Soyez heureux, vivez plus longtemps!

9 mars 2011 – Santé et longue vie à ceux qui prennent la vie du bon côté! Selon une récente étude¹, vivre des émotions positives et être disposé au bonheur permettrait de prévenir la maladie, d’accélérer la guérison de certains maux et même d’ajouter de 4 à 10 années à la longévité.

Les chercheurs ont analysé 160 études portant sur les mécanismes par lesquels le bien-être subjectif - c’est-à-dire celui qu’on perçoit - est associé à une meilleure santé, notamment sur le plan cardiovasculaire et immunitaire.

La définition du bien-être auquel les auteurs de l’étude font référence doit être prise au sens large. Elle englobe les concepts de bonheur, d’optimisme, de pensée ou d’émotions positives associés à une façon de percevoir la vie du bon côté.

Ainsi, le bien-être serait associé à une réduction de la sécrétion de cortisol (hormone du stress), tout en stimulant les fonctions immunitaires qui permettent de prévenir ou de mieux combattre une maladie.

À l’inverse, l’anxiété chronique, les pensées négatives et la dépression auraient un effet délétère sur le système cardiovasculaire. On a entre autres observé que, chez les personnes souffrant d’anxiété chronique, l’épaisseur des artères était plus élevée que chez les gens moins anxieux. Des artères épaisses sont associées à l’athérosclérose qui augmente le risque de maladies cardiovasculaires.

Les études analysées par les chercheurs ne permettent pas, toutefois, de déterminer si les émotions positives augmentent les chances de survie chez les personnes souffrant déjà d’une maladie cardiaque ou d’un cancer, par exemple.

« Les preuves scientifiques des bienfaits du bien-être sur la santé sont suffisamment probantes, concluent les auteurs de l’étude. Il serait temps d’inclure des interventions en santé publique qui améliorent le bien-être des gens, parce que c’est à la fois souhaitable et bénéfique à tous. »

Les 3 éléments essentiels au bonheur

Pierre Côté

Pour Pierre Côté, président et fondateur de l’Indice relatif de bonheur (IRB)², le fait d’être optimiste dans la vie n’est pas le seul facteur qui contribue au bien-être d’une personne.

« L’optimisme vient au 12^e rang des 24 facteurs qui influencent le bonheur, soutient-il. Le premier facteur, c’est l’accomplissement de soi. »

Pierre Côté est aussi d’avis que la quête des biens matériels contribue à créer des frustrations et des sentiments négatifs. « On cherche trop souvent le bonheur avec un grand B dans la consommation, au détriment des petits bonheurs que procure l’introspection d’une vie plus spirituelle, religieuse ou non. »

Selon lui, on devrait miser sur les 3 éléments essentiels au bonheur qu’avait déterminés le psychologue américain Abraham Maslow, dans les années 1940 :

• apprendre à être authentique en se détachant des conditionnements sociaux qui nous entourent;
• se fixer des buts atteignables en réalisant des projets en lien avec ses propres goûts et intérêts;
• ne jamais cesser d’apprendre pour garder un esprit ouvert sur l’avenir, plutôt qu’enfermé dans le passé.

« Ce sont là 3 aspects de nos vies sur lesquelles on a réellement du pouvoir », soutient Pierre Côté.

Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net

1. Diener E, Chan MY, Happy People Live Longer: Subjective Well-Being Contributes to Health and Longevity, Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, mars 2011, vol. 3, no 1, 1-43.
2. Pour en savoir plus sur l’IRB et pour lire les blogues de Pierre Côté : www.indicedebonheur.com [consulté le 8 mars 2011].

Wikio

Aspartame, stévia, miel, sirop d'érable: réponses à vos questions sur le sucre

1- L’aspartame, le Splenda, le Sucaryl, etc. sont-ils sécuritaires?

Réponse

Il est très difficile de répondre à cette question avec certitude, surtout depuis la parution de 2 études récentes à propos de l’aspartame, l’une concernant le risque d’accouchement prématuré et l’autre, le risque de cancer (chez l’animal). Dans les 2 cas, le risque était augmenté par la consommation d’aspartame.

Aussi, des résultats provenant d’études chez l’animal commencent à démontrer que les édulcorants pourraient perturber les signaux de faim et de satiété. En effet, des modèles animaux ont effectivement indiqué que lorsque l’on boit des boissons édulcorées, le corps activerait les signaux de faim de la personne et provoquerait des envies de manger parce qu’il aurait l’impression de recevoir des calories même si ce n’est pas le cas.

D’un autre côté, selon l’Autorité européenne de sécurité des aliments (l’AESA) qui évalue régulièrement les nouvelles études concernant les édulcorants, dont l’aspartame, il a été démontré que ces études ne fournissent pas suffisamment de preuves scientifiques pour réviser la dose journalière acceptable en ce qui concerne l’aspartame. Une telle dose est établie à 40 mg par kilo de poids corporel (ce qui correspond à environ 18 cannettes de boisson gazeuse sans sucre par jour pour une personne de 60 kg).

Même si l’AESA et Santé Canada ne remettent pas en doute les édulcorants, je pense que la modération est de mise du simple fait qu’ils ne sont pas constitués de molécules naturelles. Tout comme la plupart des gens ne prennent pas de médicaments sans raison, je ne suggérerais pas les édulcorants sans raison valable également.

Une raison valable pourrait être d’aider une personne atteinte de diabète à accepter, à très court terme, sa maladie. Elle pourrait, lors de rages de sucre (au début), cuisiner des gâteaux ou prendre des aliments sucrés avec des édulcorants jusqu’à ce qu’elle accepte la maladie et qu’elle ait pris l’habitude de manger moins sucré.

Et ne pensez surtout pas que les édulcorants font maigrir parce qu’ils ne contiennent pas de calories, car n’y a aucune preuve à cet effet.

Je ne voudrais pas oublier de mentionner qu’il existe de réelles contre-indications aux édulcorants. D’abord si vous êtes atteint de phénylcétonurie, l’aspartame est contre-indiqué et si vous êtes enceinte, la saccharine et le cyclamate devraient être évités.

Bref, avant de prendre un aliment contenant un édulcorant, demandez-vous si vous avez un motif qui en vaut vraiment la peine, mais ne développez pas non plus de phobie si vous en consommez occasionnellement.

2- Le stévia est-il moins nocif que l'aspartame?

Réponse

Le stévia est un édulcorant naturel qui provient de la plante stevia rebaudiana. Parce qu’il provient d’une plante, plusieurs personnes se sentent plus à l’aise d’utiliser le stévia que l’aspartame ou d’autres édulcorants de synthèse. Le stévia utilisé comme agent sucrant est un concentré de stéviosides et non de la feuille entière de stévia.

Même si le stévia est de source naturelle, des doutes ont longtemps subsisté sur de possibles effets négatifs de cet édulcorant sur la reproduction humaine. C’est l’une des raisons qui ont fait tarder plusieurs pays à l’autoriser, dont le Canada. Cependant, malgré des décennies d’utilisation dans les pays où il est autorisé, aucun cas d’effet indésirable sur la fertilité humaine n’a été rapporté. En 2006, l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé a conclu que les stéviosides du stévia n’ont pas d’effets négatifs sur la reproduction.

Actuellement au Canada, on peut se procurer du stévia pour usage personnel, mais Santé Canada n’a pas encore autorisé son utilisation à grande échelle. Toutefois, le Ministère fédéral se dit prêt à réviser sa position, si l’industrie alimentaire fait une demande d’approbation pour ajouter l’extrait de stévia aux additifs autorisés.

En conclusion, choisir le stévia plutôt qu’un autre édulcorant est une question de choix personnel. De mon côté, je ne me sens pas plus à l’aise avec le stévia qu’avec les édulcorants de synthèse. Le fait qu’il s’agisse d’une substance qui a un goût sucré sans que ce soit un vrai sucre ne m’incite pas à l’utiliser nécessairement.

3- Je souffre d'un excès de triglycérides. Puis-je manger un peu de miel ou de sirop d'érable plutôt que du sucre, ou devrais-je prendre du stévia ou d'autres succédanés à la place?

Réponse

L’hypertriglycéridémie est un taux trop élevé de triglycérides dans le sang. Les triglycérides sont des gras dont la production peut dépendre d’un excès de glucides, particulièrement les sucres simples. Il est donc recommandé de limiter les sucres simples le plus possible. Dans cette optique, même le sirop d’érable et le miel peuvent être de trop (à moins qu’ils ne représentent pas plus de 10 % des calories totales, ce qui revient à pas plus de 40 g à 50 g de sucre ajouté par jour).

Le fait de choisir du miel ou du sirop d’érable au lieu du sucre blanc ne changera rien au taux de triglycérides, car ils contiennent tous les deux beaucoup de sucre. D’un autre côté, même si les édulcorants ne contiennent pas de sucre, ils ne vous aideront pas à diminuer votre goût pour le sucre et donc à changer vos habitudes alimentaires en profondeur.

En conclusion, je vous encourage à plutôt limiter globalement les sucres concentrés, dont le miel et le sirop d’érable, et de ne prendre les édulcorants qu’à l’occasion. S’il vous vient parfois l’envie de prendre une boisson gazeuse, il pourrait être préférable de prendre la version « diète », puisque l’originale contient 40 g de sucre.

4- Les sucres simples (sucre blanc, cassonade, miel, etc.) rendent-ils le système immunitaire moins résistant?

Réponse

Il existe une croyance selon laquelle la consommation élevée de sucres concentrés diminuerait l’immunité. Cette croyance provient de 2 études publiées dans les années 1970. Elles ont démontré que l'administration de quantités croissantes de glucose réduisait, de façon progressive, la capacité des globules blancs à envelopper les bactéries pour éventuellement les détruire.

Puisque ces études n'ont pas été reproduites par la suite, on ne peut pas conclure qu’une consommation de sucre élevée peut nuire à l'immunité. Toutefois, si l'apport en sucre est très élevé et qu'il remplace la consommation d'aliments nutritifs, il peut interférer avec l'atteinte des besoins nutritionnels journaliers et compromettre l'immunité.

Étant donné cette éventualité, il est conseillé de limiter sa consommation de sucres concentrés, surtout en période d’infection, à moins de 10 % des calories totales.

5- J’aime beaucoup le sirop d’érable. Contient-il beaucoup d’antioxydants et y a-t-il d'autres nutriments dans cet aliment? Combien de calories contient 1 c. à table de sirop d'érable?

Réponse

Le sirop d’érable est effectivement un des seuls sucres qui contient des antioxydants et des minéraux en quantité significative. Du côté des antioxydants, il s’agit de composés phénoliques et de flavonoïdes. Le manganèse et le zinc sont les deux minéraux présents en quantité appréciable dans le sirop d’érable. De plus, le sirop d’érable est l’un des agents sucrants les moins caloriques avec 12 g de glucides par cuillère à table, par comparaison à de 15 g à 17 g de glucides par cuillère à table pour le miel ou le sucre blanc. Toutefois, malgré ses composés bénéfiques, il n’en demeure pas moins que le composé principal du sirop d’érable est le sucrose et qu’il faut le consommer avec modération. Mais à choisir entre plusieurs sucres, j’opterais pour le bon sirop d’érable de chez nous.

6- Que pensez-vous du sirop d'agave et du sucre de canne brut par rapport au sucre blanc raffiné?

Réponse

Le sirop d’agave est tiré de la plante qui sert aussi à fabriquer la téquila (Agava tequilana). Il est populaire parce que son index glycémique est plus faible que les autres sucres puisqu’il contient de 60 % à 90 % de fructose qui provoque peu la sécrétion d’insuline. Toutefois, des études cliniques démontrent clairement que, lorsqu’il est consommé en grande quantité, le fructose fait augmenter le taux de triglycérides dans le sang, ce qui constitue un facteur de maladies cardiovasculaires et de résistance à l’insuline. Pour cette raison, le sirop d’agave n’est pas un sucre que je recommande comme sucre de base dans la préparation des repas.

Concernant le sucre de canne brut, c’est-à-dire du jus de canne pure déshydraté, contrairement au sucre blanc, il retient la mélasse, ce qui lui donne sa couleur brune caractéristique et sa valeur nutritive supérieure. Par contre, même si ce type de sucre contient des minéraux, ils sont en quantités non significatives. Par ailleurs, parmi tous les sucres bruns (cassonade, turbinado, demerara), il est le plus brut.

7- Pouvons-nous manger du miel sans restriction?

Réponse

Non. Il faut toujours faire attention à la confusion entre aliments naturels et consommation à volonté. Tout comme le sel de mer est naturel, mais dangereux en excès parce qu’il contient du sodium à 98 %, il en est de même pour le miel qui est très riche en sucre. En effet, 1 c à table de miel contient 65 calories et près de 17 g de glucides. Le miel est par ailleurs une bonne source d’antioxydants, surtout de flavonoïdes, mais il ne contient par contre que peu de nutriments. Selon moi, après le sirop d’érable, le miel vient en 2e place dans les choix de sucres à consommer, mais toujours avec modération.

8- J’ai souvent des rages de sucre vers 15 h. Comment me contrôler?

Réponse

La plupart du temps, les rages de sucres sont provoquées par une faim trop intense caractérisée par de l’hypoglycémie (un taux de sucre bas). L’hypoglycémie a plusieurs causes : une consommation trop élevée de sucres concentrés, un manque de produits céréaliers de grains entiers, un manque de protéines, le stress ou, chez les diabétiques, un déséquilibre entre la médication et l’alimentation.

Si vous n’êtes pas très stressé et si vous ne souffrez pas de diabète, voici quelques trucs qui devraient vous aider à limiter les rages de sucre.

▪ À chaque repas, assurez-vous de manger des produits de grains entiers (pain de blé entier, céréales avec fibres, riz brun, pâtes intégrales, quinoa, pain pita multigrains, etc.), une ou des sources de protéines (poisson, oeuf, fromage, beurre de noix, poulet, viandes maigres et légumineuses) et très peu d’aliments contenant du sucre ajouté (barres tendres, biscuits, bonbons, chocolat, gâteau, etc.).

▪ N’attendez pas d’avoir une rage de sucre pour manger, prévenez vos rages en prenant une collation équilibrée maximum 2 ½ heures ou 3 heures après vos repas. Voici des exemples de collations équilibrées :

- 1 fruit + 15 amandes
- Crudités et 40 g de fromage
- 1 muffin faible en sucre et 1 verre de lait ou 1 yogourt
- 1 fruit et 1 yogourt avec graines de lin ajoutés
- Craquelins multigrains et de 2 à 3 c. à table de hoummos

▪ Limiter le café et l’alcool à jeun.

Plus d'info

> Les édulcorants : Sucré et sans danger?
> Les effets du sucre sur la santé : Le sucre, coupable?

Lose Fat, Stay Strong

by John Romaniello – 3/07/2011

These are the facts:

1. Training with light weights while on a fat-loss diet makes you really good at lifting light and pretty awful at lifting heavy. That's unacceptable.
2. Heavy training, even while in a caloric deficit, is vastly superior for holding on to lean body mass.
3. Unless you want to end your diet as a weak (albeit lean) little man, then you must include some heavy strength training in your plan.

Old School Bulk 'n Cuts

Bodybuilding-style bulking and cutting periods both have drawbacks. With bulking periods, you tend to put on a fair amount of fat as you seek to gain muscle size.
With cutting periods, you run the risk of losing lean body mass in your quest to reduce body fat. This is bad for a number of reasons. It sets you up for a series of two-steps-forward, one-step-back situations. It's painfully frustrating, and it also compromises progress in the long run.
Remember, your lean body mass is one of the main things that determines your metabolic rate. Sacrificing LBM to get lean is counterproductive because you certainly won't stay lean for very long – especially once you go back to trying to gain mass.
At best, if you're able to hang on to your mass, there will be the problem of losing strength. Now, if you're lean, you'll be placed in the unenviable position of trying to play catch-up with your strength levels for a few weeks. That's another unacceptable tradeoff.

The New Way

We seem to be getting away from the old bulk-and-cut practices of bodybuilding. That's a good thing. Instead, we should always be trying to achieve consistent body recomposition and lean gains.
Make no mistake: it's possible to stay lean while gaining mass. Similarly, with intelligent programming, it's possible to maintain and even gain strength and muscle while losing fat.

Go Heavy, Get Lean

Successful competitive bodybuilders already know this. To maintain muscle mass while dieting down into the single digits, you gotta train heavy.
In fact (drug use aside), one of the main things these guys do in the final stages of contest prep is train with heavy weight, which, coincidentally, also increases both neurogenic and myogenic muscle tone – a necessary weapon on a competition stage.
When I first started incorporating heavy strength training into my fat loss programs, I used a 5x5 protocol because this is what many bodybuilders used. It worked. My clients lost fat and maintained lean body mass with relative ease. However, it always nagged at me that this method wasn't creating a solution, just addressing a problem.
Here's the deal: every training session should be used to make you better, not just prevent you from getting worse. The 5x5 protocol was fine, but I knew there was an even better way to keep the lean mass while accelerating fat loss.
Strength circuits were the solution.

The Set-Up

Strength circuits take three or four exercises and set them up into circuits. Circuit training, done correctly, is one of the most effective weightlifting methodologies there is when fat loss is the goal, and strength circuits are no different.
You'll move from one exercise to another with minimal rest in between, and then repeat as necessary. However, there's a twist here that makes this type of training a lot more interesting.
A traditional set-up would have you doing a predetermined number of sets, with each of those having a predetermined number of reps. We've seen that for decades. It works, but it's not perfect. (Chad Waterbury came up with a better plan of action, and you'll see his influence below.)
The goal of performing strength circuits is to help build muscle and shred fat while gaining strength, and part of that is going to be neurological. Instead of just "lifting" the weights, I want you to focus on lifting explosively, and perfectly.
Each rep should be performed in the most explosive way possible. This helps to create greater stimulation for your nervous system, which will allow for the greatest recruitment of muscle fibers.
In order to make this effective, and in order to ensure that each set is challenging and stimulating without draining you, we're going to disregard traditional set and rep schemes. Rather than focus on a conventionally structured workout of sets and reps, the focus is only on the total number of reps.
If this sounds a bit familiar, it should. Strength circuits draw inspiration from both Chad Waterbury and Christian Thibaudeau. To quote Chad, "Focus on the reps and let the sets take care of themselves."
What you'll do here is rotate through the chosen exercises until you've completed the desired number of reps.
Let's break it down.

Workout Set-Up

Each workout will consist of two circuits, each comprised of 3-4 exercises. Between these two circuits will be something called the dynamic interrupt, which is a metabolic enhancement circuit (more on that below).
First, let's talk about how to create individual strength circuits, as well as a complete workout.

Exercise Selection

This method is best suited to using big, compound, multi-joint movements. This is especially true for the first circuit. For the second circuit, if you'd like to throw in one isolation movement, that's fine.

Individual Workouts

Every workout will ideally have one of each:

• Hip/hamstring dominant leg exercise
• Quad dominant leg exercise
• Horizontal pushing movement
• Horizontal pulling movement
• Vertical pulling movement
• Vertical pushing movement

Individual Circuits

Each circuit should have at least one lower body movement, at least one upper-body pulling movement, and at least one upper-body pressing movement. As long as those three are covered, you can be creative as to which movement planes you work in what order.

The Details

Let's say that you've chosen to set up a circuit with dumbbell push presses, bentover rows, front squats, and weighted pull-ups.
You'd first perform as many reps as you could on the dumbbell push press. After that, perform as many bentover rows as you can. Then perform as many front squats as you can. Finally, you'd perform as many weighted pull-ups as possible.
You simply cycle through the exercises until you've completed all of the prescribed reps, regardless of how many sets it takes.
You'll probably complete the total prescribed reps for one of the exercises before the others. That's fine. Just alternate the remaining exercises back and forth.
Once you've completed all of the total reps for each exercise in the circuit, move on to the next segment of the workout.

Total Training Volume

Instead of thinking about the sets, simply focus on a total number of workout reps to gauge your volume. Ideally, a workout will have between 210 and 250 total reps.
If you're going over that, you're either using weight that's too light (and therefore setting your total reps too high), or doing too many exercises. As a rule of thumb, 250 total reps is the upper limit.

Parameters for Selecting Rep Goals

Selecting the total reps on an exercise is a personal thing. Some people like to go very heavy on squats, so they'll adjust the reps to be lower. Or perhaps you find that your chest generally responds better to higher reps. You might set your total reps to allow for that, and therefore use less weight.
The main thing is that your rep range for any given movement is between 20-35. Any less and you simply aren't getting enough stimulation; any more and you're going too light for this to be a "strength circuit."

Parameters for Selecting Load

The idea is for this to be strength training; the weight must be heavy. This requires us to have some guidelines for selecting a work-set weight and knowing when to increase it.
The chart below will give you some guidelines for selecting a starting weight based on how many total reps you've chosen for a given exercise (not the set – the exercise.)

Total Reps	Load
20	Begin with a weight you think you can lift 3-5 times. If you can complete 6 or more reps on your first set, go a little heavier. If you can only complete 2 or fewer reps on your first set, go lighter.
25	Begin with a weight you can lift 4-6 times. If you can get 6 or more reps your first set, increase the weight. If you complete only 3 or fewer reps on your first set, reduce the weight a little.
30	Begin with a weight you think you can lift 6-8 times. If you can get 9 or more reps your first set, increase the weight. If you complete 4 reps or fewer on your first set, reduce the weight.
35	Begin with a weight you can lift 7-9 times. If you can complete 10 reps or more on your first set, increase the weight. If you can complete only 8 reps or fewer, reduce the weight.

Enter the Dynamic Interrupt

The Dynamic Interrupt was originally intended as a way to increase conditioning with athletes. The side effect? Rapid fat loss! I particularly like dynamic interrupts for strength circuits.
After your last set of a prescribed circuit (i.e. when you've finished every rep for every exercise), try the Dynamic Interrupt. It's a series of bodyweight exercises that helps to increase heart rate and burn additional fat by making the workout more metabolic.
The lower rep range of the strength training is offset by the activity of the Dynamic Interrupt, and the fat-burning effect becomes even more profound.
Exercises are done for as many reps as possible in a given timeframe. The total work time of your Dynamic Interrupt should be 180 seconds or less.

Exercise Selection for the Dynamic Interrupt

Exercises for the DI can really be anything from jumping rope to jumping jacks to pushing a Prowler. The only real consideration is that you don't want to choose exercises that will inhibit performance on the second circuit.
For example, if you've selected the bench press as one of your exercises on the second circuit, don't select 75 seconds of as many push-ups as you can complete. Just choose movements that won't interfere with what's to come.

Sample Workout

Try this workout and see your results – and your strength – increase drastically.

Exercise	Type of Movement	Plane, Dominance	Sets	Total Reps
A1) Dumbbell Push Press	Upper Body Push	Vertical	Vary	30
A2) Bentover Barbell Row	Upper Body Pull	Horizontal	Vary	25
A3) Front Squat	Lower Body	Quad Dominant	Vary	35
A4) Weighted Pull-Up	Upper Body Pull	Vertical	Vary	20
Rest 15-30 seconds between exercises. When you finish your circuit, rest 45-60 seconds. Cycle through until you complete all reps for all exercises. Then, without rest, proceed immediately to the Dynamic Interrupt.

Dynamic Interrupt

Exercise	Reps
1) Burpees	As many as possible in 75 seconds
2) Mountain Climbers	As many as possible in 45 seconds
Perform burpees, then mountain climbers, with minimal rest in between. When you've finished the mountain climbers, rest 2 minutes and proceed to circuit B.

Exercise	Type of Movement	Plane, Dominance	Sets	Total Reps
B1) Deadlift	Lower Body	Hip/Ham Dominant	Vary	20
B2) Low-Incline DB Bench Press	Upper Body Push	Horizontal	Vary	35
B3) High Pull	Upper Body Pull	Vertical	Vary	30
B4) Alternating Barbell Lunges	Upper Body Pull	Quad Dominant	Vary	30 (15/leg)
Rest 15-30 seconds between exercises. When you finish your circuit, rest 45-60 seconds. Cycle through until you complete all reps for all exercises.

Spend Calories, Save Mass

Lifting heavy weight requires a great deal of energy, so strength training is generally calorically expensive. In addition, because we've set things up in a circuit, the pace of the workout is much faster and fat loss increases.
Try this method one day a week during your diet program and watch your fat loss accelerate as you hold on to strength and mass!

Wikio

The 10-Second Rule

by CHAD WATERBURY on MARCH 10, 2011

Training for maximum power requires you to recruit the high-threshold motor units. To recruit them, you must lift maximal loads (>85% of 1RM) or you must lift submaximal loads (50-75% of 1RM) with high acceleration so the actual lifting velocity is fast.

There’s a simple way to ensure that you get maximum power from each set: limit the duration of each set to 10 seconds or less. Why?

It has to do with the endurance capabilities of your high-power motor units. Your largest motor units are known as fast-twitch, fast-fatigable (FF) motor units that contain a large bundle of type IIb muscle fibers. Type IIb fibers have a very limited capacity of energy so they fatigue within 10 seconds. After you recruit the FF motor units, it’s tough to keep activating them because they don’t recover quickly.

However, the second most-powerful motor units come from the fast-twitch, fatigue-resistant (FFR) motor units that contain type IIa muscle fibers. Like all motor units, they range in size and endurance. You have FFR motor units with fewer muscle fibers that get activated before a FFR motor unit that’s any larger. In other words, you have FFR motor units that are bigger and stronger than others. The largest ones have the lowest endurance capacity. So by keeping your sets to 10 seconds, or less, you’ll target and develop the most powerful FFR motor units that have plenty of growth and power potential.

With heavy loads, this 10-second rule is easy to follow because you can’t go past 10 seconds, even if you tried. For submaximal loads, it’s much easier to screw up. As a gross generalization, shoot for three reps per set with submaximal loads.

For example, when you need to build explosive power, start with a load that allows around 20 reps. For those of you who like percentages, this is around 60% of your 1RM. Then, perform only three explosive reps for 10 sets with approximately 45 seconds of rest between each set. This ensures that each set lasts less than 10 seconds, the actual lifting velocity remains fast, and stay far away from failure. Remember, when you approach failure motor units start dropping out.

So whether you’re training heavy, or light and fast, limit the duration of your sets to 10 seconds and you’ll build new muscle and power fast!

Stay focused,
CW

Wikio

The Top 10 Muscles Women Love

Sure, women love a guy with a chiseled six-pack. But that's not the only body part they check out at the beach (or in bed). And while each woman has a different favorite muscle, these ten (in no particular order) are at the top of every female's "what I notice" list. Take a look, then head to the gym and start sculpting.
6-Pack Abs
You could have biceps the size of bowling balls, but if you've got the beginnings of a gut, any discriminating woman will think twice before considering you boyfriend material. Their fear: A little excess midriff meat now means one fat, sloppy bastard in 10 years.

Powerful Forearms
Women see strong forearms and think you can do everything: Fend off a mugger, build a house, and maintain a dexterous touch long enough to leave them extremely satisfied. So roll up those sleeves, and let 'em have a look.

A Nice Butt
Women check out your butt because it's a clue to your worthiness as a physical specimen. If you're in great shape, it carries high. Otherwise, your rear end droops like a sack of old potatoes. Old, hairy potatoes.

A Broad Back
A wide back is essential for a V-shaped torso, and women's attraction to it is ancestral. "When it was important that our mates protect us from woolly mammoths on the plains, we looked for a gene pool that could provide us with protection," says Pega Ren, Ed.D., a sexologist in British Columbia.

Sculpted Shoulders
"The shoulder muscles are really the muscles of love and war," says Nancy Etcoff, Ph.D., author of Survival of the Prettiest. They also make the whole look when combined with a broad back. Strong shoulders literally sweep women off their feet.

Rock-Hard Calves
"Women want an overall sense of strength and fitness," says Etcoff. "If a man looks as if he can lift something but can't run, it looks disproportionate."
A Big Chest
"Women treasure your chest as much as you do theirs," says Emily Dubberley, a sex expert based in the UK. "Touching, kissing, and licking a man's chest is undoubtedly a turn-on for most women."

Large Biceps
In a poll of Cosmopolitan readers, 1 out of 5 women confessed that nice biceps on a man makes them "absolutely melt."

Strong Hamstrings
Many women prefer being on top because it lets them lean forward to rub against your pubic bone. Having well-conditioned hamstrings and glutes makes it easier to meet her halfway for more pleasure.



Wikio

15 Fired-Up Foods that Burn Away Pounds

By: Brian Good
The shortcut to losing weight? Fast food. Not the kind the clown and the King try to shove down our throats, but rather, edible amphetamines-foods that act like speed for the fat-melting motor known as our metabolism. Eat these foods and you're guaranteed to burn more calories...just by sitting there and listening to yourself digest.

Only one catch: Like any good buzz, this boost is temporary. "The only way to alter your resting metabolism permanently is to gain or lose weight, or to build extra muscle," says Janet Walberg-Rankin, Ph.D., a professor of exercise physiology at Virginia Tech. But look at it this way: If you have a few of these supercharged snacks and drinks throughout the day, for enough days, you will lose weight.

And that's if you're doing nothing. Imagine if you were to stop listening to your stomach serenading you and actually begin exercising, too? The blubber-busting possibilities are endless. So grab a fork; it's time to add fuel to the fire.

And for more great ways to and lose weight and stay slim for good, pick up a copy of The Men's Health Diet today! It combines the latest findings in exercise and nutrition with practical how-to-advice that will transform your body into a fat-burning machine.
Milk, Whole Grain Cereal, Oats
Secret Ingredients: Calcium, complex carbohydrates, and fiber

How they work: Complex carbohydrates and fiber pump up metabolism by keeping insulin levels low after you eat. That's good, because spikes in the production of insulin send a signal to the body that it's time to start storing fat. And in order to stockpile fat, your body has to slow down your metabolism, causing you to burn fewer calories, says Margaret McNurlan, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition and medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Since oatmeal breaks down slowly in the stomach, it causes less of a spike in insulin levels than foods like bagels, she says.

Besides helping to keep insulin production down, eating breakfast can also help stoke your daily calorie burn. When the U.S. Navy studied the metabolisms and eating habits of a group of its personnel, it found that eating breakfast helped raise the men's metabolisms by as much as 10 percent. "By skipping meals, you slow down your metabolism and prime your body to store fat," says McNurlan.

The calcium in milk is a metabolic trigger as well. A University of Tennessee study found that dieters who consumed between 1,200 and 1,300 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day lost nearly twice as much weight as dieters getting less calcium.

Jalapenos, Habaneros, Cayennes
Secret Ingredient: Capsaicin—the chemical in peppers that gives them their bite

How it works: By speeding up your heart rate.

A study from the late '80s found that eating a single spicy meal can boost your metabolism by up to 25 percent, with the spike in calorie burning lasting for up to 3 hours after you finish eating. More recently, a study from Laval University in Quebec found that men who consumed coffee plus red pepper-packed snacks and meals were able to burn nearly 1,000 more calories a day than a control group.

Small snacks can also help keep your body from running out of fuel-preventing those 3 p.m. office blahs. "When you restrict the number of calories your body has for fuel, your metabolic rate can drop temporarily," says Susan Roberts, Ph.D., chief of the energy-metabolism laboratory at Tufts University in Boston. That makes it easier to pack on the pounds and harder to burn them off again.

Green Tea, Coffee
Secret Ingredients: Caffeine and a chemical in the tea called EGCG

How they work: Caffeine helps speed up your heart rate. The faster your heart beats, the more calories you burn. EGCG works in a similar way, but instead of revving up your heart, it causes your brain and nervous system to run more quickly-again helping you burn more calories.

In studies, researchers found that a combination of caffeine and a 90-mg dose of EGCG taken three times a day can help you burn an extra 80 calories a day. And that's just when your body's at rest. A study conducted by the Canadian government found that soldiers who consumed caffeine in the 12 hours prior to a physical-fitness test not only were able to work out longer before becoming exhausted, but also consumed more oxygen while working out. The body's oxygen requirements are directly related to the speed of-guess what-your metabolism, so the more oxygen you use, the more calories you burn during your workout.

Lean Beef, Pork, Chicken, Turkey
Secret Ingredient: Protein

How it works: It takes more energy for your body to digest the protein in meat than it does for it to digest carbohydrates or fat, according to Doug Kalman, R.D., director of nutrition at Miami Research Associates, a nationally recognized pharmaceutical-research facility. "That means that the more protein you eat, the harder your body has to work to digest it, and the more calories you'll burn in the process," he says.

When researchers at Arizona State University compared the benefits of a high-protein diet with those of a high-carbohydrate diet, they found that people who ate a high-protein diet burned more than twice as many calories in the hours following their meal as those eating carbs. Even better, researchers in Denmark found that men who substituted protein for 20 percent of the carbs in their diets were able to boost their metabolisms, increasing the number of calories they burned each day by up to 5 percent.

Salmon, Tuna, Sardines
Secret Ingredient: Omega-3 fatty acids

How they work: By altering levels of a hormone called leptin in your body. Several recent studies suggest that leptin directly influences your metabolism, determining whether you burn calories or store them as fat.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin found that mice with low leptin levels have faster metabolisms and are able to burn fat more quickly than animals with higher leptin levels. The best way to lower your leptin? Eat fish.

Mayo Clinic researchers studying the diets of two African tribes-one of which frequently ate fish and one of which didn't-found that fish eaters had leptin levels nearly five times lower than the levels found in tribes that primarily ate vegetables.

The good news, if you don't like fish: Fish-oil supplements may work just as well as the stuff with scales. French researchers found that men who replaced 6 grams of fat in their diets with 6 grams of fish oil were able to boost their metabolisms and lose an average of 2 pounds in just 12 weeks.



Wikio

8 Drugs You Should Get a Second Opinion On

By: Morgan Lord
With 3,480 pages of fine print, the Physicians' Desk Reference (a.k.a. PDR) is not a quick read. That's because it contains every iota of information on more than 4,000 prescription medications. Heck, the PDR is medication—a humongous sleeping pill.

Doctors count on this compendium to help them make smart prescribing decisions—in other words, to choose drugs that will solve their patients' medical problems without creating new ones. Unfortunately, it seems some doctors rarely pull the PDR off the shelf. Or if they do crack it open, they don't stay versed on emerging research that may suddenly make a once-trusted treatment one to avoid. Worst case: You swallow something that has no business being inside your body.

Of course, plenty of M.D.'s do know which prescription and over-the-counter drugs are duds, dangers, or both. So we asked them, "Which medications would you skip?" Their list is your second opinion. If you're on any of these meds, talk to your doctor. Maybe he or she will finally open that big red book with all the dust on it.

Advair
It's asthma medicine . . . that could make your asthma deadly. Advair contains the long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) salmeterol. A 2006 analysis of 19 trials, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that regular use of LABAs can increase the severity of an asthma attack.

Because salmeterol is more widely prescribed than other LABAs, the danger is greater—the researchers estimate that salmeterol may contribute to as many as 5,000 asthma-related deaths in the United States each year. In 2006, similarly disturbing findings from an earlier salmeterol study prompted the FDA to tag Advair with a "black box" warning—the agency's highest caution level.

Your New Strategy
No matter what you may have heard, a LABA, such as the one in Advair, is not the only option, says Philip Rodgers, Pharm.D., a clinical associate professor at the University of North Carolina school of pharmacy. For instance, if you have mild asthma, an inhaled corticosteroid such as Flovent is often all you need.

Still wheezing? "Patients can also consider an inhaled corticosteroid paired with a leukotriene modifier," says Dr. Rodgers. This combo won't create dangerous inflammation, and according to a Scottish review, it's as effective as a corticosteroid-and-LABA combo.
Avandia
Diabetes is destructive enough on its own, but if you try to control it with rosiglitazone—better known by the brand name Avandia—you could be headed for a heart attack. Last September, a Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study found that people who took rosiglitazone for at least a year increased their risk of heart failure or a heart attack by 109 percent and 42 percent, respectively, compared with those who took other oral diabetes medications or a placebo.

The reason? While there have been some reports that Avandia use may cause dangerous fluid retention or raise artery-clogging LDL cholesterol, no one is sure if these are the culprits. That's because the results of similar large studies have been mixed. So the FDA has asked GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Avandia, to conduct a new long-term study assessing users' heart risks. There's only one problem: The study isn't expected to start until later this year.

Your New Strategy
Stick with a proven performer. "I prefer metformin, an older, cheaper, more dependable medication," says Sonal Singh, M.D., the lead author of the JAMA study. "Avandia is now a last resort."

Dr. Singh recommends that you talk to your doctor about cholesterol-lowering medicines, such as statins or the B vitamin niacin. Swallowing high doses (1,000 milligrams) of niacin daily may raise your HDL (good) cholesterol by as much as 24 percent, while at the same time lowering your LDL and triglyceride levels.

Celebrex
Once nicknamed "super aspirin," Celebrex is now better known for its side effects than for its pain-relieving prowess. The drug has been linked to increased risks of stomach bleeding, kidney trouble, and liver damage. But according to a 2005 New England Journal of Medicine study, the biggest threat is to your heart: People taking 200 mg of Celebrex twice a day more than doubled their risk of dying of cardiovascular disease. Those on 400 mg twice a day more than tripled their risk, compared with people taking a placebo.

And yet Celebrex, a COX-2 inhibitor, is still available, even though two other drugs of that class, Bextra and Vioxx, were pulled off the market due to a similar risk of heart damage. The caveat to the consumer? In 2004, the FDA advised doctors to consider alternatives to Celebrex.

Your New Strategy
What you don't want to do is stop swallowing Celebrex and begin knocking back ibuprofen, because regular use of high doses of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can lead to gastrointestinal bleeding.

A safer swap is acupuncture. A German study found that for people suffering from chronic lower-back pain, twice-weekly acupuncture sessions were twice as effective as conventional treatments with drugs, physical therapy, and exercise. The strategic needling may stimulate central-nervous-system pathways to release the body's own painkillers, including endorphins and enkephalins, says Duke University anesthesiologist Tong-Joo Gan, M.D.

You can find a certified acupuncturist in your area at medicalacupuncture.org/findadoc.

Ketek
Most bacteria in the lungs and sinuses don't stand a chance against Ketek, but you might not either. This antibiotic, which has traditionally been prescribed for respiratory-tract infections, carries a higher risk of severe liver side effects than similar antibiotics do.

"Ketek can cause heart-rhythm problems, can lead to liver disease, and could interact poorly with other medications you may be taking," says Dr. Rodgers. "Unfortunately, it's still available, and although many doctors are aware of the risks, some may still prescribe it without caution." In February 2007, the FDA limited the usage of Ketek to the treatment of pneumonia.

Your New Strategy
Can't imagine catching pneumonia? The last time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated the top 10 killers of men, this deadly lung infection (along with the flu) came in seventh.

Avoid backing yourself into a corner where you might need Ketek by always signing up for your annual flu shot—if you have pneumonia, it'll reduce your risk of dying of the infection by 40 percent.

And if you still end up staring at a scrip for Ketek, Dr. Rodgers recommends asking to be treated with one of several safer alternatives, such as Augmentin or the antibiotics doxycycline or Zithromax.

Prilosec and Nexium
Heartburn can be uncomfortable, but heart attacks can be fatal, which is why the FDA has investigated a suspected link between cardiac trouble and the acid-reflux remedies Prilosec and Nexium. In December 2007, the agency concluded that there was no "likely" connection. Translation: The scientific jury is still out. In the meantime, there are other reasons to be concerned. Because Prilosec and Nexium are proton-pump inhibitors, they are both incredibly effective at stopping acid production in the stomach—perhaps too effective.

A lack of acid may raise your risk of pneumonia, because the same stuff that makes your chest feel as if it's burning also kills incoming bacteria and viruses. You may also have an elevated risk of bone loss—in the less acidic environment, certain forms of calcium may not be absorbed effectively during digestion. "The risk of a fracture has been estimated to be over 40 percent higher in patients who use these drugs long-term, and the risk clearly increases with duration of therapy," says Dr. Rodgers.

Your New Strategy
When you feel the fire, first try to extinguish it with Zantac 150 or Pepcid AC. Both of these OTC products work by blocking histamine from stimulating the stomach cells that produce acid. Just know that neither drug is a long-term fix.

"To really cure the problem, lose weight," says Michael Roizen, M.D., chief wellness officer at the Cleveland Clinic and coauthor of YOU: The Owner's Manual. That's because when you're overweight, excess belly fat puts pressure on and changes the angle of your esophagus, pulling open the valve that's supposed to prevent stomach-acid leaks. This in turn makes it easier for that burning sensation to travel up into your chest.
Visine Original
What possible harm to your peepers could come from these seemingly innocuous eyedrops? "Visine gets the red out, but it does so by shrinking blood vessels, just like Afrin shrinks the vessels in your nose," says Thomas Steinemann, M.D., a spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Overuse of the active ingredient tetrahydrozoline can perpetuate the vessel dilating-and-constricting cycle and may cause even more redness.

Your New Strategy
If you still want to rely on Visine, at least make sure you don't use too many drops per dose and you don't use the stuff for more than 3 or 4 days. But you'd really be better off figuring out the underlying cause of the redness and treating that instead.

If it's dryness, use preservative-free artificial tears, recommends Dr. Steinemann. Visine Pure Tears Portables is a good choice for moisture minus side effects.

On the other hand, if your eyes are itchy and red because of allergies, pick up OTC antiallergy drops, such as Zaditor. It contains an antihistamine to interrupt the allergic response but no vasoconstrictor to cause rebound redness.

Pseudoephedrine
Forget that this decongestant can be turned into methamphetamine. People with heart disease or hypertension should watch out for any legitimate drug that contains pseudoephedrine.

See, pseudoephedrine doesn't just constrict the blood vessels in your nose and sinuses; it can also raise blood pressure and heart rate, setting the stage for vascular catastrophe. Over the years, pseudoephedrine has been linked to heart attacks and strokes. "Pseudoephedrine can also worsen symptoms of benign prostate disease and glaucoma," says Dr. Rodgers.

Your New Strategy
Other OTC oral nasal decongestants can contain phenylephrine, which has a safety profile similar to pseudoephedrine's. A 2007 review didn't find enough evidence that phenylephrine was effective.

Our advice: Avoid meds altogether and clear your nasal passages with a neti pot, the strangely named system that allows you to flush your sinuses with saline ($15, sinucleanse.com). University of Wisconsin researchers found that people who used a neti pot felt their congestion and head pain improve by as much as 57 percent.

Granted, the flushing sensation is odd at first, but give it a chance. Dr. Roizen did: "I do it every day after I brush my teeth," he says.

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/consumer_awareness_of_drugs_and_medications/index.php?cm_mmc=DailyDoseNL-_-03072011-_-HTML-_-dek

The High Pull for Muscle Development and Power

by CHAD WATERBURY on MARCH 1, 2011

The two Olympic lifts, the snatch and clean and jerk, are awesome exercises to build muscle and power. However, both lifts are very technical and most people don’t have the strength, coordination, and mobility to do them correctly. That’s why I like variations of Olympic lifts – particularly the high pull.

What’s so great about the high pull? First, virtually anyone can do it. Second, it’s an outstanding exercise to build the kind of muscle and power that makes you run faster, jump higher, kick harder and deadlift more weight. Third, the high pull, by nature, is designed to be performed explosively. That, of course, ranks it at the top of my list.

Now, even though the high pull is not a complicated exercise, there are some important technique tips. I think it’s actually better to see this exercise in pictures than video. The reason? The combined extension of the hip, knee, and ankle joints (aka “triple extension”) is the most important part of the lift to get right and it’s easier to see in a still picture.

First, warm-up with some mobility work (foam roller, etc), jump rope for a few minutes, then pull two sets of three reps with a moderate load for the deadlift. Be sure to squeeze your glutes hard at the top of the deadlift to activate that important muscle group.

Now you’re ready.

Step #1: Start with a very light load if you’re new to the exercise. About 95 pounds is a good starting point for most men; 65 pounds is usually good for most females.

Step #2: Before you grab the barbell it’s important to get the right stance with your feet. Imagine you’re about to perform a maximum vertical jump – that’s your correct stance. For most people this is slightly wider than shoulder width, but it can vary.

Step #3: Grab the barbell with a slightly-wider-than shoulder width grip. Again, this can vary slightly from person to person. The key point here is that your grip width should feel comfortable and strong. Stand up with the barbell.

Step #4: Push your hips back and let your knees bend slightly as the barbell lowers to about knee height. Your low back should be arched. This is your starting position as shown in the left picture below.

Step #5: Explosively thrust your hips forward as you simultaneously pull the barbell to upper ab/lower chest height with your elbows high. At the peak barbell position your heels should be elevated as shown in the picture on the right.

Step #6: Lower the barbell in a smooth, rapid fashion as your heels return to the floor, your hips push back, and your back stays arched. Explosively reverse the motion as the barbell gets to about knee height.

If pure power/strength is your goal, perform 3-5 sets of 3 reps. If you want more muscle to go with your power, perform 8-10 sets of 3 reps. I like to do this exercise first in your workouts, or it can be combined with an upper body pull (eg, pull-up) and upper body push (eg, dip) in a full body circuit.

I especially like this exercise for fighters because it’s much easier on the wrist joints than a clean and it’s less stressful on the shoulders than a snatch. If you have any shoulder aggravation with this exercise it can be performed with dumbbells to allow a more natural range of motion.

Stay focused,
CW

Wikio

GreenerChoices.org | 25 healthy and delicious food bargains 3/11

GreenerChoices.org | 25 healthy and delicious food bargains 3/11

Getting the most nutrition for your money isn’t as hard as you may think. To come up with the list of healthy foods below, Consumer Reports consulted a number of nutrition experts and food scientists. The foods are grouped by nutrient—antioxidants, calcium, fiber, omega-3’s, and protein—to make it easier to plan meals.

Whenever possible, select items that are labeled USDA certified organic, but note that the prices below are for conventional items.


Antioxidants—cheap ways to get a super nutrient fix

Cabbage - 16 cents per serving (½ cup cooked); $2.50 for one medium head (4 pounds).
Usually the cheapest member of the super-nutritious cruciferous family that includes broccoli and Brussels sprouts, cabbage is loaded with Vitamins A and C plus cancer-fighting sulforaphane.

Canned unsweetened pumpkin - 38 cents per serving (½ cup); $1.32 per 15-ounce can.
The bright orange hue is a tip-off to high levels of beta carotene, an antioxidant that might help protect vision. Skip the sweetened purees, which can be full of calories.

Dried plums – 31 cents per serving (¼ cup); $3.99 per 18-ounce container.
Often a little cheaper than its healthful cousins — dates, figs, and dried apricots — this concentrated version of a ripe plum packs antioxidants, fiber, and potassium. Portions are less because it is concentrated according to experts.

Frozen blueberries – 66 cents per serving (½ cup); $3.29 per 12-ounce package.
Keep a stash of these powerhouses in your freezer. They have been associated with the prevention of Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease, according to experts.

Kale -- 37 cents per serving (1/2 cup); $1.49 per bunch (about a pound).
Dark, leafy kale and other greens (collards, mustard greens, and Swiss chard) are sometimes cheaper than lettuce mixes and packed with Vitamins A, C, and E.

Canned tomatoes – 28 cents per serving (1/2 cup); $1.99 per 28-ounce can.
Heat-processed canned or boxed tomatoes contain more of the antioxidant lycopene than fresh ones. To keep sodium down, buy those with no salt added.

Calcium—feed your bones for less than $1 a serving

Canned salmon with bones – 32 cents per serving (1/4 cup); $2.24 per 14.75-ounce can.
The soft, edible bones are loaded with calcium, plus it’s a superstar for heart-healthy omega-3s (see below). To cut calories, look for salmon packed in water and to avoid mercury and other toxins, choose a wild Salmon variety.

Plain yogurt – 70 cents per serving (6-ounce container); $8.39 per case of 12.
Yogurt is a quick and handy way to get calcium. It’s also brimming with protein and good bacteria that aids digestion. To flavor it for fewer calories, stir in a bit of your own vanilla extract or all-fruit spread.

Nonfat dry milk powder – 17 cents per reconstituted cup; $5.99 per 26-ounce container.
This is just milk that has had the water removed, so it equals the calcium and protein of regular milk for around 10 cents less per serving. (3 tablespoons equals 1 cup of milk.)


Fiber—stay regular for less than 50 cents a serving

Edamame and green peas – 25 cents per serving of peas ( 1/2 cup) and 90 cents per serving of edamame (1/2 cup); $1.99 per 16-ounce bag (frozen peas) and $2.69 per 16-ounce bag (frozen edamame).
These legumes have a good amount of fiber and protein—about ¾ cup of peas has more protein than an egg.

Rolled Oats – 28 cents per serving (1/2 cup); $3.59 per 18-ounce container.
Because these fiber heavyweights soak up more water than instant oatmeal, they fill you up more, so you eat less. They’re also gluten-free. To shorten cooking time, you can soak rolled oats in milk overnight in the fridge and pop them in the microwave the next day.

Whole-grain spaghetti – 23 cents per serving (2 ounces); $1.59 per 13.25-ounce box.
When it comes to fiber, not all whole-grain pastas are equal. Check the package—a serving should have 5 grams of fiber or more. Use instead of white pasta.

Quinoa – 50 cents per serving (1/4 cup); $3.99 per 12-ounce package.
Quick-cooking quinoa has almost 50 percent more fiber than brown rice, plus a dose of protein; one cup of cooked quinoa has more protein than an egg, according to the experts.

White potatoes – 13 cents per serving (1 medium spud); $1.99 per 5-pound bag.
Do your health a favor and eat your potatoes unpeeled, which will give you another gram of fiber for every small potato.

Popcorn – 12 cents per serving (1/4 cup unpopped); $1.89 per 28-ounce bag.
It’s a fun and easy way to get some fiber; research shows that popcorn eaters get about 22 percent more fiber than non-popcorn eaters. But don’t pile on calories with butter.




Omega-3s—heart healthy bargains

Frozen shrimp - $1.36 per serving (3 ounces); $14.99 per 2-pound bag.
Though not as high in omega-3s as sardines, frozen shrimp is a good, low-calorie, and relatively cheap source. Look for U.S.-farmed freshwater shrimp, one of the most sustainable seafood choices on the market.




Canned sardines in water - $1.59 per serving (3.75-ounce can).
On the eco-friendly list of fish and a health bargain not to be missed, sardines (with bones) are rich in heart-healthy omega-3s and bone-saving calcium. The healthful fats in fish are also linked to arthritis relief, according to the experts.

Flaxseed – 11 cents per serving ( 3 tablespoons); $1.79 per 16-ounce bag.
This mighty seed has omega-3s and other fatty acids linked to immune-system strength, cardiovascular health, and cancer prevention. Be sure to grind the whole seeds so that they can be digested properly.

Tofu – 48 cents per serving ( 3 ounces); $2.39 for 14 ounces.
Tofu is an American Heart Association-recommended source of omega-3s. It’s also cholesterol-free and high in protein. Silky soft tofu is best suited to soups and desserts.

Protein—fuel up for as little as 18 cents

Dried brown lentils – 27 cents per serving (1/2 cup); $1.45 for 16 ounces.
Quick-cooking lentils need no soaking, so they’re easy to prepare. They’re a good source of protein, fiber, and folic acid (important for pregnant women).

Eggs – 18 cents per egg; $2.19 per dozen.
A large hard-boiled egg is packed with 6 grams of protein. Although eggs contain cholesterol, they aren’t high in saturated fat (which increases LDL levels), making them OK to eat regularly even when you’re trying to reduce your bad cholesterol.

Frozen turkey - $1.59 (per pound).
Don’t wait for the holidays! Frozen birds are a good deal all year. The ratio of lean to fatty meat is a trim 2:1, and there’s less saturated fat than in beef or pork.

Dried black beans – 24 cents per serving (1/2 cup); $1.45 for 16-ounce bag.
All beans (such as navy, cannellini, and pinto) are stellar sources of protein, fiber, and blood-pressure-friendly potassium, but darker beans pack more nutrients. Draining and rinsing reduces sodium.

Peanuts in the shell – 12 cents per serving (small handful); $1.99 for 16 ounces.
They’re a cheap protein fix, and they shell out more than 30 essential nutrients and phytonutrients, including resveratrol, a phytochemical linked to a reduction in heart disease and cancer risk.
Wikio

Sugary soft drinks linked to high blood pressure

BBC News - Sugary soft drinks linked to high blood pressure

Sugary soft drinks linked to high blood pressure

By Michelle Roberts

Health reporter, BBC News

Drinking too many sugary beverages appears to raise the risk of high blood pressure, experts are warning.

Findings suggest blood pressure goes up incrementally for every extra can of sugary drink consumed per day.

Drinking more than 355ml a day of sugar-sweetened fruit juice or carbonated drink can be enough to upset the balance, data on over 2,500 people reveals.

The study by UK and US researchers appears in the journal Hypertension.

The precise mechanism behind the link is unclear, but scientists believe too much sugar in the blood disrupts blood vessel tone and salt levels in the body. Non-sugar sweetened diet drinks did not carry the same risk.

The soft drink industry maintains that the beverages are safe to drink "in moderation".

The American Heart Association says people should drink no more than three 355ml cans of soda a week.

For the study, the participants who were aged 40-59 from the UK and the US were asked to record what they had eaten in the preceding 24 hours on four separate occasions. They also provided a urine sample and had their blood pressure measured.

The researchers found that sugar intake was highest in those consuming more than one sugar-sweetened beverage daily.

They also found that individuals consuming more than one serving per day of sugar-sweetened beverages consumed more calories than those who didn't consume sugary drinks - around 397 extra calories a day.

For every extra can of sugary drink consumed per day, participants on average had a higher systolic blood pressure by 1.6mmHg and a higher diastolic blood pressure by 0.8mmHg.

Overall, the people who consumed a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages appeared to also have less healthy diets and were more likely to be overweight.

But regardless of this, the link with blood pressure was still significant even after adjusting for factors such as weight and height.

Stroke risk

Professor Paul Elliott, senior author of the study, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said: "It's widely known that if you have too much salt in your diet, you're more likely to develop high blood pressure.

"The results of this study suggest that people should be careful about how much sugar they consume as well."

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Someone with a blood pressure level of 135mmHg over 85mmHg is twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke as someone with a reading of 115mmHg over 75mmHg.

In the study, the link between sugary drinks and higher blood pressure was especially strong in people who consumed a lot of salt as well as sugar. Excess salt in the diet is already a known to contribute to high blood pressure.

The British Heart Foundation said more research was now needed to better understand the relationship between sugar and blood pressure.

Victoria Taylor, Senior Dietician at the BHF, said it was best to avoid too many sugary drinks because they add extra calories to our diets that can lead to obesity, a major risk factor for heart disease.

Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of the Blood Pressure Association said: "This is another nail in the coffin for soft drinks.

"Not only do they make you obese but they may also put up your blood pressure. Drinking sweet soft drinks is not good news."

A spokesman for the British Soft Drinks Association said the study did not establish that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages in any way causes hypertension.

"Soft drinks are safe to drink but, like all food and drink, should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet," he said.Wikio