Iron for vegetarians

Mixing plant-based iron sources with foods that are also high in Vitamin C can increase iron absorption....

Vegetarians, rejoice! Although it might be commonplace to assume that non-meat eaters have lower iron levels than omnivores, numerous studies have proven that there is no noticeable difference between the two groups.

 

But if you're a concerned vegetarian, here’s a primer on iron for vegetarians.

 

Iron, an essential mineral, has several functions, including:

 

• Helping transport oxygen to the cells
• Making ATP (adenosine triphosphate), our cell’s main energy producer
• Aiding in blood cell creation
• Supporting protein structures in the body
• Creating connective tissue in the body

 

Vegetarians have good reason to fear lacking adequate amounts of iron. Low iron levels can lead to anemia, which can result in numerous negative side effects, including lethargy, shortness of breath and headaches.

 

Strict vegetarians are more at risk for developing iron-deficiency anemia than those who also eat some fish and eggs.

 

Although the iron from some vegetarian sources is harder to absorb than animal-flesh protein, mixing plant-based iron sources with foods that are also high in Vitamin C can increase iron absorption.

 

Some of the best vegetarian sources of iron include:

 

• Whole grains
• Dried beans
• Egg yolks
• Dried fruits

 

Iron supplements are encouraged for vegetarians who don’t get enough iron-rich foods. But, they are not absorbed by the body as effectively as the best whole food sources that are naturally rich in iron.

 

Did Popeye get enough iron from spinach?
Popeye was strong to the finish because he ate his spinach — or most people would like to believe.

 

In terms of iron density per 100 calories, spinach is unparalleled in its iron content, checking in at over 15 mg. In other words, 100 calories of spinach has the same amount of iron as eating 1700 calories of sirloin steak, according to the Vegetarian Resource Group.

 

But, if Popeye ate spinach alone, his iron absorption levels might be low. The problem with spinach is that it’s high in oxalic acid, which binds to iron and hinders absorption.

 

What other foods have oxalic acid?
Whole grains, which, if you’re paying attention, are aforementioned as a great vegetarian source of iron, but they are also high in oxalic acid. So are beans and nuts.

 

What to do? Eat foods that are high in Vitamin C, which helps absorb iron. Examples include broccoli, brussel sprouts, tomatoes (tomato juice as well), potatoes and red and green peppers.

 

Other sources of iron-rich foods for vegetarians
One cup of cooked soybeans has almost 9 mg of iron. Cooked lentils are also an excellent source, containing nearly 7 mg. Quinoa has over 6 mg. Swiss chard checks in at 4 mg per cooked cup and black, pinto and kidney beans all have at least 3 mg. And one large potato has 3.2 mg of iron.

 

Two types of iron
In general, dried beans and dark, leafy green vegetables are excellent sources of iron. On a per-calorie basis, vegetarian sources of iron are often touted as being better sources of iron than meat. But there are two forms of iron: heme and non-heme sources.

 

Meat contains both non-heme and heme iron, the latter of which is generally regarded as easier to absorb by the body than non-heme sources. Vegetarian and vegan sources of iron are comprised entirely of the non-heme form of iron.

 

Because of this fact, you’d think vegetarians suffer from iron deficiencies much more than omnivores, but vegetarians who consume plenty of Vitamin C have, for the most part, adequate levels of iron.

 

Vegetarians are lucky that most vegetables that are high in iron are also high in Vitamin C.

 

Benefits of drinking water

Most people think it's obvious to drink water; why then are most of us dehydrated?

You’d think that most Americans would know to drink plenty of water throughout the day. But some estimates reveal that three-quarters of all Americans are dehydrated. In case you’re one of them, here are the benefits of drinking water.

 

Staying hydrated offers many benefits:

 

1. It detoxifies the body. Water helps flush toxins out of organs, carries nutrients to cells and provides a moist environment for the ear, nose and throat, according to the Mayo Clinic. The kidneys and liver do a miraculous job of flushing out toxins, even if you’re dehydrated, but the Mayo Clinic also says that these two vital organs have a much easier job cleansing our systems if we are properly hydrated.
2. It lubricates joints. According to the National Institutes of Health, cartilage, the slippery coating at the end of each bone, is comprised of 65 to 80 percent water. Synovial fluid keeps cartilage healthy, slick and smooth, properly cushioning joints if properly hydrated. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day to possibly stave off osteoarthritis, the most common form of the joint disease known as arthritis.
3. It can curb appetite. Could it be that of all the hundreds of diets and thousands of weight-loss books to hit the market, water is one of the most efficient appetite suppressants? At a meeting last year of the American Chemical Society, the results of a clinical trial was announced, confirming a long-standing belief—but surprisingly, never-before supported by research—that drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before meals consumed 75-90 fewer calories per meal. That’s almost 300 fewer calories per day and 8,400 fewer calories per month. There are 3,500 calories in a pound of body fat. You do the math. Water can help with calorie control.
4. It can help with mental well-being. One study, conducted by Tufts Universityresearchers on college athletes, concluded that subjects who engaged in high-intensity aerobic exercise for at least an hour and did not properly hydrate, were more prone to feeling angry and depressed. The study’s lesson: our mood is sensitive to fluid balance.
5. It can possibly prevent and heal headaches. Very little research exists to support the claim that staying hydrated can prevent headaches, as well as being able to reverse the effects of headache if a subject is dehydrated. But one small pilot studyconcluded that intensity and duration of headaches was reduced after increased water intake.
6. It can prevent constipation. As reported in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, low fluid intake was a prime cause of constipation. The colon, the study mentions, is not only a storage house for waste matter, it also plays a major role in fluid and electrolyte absorption. Simply put, if you don’t drink enough water, your colon won’t absorb enough water to effectively pass your waste.

 

How much water should I drink?
Guidelines for the amount of water you should consume daily are inconclusive and controversial. The old standby ‘8x8’, or eight, eight-oz. glasses of water per day, is still a popular recommendation. But another school of thought suggests that most food we eat is comprised of water, so we don’t really need to drink at least eight glasses a day.

 

Considering that many Americans are going through life dehydrated, it would make sense to follow the ‘8x8’ rule, and then some. Individual traits, such as gender, weight, basal metabolic rate and activity level, all have a role in determining how much water one should drink.

Side effects of steroids

Are steroids as bad as we think? 

Reached a plateau at the gym? Can’t bench press five more pounds? Some are tempted to 'juice it up.' Government statistics estimate that more than one million Americans use anabolic steroids to increase muscle mass. Are steroid users really at risk from developing dangerous side effects of steroids?

 

Most people are familiar with many of the deleterious effects the media reports when it comes to taking anabolic steroids, such as:

 

• Acne
• Shrunken testicles
• Aggressive and violent behavior
• Liver dysfunction
• Gynecomastia (feminine breast tissue development)

 

While it’s true that steroids can cause irreparable harm to the body, modern steroid users in general are better educated than ‘muscle heads’ of the past when it comes to avoiding side effects. And for those who only take steroids short-term, research indicates that they are not sentenced to a life filled with medical problems. Here are a few examples of what studies say about some steroid side effects:

 

1. Hormone changes. The body’s natural testosterone levels plummet when someone uses anabolic steroids. This is why the testes stop producing testosterone and can eventually shrink. But a study in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology says that “the alterations in cell counts, HDL cholesterol, liver function and most hormones of the pituitary-testicular axis induced by a long-term abuse of AAS [anabolic androgenic steroids] were reversible after stopping medication for over one year.”
2. Chronic liver problems. A study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise concluded that rats given anabolic steroids over an eight-week period eventually had normal liver function restored. Most people would contend, though, that zealous human steroid users would take steroids for more than one cycle. But another government-sponsored study, concluded that after a three month withdrawal from anabolic steroids, human liver function returned to normal. 
3. Bad skin. Applying a topical anti-androgenic cream can alleviate steroid-induced acne, suggests a study by the University of Toronto’s Division of Dermatology. That and also knowing which types of anabolic steroids to take can help some users avoid acne.
4. ‘Roid Rage’. Increased hostility and aggressiveness is often associated with illicit steroid usage. But could it be that only people who are aggressive to begin with are the only ones prone to display ‘roid rage’? In one study of 109 men, aged 20-50, who were administered testosterone injections, only five people exhibited manic characteristics.
5. Female-like breasts. Now that most modern anabolic steroid users have access to online forums and a pharmacist-worthy compendium of knowledge, it’s possible to avoid developing excess estrogen in the body by taking anti-estrogen compounds.

 

There are several other potentially serious side effects of anabolic steroid use including impaired immune function, kidney damage, sterility, high blood pressure and more.

 

It’s important to know, however, that not all illegal steroid users are destined to a lifetime of chronic health problems, especially if users quit.

 

Anabolic steroids remain illegal. Human biochemistry is an extremely delicate and complex science and altering your hormones, even if the side effects can be reversed, could potentially affect other systems of the body.

 

For these reasons, anabolic steroid usage should be avoided completely.

Best home workout

Save money and get fit with these exercises you can do at home....

With some personal fitness trainers charging $75-$100 per hour and gym memberships costing at least a few hundred bucks a year, it’s no wonder people are working out more at home.

 

With winter fast approaching, finding the best home workout is a necessity if you don’t want to lose the battle of the bulge.

 

The beauty of working out from home is that you don’t need much space or equipment. Are you a busy beaver? Home workouts also don’t require a lot of time if your goal is to get lean and super fit.

 

Twenty-minute bursts of exercise can be just as effective as much longer cardio sessions; new research has proven that shorter bursts are actually more effective.

 

If you want to use some equipment at home, consider using the following:

 

• Exercise ball (65 cm if you’re an average-size male; 55 cm for females.)
• Jump rope (Unless you have ‘popcorn’ ceiling and don’t know how to skip rope like Rocky.)
• Yoga mat (If you have hardwood floors.)
• Push-up bars (Don’t have bars but do have dumbbells? They can double as push up bars.)
• Foam roller (For core strengthening and massage.)

 

If you’re going to do a short home workout, you should pick exercises that challenge your whole body. Don’t waste your time just doing dumbbell biceps curls. If you absolutely must do them, at least combine it with a full-weight body squat.

 

You’ll also want to pick exercises that get your heart pumping. Those arm curls don’t tax your cardiovascular system nearly enough if you want to get in better shape in less time at home.

 

Because you lack the time to do a standard complete gym workout—warm-up; cardio; weights; cool-down; abs; stretch—your home workout exercises should also incorporate flexibility.

 

Ideally, you’ll want to find exercises that combine at least two of the following three benefits:

 

• Strength
• Flexibility
• Cardio endurance

 

Which exercise combines all three?

One of the best exercises that combines all three benefits is the downward dog/upward dog combo. Matt Furey, a former martial arts champion and collegiate wrestling champ at Iowa is a guru on weights-free workouts. His program ‘Combat Conditioning’ features the downward dog into upward dog.

 

Furey’s version of this exercise is called ‘Hindu Pushups’ and Furey would no doubt be willing to admit that he didn’t invent this exercise; ancient strongmen of India did.

 

Many people are familiar with a downward dog. If you widen your stance by about a foot in the downward dog and then swoop forward into the upward dog and repeat 20 times (7-10 if you’re a yoga novice), you’ll strengthen your arms and core, stretch your hamstrings and core as well as your lower back and calves.

 

And oh yeah, your heart will be pumping as well.

 

For those who enjoy pushups, one of the best exercises to develop strength and get the heart rate up, you can perform a regular pushup and as you reach the peak of the pushup, push yourself into a downward dog.

 

Take a 30 second breather after doing several reps if necessary. Then do bodyweight squats, followed by core exercises like slow-motion/minimal movement (a couple inches at most) crunches either on the exercise ball or on the foam roller.

 

Don’t have either? Hook your feet under your couch and perform a set of 5-7 crunches that take 10 seconds on the return phase (the ‘lowering’ or ‘negative’ phase). You won’t be able to do 100 crunches, nor should you ever try to; abs are physiologically designed for short bursts.

 

Repeat 3-5 circuits of the Hindu pushups or regular pushups to downward-facing dog; bodyweight squats and core and you’ll get a highly effective, short home workout.

 

Do you have 5-gallon water bottles delivered to your home? Use them to do one arm deadlifts.

 

Use your imagination to come up with a home workout that suits your needs and interests.

Why Drinking Just One Can of Regular Soda a Day Will Kill You

Don't you just love those attention-grabbing headlines? They're fun to write once in a while, just to make sure your audience is listening.

The truth is, drinking one can of soda a day will most likely not kill you, though it could contribute to a myriad of other health problems.

But hyperbolic headlines aside, here's an example of how easy it is for someone to pack on the pounds from just drinking one regular soda a day. Before that, though, it's necessary to jump ahead and say what's NOT the moral of the story: Drink diet soda.

Diet soda has more dangerous, toxic chemicals than the periodic table of elements and can leach calcium from your bones, so don't go assuming that after reading this you can chug diet soda until the cows come home.

So here's how one can of soda per day can lead to someone becoming obese:

One can of coke has 140 calories, all of which are from simple sugars. Drink one every day and that's 980 calories per week and 3,920 per month.

There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat. You do the math. Actually, I've been doing it so far, so I'll finish the fat formula. Just from drinking one can of coke every day, you'll put on over one pound a month, which of course is over 12 pounds a year. After making lifestyle choices like this for a few years, it's easy to see how someone can put on 40 pounds or more in a short time.

This of course assumes that someone's basal metabolic rate (calories burned at complete rest) plus activity level equals the amount of calories consumed, i.e. take in 2,000 calories, burn the same amount. Considering that 66% of adults in the U.S. are either overweight or obese, you can assume that it's not just the can of coke that's tilting the scale towards rapid weight and fat gain.

Most nutrition-illiterate individuals aren't just guzzling one-12 oz. can of Coke; they're filling up their Big Gulps and parking as close to the front door as possible and getting no exercise.

Please do your part in helping educate your friends and family how harmful junk food and a sugar-rich diet is for them and for the country. Almost 20% of the U.S. economy is devoured by health care costs. It shouldn't be only up to wellness coaches to lead Americans towards a health paradigm shift that emphasizes prevention; it should be up to all of every single one of us that gets it.

I think using the can of Coke example is an easy way to show someone how easy it is to pack on the pounds. The Centers for Disease Control predicted that by the year 2050, a full one-third of U.S. adults  could be diabetic. Obesity and diabetes are highly preventable. Now is the time for the U.S. to make a radical shift in consciousness towards health.

How to Get Rid of Belly Fat

You’ve tried it all: ab machines, celebrity detox diets, laxatives, even skipping meals, yet none of these methods seem to help you slim down.

Here’s the real skinny on how to get rid of belly fat.

Some ways to help you burn stubborn fat around your midsection involves:

• ·       Avoiding sugars and starches as much as possible
• ·       Getting enough essential fatty acids in the diet, which can help metabolize body fat
• ·       Tweaking your exercise routine
• ·       Managing stress levels
• ·       Correcting hormonal imbalances

By now, hopefully you realize that gimmicky gadgets that target your abs won’t help you get rid of fat around your midsection. Ab machines may help somewhat in strengthening your rectus abdominis muscles (the ‘6-pack’ superficial layer in the front of your core), but they won’t burn fat.

And by extension, it’s impossible to do what’s called ‘spot reduction’ fat burning. Running on a treadmill for 45-minutes at a high intensity may indeed help you burn fat, but there’s no telling where on your body Mother Nature plans on burning up your fat stores.

It could be in your saddlebags, buttocks, back or chest; there’s just no telling.

The Aerobic vs. Anaerobic debate
So what’s the best method of exercise to burn belly fat (and fat circulating in the bloodstream)?

For decades, exercise gurus and scientists recommended sustained (at least 30 minutes) aerobic exercise in the so-called ‘fat-burning zone,’ which is often regarded as approximately 50-70 percent of your maximum heart rate.

There are still plenty of aerobic advocates who claim that aerobic exercise is king, but recent research and new fitness training schools of thought have a different opinion.

Several repetitions of high-intensity, short-burst exercise of 30-60 seconds, followed by a recovery period will burn significantly more calories than a steady-tempo jog on the treadmill.

Really want to burn belly fat? Then train like an Olympian
It’s no wonder that Olympic athletes like track and field sprinters are chiseled Adonis’s with virtually no abdominal fat. You don’t have to be a world-class athlete but you can train like one (if you’re physically fit) if you want to burn belly fat. 

Try raising the treadmill to the highest incline and sprinting at the highest speed (on most machines, this will be 10 m.p.h.) for 30 seconds, then lower the treadmill all the way down and reduce the speed to 3 m.p.h. until your heart rate recovers. Repeat several times.

If you’re not into high-intensity training, you’ll still want to implement cross-training into your routine, whereby you mix weight/resistance exercises with cardio exercises. Pick exercises that involve virtually every muscle. 

For example, do any variation of squats or deadlifts, followed immediately by a round of jump roping or jumping jacks. Doing 10 sets of this will boost your metabolism and hopefully burn fat around your midsection.

Mix it up
Another vital tenet of belly-fat burning exercise is to frequently alter your training routine. Ever notice that people who walk on the treadmill for 2 hours at the gym rarely make any improvements to their physique? Though long walks can help stave off disease, they most likely will do little to burn body fat.

You must train at a higher intensity and constantly trick your body to prevent routine adaptation. Keep doing the same thing and your body won’t burn fat as effectively.

Got stress? It may show on your belly.
Some adults who exercise regularly and claim to eat healthy still have trouble getting rid of that extra 5-10 pounds of love handles and belly fat. Stress is the likely culprit.

Stress of any kind—including exercising too hard and failing to refuel the body properly and getting enough rest—leads to adrenal fatigue and floods the body with the hormone cortisol. 

When excess cortisol courses through the body, it can have a negative effect on DHEA production, a hormone that is one of the precursors to the sex hormones like testosterone.

If you’re testosterone levels are low, you’ll have a harder time burning belly fat and gaining lean muscle. Consult your physician or wellness practitioner to test your hormone levels.

Home remedies for insomnia

Did you toss and turn in bed last night, robbed of a rejuvenating deep sleep? Counting sheep didn’t help? Here are some natural home remedies for insomnia that will hopefully help you enjoy a more restful sleep.

Though insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, it’s a symptom (usually of some form of stress) rather than a disease. Of all the people who suffer from it — more than 60 million a year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Services — relatively few people with chronic insomnia discuss it with their doctor. For those who do, usually the only treatment suggested is sleeping pills.

Sleeping pills might help you fall asleep in the short term, but their efficacy usually wears off over time. Also, sleeping pills typically don’t induce a natural deep-sleep cycle that helps our body’s multitude of systems get a fresh start for the next day.

More natural treatments for insomnia include:

• Controlling the sleep environment
• Eliminating stimulants
• Maintaining a strict sleep schedule
• Natural herbal supplements
• Winding down at night and meditation
• Exercising

Watching television before bed: A no-no
Although suspenseful cable-TV shows about serial killers can be entertaining, especially after a long, monotonous day at work, watching TV right before bed can release adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones) into your bloodstream.

If you have chronic troubles sleeping at night, try not to watch TV of any kind right before bed. You’ll also want to completely power down your computer, smart phone, iPad and all other wireless devices. Although there’s no concrete scientific evidence that WiFi devices can induce insomnia, it’s common sense that these devices won’t help you wind down at night, unless you have an app that mimics the sound of a babbling brook or migratory songs of whales.

Other environmental factors to consider include turning off all lights by 10 p.m., the hour that your cortisol levels should start dipping way down.

That cup of coffee you had at 3 p.m. could be keeping you up

The half-life of caffeine lasts for several hours. That means the effects of that big cup of coffee you had at work — which you gulped down perhaps because you didn’t eat enough throughout the day and now you’re feeling sluggish — lasts well into the night. By 9 p.m., several dozen milligrams of that cup of coffee is still active in your system. Sure, you may be able to fall asleep, but most likely you won’t enjoy a rejuvenating deep sleep.

Alcohol also can disrupt deep-sleep cycles. Although it can help you fall asleep, you’ll most likely wake up wide-eyed in the middle of the night if you have too much to drink.

Ben Franklin had it right
For those who work graveyard shifts, it might be impossible to live the motto: “Early to bed, early to rise,” but even those who have to work in the middle of the night can benefit from maintaining a strict sleep schedule, going to sleep at the same time every day. For those who work normal hours, try to be in bed by 10 p.m. with the lights out.

Try taking a hot shower or bath around 9 p.m. Add some all-natural bubble bath, Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) and light a candle in the bathroom. Lavender, for reasons that are not completely understood, has also proven in some studies to promote more restful sleep. Purchase some lavender and an essential oil diffuser and place near your bed.

Popping pills is OK, but try to take natural ones
Tryptophan is the amino acid found in turkey and is possibly the reason that millions of Americans get a restful catnap after a Thanksgiving holiday meal. Tryptophan is broken down into 5-HTP, which is then converted by the body into serotonin, which in turn is converted into melatonin, commonly known as the sleep hormone.

Melatonin as well as 5-HTP can be purchased at most natural markets that sell supplements. Consider starting with 5-HTP as it is converted into serotonin, the pleasure chemical that many people with depression don’t have enough of. Most of melatonin production occurs in the gut. Have your doctor or someone trained in lab diagnostics to check your melatonin levels. If they are low, it’s possible you may have a chronic gastrointestinal infection that you may not be aware of, which could lead to sleep disruptions because of low melatonin.

Exercise and meditation

Try to get regular exercise most days of the week. You can split up exercise routines into smaller segments during the day. But don’t exercise at a high-intensity late in the day, as you may have trouble winding down. The more stressful your life is, the greater the need for meditation, which ideally should be done every morning and night for at least 10 minutes.

Sleep journaling and CBT
According to the National Institutes of Health, a type of counseling called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help relieve the anxiety linked to chronic insomnia.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia includes regular, often weekly, visits to a clinician, who will give you a series of sleep assessments, ask you to complete a sleep diary and work with you in sessions to help you change the way you sleep.