A Superfood That Improves Athletic Performance and Recovery, Burns Fat, and Helps Your Love Life Too!

 

 

I tend to think of most superfoods as being dark green, bright red, orange or yellow, but this particular superfood is actually comes in a dull white, tan or brown color.

Mushrooms deserve “Superfood” status for lots of reasons—many scientists are just in the beginning stages of discovering some of the many amazing things they can do.

 

While particular varieties have abilities unique to their own type, mushrooms in general contain over twenty vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, along with some potent fat burning, immune-enhancing and cancer-fighting phyto-chemicals.

 

In Asia, the Chinese and Japanese have been using different types of mushrooms as powerful medicine for the last 3,000 years. And mushrooms were used by the Pharaohs in Egypt, the Greek warriors, the Romans, the Aztecs and the Mayans.

 

The two most common mushrooms that we use, the white ‘button’ mushroom and the ‘Crimini’ or brown mushroom contain a particular chemical that inhibits excess estrogen production.

 

In women, excess estrogen is responsible for easy weight gain (esp in hips, thighs and stomach), loss of interest in sex, and can lead to a susceptibility to certain estrogen related cancers like breast and ovarian cancer.

 

In men, excess estrogen causes weight gain, loss of sex drive and ambition, and the dreaded “manboobs”, along with certain cancers.

 

Excess estrogen is very dangerous to health, and a major factor not only in weight gain, but also in cancer and tumor development.

 

The “aromatase inhibitors” in mushrooms also help men reverse age-related decline in testosterone, and help them convert free testosterone into the more potent androgenic hormone, DHT, which aids in building lean muscle and fat burning.

 

This also benefits women in a similar fashion, in that it helps build lean, muscular bodies. (No ladies, do not worry, you will NOT grow hair on your chest and turn into big burly men.)You will just get leaner, svelte, and firm.

 

Testosterone is definitely boosts libido for both men AND women.


Other more exotic mushrooms, including the maitake, shiitake, enokitake and oyster mushrooms, contain powerful medicine-like qualities that stimulate the immune system to effectively help it fight off bacteria, viruses, and even cancer.

 

You can easily build up your immune system simply by eating a variety of mushrooms.

Mushrooms also help those with allergies and calm allergic reactions as well.

 

Mushrooms are highly effective athletic performance booster as well as helping with muscle growth and recovery post workout.

 

In studies done on thoroughbred race horses, Cordyceps mushrooms boosted  running speed, and also acted as a calming agent, increasing alert focus and attention. These benefits translate to human athletes as well, helping both speed and concentration.

 

While you can get some of the benefits of mushrooms by taking an expensive supplement, it’s more beneficial to eat them as a whole food.

 

Sauté some along with some chopped, fresh garlic in grass fed butter, seasoned with sea salt and black pepper. Or throw them in whenever you are cooking eggs, vegetables, soup or stews. The subtle, earthy flavor enhances the flavor of many recipes.

 

Mushrooms also provide copper–an important mineral for energy metabolism–B vitamins, and selenium.

 

If you like to eat your mushrooms raw, make sure they are organically grown, since they absorb toxins from the air and soil.

 

And unless you are an expert I don’t recommend going out in the woods and hunting for them yourself. There are too many varieties of mushrooms that are highly toxic or deadly. Your local farmers’ market is a good source of mushrooms in the spring and fall.

 

Till next time, Stay Healthy and Lean!

DSC 6815 Never Eat These Fruits and Vegetables! Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.  

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

 

 

 

 

Charles Bankhead, Mushrooms Play a Role in Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment, WebMD Medical News, December, 1999

 

Joseph Mercola, The “Antioxidant Superstar” Chinese People Eat Daily, November 2011. Mercola.com

 

Charles Mateljon, Crimini Mushrooms, World’s Healthiest Foods, WHfoods.org.

What Athletes Need to Know About Heat and Humidity

 

It’s really hot outside! 

And for us, here in the Midwest, those high temperatures come with lots of humidity too.

Humidity is not your friend.

For those of us who continue to exercise and exert ourselves through the heat wave, keeping a few important things in mind will go a long way to preventing dehydration and heat injury.

Ideally, on hot day, our body and our muscles generate heat and it sends the heated blood to the surface of the skin to cool off. 

We sweat, the sweat evaporates, the skin temperature goes down, the cooled blood circulates, and it cools you off.

Body heat is raised by the temperature outside, humidity, and the intensity of exercise—the more intense the exercise, the more heat.

The problem is humidity.

You actually sweat more when it is humid, and the sweat does very little to cool you.

Excessive sweating drains you body of important electrolytes and fluids and dehydration occurs.

When this happens, athletic performance drops drastically (it’s your body’s way of trying to protect itself), and heat injury becomes a very real possibility.

Deaths have actually occurred from dehydration and overheating when the outside temperature was less than 75 degrees F (24 degrees C), because the humidity was above 95%.

Remember too, dehydration is cumulative. So if you go out and have a hard workout one day, come home, and don’t get enough fluids and electrolytes, the next time you will dehydrate even more quickly and it will be much worse.

Heat-related illnesses — heat exhaustion or heat stroke — are dangerous and can be deadly. And the young and elderly have an even harder time adapting to heat.

There are three stages to heat illness; heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

Heat cramps come from muscle spasms in the arms, legs, or abdomen. These are usually the first sign, and come from a combination of dehydration, and a loss of salt and electrolytes.

Heat exhaustion includes weakness, headache, dizziness, foggy mental state, low blood pressure, elevated heart rate, and increase in body temperature as high as 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

Heatstroke becomes a life-threatening condition and its symptoms are severe dehydration, a high body temperature, and a shutdown of the cooling mechanisms.

The athlete or individual may become delirious or comatose, and many victims actually stop sweating when the body is depleted of fluids. Body temperature can go up to 105°F (40.6°C), and as high as 110°F (43°C).

At these high temperatures, damage to the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys and other sensitive organs may occur. Sometimes despite the best medical care, at this point death is the end result.

How do you know when it’s hot and humid enough to take notice?

I use the ‘Rule of 140’. When the sum of the current temperature plus the humidity is over 140, take precautions.

How can we help to prevent heat and dehydration issues?

Adapt to the Heat—The human body acclimates to heat so that it can more easily adapt to higher temperatures and humidity. This adaptation takes about 10 days of exercise or activity in the heat and humidity–and only if you are well hydrated.

Obviously, you want be sure to dress lightly. And use clothing that allows for air circulation and helps sweat evaporate.

Many medications will actually speed up dehydration and interfere with sweating.

Antihistamines are meant to dry you out and will speed up the dehydration process drastically. So beware of cold/sinus medications when it is hot outside!

Blood pressure medications decrease sweating as well. And, so does alcohol and caffeine, because they act as diuretics.

Be sure to drink plenty of fluids — before, during and after!

Hydrate before any athletic event or any activity where you know you will be spending long hours in the heat and humidity.

How do you know if you are drinking enough? A good sign of adequate hydration is the output of large volumes of clear, pale yellow, dilute urine.

Many people underestimate the amount of fluid lost during activity outside. A good way to check this is to weigh yourself before and after exercise.

It’s difficult to remain hydrated in heat because you can lose twice as much sweat as you can ingest in fluids during an activity. 

The most fluid the body can absorb during exercise is about 800ml per hour (27 fluid ounces/hr).

However, the rate of fluid lost through sweating can be as high as 1.5 – 2 liters (or 1500 to 2000ml) per hour (50 – 68 fluid ounces per hour).

Ok, how to replace those fluids? A sweet sports drink? NO.

Generally, though, for less intense activity that lasts under an hour, water is best.

For longer, more intense activity, you will need to replace some electrolytes (primarily sodium and potassium) and carbohydrates. But sports drinks like Gatorade usually contain too much sugar, citric acid (which can actually eat into your tooth enamel) and other junk in them.

My favorite electrolyte replacement drink is pure, unsweetened coconut water.

It’s the perfect balance of electrolytes that you need.

One of my other favorites is just OJ and water. On particularly hot days, I may add a teaspoon of sea salt to it. So…it gives you some good carbs, potassium and salt. Perfect. Easy.

Carbohydrate content in the range of 4 – 8% is best for endurance races. Levels above 10% are poorly absorbed and can cause diarrhea.

Sweat contains between 2.25 to 3.4 grams of sodium chloride per liter. A sweat rate of 1 liter per hour would thus cause a salt loss of 27- 40 grams over a 12-hour period.

Activity and exertion during high heat and humidity means you MUST replace the lost sodium as well.

Most athletes need to replace an average of 1 gram of salt an hour for any activity lasting more than 2 or so hours. It is also advisable to increase salt intake for several days before a long race or any activity outside in the hot sun and/or humidity.

Here’s something else—carb loading during hot weather is actually a good idea.

You know how carbs increase the body’s water content? Well, during really hot weather this is very important, so you start out with more fluids in your body.

This is ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT for those athletes who follow a Paleo style or low carb diet. Eat more carbs during hot weather to keep you from dehydrating as quickly.

Realize this: everyone is NOT alike. Even for fit, well-trained athletes, there is a large variation on how each of us reacts to heat, humidity, sweating and dehydration.

Individuals vary on sweat rate, what we eat and drink prior to exercising outside, our rate of fluid intake, our rate of absorption, percentage body fat, and many other variables.

Prepare well, be ready, drink plenty of healthy fluids and be sure to acclimate and you too can have fun in the sun, even if it is hot outside!


Till next time, stay healthy, lean and COOL!


 


Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

 
                   Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.
            Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

Enhance Your Athletic Performance


It’s hard to read sports news anymore without hearing about someone getting caught for illegal use of performance enhancing drugs.

Even though most of us are not competing with such high stakes, virtually everyone is looking to enhance their athletic performance and there are ways to do that without cheating and resorting to illicit medications.

If you continually fuel your body with the best nutrition, you will definitely see noticeable improvements in speed, endurance, and recovery, as you train. On the other hand, fueling with junk will promote injuries, strains, sprains, early fatigue, bonking and burnout.

It really can make a huge difference.

Young or old, all athletes need the lots of nutrition to push their bodies to the limit, and an athlete needs more nutrition-packed foods than the average person.

While there are literally thousands of supplements marketed towards athletes and improved performance, I wanted to over the purely natural ones you can get just from a healthy diet alone.

We all know you need a good mix of carbs, proteins, and healthy fats in the right proportions, but the actual food source of each of these is extremely important as well.

All protein is not alike, nor are all carbs, or all fats.

Carbs and fat store energy for muscles. These two nutrients are converted to energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which fuels muscles. These two macronutrients are converted to usable energy differently.

Carbohydrate is converted into blood glucose and is the first fuel burned during high intensity activities. The best carbohydrates are actually organic fruits and vegetables, which supply longer lasting energy than grain or sugar based energy sources–without causing the blood sugar spikes and resulting nosedive.

Grain and sugary forms of fuel are quickly converted into glucose in the body and after blood sugar spikes, insulin is released and the result is even lower blood sugar. In an athletic competition, this can become a bonk, as your body burns through the glucose and then searches for another fuel source. Bicycling magazine has a great article on this subject here. It seems that low glycemic foods eaten prior to a race result in far greater returns that high glycemic foods like sugar and grains. So an apple is far better than a cookie or a bagel.

Fat is actually a better source of slower burning energy for the athlete.

Healthy fats supply almost 20 times the ATP in the muscles as carbohydrates, and blood sugar levels remain stable, so no bonk. Good sources of healthy fats are the anti-inflammatory omega 3 fats, virgin coconut oil (a medium chain triglyceride, which is immediately used for energy), virgin olive oil (high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients) grass fed butter (packed with vitamin A, D, and K2–a difficult to find but essential vitamin) and nuts (rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and omega 3 fats).

Switching from a sugar burning diet, to a fat burning diet for energy and athletic performance may require a breaking-in period, as your body will search for the most easily accessible form of energy.

If it is used to getting glucose in the form of sweet and starchy snacks, then you will need to slowly wean yourself off of these, instead of just going cold turkey and expecting great results.

Muscles must have good quality protein to function well, repair, recover and regain their strength–especially after a hard workout.

Protein provides the building blocks for your muscles, and after a hard workout muscles  are depleted, often with microtears, and need protein in order to rebuild. It’s best to eat protein within a half hour after working out, and some studies have shown that protein during and after a workout is best for maximum muscle recovery.

Many athletes are turning to grass fed beef as one of their primary protein sources, which has a much higher ratio of the energy boosting omega 3 fats to omega 6 fats; is full of muscle-building and fat-burning Conjugated Linoleic Acid, is more easily digestible, and avoids the antibiotics and hormones of regular conventionally raised meat.

Recently, CNBC ran a story on grass fed meat and athletes. Dr. Keith Pyne, a peak performance specialist who works with elite athletes, is a fan of grass-fed beef:

“Especially in the last five years, athletes have begun to understand that their diet and what they put in their bodies can have a [huge] effect on their performance,” said Pyne of SportsLab NYC. “Understanding the [omega 3:6] fat ratios in what they are eating and lowering their glycemic index is now on their mind.”

The Essential Fatty Acids of omega 3 and 6 also play an important role in the functioning of the human body.

While vegetable based omega-6 fats promote inflammation, the omega 3 fatty acids work to reduce inflammation, strengthen the immune system, and aid in muscle recovery and energy.

Since the days of the cavemen, we have evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 of about 1:1. Huge changes in dietary habits over the last few centuries has changed this ratio to something closer to 20:1 which causes trouble in many ways, especially for an athlete.

Meat raised by conventional means on grain products contains large amounts of omega 6 fats, as opposed to grass fed and free range animals with healthier omega 3 fats. Research has shown that the correct balance of Essential Fatty Acids not only improves stamina and endurance; inflammation and muscle soreness after exercise, but also uses the amino acids from protein better to build and maintain muscle mass.

Athlete or not, everyone can benefit from the right balance of EFA’s , which in today’s world means more omega 3’s and less omega 6’s.

Whey is also a popular protein for sports drinks, energy bars and as an additive for smoothies and shakes. Cold processed whey protein powder is an excellent source of protein, even surpassing whole eggs, soy, meat, and other dairy sources with its excellent bioavailability and its ability to deposit nitrogen in the muscles.

Whey from a grass fed source is the absolute highest quality form of whey you can get, full of large amounts of Conjugated Linoleic Acid and omega 3 fatty acids, and none of the residual pesticides and hormones.

Whey is the only protein source that contains immunoglobulins, which are essential in maintaining immune system function. Whey protein builds up cellular glutathione levels. Glutathione has been called the ‘master antioxidant’, and regulates the actions of other antioxidants such as vitamin C, and vitamin E within the body.

No other antioxidant is as important to overall health as glutathione.

Be sure the whey source you use is cold processed as heat processing denatures the fragile protein molecules in the whey and renders them virtually useless. Unfortunately, most protein powders and protein additives use heat processing.

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is another important fatty acid that enhances athletic performance. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) works not only as a powerful anti-oxidant, but also fights cancer and strengthens the immune system.

While CLA is known as a fat burner, the other key benefit of this important fat is that it triggers an increase in muscle mass and strength. CLA comes from diet, mostly from beef and dairy fats such as grass-fed beef, butter, cheese, and raw whole milk.

Cows raised on grass have about 5 times as much CLA as conventional meat and dairy cows.

While some health food stores will sell CLA supplements, most nutrition scientists agree that naturally occurring CLA from food is utilized better in the body.

Another supplement, creatine, is extremely popular with athletes and body builders. It is found naturally in the skeletal muscle, and is essential for the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the cellular fuel that is burned by muscles.

Creatine is actually a natural ingredient of red meat.

Creatine is manufactured in the body from the amino acids glycine, arginine, and methionine.

The primary energy-producing molecule for bursts of vigorous muscle contraction is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, lasts in the muscles for about 10 or so seconds, after which time your body must produce more to keep your muslces going. Your ability to supply more ATP to the muscles and make more ATP depends on creatine.

Large reserves of creatine help with endurance, buffer lactic acid, and aid in muscle fatigue. Creatine enhances the ability of the muscle to maintain high power output during brief periods of intense exercise, as in a sprint or interval training. Creatine also revives tired muscles, allowing them to work harder for longer time periods. So for short hard efforts, creatine is a valuable nutrient to add to the athlete’s diet. Creatine supplements are available, but can cause a few negative side effects, including severe stomach cramps and digestive issues.

Vegetables and fruit serve a dual purpose in an athlete’s diet, and as a healthy slow-burning complex carbohydrate, they are excellent. Yes, vegetables are carbs.

Veggies and fruit also contain loads of powerful phytochemicals and antioxidants, which serve to power your performance with tons of energy, supply crucial vitamins and minerals, but also help to minimize inflammation, reduce injury, protect the immune system, and guard cellular health.

Recent studies have shown another valuable nutrient in many vegetables, most notably the oft-misunderstood beet. It has been found that certain vegetables including beets contain nitrate, which is converted in the body to nitric oxide.

Dietary nitrate reduces oxygen needs during exercise and so, boosts athletic performance.

Drinking 500 ml of beet juice 2.5 hours before a cycling time trial improved 4 km TT time by 2.8% and 10-mile TT time by 2.7% compared to the placebo group. Not impressed?

How about this: the 4K time trial with beet juice, was 6.26 minutes vs. 6.45 minutes without, and the 16K was 26.9 min. with the beet juice, vs. 27.7 minutes. That’s almost a minute!  A minute is a lot in a TT.

Look at it this way: we cyclists pay a couple thousand dollars for lightweight aero wheels. As shown on the Zipp wheels data, for a 1080 front and a sub9 disc wheel (total cost about $3200) you can expect to save 108 seconds, over a 40K race. That’s equivalent to 43 seconds over a 16K race, while the beet juice saved people 48 seconds over a 16K race. $3200 for wheels, or down some beet juice at 6-8$ a bottle.

Hmm…I’m trying beet juice.

The effects of nitric oxide have been known for years.

Some of these effects scientists are not quite clear on, such as increasing mitochondrial action in the cells. We do know, however, that nitric oxide causes vasodilation , or dilating blood vessels. Researchers think that this is how it helps get oxygen to the working muscles more efficiently.

Another nutrient that vasodilates is magnesium.

Magnesium as you may or may not know is responsible for over 300 cellular functions and is extremely important to the athlete. Athletes lose more Mg than sedentary folks from working out hard and from sweating. Magnesium helps muscular strength and energy, as well as helping the heart pump slower and more smoothly; it relaxes the airways and dilates the blood vessels; all of which help to aid in athletic performance.

Cherry juice is another one of those magic elixirs for athletes. Tart cherry juice can actually help prevent inflammation, muscle soreness, and promote deep, restful sleep. Read the whole article on cherry's benefits.

There are a zillion other nutrients that aid in athletic performance and recovery, but these are some of the most significant.

Bottom line is this: avoid the processed, sugary junk which clogs up the system and slows you down, eat tons of healthy veggies and fruits, eat good amounts of high quality protein and healthy fats and you will find that your workouts will pay off in a big way!

Till next time, stay healthy, lean and energetic!

P.S. Look for my new Superfoods recipe book coming soon!!

 

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist.

In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled "The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation" that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.
 
Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.
Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:
Dr. Al Sears MD, Health Confidential Newsletter, Jan 22, 2009, Iss. 35
Hajoway, Mike, “What CLA can do for you”, Bodybuilding.com, 2011.

Fritsche S, Rumsey TS, Yurawecz MP, Ku Y, Fritsche J. Influence of growth promoting implants on fatty acid composition including conjugated linoleic acid isomers in beef fat. Eur. Food Res. Technol. 212:621-629 (2001).

Lowery LM, Appicelli PA, Lemon PWR. Conjugated linoleic acid enhances muscle size and strength gains in novice bodybuilders. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:S182 [abstract].

Thom E, Wadstein J, Gudmundsen O. Conjugated linoleic acid reduces body fat in healthy exercising humans. J Int Med Res 2001;29:392-6.

 

This Missing Nutrient May be the Reason for Your Health Problems

 

Do you have any of the following health issues?

ADD/ADHD
Anxiety and panic attacks
Asthma
Blood clots
Constipation
Cystitis
Depression
Diabetes, High Blood Sugar or Metabolic Syndrome
Facial ticks
Fatigue
Heart Palpitations, or Arrythmias
Hypertension
Hypoglycemia
Insomnia or Restless Sleeping
Gallstones or Kidney Stones
Kidney Disease
Leg Cramps
Muscle Spasms or Twitching
Liver Disease
Migraine
Restless Legs Syndrome
Osteoporosis
Reynaud’s Syndrome
Urinary Incontinence

If any of the above apply to you, it’s very possible you have a magnesium deficiency.

Recent studies show about 80% of the population is deficient in this vital mineral.

Magnesium is one of the most important minerals in our bodies.

About 60-65% of the magnesium found in our bodies in stored in our bones, about 25% percent is in our muscles, and the rest is in our blood and cells. Magnesium can’t be made by our bodies, so we have to get it through our diet or supplements.

The problem is, most of our diets are magnesium poor. And many of the foods that contain magnesium just don’t have the amounts they used to have. So, as a result, the majority of the population is walking around magnesium-deficient, and dealing with one or more of the health issues above.

Who is at risk for a magnesium deficiency?

•    Athletes who work out regularly, especially in warm weather
•    Diets low in dark green leafy vegetables, nuts or seeds
•    Consuming sugar or sugary products
•    Anyone who drinks alcohol regularly
•    Those on a restricted calorie (less than 2000 calories) or low carb diet
•    People on particular types of medication
•    Those with digestive issues such as celiac disease, IBS or crohn’s disease

Magnesium plays a very important role in over 325 bodily functions. It is one of the primary factors in our ability to utilize protein, carbohydrates and fats. Without magnesium, energy in the form of ATP, cannot be stored or utilized properly in our muscles, and it increases our demand for oxygen, decreasing athletic performance.

There is strong evidence that magnesium requirements are much higher in athletes, and athletic performance may benefit from higher intakes.

Aside from being used up in the production of energy, magnesium assists performance by reducing accumulation of lactic acid and reducing the feelings of fatigue during strenuous exercise. Magnesium is also lost through sweat, so athletes training hard in hot and humid environments need even more.

Because magnesium is so vitally important, nearly every body system is affected by a magnesium shortfall.

Just a few of the things magnesium is responsible for:

•    Supplies strength and flexibility to your bones and prevents osteoporosis
•    Regulates and lowers blood pressure
•    Prevents or stops gallstone and kidney stone formation
•    Promotes deep, restful sleep
•    Soothes muscle cramps and spasms
•    Lowers cholesterol levels and triglycerides
•    Helps diabetics maintain proper blood sugar levels
•    Can prevent arthrosclerosis and stroke
•    Stops migraine headaches
•    Relieves chronic pain
•    Effectively reduces or stops asthma attacks
•    Helps the body metabolize nutrients
•    Has a mild laxative effect
•    Prevents heart attacks and maintains a regular heartbeat
•    Improves mood and has a calming effect
•    Improves muscle strength and endurance
•    Ends urinary urge incontinence

So you see, this often overlooked mineral is pretty important for good health and optimal functioning of the body and mind.

One of the problems with magnesium is that there isn’t really an easy way to measure how much or how little you have in your body. So, you can be moderately low for a long time and not even know, until the symptoms become more severe.

Researchers found low levels of magnesium cause cells to age more quickly, and this may be one of the causes of long-term chronic disease.

Another interesting thing—an overabundance of calcium causes an imbalance between the delicate ratio of calcium and magnesium in the body.

Magnesium and calcium work together synergistically and having both in the right amounts is vital. The problem is, the focus has been on getting loads of calcium in the diet, and everywhere you look there are calcium supplements and calcium-fortified foods.

But, even with many people consuming plenty of calcium, bone diseases like osteoporosis are still epidemic, affecting 55% of people over the age of 50! And if you are a big consumer of calcium or  dairy products, you are most likely magnesium deficient.

As a result, many people have calcium to magnesium ratio that is way out of balance.

Calcium in our bodies is an ‘exciter’. It causes muscle–both smooth and skeletal–to contract. Magnesium is a relaxor. It counteracts and balances calcium’s effect.

Excess calcium without the other minerals and nutrients it needs, gets stored in places you don’t want it. Excess calcium gets stuck in your joints, where it can cause arthritis or gout, it gets stuck in your kidneys or gall bladder where it can form painful stones, and it gets stuck in your arteries, where it causes the calcified plaque that contributes to heart disease.

The message here is this: you need about twice as much magnesium in your diet as calcium.

How to get more magnesium?

Foods high in magnesium include dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, mustard greens, collard greens or swiss chard. Some other good sources are broccoli, summer squash, raw almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds.

Conventionally grown vegetables are much lower in magnesium content than the organic versions, so for the most magnesium, buy organic and locally grown.

To be sure you getting enough magnesium, taking a supplement may be the best choice.  Magnesium supplements come in a chelated or non-chelated form. The chelated type of magnesium is absorbed better than non-chelated forms.

Chelated forms include: magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, magnesium aspartate, and magnesium taurate. Non-chelated forms include magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, and magnesium carbonate.

Magnesium is inexpensive and generally safe, but too much of a good thing is not so good. Generally most people should supplement about 200 to 600 milligrams of magnesium daily. Larger doses can cause loose stools or diarrhea.

Magnesium is best absorbed in small, frequent doses; so, it is better to take 100mgs three times a day than 300mgs or more all at once.

Magnesium is absolutely essential to your good health, athletic performance and optimal  and function of your body. There is virtually no one that cannot benefit greatly from increasing daily magnesium intake.

Till next time,

Stay healthy, energetic and lean!



P.S. Find healthy sources of magnesium and delicious recipes chock full of the vitamins and minerals you need in my Superfoods recipe book!!

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN,is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

                     Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.
           Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

Amazing Energizing, Fat Burning Secrets of Coconut Oil

 

Coconuts once were considered bad for you.

It was thought that the saturated fat in coconut lead to high cholesterol, clogged arteries, heart disease, and weight gain.

Now, coconuts have taken center stage for their nutrition value.

So the question is: Are coconuts good for you or bad for you?

Coconut is now sold in stores as coconut oil, the coconut meat itself, coconut milk and coconut water.

While all parts of the coconut contain great health benefits it's the oil that makes it a real superfood!

Coconut oil, once avoided like the plague, is now known to be very beneficial to the body. Yes, hydrogenated coconut oil is bad–as are all hydrogenated fats.

But organic, unprocessed, virgin coconut oil is a whole different story. Coconut oil has been found to have some truly unique benefits for your body and is now considered a very healthy food.

Coconut oil has been described as "the healthiest oil on earth."

What makes coconut oil so good and so unique?

Ok, so fats come in different sizes. Well actually, fat molecules come in different sizes. Fats are made up of either Long Chain Fatty Acids (LCFA), Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA), or Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA).

The majority of fats and oils in our diets, whether they are saturated, unsaturated, or come from animals or plants, are composed of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA).

Some 98 to 100% of all the fatty acids you consume are LCFA.

The size of the fatty acid is extremely important.

Why? Because our bodies respond to and metabolize each fatty acid differently depending on its size. Coconut oil is composed predominately of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA)— also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). Coconut oil contains the most concentrated natural source of MCFA available in our diet.

Because our bodies process MCFA’s differently, the effects of coconut oil are distinctly different from those of other oils.

Coconut oil is actually used to help treat health issues including weight loss, skin conditions, allergies, inflammation, Alzheimer’s and dementia, and strengthening the immune system.

Scientific studies have shown that coconut oil also has anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties and is effective against candida, measles, giardia, listeria, (common food-poisoning pathogens), staph, and heliobacter pylori (bacteria responsible for stomach ulcers) and is even being used to help HIV/AIDS patients.

And forget all the stuff that was once said about coconut oil and cholesterol and heart attacks!

Virgin coconut oil actually has a beneficial effect in lowering total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids and low-density lipoproteins (LDL-the bad cholesterol) and so is good for the blood vessels and the heart.

And, how about this: Substituting coconut oil for other vegetable oils in your diet will help you burn fat better, lose weight and have more energy.

How is this possible? Compared to carbohydrates, medium-chain triglycerides are a better and more efficient source of quick energy. Most oils, are broken down into fatty acids that circulate through your body after you eat them, and hungry fat cells in our bodies readily store these as fat.

When you eat MCFA’s, they go straight to the liver to get immediately metabolized and processed as energy.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to take a pill that would shift our metabolic rate into a higher gear? Well guess what? Coconut oil does that.

Eating foods containing medium chain fatty acids is like putting high-octane fuel into your car.  Because MCFA’s go directly to the liver and converted into energy, the body gets a boost of energy. And because MCFA’s are easily absorbed by the energy-producing parts of the cells, metabolism increases. 

This burst of energy has an energizing effect on the entire body.

The fact that MCFAs digest immediately to produce energy and stimulate metabolism has led athletes to use them as a means to enhance exercise performance. 

There are several studies showing this to be true:

In one study, investigators tested the physical endurance of mice who were given MCFA’s in their daily diet against those that weren't. The study extended over a six-week period.  The mice were subjected to a swimming endurance test every other day.  They were placed in a pool of water with a constant current flow like that found in a river.  The total swimming time until exhaustion was measured. 

While at first there was little difference between the groups of mice, those fed MCFA’s quickly began to out-perform the others and continued to improve throughout the testing period.

In another study, the thermogenic (fat-burning) effect of a high-calorie diet containing 40% fat as MCFA was compared to a diet containing 40% fat as LCFA (long chain fatty acids).

The thermogenic effect of the MCFA was almost twice as high as the LCFA: 120 calories versus 66 calories.

The researchers concluded that the excess energy provided by fats in the form of MCFA does not get stored as fat, but rather would be burned. MCFA’s are popular among body builders because they help reduce carbohydrate intake, and increase energy.

MCFA’s also have muscle-sparing effects. As a result, they help build muscles while reducing fats, and this means better fat-burning metabolism for you.

Since these super fats increase metabolism, and boost energy, virgin coconut oil gets ranked at the top of the list as a fat-burning food.

Researchers are now looking into the exciting possibility of using coconut oil as a treatment not only for Alzheimer’s disease but also for Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), drug resistant epilepsy, brittle type I diabetes, and diabetes type II (insulin resistance).

The most important change you can make in your diet is to replace all the refined vegetable oils (soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, etc.), margarine, shortening, or hydrogenated oils you may be currently using in your food preparation with coconut oil.

Coconut oil remains stable at higher heats for cooking and tastes great in most dishes. Try some in your next stir-fry! It also tastes great raw, straight from the jar.

I put coconut oil (its pretty thick at room temperature or below) on toast, in smoothies, or use in homemade mayo or salad dressing recipes.

One of my favorite healthy oil mixes is to use a combination of Udo’s Choice, grass fed butter and coconut oil when cooking. There are hundreds of ways to eat coconut oil, just give it a try!

 

 

 

 

Sources: Dr. Mary Enig, PhD, F.A.C.N., “Coconut: In support of good health in the 21st Century, http://www.coconutoil.com/coconut_oil_21st_century.htm, 2004-2007 Coconut Research Center, http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/, 2004 Ivy, John, and Robert Portman, “The Performance Zone: Your Nutrition Action Plan for Greater Endurance and Sports Performance” (Teen Health Series), North Bergen, NJ: Basic Health Publications, Inc., 2004. Ryan, Monique, “Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes”, Boulder, CO: Velo Press, 2002. Dr. Joseph Mercola, “Here's the Smarter Oil Alternative I Recommend to Replace Those Other Oils in Your Kitchen", Mercola.com, 2010.

Beets and Athletic Performance

What would you think about a natural food that has been scientifically PROVEN to help you work out harder and longer?

red beets

 

What would you think about a natural food that has been scientifically PROVEN to help you work out harder and longer? Remember when your mom used to say, “Eat your beets!” Well, there’s even more reason to now. Although this food has been around for a long time, this news is a very recent discovery with amazing results–especially if you are an athlete.

Although many people turn up their noses at beets, the fact that beets have some awesome benefits may make you take another look at them–especially if you are an athlete or are interested in getting (or staying) into shape.

Beet juice (or ‘beetroot’ as they say in the UK) can increase endurance in the muscles and help you exercise 20% longer. While 20% may not seem like a lot, it certainly can mean the difference between you winning a race or finishing in the middle of the pack!

What’s in beet juice? It is thought that the nitrates in beets are very effective in enhancing the oxygen utilization and physical endurance in the muscles (more so than just training harder will do) and it also lowers blood pressure. Natural nitrates have the effect of dilating blood vessels and allowing better blood flow to muscles that need them.

Two studies done at Exeter University on men have opened the doors to looking for foods that help the muscles in the body utilize oxygen better and stay stronger, longer. In this particular study, it was found that cyclists who drank beet juice before cycling had a 20% increase in muscle endurance than those who drank a placebo of blackcurrant juice instead. In other words, the cyclists were able to pedal a significant amount of time longer on the beet juice without tiring.

How does this happen? Scientists theorize that the naturally occurring nitrate content in the beet juice turns to nitric oxide in the body, and expands the blood vessels and reduces the amount of oxygen that the muscles need for exercise, so the muscles don’t tire as easily.

Besides athletes and those who are work out regularly, beet juice may be just as beneficial to those with cardiovascular, respiratory or metabolic diseases as well.

And the action of nitrates on blood vessels is also similar to a very popular prescription medication for erectile dysfunction.

Still not convinced to eat beets or start drinking beet juice?

Well, these humble little red root vegetables are also a packed full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, making beets a fat burning superfood.
Consider some of these reasons to add beets or beet juice to your daily diet:

Potassium–Potassium is a vital mineral that helps regulate fluids in the body. And potassium intake is extra important if you exercise. Physically active men and women require about 2,500 to 4,000 milligrams of potassium a day. If you train in a warmer climate, where you may sweat more, potassium needs are higher. A cup of beets contains over 500 milligrams of potassium, which is a good start to maintaining that balance.

Anti-inflammatory–Sports, overtraining, and working out regularly is a lot of wear and tear on your body–which can lead to chronic inflammation. Muscles and joints that are overtrained can develop inflammation and will lead to injuries, tendonitis, joint issues and even arthritis. Beets contain a substance called betaine, which helps reduce inflammation. Reducing inflammation has advantages to others besides athletes because it can decrease the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, type-2 diabetes, and more.

Heart Health–The dietary nitrates in beets help muscles pump longer and harder—and that also includes the heart muscle. Beets have been proven to lower blood pressure and helps to make your heart stronger and healthier too.

Iron–Beet greens are edible too and are even higher in iron than spinach greens. Iron helps to transport oxygen in the blood and gets it to the muscles where it is needed, your energy levels stay higher.

It’s time to give beets a second chance. Try this recipe and you will be amazed at how tasty beets really are–

  • Purchase fresh beets and wash them well.
  • Peel off the tough outer skin with a potato peeler or paring knife.
  • Remove the green tops and slice beets in fairly thin slices.
  • Add beets to sauce pan with about a fourth to a half cup of water and a couple Tbsp. of grass fed butter.
  • Simmer with a lid on low to medium heat until fork-tender, about 10 minutes.
  • Drain any excess water and add a squeeze of fresh lemon, sea salt, pepper and more butter if you would like. Enjoy!
  • If you want to juice your own fresh beet juice, try it with some other additions: a couple stalks of celery, a half an apple, and some carrots to your juicer. You can also purchase beet juice at many health food stores.

Beets and beet juice are an excellent addition to anyone’s diet–whether you are a serious athlete or just a weekend warrior–or want to improve your ability in the bedroom.

Beets contain a powerful punch of vitamins and nutrients and provide the biggest bang for your buck!

Note: It’s not a great idea to drink large amounts of fresh beet juice all by itself. A few people can have negative reactions to beet juice, such as hives, rashes, and even paralysis of the vocal cords. Beet juice is best in smaller amounts and mixed with other vegetable juices. Beets and beet greens are also high in a substance called oxalic acid and should be avoided by those who tend to get kidney stones, gout, or rheumatoid arthritis.

This recipe started out as a joke, but if you are going to have an alcoholic cocktail, this one is actually VERY good and not as bad for you as those sugary concoctions full of preservatives and artificial flavoring. You will be surprised at how good this tastes, but go easy, it’s still a potent drink–and it most likely will NOT improve your athletic performance with the addition of vodka–so probably not a great pre-race drink! 😉

The Beet Martini

Ingredients:

  • 1 bottle  Chopin or other Potato Vodka
  • 3 Fresh Organic Beets
  • 2-4 cups Blood Orange or Fresh Orange Juice (I just bought fresh squeezed OJ from WF)
  • 4 Meyer Lemons, juiced
  • 2 Fresh Limes, juiced
  • Simple Syrup to taste
  • 6-8 ea. Fresh Basil Leaves
  • Lemon Twist, garnish

Directions:

  • Cut tops off beets and wash. Place in boiling water for about ten minutes. Remove from pan, rinse under cold water and scrape off tough outer skin. Slice and add to vodka in a glass pitcher or jar. Infuse for three days.
  • When ready to mix drinks, remove beets with a strainer spoon and discard. In a glass pitcher, add the vodka and chill. Meanwhile squeeze 3 Meyer lemons and three limes into a glass container. Add the orange juice. Crush the basil leaves in a small amount of simple syrup with a wooden spoon. Add to juice mixture and sweeten with simple syrup to taste. Leave it slightly tart.
  • To mix drinks, add ice to a cocktail strainer, juice and two shots of vodka. Shake and strain off ice. Garnish with a lemon peel.
  • Note: Measurements are approximate, so it may need a little tweaking to ‘taste’. Enjoy in moderation! Cheers!

Till next time,

Stay healthy and lean and FAST!

cat e1335982521218 Inflammation Silent and Sneaky Partner of Aging and Disease

 

10920911_933025466708952_6899937273509840540_nCatherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, (studying MSN/PH) is an international health, wellness and longevity expert. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing, she has spent the last 30 years studying sustainable diets, health and nutrition all over the world. She also has 4 books including the worldwide best-seller,  “The Fat Burning Kitchen,” “The Top 101 Foods That Fight Aging”, and “The Superfoods Diabetes Reversal Diet”,  and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help create a healthier planet and healthier people. Cat’s Global Green Kitchen

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

The Fat Burning Kitchen will get you started on the path to a healthy diet, weight loss and vibrant health.You will notice a difference in the first 24 hours! Learn about the so-called ‘health’ foods you may be eating that are actually ruining your health, and causing you to gain weight. And find out the best, fat-burning super-powered nutritious foods to eat to lose fat, gain boundless energy, and feel better than you ever have!

 

 

Source:
Stephen J Baily, Andrew M Jones, et al. “Dietary nitrate supplementation reduces the O2 cost of low-intensity exercise and enhances tolerance to high-intensity exercise in humans”, Journal of Applied Physiology, Aug.6, 2009
.

Fuel for Top Athletic Performance

As a competitive cyclist, I am around athletes all the time.

It’s amazing to me what some of them eat, drink and fuel their bodies with before, during and after races.

The myth of ‘carb loading’ is still there, as well as attempting to fuel with sugary, chemical-laden substances before and during and after races.

Does it work? Well no, not really.

What do you eat to fuel your body properly for athletic performance?

It’s probably not what you think. Athletes and weekend warriors alike seem to always be looking for the latest powders, drink mixes, energy bars, supplements, gels, etc. to give themselves the ‘edge’ in competition.

We spend millions of dollars on ‘energy’ drinks and ‘energy’ bars each year.

While food manufacturers would like you to believe there are all kinds of performance-related nutrients in these things, it all really boils down to two ingredients: sugar and caffeine.

The rest of it is chemicals, chemically processed, and virtually useless ingredients as well as empty calories. Fueling your body with sugar and caffeine eventually leads to a decline in energy, not an increase. Sugar starts with a quick high, but it is followed by plummeting energy levels.

So, over the long run, any type of sugar used as a fuel will deplete you of energy.

In fact, any kinesiologist or chiropractor will show you how sugar dramatically reduces strength.

So where should an athlete get energy to fuel the fires to compete?

For any event lasting longer than a half hour, energy is going to have to come from a better source. Eating simple carbs like sugar, honey, corn syrup—even processed white flour as in pasta, bread, cookies, doughnuts, etc. before an event will cause a spike in blood sugar followed by a fall and loss of energy.

Simple carbs and even excessive complex carbs cause sluggishness and will hamper athletic performance in the long run.

Although many athletes still follow the ‘carb-loading’ principle, burning any type of sugar (carbs turn to sugar in the body) is not what the body needs over the long haul of an event.

Controlling the blood sugar and insulin is actually key to athletic performance.

When insulin levels are under control, the body will be more likely to burn fat for energy.

This is called ‘thermogenesis’ and any elite athlete has a body that is highly capable of this.

Why do we want to burn fat for energy? The body turns to burning fat for energy after only a short period of time in any physically demanding activity. Fat not only works for a long-term fuel for the body, it supplies a ready amount of ATP, which is the energy powerhouse for muscles.

ATP is the primary energy and strength-producing fuel within the body for muscles.

The more ATP available, the more energy your muscles have and the better you perform. Carbohydrates as an energy source only supply your muscles with 38 molecules of ATP per molecule. The difference when utilizing fat as an energy source is that a single fat molecule will produce 129 molecules of ATP!

That’s a HUGE difference!

That’s the difference between sustained energy in an athletic event and ‘bonking’. If your body has a habit of only using simple carbohydrates for energy, you will bonk after a short time.

So the difference between fueling with fat or carbohydrates comes down to the difference between a high level of athletic performance, or just being one of the pack.

Obviously the smart thing to do then, is to fuel your body with good healthy fats and protein prior to an athletic event.

How do you do this exactly? On a day-to-day basis, make sure you are supplying your body with adequate amounts of healthy protein, good fats, and complex carbohydrates (non-grain sources are the best).

Healthy fats for athletic performance are omega 3 fats with EPA and DHA in them, such as those found in grass fed meats, wild caught fish, and free-range eggs; saturated fats such as the kind you find in grass fed butter and grass fed meats; monosaturated fats such as coconut oil (full of medium chain triglycerides that provide many of the crucial metabolic constituents needed to burn fat effectively and boost energy) olive oil, avocados, and nuts.

Get protein from a high quality source to be sure you are getting the right amount of omega 3 fats, as well as the proper protein. Grass fed meat provides the best, most usable protein the body can use, along with other essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, CLA (a muscle building and fat burning nutrient), and a host of other vitamins and minerals necessary for muscles and energy.

Prior to popular beliefs, carbohydrate sources for athletes do not need to come from grain or starchy products.

In fact, in a recent experiment with a world-famous professional cycling team, wheat was removed from the training table, and healthier carbohydrate sources were substituted. The athletes found their performance, sleep and digestion improved drastically—even though the cyclists were not gluten or wheat-intolerant.

The best carbohydrate sources come from organic fresh, colorful, and antioxidant-rich vegetables and organic fruits.

So what’s the best combination of these foods for supreme athletic performance?

Well, follow these simple rules and you will find your energy levels and performance soar.

  • Two or three hours before an athletic event eat a combination of healthy fats combined with a small amount of easy-to-digest protein and carbohydrates.  Try organic free-range eggs, beef jerky, or wild caught fish; along with potatoes (white or sweet), brown rice or quinoa, and healthy fats such as grass fed butter, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil or fats from nuts.
  • Just prior to your athletic event, eat fruit such as apples, pears, oranges, berries or bananas. These complex carbohydrates are easy to digest and will give you plenty of quick energy without the bonk later.
  • During the event and also immediately afterward, avoid sports drinks and energy bars containing corn syrup, sugar, chemicals and preservatives. Refuel instead with healthier energy bars and drinks with natural lower-glycemic sweeteners like honey, maple, cane, brown rice syrup or stevia, and all-natural ingredients. Try one of USWM Good On Ya’ energy bars for superior energy and stamina.
  • Afterwards, muscles are nitrogen-poor and broken down. You need to replace the amino acids and lost nutrients with high quality animal proteins like grass fed meat, wild caught fish, free-range organic chicken and free-range eggs; as well as replenishing complex carbohydrates with organic vegetables, brown rice, or potatoes.

Try utilizing these energy rules for your athletic endeavors and you will see your performance, stamina and energy soar! Sources: Dr. Ben Lerner, “Energy Rules for Athletes” posted by Dr. Mercola, September 2005, Mercola.com. Shane Ellison, “Fat for Energy and Raw Athletic Power”, The People’s Chemist.com, 2006