, as I struggle to regain my breath, "I'm
just mixing it up a bit" and then watch them as they go back
and waste their time with bicep curls for the next half hour.
Now I'm trying to get my wife onboard using your program as
well. Thank you so much for doing what you do and keep the
emails coming. This is the best $39 I have ever spent.
Thanks,
Luis Acevedo, Dallas, Texas
Hi Mike. Just wanted to let you know, your interval and
weight training methods in your e-book are working perfect!
Before i got your e-book, i could see my six pack abs a
little bit. After a few weeks on your workouts, i can now see
lines on the side of my stomach and my abs appearing even
more visibly. I still have a little fat, but not much at all.
Thanks!
Andreas Beirholm, Denmark
"Dear Mike,
I just read your Truth About 6-Pack Abs and I
think it has some great stuff in it that I never
realized before. I really couldn't put the book
down. I enjoy the fact that you are not just
telling readers what to do with a promise that
results will be achieved, but explaining the reasons behind
your strategy supported by research.
I have been exercising on my own my entire life, but I really
hit a plateau during the last few years, and this program has
given me new motivation and kickstarted my results. Thanks
Mike!"
Pete Maguire, Brookline, Mass.
Hi Mike
I was searching for a program to genuinely help me lose body
fat and get a six pack. I came across your website and the
money back guarantee you offered suggested to me that you
believed in what you were offering & not just interesting in
selling your e-book. Anyway, I made the purchase on the basis
that I'd give it a try and if it wasn't any good I'd ask for
my money back.
Before I started with the program I weighed 80kg and my waist
size was 42 inches. After 11 weeks I still weigh about 80kg
but my waist size is now 35 inches. A loss of 7 inches in 11
weeks! Since my weight stayed about the same, that means I
gained muscle while losing 7 inches of fat from my waist!
My strength and energy are also improving each week and I'm
lifting heavier weights as I progress. Family and
friends that haven't seen me in weeks can't believe how
much leaner and slimmer I look now.
I'm really glad that I bought your e-book and stuck to the
programs. I still have a little more body fat to lose, but I
can already tell that a visible six pack is just a few more
weeks away!
Thank you for all the advice and words of motivation. This
entire experience is far more than what I was expecting for
my money!
Regards,
Imtiaz Girach, UK
Mike:
Thank you for changing the way I workout. After
years of fooling myself into thinking I was
getting a good workout, your book, The Truth
About Abs, has revitalized not only my workouts,
but also my life. Working out regularly for over
10 years, I became increasingly frustrated at my
lack of progress.
Despite doing over an hour of cardio at least three times a
week and lifting three times a week as well, I wasn't in good
shape. Also, despite my workout attempts, I was also getting
what you have termed as the "skinny fat" appearance.
Seeing no outward or inward results, I sunk into such a rut I
was ready to quit exercising. That was when a friend
recommended your ebook. After only a month-and-a-half of
doing the routines diagrammed in your book, my physical
appearance has improved dramatically. Not only that, but my
endurance has increased to the point that I can handle a full
hockey game and not get gassed. In fact, I get stronger as
the game goes on. Just that alone was well worth the $40 I
spent.
Following your diet tips has also given me more energy
throughout the day. I no longer "crash" halfway through my
work day and no longer crave the sugary foods I used to. The
belly I have been trying to battle is shrinking by the day.
After years of working out, I am only now finally getting
compliments for how "toned and ripped" I appear.
Once again, thanks for giving me that boost I so needed in my
workouts and for improving my quality of life.
-John Crawford, Collingswood, NJ
"Mike, I'm truly excited after starting your
program. After reading through all of your info,
I can't believe how many things I was wasting my
time with or even just doing plain WRONG! I've
definitely been doing all of the wrong types of
cardio and the wrong types of strength exercises
as well.
Thanks again for giving me this much-needed
education into a very important topic... my health & well
being (not to mention looking great also!)"
-Sandra Torrez, San Antonio, Texas
Hey Mike
I just purchased your ebook about 2 weeks ago and I love it!
The workouts are great - better than any workout I've done
before. I've been that person who has tried all the fad
diets, diet pills, and bought my fair share of infomercial ab
machines! At least I finally found something now that works
to lose fat and flatten my stomach!
Thanks for your help,
Amy Brunetti, Chicopee, MA
"Hi Mike!
I started your workouts last week, and surprisingly, I can
already see some positive changes to my body! I definitely
feel these working me better than anything else I've tried. I
really like the interesting way that you turn a weights
workout into a cardio workout as well. I can see already that
if I keep on doing this progressively, I'll surely have my
old body shape back in no time :)
Ok catch you soon. Thanks again Mike, you're superb!"
-Ellin Hazrin, Kingsford, Australia
Mike, you can use this for your testimonials if you want...
I have to say...You are a genious. Gave 1 of your workouts a
go on friday and i have to say i've never had such a good
workout. I've been going to the gym for years now and have
been doing 40 solid minutes of quite high level cardio but
using just 10 minutes of your style of inverval training felt
like it worked me so much better.
I also used to spend an hour on my abs when i worked out and
never really felt it. After doing this workout on friday i
really felt like i'd earned my protein shake! Plus I got my
workout done much quicker than my old workouts...It's quite
incredible!
Dave Haddow, UK
Hey Mike,
I ordered your 'Truth About Six Pack Abs' online a couple
weeks ago. I have been doing some of the beginner and
intermediate level workout routines. HOLY CRAP, those
workouts get me sweating like nothing else. I especially
love/hate the squat presses and renegade rows.
I'm also starting to get the hang of your diet methods, which
are actually more enjoyable than the way I used to eat.
Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for the useful info and
your obvious care for healthy lifestyles of your readers.
Thanks again,
Kyle LeDoux, Santa Clarita, CA
If you’ve got extra belly fat you’d like to get rid of, what are you waiting for? Follow
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Truth about Six Pack Abs
