Today, our guest post author Josie wants you to ditch the weight loss gimmicks, deprivation of so-called “forbidden foods”, and severe calorie deprivation, in favor of Moderation, Discipline, Portion Control, and Commitment to exercising and eating healthy. Josie wants you to moderate those holiday sweets and opt for high-protein, healthier alternatives when possible.
Here are some ideas as to how you can try to stop yourself from binging on holiday sweets.
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Diet trends have become increasingly popular as people seek new ways to improve their health, manage weight, and align their lifestyles with personal values. Whether it’s veganism, keto, paleo, or intermittent fasting, each of these diets can have a profound effect not only on overall health but also on oral health. While many of these diets are promoted for their health benefits, it’s important to understand how they may impact the health of your teeth and gums.
Understanding the potential benefits and risks of each diet can help you make informed choices that protect your smile while supporting your dietary goals.
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Accept it or not, we all have that craving, or say, a mandatory ritual to take a sweet dish once we are over with our meals! Consuming sweets at the end of meals is a popular practice influenced by many factors—such as physiological responses, cultural traditions, and individual preferences. It doesn’t matter if it’s a slice of cake, a scoop of ice cream, or a small portion of fruit, eating something sweet towards the end of a meal has an emotional as well as physiological significance for many.
From satisfying the cravings to activating the reward system in the brain, eating something sweet after meals contributes to the overall dining experience. It could also be a factor in blood sugar regulation as well as social bonds. Understanding the causes that drive this behavior sheds an understanding of its multiple aspects.
In this article, let’s examine several reasons for craving and consuming sweets after meals from a scientific perspective.
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If you’ve been having health issues, you may be wondering if you’ve got a nutrient deficiency. It isn’t hard to imagine these days. Documentaries and Instagram Reels alike share information about depleted soil and inadequate diets. You may be feeling fatigued and wondering if it’s a nutrition issue or just a lack of sleep. The subject can get confusing, to be sure.
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Hardcore bodybuilders, powerlifters, weightlifters, and even most other athletes eat a ton of protein in a day. OK, they don’t eat a “ton”, but they do eat more than the average person. There are myths and stories about professional bodybuilders and strongmen who eat 300-500 grams of protein each day. Most of us can’t follow that prescription so we end up with the nagging question, “how much protein should I eat in a day?” This leaves us with a number of additional oft-debated questions, such as:
“How much protein do the professionals eat?”
“Exactly how much protein do I eat?”
“How much protein is appropriate for me?”
“Can I physically eat ‘too much’ protein?”
“If so, what are the side effects?”
“Exactly how much is ‘too much’?”
Let’s stop to consider all of the factors that go into determining how much protein we should eat.
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Taking whey protein can be helpful for anyone looking to build muscle, improve recovery after exercise, or simply boost their daily protein intake. There are two main types of whey protein: whey isolate and whey concentrate. This article will explore the difference between the two and help you decide which is best for you.
Building muscle is part of every fitness journey. While strength training plays a big role in achieving ripped abs, strong calves, or Popeye biceps, sufficient high-quality protein intake is essential for weight loss and optimal muscle growth. This is because amino acids in protein act as building blocks to repair muscle tears that occur during exercise, support muscle tissue, and help you feel full longer which fuels muscle mass development.
Research shows that proper protein intake is important for muscle growth because it increases muscle mass, optimizes the metabolism when consumed at the right time, and burns fat layers under the skin to help with better muscle definition to show off those gains.
Check out the 3 ways adequate protein intake can boost your muscle growth.
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Being a fitness trainer is an exceptionally challenging job that not only requires your expertise in helping others to achieve their fitness goals but also demands that you look after your physique on a daily routine. As a busy personal trainer, I am always searching for the best grab and go snacks that I can consume regularly to maintain my healthy appetite.
The perfect diet does not exist but with an evaluated plan that effectively contributes to your health, you can easily manage to get your fitness right on track just like a personal trainer myself. Let me take you through my day-to-day snacks and meals that make me maintain a balanced diet while helping in my fitness journey.
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You are a hardworking person who gets up early, works a full day, exercises, and takes care of the kids at night. Life sure is easy, right? Riiiight… Something is already telling me you could use some tips to manage cravings during your weakest hours.
OK, maybe your story is a little different, but most likely you are living a busy life, full of stress, anxiety, and deadlines. While you sit at your desk or drive your car, your daydreams shift to thoughts of salty chips or a smooth, sweet chocolate bar. You most likely are not thinking about healthy foods.
Don’t fret, it’s perfectly normal to have food cravings. When you constantly give in to your cravings and overindulge, is when you pay the price. Go ahead and accept your cravings as part of life, but also be aware that you can take action to prevent going overboard.
(more…)Just in time for the new year! Lose fat quickly and safely on this 21-day fat-loss shred diet!
Disclaimer: the author is no longer a certified nutritionist and has not been a certified nutritionist since the mid-2000s. Use these diet guidelines and meal plans at your own risk.
To spare you from having to read this entire post to learn the premise, here is a quick summary of the Project Shred Diet:
Judging by a recent Swole Poll, most Project Swole readers want to build muscle – 53% to be exact. However, 33% of you are looking to lose fat and I’d wager a guess that at least 50% of the muscle-builders will, at some point, switch their goals to losing fat. Therefore I can say that if you are one of the 60+% of Project Swole readers that will eventually want to lose fat, then this article is for you.
The Project Shred Diet is, in fact, a diet plan that you can follow for the recommended 21 days or longer. There are 7 days of carefully planned out meals – 3 full meals and 2-3 optional snacks per day. Each of the 7 days can be switched and swapped around as you prefer. To get the most benefit try to hit all 7 days before repeating. Some food substitutions can be made within reason. I’ll tell you all about the rules in a moment.
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There’s lots of sugar out there. Some are just plain unhealthy to consume, others, like fructose, should have a place in your diet, even if sparingly. So what is fructose?
Fructose is one of the three foundation sugars that are found in our foods. Fructose combines with glucose and galactose to form the sugars that we see on the ingredient lists. When fructose is combined with glucose you get traditional sugar which means that sugar is 50% fructose.
Fructose, aka fruit sugar, is what makes fruit taste sweet and helps to intensify the flavor of the fruit. However, the fructose in fruit varies depending on the fruit. The fruit with the most fructose is the common apple, though some people mistakening believe it to be the banana.
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Eating a balanced diet may sound cliché. Who doesn’t know that every meal should have carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins? Even the laziest of people can whip up a healthy balanced meal.
Here are 5 tips you can use today to start transitioning your lifestyle to a healthier balanced diet.
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If you think that lighting heavy weights on its own is enough to build muscle and maintain progress, you couldn’t be more wrong! A successful body builder diet is crucial, some would say 75% responsible, for gaining/maintaining muscle while also losing fat.
Building muscle is hard, and maintaining your progress is even harder.
It’s not enough to just go to the gym a few times a week. You also need to make sure you have the right body builder diet if you want to see results.
But don’t worry. Keep reading because this article will teach you everything you need to know about bodybuilding nutrition so that you can finally achieve the physique you’ve always wanted.
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In today’s world recovering from the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, healthcare and wellbeing is a priority for everyone now. There’s been a sharp rise in awareness of our mental health and physical goodness. And therefore, we are doing our best to shift from an unhealthy lifestyle through small but significant steps. Nutrition is a huge part of staying healthy, we can use some of these best juices for health and fitness to add vitamins and minerals to our daily routine. Just be careful not to overdo it due to all of the sugars typically found in fruit and veggie juices.
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Intermittent fasting (IF) is a highly popular health trend. It’s claimed to reduce weight, improve metabolism, and even boost lifespan. Each of the most popular intermittent fasting methods involves a way of eating using regular short-term fasts. These fasts help you consume fewer calories and optimize hormones related to weight management. If your goal is to improve your eating habits this type of diet strategy could help you significantly.
Let’s take a look at 5 popular intermittent fasting methods and the benefits to your weight loss and your health.
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Over the years, I’ve been addicted to various substances. It was only natural for me to seek fast relief while my brain was malfunctioning and I was suffering from mental illness. Until I could find better, long-term, sustainable answers, I had to rely on substances outside my body – even if they weren’t beneficial for me. I set out to learn as much as I can about nutrients to help overcome addiction, and between research studies and feedback from recovering addicts, I attempted to put together this list to help others.
At the time, I honestly felt that I didn’t have any other options. And I’m sure there are a lot of other folks out there who are dealing with the same issue. You might feel as if you require something to help you get through the day. Then there’s something more to do to get to sleep at night.
It could be alcohol, cigarettes, cannabis, or more potent drugs like cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamines. Perhaps you’re using antidepressants or benzodiazepines on a prescription basis. You may have no idea how you would survive without them.
You can do it, and I’m here to tell you that you can.
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No matter how you work out or for how long, taking a water bottle with you and remembering to drink is important. You may wonder what exactly the health benefits are to staying hydrated. Learning more about the reasons to hydrate and the role water plays in your bodily health can help you remember to eat foods with water in them and drink after an intense workout.
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Since the late 1990’s Dr. John Berardi has published 8 scientific abstracts; 15 scientific papers and textbook chapters; presented at nearly 50 scientific, exercise, and nutrition-related conferences; and published countless articles online.
His first articles at Testosterone Magazine so many years ago provided me with the basis for everything I knew about nutrition in my early years as a personal trainer. Now I will turn some of that knowledge over to you in the form of Nutrition Tips written by Dr. Berardi himself.
Water is important for maintaining proper health.
I have always advocated drinking at least a gallon of water a day, but then some media outlets over-hype the fact that drinking too much water can make you sick, so people sometimes dismiss the importance of drinking water. So whatever you believe, the all-important question must still be answered, how much water should you drink?
I think it all had to do with some radio contest to see who could drink the most water in the shortest amount of time. The fact is that you would have to drink many gallons of water in a short time frame to make yourself sick.
Let’s take a look at a few reasons why you should basically drink as much water as possible each day.
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You’ve finally decided that you want to take on the challenge to eat healthier. There are plenty of diets to try in 2022. Lots of research and experimenting with all different diet strategies means lots of different possibilities that can better suit your body and your lifestyle.
Keep in mind when we talk about ‘diet’ we are not necessarily talking about a temporary fad diet. Diet strategies such as plant-based, ketogenic, and paleo can be the basis of a dieting phase, but it is recommended to take what works for you to incorporate into your overall nutritional strategy and lifestyle habits.
Here’s a great list of a handful of the best diets to try in 2022 to kickstart a healthier lifestyle.
(more…)Eating immediately following a workout isn’t always the first thing on your mind, but it’s important to replenish fluids and at least some nutrients soon after working out. You certainly shouldn’t sit down to a big meal of post-workout foods, but a small to moderately-sized meal is essential to your body’s recovery process. Without sufficient replenishment, you can dip down into low energy, moodiness, and compromise muscle recovery.
