TOP FOODS TO BEAT SCORCHING SUMMER

Posted by MyNutrition on May 16, 2012 | No comments yet

Summer is the time, when heated air starts blowing and almighty sun begins showing its full capacity, we feel drained due to excessive water loss and start looking at the soothing and cooling foods. Here are some special foods, which have capacity to deal with scorching summer:

ONION

Onions are widely considered as an effective remedy against heat stroke. Onions help in reducing inflammation and promote healthy digestion also, so it is a wise idea to include plenty of onion rings in meals these days.

COOLANT DRINKS

Traditional Indian drinks such as Aam pana, Jal jeera and Thandai are really helpful in summers. These drinks offer soothing effect on digestive system, and maintain water level in body. Coconut water is also a healthy choice these days as this is a good source of electrolytes, vitamins and minerals, which are essential for keeping body well hydrated.

SALADS

Salad made with seasonal water rich fruits such as cucumber, papaya, orange, watermelon and muskmelon keeps body hydrated and in-turn cool. These are easy to digest and packed with antioxidants such as Beta carotene and Lycopene, which strengthen our body’s resistance power against diseases.

CURD

Curd is a super food and offers digestion friendly healthy bacteria Probiotics, which are much needed these days to maintain healthy digestion. Apart from that Curd offers essential Amino Acids and Zinc to repair damaged skin cells. You can also try things made with Curd such as Raita, Buttermilk or Chach, which are well known coolants.

WATER

When temperature starts growing and drops body’s water level, it causes water-electrolyte imbalance and may bring cramps and heat stroke, thus maintaining water level in body is very essential. Everyday drinking 5-6 ltr of water maintains its level and body’s temperature under control. For having fun, honey sweetened lemon water is also a good option.

All About Amino Supplements

Posted by MyNutrition on June 13, 2011 | No comments yet

Amino supplements constitute one of the most popular categories of supplements. Virtually everyone in the fitness world knows the importance of proteins for gaining muscle mass and burning fat. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. The quality and value of any protein is judged by its constitution of amino acids. No wonder amino acid supplements are so popular!

Apart from the general category of amino acid supplements, there is also a more specific category of amino supplements known as Branched Chain Amino Acid (BCAA) supplements. These contain only three of the nine essential amino acids, known as BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine and valine. There are several advantages associated with amino and BCAA supplements.

Naturally, amino acids are acquired when the protein component of your diet has been broken down during the process of digestion. This happens about two hours after your meal. However, the best opportunity your body has to acquire and store amino acids, and aid muscle recovery and growth in the process, is fifteen minutes after your workout, when the blood flow to your muscles is still rapid. This is where free form amino acids, consumed through supplementation, can be valuable. They do not need to go through the process of digestion, and can be absorbed into the bloodstream within fifteen minutes of consumption.

Further, it is important that the body acquires all the essential amino acids in the right measure, because that is what aids the production of the non-essential amino acids (not acquired through your diet). However, it is very difficult to control the amino acid constitution that you are acquiring through the proteins in your diet. This is where an amino supplement can be of great value. It offers the different amino acids in very specific, scientifically determined proportions. Apart from directly influencing muscle repair and recovery, amino acids aid in the production of testosterone (the growth hormone and insulin.

BCAAs are critical during a process known as gluconeogenesis. This is the process by which the body draws on non-carbohydrate sources for glucose, which is needed for energy. Generally this happens during heavy exercise when the body is confronting a carbohydrate deficit. The first nutrient targeted by the body is protein. This is obviously not desirable since the muscles need protein for growth and recovery. However, if your body has ample BCAAs, it can use these to process glucose. Your muscle tissue will be spared in the process, and your muscle growth process will not be affected. This is why a lot of athletes use BCAA supplements.

However, it is important to point out that the claims of value associated with amino supplements are not backed by 100% conclusive research. It is not advisable to use any form of amino supplements as a substitute for a balanced diet and natural protein sources. It is imperative for you to maintain your diet and let your body continue the natural processes involved in breaking down food components. This is what will protect you against nutritional imbalances, the way no supplement can.

Strength Training For Better Fitness

Posted by MyNutrition on May 31, 2011 | No comments yet

If you are trying to develop your overall fitness levels, and attempting to get a lean and ripped body, you need a comprehensive strength training program. This means that your exercise regime should cover your entire body as well as contain different kinds of exercises. The two broad categories of exercises are weight training and cardiovascular training. These are both extremely important. Weight training includes a highly specialized branch of exercises known as resistance training exercises.

Cardiovascular Training

Cardiovascular training is extremely crucial, if you wish to burn fat rapidly. It also keeps your heart healthy and functioning strong, prevents your arteries from getting clogged and prevents high blood pressure. It will also improve your stamina and help you counter depression and anxiety.

With cardiovascular exercises a lot of people make the mistake of doing the same long, low-intensity session every day or every other day (your brisk morning walk or jog). Just like with any other exercise, with cardiovascular training it is very important to graduate over time. If you’ve been doing a 30 minute jog everyday for several months, try to punctuate a session of your jog with a few brief spells of a faster run. Also, try to replace your jog 1-2 days of the week with cycling or skipping or a sport that involves cardio. Variety is very important to spur your fitness and fat burning process.

If you are already at an intermediate or advanced level, you should also consider interval training. It is the most effective form of cardiovascular training, and involves brief and intense spells of the exercise punctuated with short periods of rest. For example, rather than a 30 minute jog, you could do six faster two minute runs with 30-60 seconds of rest between spells. This will involve lesser time, but the added intensity will help you burn extra calories. However, interval training needs to be planned in careful steps, depending on your current fitness levels. Please consult a trained fitness expert.

Weight Training

Weight training exercises are very important for developing your muscle mass. Eventually, it is the amount and strength of your muscles that will determine your overall fitness levels.

Walk into any gym, and you’ll see a lot of people obsessed with the amount of weight they can lift. So pre-occupied are they with the quantity of the weight and managing a certain number of repetitions, that they do it any which way they can. This means they compromise with the correct posture and technique. This is not only counter-productive to their fitness goals, but also increases the risk of injury. The fact is that if you focus on the correct posture and technique, you will not be able to handle as much weight as you can with an incorrect posture. However, lifting less weight correctly will put stress at desired points, and you will gain muscle faster. For example, if you don’t use the correct posture for a squat, you will end up putting too much pressure on your knees instead of your upper-leg muscles, and end up damaging your joint.

The other important advice for weight training, including resistance exercise training, is: don’t work the same muscles on consecutive days. You should train hard but never over train. Your muscles should always get enough time to recover between workouts (generally 36-48 hours), because it is only in the period of rest that they repair and become stronger.

Resistance exercise training is a very dynamic branch of weight training. It involves a resistance generated by an external force, in the form of friction (swimming), weights (lifting), body weight (push ups) or gravity (uphill cycling). It works on the principle of overload. In other words, the total load applied to the muscle keeps increasing along the course of the exercise. As a result, the muscles are utilized to the optimum, get fatigued and grow to a greater extent during the period of rest. Resistance training exercises are extremely important to build the strength and size of skeletal muscles.

Weight Loss Supplements- Learn about Different Weight Loss Supplements

Posted by MyNutrition on May 25, 2011 | No comments yet

Most Effective Diet in India

Posted by MyNutrition on May 24, 2011 | No comments yet

It is very difficult to prescribe the single best diet, if you are living in India. This is because the country is so diverse, both in terms of availability of food ingredients and cuisines, that two people living in different parts of the country will never have the same diet. However, a good fat loss Indian diet will have some common factors.

The first and easiest advice to offer, in terms of an ideal Indian diet, is about food products to avoid. Foremost amongst these is Indian sweets. Indian sweets are typically overloaded with sugar and/or fattening milk products. Even a couple of pieces can pile on the calories. Even if you can’t avoid sweets totally, restrict your consumption to small amounts during festivals and special occasions.

The other food product to avoid is oil and ghee. Refined oil, especially, is used liberally in some dishes. Avoid those as far as possible. Have chapattis instead of the heavy and oily paranthas.

Before an effective Indian diet is prescribed, it will be good to know the nutrient composition of some typical Indian food ingredients.

• Meats form an integral component of every cuisine in India. The most popular meats are chicken, fish and mutton. Chicken and fish, known as lean meats, are the healthiest. They don’t have the cholesterol component of mutton, and are great sources of protein. The healthiest way to eat chicken or fish is to roast (tandoori) or grill (tikka) it.
• For vegetarians, lentils and legumes (dals) form the major protein source. Additionally, yogurt (dahi) is also rich in protein and other minerals. While dahi is a milk product, it has very little lactose, so it is an effective source of dairy protein for lactose intolerant people.
• The major Indian staples are rice, wheat and maize. White rice is the richest source of starchy carbohydrates out of these, and whole wheat is the healthiest.
• Most Indian food is cooked in refined oils or ghee. These are major sources of fat, and should be minimally used in an effective weight loss Indian diet plan.
• Most Indian diets are rich in fiber because of the wide number of vegetables that are used. However, the best way to prepare these vegetables is to make sure that they are not over-cooked or over-spiced. Too much cooking kills a lot of the nutrients in vegetables.

Here is a sample fat loss diet that can be adapted to most regions of India-

For Vegetarians

Early morning:1 cup of tea or coffee with ½-1 teaspoon of sugar

Break fast : 1 cup Oats/Dalia, prepared in skimmed milk or one healthy serving of Poha or Upma
1 portion of seasonal fruits (1-2 bananas/oranges/apples/guavas/mangoes)

Lunch:2 whole wheat chapattis
1-2 cups vegetables curry (for Paneer, use only low-fat Paneer)
1 cup dal
A good helping of fresh salad

Early evening :1 cup tea or coffee with ½-1 teaspoon sugar. Substitute it with butter milk if it suits your palette.

Dinner:1 bowl tomato soup
Sprouts chat
2 whole wheat chapattis with 1 cup of vegetables curry.

For Non vegetarians

Early morning :1 cup tea/coffee with 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Breakfast :1 cup skimmed milk
2 slices wholewheat bread with a little butter
1-2 boiled eggs (consume only the egg white)

Lunch : Include 1 piece chicken with gravy in your meal, instead of extra vegetable curry. Make sure you have the salad.

Early evening: Incorporate one portion of fruits as an evening snack, along with your tea, coffee or butter milk.

Dinner : Include one  bowl chicken soup or a fish preparation, as part of the light vegetarian dinner prescribed. If you are having the fish, you needn’t have the sprouts salad.

If you can follow this prescribed Indian diet, it should help you with your fat loss objectives.

Most Effective Diet in India

Whey Protein: All You Need To Know About Whey Protein

Posted by MyNutrition on May 16, 2011 | No comments yet

Whey protein, you must’ve heard this word if you are a regular gym goer. Let’s start from the word meaning of Whey, if you already don’t know, it’s the watery fluid left out when we curdle the milk to make cheese. In the farms the pigs are fed on it, and as we can see how strong pigs are!! Whey protein has the highest digestibility and bio availability. It can make you lean and strong. You can get all that you want from curdling the milk or get a whey protein powder. Let’s have a Q and A on Whey Protein.

Q. 1 Why Protein powder if we can get all the protein from milk liquid?

A. 1 Well, I call this the convenience of a scoop. As we know that the milk solid are suspended in the liquid (you can notice this if you leave the whey for some time, the particles settle down), to achieve one scoop equivalent protein you would require around one and a half liter of whey liquid, Howzzthat!! Now if you are a 200 lb bodybuilder you require at least 200gms of protein if you start eating egg whites, it would be around 66 egg whites if you plan to eat eggs alone. If you plan to complete your protein with chicken only it would require one kilo/35 oz of boneless chicken. If you would want to get it from milk only it would be around 5 liters/178 oz of milk, you would want to try this hypothetical situation if you are lactose intolerant.

These theoretical situations were just typed to explain you how hard it is to get all the protein that you need from a particular food. To really accomplish your fitness/bodybuilding protein goals you need a combination of foods, which would be dictated by the Biological Value (BV) of the protein to the body. At the time when the system of Biological Value was introduced eggs were given the highest BV of 100 because they are the most bio-available natural protein. Afterwards whey was isolated from milk and shown to have a higher BV, and depending on the process used can yield percentage from 110 to 159 on the scale, Whey Protein Concentrate is 104. The term bioavailability stands for the amount of protein that is actually available to the body for various functions, e.g. Soybean may contain 42 gms of protein but its BV Rating is 74 which makes us understand, coarsely

42 gms _X ⁷⁴/_{100 =} 31 gms

Basically, what I am trying to show here is that the protein which is not available is wasted and would waste you bodybuilding efforts too. Whey Protein has a higher BV and thus more available protein to the body to heal those sore muscles.

Now if you could get the benefit of 1¹/₂ liters or 53 oz of whey in just one scoop and that too in a lip smacking flavour and also help your body to progress physically. It was time to make a choice.

Q. 2 Are there side-effects?

A. 2 I don’t know why I get irked when someone asks that question. I mean when someone decides to drink alcohol or smoke they don’t think of nothing and just go ahead. But when it comes to supplements especially to Whey protein and Creatine, SIDE EFFECTS!!

Ok, I get my calm back and answer this sincerely. Now when you are going to the gym you are doing something EXTRA as compared to your office going friends. If you are doing something extra you require something extra in your diet. This is where a supplement comes in; remember a supplement is a supplement not a medicine. Whey protein is the most basic and required out of the plethora of supplements. And yes, there are no side effects, period.

Q. 3 How much to take and when to take?

A. 3 Well you require one serving of around 30-40 gms of protein immediately after your workout as which can come as a whey protein shake or a weight gainer shake. It’s better to take protein with carbs as it spares the protein for protein synthesis (healing your injured muscles). Having more than this is just individual preference, I personally take 2 scoops more, one in the morning and one as a mid meal whenever I don’t feel like eating eggs or chicken. Just one thing to remember is not to go overboard with the entire supplement thing; Food is food, supplement is supplement.

Q. 4 Should it be taken with food or separately?

A. 4 Well it’s just a matter or personal preference and time-based protein need in the body. Like you require protein as fast as possible in your system after exercise then taking it with a High Glycemic Index carbs becomes appropriate. If you would want a timed release then have it with a high soluble fiber food like Oatmeal.

Q. 5 Should it be taken with milk or water or juice?

A. 5 You can take it whatever you like, unless it mentions specifically. I personally like to take it with milk, as it improves the texture and ups the protein content. If your needs are to lose flab have it in water to decrease the total calorie count of your day.

There we have it, the 101 on Whey protein. I am open to further questions on the BuildUrbody.com forum.

In Iron,

Mandeep ‘Musclez’ Sodhi