nutritionlessons.com

Popular Supplements Are a Waste of Money

“3 Popular Supplements That Are a Waste of Money”

by Frederic Patenaude

This might make me a few enemies, but I believe that 99% of supplements and “superfoods” on the market are an absolute waste of money.

It seems like every time you turn your head, someone is offering the latest and greatest “beauty enhancing” or “breakthrough” superfood or supplement.

But what if I told you something shocking yet so simple to understand: there’s no “food” that arrives in a bottle, having been made in a factory and sold in powdered form, that will ever compare in terms of “super-nutrition” to fresh fruits and vegetables.

But still, almost every day I get an e-mail that says, “what do you think of __________” (fill in the blank with whatever supplement or superfood is now being promoted as the latest “amazing” product).

Although it would take forever to review every product on the market, let’s review some popular supplements and superfoods that, in my opinion, are an absolute waste of money.

Green Powder

Almost every supplement company has a variation of the “green powder,” which is basically a powder made with dried grass, dried grass juices or dried vegetables and possibly algae. This powder is supposed to make your body more alkaline and give you nutrition you can’t find elsewhere.

First, I would say that grass powder is not a worthy food and anyone growing grass and turning it into a powder and making a lot of money selling it is really laughing their way to the bank at the expense of unknowing customers. Even if it’s called “wheatgrass”, it’s still grass.

A powder of vegetables or algae can never compare in nutritional value to fresh vegetables, even if those vegetables are not organic.

The real superfoods are dark green vegetables such as spinach, romaine lettuce, black kale, parsley, celery, arugula, and so on.

With the use of “green smoothies” made with *fresh* green vegetables and fruit, anyone can obtain superior nutrition in a few minutes a day (ruling out the argument that people don’t have “time” to eat well).

Green smoothies and fresh raw greens literally put these green powders to shame. For a free mini-course on the power of green smoothies, go to: http://www.greenforlifeprogram.com

Protein Powder

Another all-time favorite of supplement companies is the protein powder, in all its forms. There’s the ultra-refined soy protein powder, we’ve got whey protein, rice protein, and now a less refined hemp protein.

But the idea is the same: that somehow, no matter how much food you eat, there’s still a chance you might not get enough protein, so therefore you should consume protein in a concentrated, powdered form.

This idea is especially popular among body-builders and gym-goers. It’s interesting to note that starting from the Greek gymnasiums two and a half thousand years ago through the ages of gladiators and modern gymnastics, men and women of all ages have been able to build magnificent, muscular bodies eating nothing more than simple foods and without the use of protein powders.

This is a classic example of how you can market a product by first “creating a problem” that doesn’t exist.

Nutrition textbooks teach that you can get all the protein you need as long as you consume enough calories from whole foods, even if all you eat is fruits and vegetables.

Noni Juice

Although this discussion could lead me to cover any possible supplement or superfood among the thousands of products available, I think you’re starting to get my point.

I’ll just finish with an example of a “superfood” called noni and sold as “noni juice.”

The noni is a fruit that’s been used for centuries in Polynesia for its alleged medicinal properties. But there is very limited scientific evidence to support these properties.

When I visited Tahiti last winter, I was on the tiny island of Huahine and had the chance to try real noni juice from a local Tahitian couple who made the juice from their own fruit tree.

Let me tell you that it was the most disgusting, horrible concoction that I ever had in my entire life!

Obviously, the noni is not a natural food for humans, as there is no way anyone would want to consume it unless they thought it had some medicinal value.

My Tahitian friends explained how they prepare the noni juice. They put all these unappetizing, weird-smelling noni fruits in a jar and then let the thing ferment for several days.

Then the fermented juice that oozes out of the fruits and reeks like the juice that’s formed at the bottom of a trash container is what they drink.

Now American companies have had the great idea of adding a bunch of sugar to this awful tasting Tahitian folk remedy juice, making up a fantastic story around it, throwing in some questionable science and selling millions of dollars worth of the stuff to suckers.

Listen closely: it’s completely absurd to think that one food can be a universal remedy for all our ills. We need nutrients from different sources and Nature isn’t so capricious as to put everything in one place.

We’re meant to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, drink pure water and have a healthy lifestyle with lots of exercise and healthy relationships and positive thoughts.

All the rest is marketing and hype.

Of course, you are free to believe what you want about noni juice and other kinds of superfoods available on the market.

But do yourself a favor and make the decision to try for yourself what the study and experience of natural hygiene and health through a pure raw-based diet can do for you.

Want to Use This Article In Your Website or E-Zine? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it: “Frederic Patenaude, is the author of the best-selling e-book “The Raw Secrets”. He is currently giving away free access to his private library of over 100 exclusive articles along with a subscription to his newsletter Pure Health & Nutrition. Visit http://www.fredericpatenaude.com while charter subscriptions last.”

Tagged As: money, supplements

Power Foods To Help Prevent Disease

In the past, mothers used to hold their children down while shoving a spoonful of cod liver oil down the hatch. “You are not leaving this table until every last vegetable is off that plate,” you may recall. Liver was much more common back then and milk with breakfast was a given. Today, there are still many foods that health experts agree are essential to optimal body performance and a balanced diet. The big difference is that many of these rations actually taste great, or at the very least, come in supplement form!

For snackers, texture is a big thing. You love the crunch of a potato chip or the way a chocolate chip cookie just sort of melts in your mouth. The good news is that one of the power foods on our list has just the crunch you need to feel satisfied: almonds! Two ounces or 48 of these tasty nuts will give you 50% of your daily magnesium, which ensures heart health, as well as providing vitamin E, fiber and monosaturated fat, which is the good kind. One study last year found that participants who ate 2.5 ounces of almonds per day lowered their cholesterol significantly after just one month! Other studies suggest a link between almonds and reducing the risk of colon cancer.

Some people like complementary health foods. These are things that they won’t so much taste, but can sprinkle or grind up onto other food to add an extra boost. Flax seeds are an easy addition to salads, vegetable and rice dishes, and oatmeal. This super seed is one of the few plant sources for omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for maintaining a balance within the body and fighting off heart disease, strokes and depression. Flax seeds also carry a photoestrogen, which mimics the body’s estrogen, and works to reduce cholesterol, as well as circulating estrogen to prevent breast cancer.

Perhaps you find that warm foods and drinks make you feel naturally happier. Maybe you’re a reformed coffee junkie. Instead, why not try a cup of tea? Chai tea is a delicious blend of vanilla, cinnamon and comforting spices. Generally black and green teas are the most doctor-recommended for fighting breast, lung and digestive cancers and heart disease. Additionally, a hot cocoa can provide you with antioxidant flavonoids, which fight heart disease and cancer, will reduce toxins in the blood and improve cholesterol ratios.

“More than anything else you do, the way you eat tells your body how healthy you want to be,” says Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., a physician in Tucson, Ariz., and author of Food As Medicine. Today, it’s easier to eat healthy foods, with public attention shifting towards more diet-conscious meals, restaurants using less cream and fatty butter and websites like sparkspeople.com acting as a personal diet coach. You may have to say goodbye to a few of your favorite victuals, but once you realize what you liked most about that food, be it the texture, salt, sugar or a certain soothing quality, you will be able to find an adequate replacement.

As we become older there are all-important numbers that begin to weigh to a great extent upon us. We have to worry about our weight, levels of cholesterol, as well as our blood pressure. These are some of the things that most of us have ignored for the vast majority of our lives now all of a sudden they have significant importance. But these are things that should not have been ignored. A lifetime of misuse on the body returns merely damaging things when left unrestrained.

Your cholesterol level is certainly chief if you want to remain in good health and your body operating the right way. High levels has the ability to lead lead to heart attacks and stroke, both things you do not want to have to contend with. Being mindful when it comes to your cholesterol level is not only for the elderly. It is something both young and old must worry as well as be cognisant of if they hope to to conduct a healthy lifestyle. In this article we will go over the basics of cholesterol and hopefully you will realize how crucial a healthy level is to your body as well as peace of mind.

What is good cholesterol?

Good cholesterol is called HDL which is high-density lipoproteins. Doctor’s believe that the high levels of HDL can actually protect your heart whereas low levels of HDL can increase your risk of heart disease. It is thought that HDL can carry cholesterol away from your arteries and back to the liver where it is passed from the body.

What happens when cholesterol gets too high?

Well when LDL gets too high then the cholesterol begins to accumulate on the artery walls and then hardens into plaque. The build up continues until the entire artery is blocked off. This added blockage makes it hard for blood to get to the heart where it can be pumped to the rest of the body. It can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

When HDL levels are high this is a good thing because researchers believe that HDL helps rid the body of cholesterol build-up. That is why a diet rich in foods that promote HDL is always heavily recommended.

How is the blockage from the arteries removed?

The first stage is through medicines but if there is a life-threatening constrictive or obstruction in the artery or blood vessel then a slightly more intrusive procedure is required. The actual processes might vary but one frequent method is done through the use of a balloon angioplasty. The mechanical device is entered into the artery and then naviagted to the obstruction where the build up of plaque has happened. The balloon is then inflated to clear the passage. Nowadays the procedure is minimally invasive and the majority of patients are capable of going home on that very day.

What is the normal range for a healthy cholesterol level?

The American Heart Association has guidelines established for what is considered a healthy range of cholesterol levels. A total cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL is considered to be a desirable level since it puts you at a lower risk of having heart disease. Here is the trick though. It is not just about total cholesterol. Your HDL levels should be over 60 mg/dL and your LDL should be lower than 100 mg/dL. Mg/dL means it is measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood.

To learn more click here Foods Low In Cholesterol and more information at Hdl Or Good Cholesterol as well as Lower Cholesterol Levels

Tagged As: foods, foods low in cholesterol, healthy foods

Health Benefits of Arginine

L-Arginine is a dietary substance and an amino acid that helps the body rid itself of ammonia and is used to make such compounds in the body as creatine and glutamate. It is possible to convert it to glucose and glycogen when needed. The health benefits of this substance are many. Preliminary research has found that Arginine may help with conditions such as atherosclerosis and erectile dysfunction. It is involved in the formation of protein and in larger amounts it stimulates the release of growth hormones and prolactin.

One of the most prominent health benefits of L-Arginine is its use in patients who can benefit from increased blood flow, such as erectile dysfunction and heart disease. This substance is used in the production of nitric oxide, which increases blood flow, reduces blood vessel stiffness and improves blood vessel function. Increased blood flow due to arginine makes it a possible use in cases of erectile dysfunction. It helps dilates the penis’ blood vessels, this increased blood flow helps sustain an erection. It helps increase blood flow throught out body, this is why it is believed to help with heart disease and erctile dysfunction. L-Arginine is also used in the care of and relief from arthritis symptoms as it is a component of collagen. Collagen is vital in the production of new bone cells and tissue. For this reason, it is also thought to promote the rapid healing of wounds, especially bones.

Athletes take advantage of the health benefits of L-Arginine due to the amino acid’s ability to promote the release of human growth hormone, which enhances energy and endurance in the body. Athletes also use it to increase the production of insulin and creatine phosphate, which is thought to increase lean muscle mass and enhanced fat loss. L-Arginine has been found to have healing properties and may aid in the healing of bones and wounds.

The health benefits of L-Arginine are many. It is an essential amino acid with benefits and functions including stimulation of the release of growth hormone, improvement of immune function, reduces healing time of injuries, quickens the repair time of tissue wounds, reduces the risk of heart disease, increases muscle mass, reduces body fat, improves insulin sensitivity, helps decrease blood pressure, alleviates male infertility, helps reverse erectile dysfunction and increases circulation throughout the body.

Tagged As: Arginine, L-Arginine

The Good, Bad and Ugly of Antibiotics

We all have to admit to the many advances in our health care we can be thankful for today. Before the 1900’s poor sanitary conditions including inadequate sewage waste and disposal systems as well as contaminated food and water were attributed to the main causes of death aside from natural causes. Once we began to understand more about the invisible world full of bacteria, things like indoor plumbing and the sterilization of medical instruments were introduced. With the passage of time, we have become more and more conscience about our personal hygiene. This has resulted in a significant decrease in infectious diseases.

On the other hand, while there has been a tremendous decrease in deaths due to infectious diseases, starting with the introduction of penicillin in the 1940’s, new issues within the disease related causes of death cropped up. Instead of dying of many infectious diseases, death from serious chronic conditions has gotten out of control. The main causes of death are not from poor hygiene, they are dying from the lack of something else.

And this is where our discussion turns to the dark side of antibiotics. The sad truth of the matter is this – the destruction of bad bacteria by means of antibiotics also kills our amazing probiotic bacteria friends.

While antibiotics have helped us eliminate so many diseases, the constant abuse of these medications, which includes prescribing them when people have colds and flues, which are virus related, not bacterial. Virus related illnesses are those that antibiotics cannot help. Instead, they simply kill off both good and bad bacteria inside your intestinal tract without any rhyme or reason.

With the misuse of antibiotics comes the introduction of the antibiotic resistant bacteria. This has created a cycle that keeps getting worse. Drug companies continue to manufacture and develop stronger antibiotics and the abuses such as mentioned above continue to happen. It is a never ending cycle that is become quite frightening when you dig deeper into the consequences.

Each and every time we take antibiotics, we are depleting our intestines of that wonderful bacteria that helps us stay health. What is the solution?

Doctors are well aware of the physical consequences that result from antibiotics. If doctors know that antibiotics destroy our healthy flora, how come they don’t follow up their prescriptions with probiotics?

As easy as it is to blame all the damages and destruction of our healthy flora in our intestines, fast food, soda, diet products, processed foods and the total lack of eating well-balanced meals are also to blame. We are living in a world of convenience which is running at a very fast pace. This causes a great deal of stress, lack of proper amounts of sleep, emotional distress and so forth. Our bodies are simply bombarded day in and day out. Our intestinal health promoting bacteria are exhausted. And we have only ourselves to blame.

So, how do we fix this problem? If you’re reading this article, no matter where you live, you have access to the solution. Even if it means ordering it online.

Helping our intestinal tract is just a matter of introducing the probiotics our bodies have lost and continue to lose daily. It’s as easy as eating good unprocessed foods, organic fruits and vegetables if we can afford and acquire them. We can also add them by way of probiotic powders, probiotic liquids and probiotic supplements.

In the next article I’ll be talking about some of the more common foods that we can buy to encourage our healthy probiotic bacteria to grow and outnumber the bad bacteria.

Article by Kimberly Shannon. If you missed the first article on probiotics you can find it at our breast cancer support site.

Tagged As: probiotic liquid, probiotic supplements

Beef Up Your Burger’s Nutrition

Diets tend to be pretty strict about cutting out red meat. If a good burger is your weakness, then you may be tempted to cheat. No need! There are delicious hamburgers you can create at home that are healthy and taste good.

Beef Up the Fiber

Adding fiber to your burgers can make them healthier and block seven calories for every gram of fiber.

Try adding fine-grind bulgur to your hamburger before cooking it. Bulgur adds three grams of fiber to the meat and subtracts two grams of fat and one gram of saturated fat. To make it taste good, soak half a cup of fine-grind bulgur in water for 10 minutes. Drain the water out and add the bulgur to a pound of lean ground chuck. Mix them together, form patties, and cook them like any other burger.

You can also try this with rolled oats for a meatloaf-type burger. Add a cup of rolled oats and half a cup of tomato paste to the meat and mix well. These burgers will take a little longer to cook, so cook them on a lower heat.

Beef Up the Vegetables

Another way to add fiber, nutrition, and cut the fat is by adding vegetables to the meat before you form the patties. Diced tomatoes, corn, and dash of hot sauce mixed with the meat make great fiesta burgers. Chopped bell peppers and onions are another good choice as a burger mix-ins.

See, no need to give up your burgers. Just make them healthier and your waistline and taste buds will both be happy.

For more tips on losing weight, try reading a good weight loss guide such as this Fatloss4Idiots review.

Tagged As: Health & Fitness, Weight Loss

Vegetable Drinks

We are all familiar with vegetable drinks like Tomato Juice and V-8 Cocktail. Are they a good way to get some high quality nutrients? Probably not the best, especially since they lack most, if not all, the fiber content. They also contain LARGE amounts of sodium.

Try making your own vegetable drinks, or vegetable smoothies. Here are some sample recipes. By using raw vegetables you get ALL the nutrients, AND the fiber.

You will need a juicer for these, unless you soften the harder vegetables and then a blender will do. Just don’t use any processes that see some of the goodness thrown out. For example, my best juicer separates the juice from the pulp. I then take at least some of the pulp and use a blender to add it back to the juice. The pulp has too much goodness (and fiber) in it to just throw away.

I have 2 juicers. A small powered (and relatively inexpessive) one, and a heavier duty Champion juicer. The Champion is more powerful and much easier to clean. When you buy a juicer, try to get a look at all the parts, especially the parts that grind or crush items like carrots. Picture how easy or hard they will be to clean.

Vegetable Smoothie

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 6 ice cubes
• 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 small handful spinach or romaine leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• salt and pepper to taste (careful with that salt!)

Carrot Apple Smoothie

• To start, just juice some carrots and apples together. Experiment with quantities to get a nice taste. (just don’t cut out too many of the carrots!)
• Next, add some other interesting items, like beets, celery, cucumbers, radishes, onions, strawberries, or cranberries. Maybe even some hot peppers! One author I read of even uses turnips and parsnips. I have not tried adding those, but obviously experimentation is fine.

Have fun drinking your vegetables!

the following is a FREE OFFER to readers of the Nutrition Lessons website

Who else wants to have more Energy and Stamina?

"Over 120 Quick and Easy Smoothie Recipes That Give You More Energy and Stamina!"

Just whip up one of these yummy smoothies whenever you need an energy boost!

To get your free copy of our ‘Smoothies eBook’, just visit this special order page. Don’t worry, I said FREE and I meant it. The e-book comes in PDF version (about 800K in size).

Tagged As: juice, smoothies, vegetable

Taking A Look At The Essential Nutritional Information

nutritional supplements

When you grab a quick bite from the vending machine, you may not be informed of the nutritional information of what you are eating. What goes into your body has a big impact on your health. A poor diet can actually cause deficiencies, life threatening conditions like metabolic syndrome, obesity and weight gain, and chronic systemic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The seven major classes of nutrients that are vital for human life are minerals, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, fiber, water and fats. Let’s take a look at the nutritional value of these nutrients.

Nutritional value is a term used on today’s food labels. It points out the amount of a nutrient that is provided by a single serving of a food item. Daily values are used to establish standards for comparison. Nutritional information is presented in a format regulated by law. It is therefore consistent from product to product and allows you to compare the foods available to you. It gives you a break down of the energy provided by the food and of the nutrients it contains.

Fats

Fats are composed of fatty acids bonded to a glycerol. Fat is classified as either saturated or unsaturated. Generally, saturated fat is solid at room temperature while unsaturated fat is a liquid. Unsaturated fats may be further classified as mono-unsaturated or poly-unsaturated. Trans fats are saturated fats which are typically created from unsaturated fat by adding the extra hydrogen atoms in a process called hydrogenation.

Fiber

Dietary fiber consists mainly of cellulose that is indigestible because we do not have enzymes to digest it. Fruits and vegetables are high in dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is important because it provides bulk to the intestinal contents and stimulates peristalsis – the rhythmic muscular contractions passing along the digestive tract.

Water

About 70% of the non-fat mass of the human body is made of water. Normally, about 20 percent of water intake comes from food, while the rest comes from drinking water and beverages. Water is excreted from the body in many forms; through urine and feces, through sweating, and by exhalation of water vapor in the breath.

Minerals

Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms, and are present in common organic molecules. They include macro-minerals like calcium, magnesium, and sodium, as well as trace minerals such as cobalt, copper, chromium, iodine, iron, manganese, nickel and zinc. Nutritional supplements are available to

Carbohydrates

Complex carbohydrates take longer to metabolize since their sugar units are processed one-by-one off the ends of the chains. Simple carbohydrates are processed quickly and thus raise blood sugar levels more quickly resulting in rapid increases in blood insulin levels compared to complex carbohydrates.

Protein

Protein is composed of amino acids that are our body’s structural materials like muscles, skin and hair. The body requires amino acids to produce new body protein and to replace damaged proteins that are lost in the urine. Amino acid requirements are classified in terms of essential and non-essential amino acids. Consuming a diet that contains adequate amounts of essential amino acids is particularly important for growing animals.

Vitamins

As of 2005, twelve vitamins and about the same number of minerals are recognized as “essential nutrients”, meaning that they must be consumed and absorbed in nutritional supplement form – or, in the case of vitamin D, alternatively synthesized via UVB radiation – to prevent deficiency symptoms and death.

Standards and recommendations for nutritional information in the US are currently under the supervision of the US Department of Agriculture. Guidelines for exercise and diet from the USDA are presented as the food pyramid, a model that has replaced the concept of the four food groups.

Tagged As: nutritional information, nutritional supplement, nutritional supplements, nutritional value, weight gain