All posts in Nutrition

Common Mistakes In Nutrition For Athletes

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Many people think that athletes are examples of health and that it is strictly related to their nutrition plans and a lot of exercise. Well, in some cases it is true, but there are still people who consider themselves as athletes and practice some totally inappropriate diet, what may finally end in serious health problems. The next time you will meet one of them, try to speak about following issues to make sure, that they know what and why they are eating.

Extra proteins will help you to gain more muscles

Professional nutrition plans for athletes prohibit more than 2.5 times higher protein intake than it is shown in RDA. The higher intake can be responsible for dehydration or even severe problems with liver or kidney. Furthermore there is no scientific proof that high-protein diet will effect in gaining extra muscles.

Athlete should intake fluid when he is thirsty

One of the most common problems in athlete’s life is the possibility of dehydration. Even when an athlete is not thirsty, he may need additional fluid to drink, for every lost pound of weight should be replaced with no less than two cups of water.

Nutrition plan for athletes before competition should not contain sugar

We must remember that sugar gives us energy, so small intakes of this carbohydrate will not only bring no harm, but even can be beneficial for the performance of the athlete.

Sport drinks are good only for those athletes who exercise a lot

Again, we speak about the danger of dehydration. While the total water loss due to exercises may wary depending on the type of exercises, conditions of the gym and the health status of the athlete, the possible problems caused by dehydration are so severe that there should be no restriction in drinking sport drinks, even by those who exercise for less than an hour a day.

You can lose weight when you exercise a lot

This is another common myth. Of course when we consider the water loss as loss of the weight, we may still believe in this superstition, thus endangering ourselves to dehydration. A true athlete, however, knows that every water loss must be replaced as soon as possible and the best and the safest way to loose some additional weight is by proper nutrition for athletes.

While we all want to have healthy and good looking bodies we must remember that not everyone can be an athlete. And when we finally become one of them,we should always keep in mind a single fact, only proper nutrition for athletes, free of popular, but false, beliefs and myths can let us not only stay for years in good shape but also win.

Natural Life Extenders And Nutrition For Aging

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Coenzyme Q10 Aids circulation, increases tissue oxygenation, protects the heart and is vital for many bodily functions. 100 milligrams daily.

DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone) is an adrenal hormone that enhances immune function. It has been found to help prevent and treat many of the disorders associated with aging. Take as directed on label.

DMG (Dimethylglycine) is a derivative of the amino acid glycine. It improves tissue oxygenation and boosts immune function. Take as directed on label.

Melatonin is a natural hormone that acts as an antioxidant. The body produces an abundant supply early in life, but as we age, production steadily declines. It may also help counteract insomnia, boost immunity and prevent cancer. 1.5 – 5 milligrams daily, taken 2 hours or less before bedtime.

Mushrooms Maitake, morel, reishi and shitake are mushrooms that the ancient Chinese praised as superior medicine that give eternal youth and longevity. They are found fresh as well as in supplement form.

PABA (Para-aminobenzoic acid) is one of the B vitamins. It keeps skin healthy and delays wrinkles. Take as directed on label.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) keeps hair healthy with little graying and prevents premature hair loss. It is also important for normal adrenal and immune function. As prescribed by physician.

Helpful Herbs For Old Age

Burdock root and red clover cleanse the bloodstream. They can be used separately or in combination.

Chaparral has antioxidant characteristics.

Echinacea helps to boost the immune system.

Garlic helps immune function and protects the heart.

Ginseng and ginkgo biloba extract are good for giving extra energy, increasing circulation and improving brain function. (Do not use ginseng if you have high blood pressure.)

Gotu Kola is called the “fountain of youth” herb in China and is thought to work with the immune system.

Horsetail, taken in form of tea or extract, is an excellent source of silicon, which is important for maintaining the strength of bones and connective tissue, and possibly the walls of blood vessels.

Ligustrum has immune fighting properties and is used to reverse prematurely graying hair and to retard aging.

Milk thistle promotes good liver function.

Stinging nettle is full of vital minerals, good for prostate, hypoglycemia, allergies, depression and urinary tract disorders, and a host of other problems.

Valerian root is valuable as a sleep aid and tranquilizer.

Wild yam contains natural steroids that have a rejuvenating effect. Steroids are what help exercise to melt off more weight and build muscle.

As with all supplements, herbal supplements should only be used in amounts typically recommended for medicinal purposes and you should always consult with a health professional first, especially if you are pregnant, nursing or taking prescription medications.

Nutrition Tips For People On A Weight Loss Program

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People on weight loss programs often focus so much on losing weight that they forget an important aspect of staying healthy that is, providing nutrition to the body.

If you are on a weight loss program, you should follow the important diet tips given here.

Include A Lot Of Vegetables And Fruits In Your Diet

Vegetables and fruits are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are low in calories and high in fiber. Therefore, you should include plenty of vegetables and fruits, of varying colors, in your diet. This will help you to lose weight faster and also keep you full.

Avoid Empty Calories

Empty calories refer to food items that are high in calories but low in nutrition. Some examples of such food items are aerated drinks, French fries, cookies, white bread and so forth. These food items are not useful for the body. They make the digestive system sluggish and inefficient. It is best for a person to refrain from consuming these food items irrespective of whether he or she is trying to lose weight or not.

Have Small Meals At Regular Intervals

Instead of having three big meals a day, you should eat five to six small meals at small intervals of three to four hours. Eating small meals helps in improving metabolism. It also helps in easy digestion and maintaining uniform energy level throughout the day. You should include a variety of foods in your meals so that your body gets proper nutrition. For example, if you have a sandwich, which is high in carbohydrates, for breakfast, you should have fruits and nuts in between breakfast and lunch, and tofu or lean meat, which are high in proteins, for lunch. In this manner, your body will get all the essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins.

Never Skip Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You should never skip it; otherwise you will tend to consume high calorie foods during the later part of the day. A wholesome and healthy breakfast is essential for good health.

Read Food Labels

Before buying any packaged or processed food, you should read its label. Check the nutrition facts. Learn to interpret the information on food labels to avoid falling prey to marketing gimmicks. For example, a low-fat food or a low-sugar food does not necessarily mean the food is low in calories.

Do Not Completely Eliminate Carbohydrates From Your Diet

Many people on weight loss programs make the mistake of avoiding carbohydrates all together. Carbohydrates are a good source of energy. A well balanced diet should contain around 40 percent of carbohydrates. For your daily carbohydrate requirement, you should choose whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.

Drink Plenty Of Water

Water helps the body in transportation and assimilation of nutrients. You should consume at least eight glasses of water everyday. That will not only help your body absorb nutrients and eliminate toxins, but will also help you feel full.

It is best to seek advice of a dietician or a nutrition consultant before starting a weight loss program. They will be able to chart a diet plan for you so that you can lose weight without compromising on nutrition.

Sports Nutrition Supplements – Performance And Stamina

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Being a sportsman, one cannot just go with mere exercise as a healthy and nutritious diet is essential to bring out the very best performance of your body. Your body muscles have a lot more potential than you think. It is who you carve them or gives them the desired fuel so that they can reach their full potential. Sports nutrition supplements are therefore of utmost importance as they give your body the desired energy. The thing which you might ask yourself is that why Sports nutrition supplements are need for a good healthy and energetic body as the same can be achieved with healthy foods. Though food has all the ingredients that are needed by the body but not every food provides you the exact combination of various natural elements which promotes growth and energy and you need to go with a combination of different foods on a daily basis.

Now owing to the competition and the commitments of the modern era, it is very hard to maintain a good balanced diet which gives you all the essential proteins, multi vitamins, fiber and minerals. Therefore sports nutrition supplements are the best alternative for this purpose. If you are a professional sportsman, then sports nutrition supplements must be a part of your daily diet because your body demands high energy to keep you competitive. Sports nutrition supplements are not just pills that can give you the desire results alone as your exercise is what will help you avail the benefits of these supplements. Talking about supplements, Sports nutrition supplements are not something purely artificial because their essence or derivation is from the natural foods and fibers which are found in different fruits and other eatables. They are prepared by nutritionists who are well aware of the bodily requirements of professionals involved in various sports. It is the optimal combination of multivitamins and fibers that help in bringing a body to its top conditions and sports nutrition supplements feature that combination. Normally people maintain a diet that is high one nutrient and is low on the other. You should be aware of the nutrients that your diet is giving you and should be also aware of those that you need to incorporate in your diet. Sports nutrition supplements not only have the effect of boosting energy and stamina but they also heal a variety of ailments and makes your body less vulnerable to injuries and diseases.

Another important fact about sports nutrition supplements is that many companies have now days started to manufacture sports nutrition supplements and they have their own processes of manufacturing. Always try to ensure the credibility and repute of the sports nutrition supplements manufacturing concern by market survey or through consulting other professionals. Seeking a doctors advice in selecting Sports nutrition supplements is also the right ploy because they can help you out with supplements that feature the right and balanced combination of required nutrients. Protein supplements, Creative, Glutamine, vitamin supplements, multi=vitamin supplements, weight loss products, herbal supplements and many other variety of supplements are present in the market are being sold as sports nutrition supplements. Always go for the best option after putting in research rather than just picking one randomly.

How To Build Muscle Lose Fat Today From Scratch

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It is commonly believed that if you add too much muscle quickly, you will add fat at the same time. That occurs in the muscle gaining process. It is inevitable and you have to know and agree with that if you want to gain muscle mass. Calories are a must and the more the better if you want to gain bigger muscle mass to your body. For the extra calories, you can’t direct where they go, some of them will go for growing your muscle, some won’t. And the left calories would generate fat.

If you want to make your body shape changes in a short period of time, you should focus on gaining muscle mass in a period of time and then focus on losing additional body fat in another period of time.

In order to slash your extra fat, you have to increase your metabolic rate. Muscle level controls your metabolic rate. So getting muscle mass first is good for dropping your fat. For this reason, build a bulking phase of muscle is a good start.

Based on what we get here, your goal of gaining weight should be: gain small amount of fat and big amount of muscle as you can. In this step, your main purpose is to not rid of fat completely but to get them as little as possible.

It can be accomplished by three ways.

Count the exact additional calories you need.

Instead of talking about “optimal nutrition”, we are going to talk about “super nutrition” here. Getting extra calories is needed to make your muscles larger, but eating as much as you can of random foods beyond what you need to make your muscle tissue larger will cause you to gain more fat than you should.

15 to 20 percent of extra calories of your daily needs are a good point for your muscle growth. If your calorie intake is in this range, you don’t need any more calories.

Be careful your nutrition sources.

Most of the extra food should be in the form of lean proteins, carbohydrates that are high in fiber and unsaturated, healthy fats. Don’t just eat everything you like. You should eat something good for you. Such like eating lean meat and high fiber carbohydrates for stabilizing your blood sugar level and stay away from high amount of saturated fats.

Start your cardio sessions.

Cardio workout is less important for build bulk muscle, but it will help you gain less fat. You don’t need to go overboard, it is just an additional workout. Just keep cardio workout high strength and short. 10 to 20 minutes long workouts are perfect type for keeping from losing muscle mass.

Once you’ve gained big muscle mass that you are pleased, and then it’s time to switch to fat loss exercises and focus on that to help you drop extra body fat and keep your muscle mass level. You will gain muscle and fat at the same time. It is an inevitable truth. The best course of action is just to keep the fat gain at a minimum instead of attempting to avoid it altogether.