Natural Remedies: Lemons & Baking Soda

 Natural remedies are safe and often equally if not more effective as the prescription medicines sold to us by the pharmaceutical industry. The biggest problem is we've never been taught about natural remedies.  In addition the pharmaceutical industry does not want you to know there are natural remedies that actually work. In fact the Pharmaceutical Industry spends billions of dollars every year to keep us from using natural cures.  In addition the Federal Government and in particular the FDA prevents the distribution of natural remedies claiming no scientific data or studies to back-up natural claims. So in order to learn about natural cures for fatal diseases you must do your own research which could take hours, weeks and even months, so who has the time  to research? Many of us just go to the doctor and prey that the medicines prescribed will fix our problems.

Fact: Did you know that over 150,000 people die each year from taking medicines their doctor prescribed to them?

So Texas Metabolics, has already done more than a decade of extensive research and we will share what we know with our clients. We want you to have a healthy alternative to what western medicine has planned for you. We do not treat or medicate symptoms we look for the root of the problem and do our best to solve issues, not hide them with drugs.

Here is an article that will open your eyes about two simple products that most of you already have in your home, Lemons and Baking Soda. These two products can work miracles for you.


Lemon & Baking Soda Treatments
If you are a supporter of alkalizing therapy, then this natural treatment for cancer will resonate with you.
In vitro tests have shown cancer cells thrive in acidic and oxygen-free (anaerobic) environments. The first to describe the correlation between the acidic environment and cancer cell growth was Dr. Otto Warburg, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology in 1931.

Dr. Warburg’s work

In his work he scientifically explained how the growth of cancer cells is triggered in the absence of oxygen, and as a result of sugar fermentation that occurs under such conditions. Dr. Warburg was in fact describing acidic conditions. For cancer cells to maintain effective metabolism, they need a pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Their tolerance for change is small, therefore it has been argued that by raising the blood’s pH, we will effectively target the cancer cell’s cycle, stop its growth and cause it to die. The key is to make your body more alkaline, and different ways to do that have been proposed

Alkalizing the body with baking soda and lemons

​​It has been shown that sodium bi-carbonate (baking soda) alkalizes the area around the tumor and prevents development of metastasis (spread of a cancer from one organ to another) in mice with breast cancer. A study published in Cancer Research in 2009 confirmed that inhibition of tumor’s acidity reduced the number of metastasis in some cancers. A new study is underway at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, which will look specifically at the effects of sodium bicarbonate on breast cancer patients. Lemons, too, help to balance the body’s pH. They have an alkaline effect on the body, despite their initial (citric) acidity. They contain limonoides which are phytochemicals and have anti-cancerous properties. Vitamin C destroys free radicals, which damage our cells. An interesting thing about lemons is also that they act as an anti-microbial. Some researchers suggest that cancer is like a fungus, and should be treated in the same way, so lemons might be a powerful remedy.
Now put baking soda and lemons together, and you get a potentially powerful anti-cancer concoction. Also, lemons are a safe way to introduce high alkaline substances into the system. If successful, this method destroys only cancer cells, while healthy cells are left alone. You can ingest the mix by drinking a glass of water with half a lemon and half a teaspoon of baking soda. It is recommended to drink this mixture between meals, as if taken with food, it will reduce the effectiveness of the stomach’s acid and compromise digestion. Other methods of taking the mixture have been described, but they might require professional guidance, such as intravenous vitamin C therapy.
As we know, conventional cancer therapies come with many side effects, and sometimes there is little they can do for the patient. According to The Cancer Alternative Foundation, when applied properly, alkalizing or ‘pH therapy’ has had a success rate of 80% and higher, which is a hugely significant rate when compared with some of the mainstream methods. There are of course many factors that influence the individual’s treatment process, and there is no cure that would suit all. What is important is to keep an open mind, and evaluate all options available.




Article Credit: Jenny Hills

Resources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19276390
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/323645
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bk-1994-0546.ch015
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/why-alkaline-approach-can-successfully-treat-cancer?page=2
http://www.livestrong.com/article/376495-the-effects-of-drinking-baking-soda-water/

Have a great day!

your Friends at,
Texas Metabolics

 

The Importance of L-Glutamine to the Brain and the Body!

The Importance of L-Glutamine to the Brain and the Body!

Glutamine/glutamic acid, along with glucose, is one of the principle fuels for the brain cells. It stimulates mental alertness, improves intelligence, normalizes physical equilibrium, detoxifies ammonia from the brain, improves and soothes erratic behavior in elderly patients, improves the ability to learn, aids in retaining and recall in memory, helps with behavioral problems and autism in children, stops sugar and alcohol cravings, may improve IQ in mentally- deficient children, enhances peptic ulcer healing, and may be used to treat schizophrenia and senility.

Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid found in the muscles of the body. Because it can readily pass the blood-brain barrier, it is known as brain fuel. In the brain, glutamine is converted into glutamic acid—which is essential for cerebral function—and vice versa. It also increases the amount of Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is needed to sustain proper brain function and mental activity. It assists in maintaining the proper acid/alkaline balance in the body and is the basis of the building blocks for the synthesis of RNA and DNA. It promotes mental ability and the maintenance of a healthy digestive tract. When an amino acid is broken down, nitrogen is released. The body needs nitrogen, but free nitrogen can form ammonia, which is especially toxic to brain tissues. The liver can convert nitrogen into urea, which is excreted in the urine, or nitrogen may attach itself to glutamic acid. This process forms glutamine. Glutamine is unique among the amino acids in that each molecule contains not one nitrogen atom but two. Thus, its creation helps to clear ammonia from the tissues, especially brain tissue, and it can transfer nitrogen from one place to another.

Glutamine is found in large amounts in the muscles and is readily available when needed for the synthesis of skeletal muscle proteins. Because this amino acid helps to build and maintain muscle, supplemental glutamine is useful for dieters and bodybuilders. More important, it helps to prevent the kind of muscle-wasting that can accompany prolonged bed rest or diseases such as cancer and AIDS. This is because stress and injury (including surgical trauma) cause the muscles to release glutamine into the bloodstream. In fact, during times of stress, as much as one third of the glutamine present in the muscles may be released. As a result, stress and/ or illness can lead to the loss of skeletal muscle. If enough glutamine is available, however, this can be prevented.

Supplemental L-glutamine can be helpful in the treatment of arthritis, autoimmune diseases, fibrosis, intestinal disorders, peptic ulcers, connective tissue diseases such as polymyositis and scleroderma, and tissue damage due to radiation treatment for cancer. L- glutamine can enhance mental functioning and has been used to treat a range of problems, including developmental disabilities, epilepsy, fatique, impotence, depression, schizophrenia, and senility. It preserves glutathione in the liver and protects that organ from the effects of acetaminophen overdose. It enhances antioxidant protection. L-glutamine decreases sugar cravings and the desire for alcohol and is useful for recovering alcoholics. Many plant and animal substances contain glutamine, but it is easily destroyed by cooking. If eaten raw, spinach and parsley are good sources. Supplemental glutamine must be kept absolutely dry or the powder will degrade into ammonia and pyroglutamic acid. Glutamine should not be taken by persons with cirrhosis of the liver, kidney problems, Reye’s syndrome, or any type of disorder that can result in an accumulation of ammonia in the blood. For such individuals, taking supplemental glutamine may only cause further damage to the body. Be aware that although the names sound similar, glutamine, glutamic acid (also sometimes called glutamate), glutathione, gluten, and monosodium glutamate are all different substances.

Nutrition 101 What are carbohydrates?

Nutrition 101

What are carbohydrates? 
 






A couple of days ago I defined what a calorie was and that it did not display nutritional value, calorie measurement marks the energy units in foods. Once you break foods down they go into 3 categories Fat, Proteins and Carbohydrates. Within each of these three groups there are a numbers of subset groups in each. Today we will focus on one category and that is Carbohydrates.

The simplest way to understand carbohydrates is to break down what they do for us. Our bodies break down carbohydrates in order to make glucose. Glucose is a sugar that our body uses to give us energy. Carbohydrates generally provide us with fiber, vitamins and minerals.

What Are the Different Kinds of Carbohydrates?

There are two kinds of carbohydrates: simple and complex. We get our simple carbohydrates from foods such as milk, milk products, fruit or table sugar. Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, come from starches like cereal, bread, beans, potatoes, and starchy vegetables.

As I stated before there are subset categories in each of the three nutrient groups. Simple and complex is a basic subset yet we can further break these groups down into the types of sugars these foods contain. We can also measure them on a ratio scale like the Glycemic Index Ratio. This scale measure the speed at which the carbohydrate is broken down into fructose and glucose in the body. The higher the number the faster the carb converts to sugar in the body. The lower the number the slower the carb converts into usable energy. Too high of a number is typically found in simple carbs and the lower numbered carbs are typically found in the complex carbohydrates.

The trick to staying lean is to keep your blood sugar normal all day long by eating complex carbs based on your activity levels for the next 3 hours. By keeping blood sugar levels in normal range your body can not store fat and makes it difficult to burn muscle fiber.

That is why it is so important to understand what type of carbs you need throughout the day.

As I have already mentioned there are many subsets in carbohydrates so I will briefly give you the description of these different catagories. Carbohydrates may be classified into monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and heterosaccharides. The most fundamental type is the simple sugars called monosaccharides, such as glucose, galactose, and fructose. These simple sugars can combine with each other to form more complex type. The combination of two simple sugars is called disaccharide whereas carbohydrates consisting of two to ten simple sugars are called oligosaccharides, and those with a larger number are called polysaccharides.

Carbohydrates are produced in green plants by photosynthesis and serve as a major source of energy in animal diets. They also serve as structural components, such as cellulose in plants and chitin in some animals. Their derivatives play an essential role in the working process of the immune system, fertilization, pathogenesis, blood clotting and development.

Bottom line is understanding carbohydrates can be made very complex. Each and everyone of us eat or have eaten carbohydrates on a daily basis. However simple carbs have become the general populations worst enemy. The introduction of fructose and in particular high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has become societies number one problem. You see our bodies are not designed to eat high amounts of the sugars and the proof is in the population. HFCS can be compared to crack rock cocaine in its ability to cause addiction. It triggers L-Dopamine response in the brain the exact same way as cocaine or a number of illegal and legal prescription drugs do. HFCS triggers the pleasure center in the brain and it shuts down the production of Leptin (a protein hormone that controls hunger). The more HFCS you consume you more damage you do to your body and its functions. The list of damage HFCS is far too long to list here in this article, I will be discussing this in detail at our seminar this Saturday May 18 at 7:00PM at the Studio at 118 Shenandoah Dr.
Come and learn all about HFCS and how it is damaging your body.

Fact: Obesity is at an all time high, diabetes and cancer are also at epidemic levels. 50% of all Americans are now overweight! Obesity rates in some states are passing 30% of the population.

Fact: Look back in history and you will see a distinct relationship between disease and sugar consumption. The history goes back several hundred years. However HFCS is the new kid on the block and disease and obesity have exploded since it entered our food supplies.

In closing there are good carbs and there are bad carbs, there are even good sugars but that is another story. I will discuss that at our seminar as well. Learn to read labels on the foods you eat. In fact avoid eating foods that need labels if at all possible. Processed foods are the problem because almost every processed food contains HFCS. Eat whole foods, fresh veggies, grass fed beef, hormone free chicken and eggs. Avoid canned foods and eat frozen veggies it its place.

The basics on Protein.....What is Protein?

The basics on Protein.....

What is Protein?

You probably know you need to eat protein, but what is it? Many foods contain protein, but the best sources are beef, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, and legumes like black beans and lentils.

Protein builds, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body.

Your muscles, your organs, and your immune system are made up mostly of protein.

Your body uses the protein you eat to make lots of specialized protein molecules that have specific jobs. For instance, your body uses protein to make hemoglobin, the part of red blood cells that carries oxygen to every part of your body.

Other proteins are used to build cardiac muscle. What's that? Your heart! In fact, whether you're running or just hanging out, protein is doing important work like moving your legs, moving your lungs, and protecting you from disease.

All About Amino Acids

When you eat foods that contain protein, the digestive juices in your stomach and intestine go to work. They break down the protein in food into basic units, called amino acids. The amino acids then can be reused to make the proteins your body needs to maintain muscles, bones, blood, and body organs.

Proteins are sometimes described as long necklaces with differently shaped beads. Each bead is a small amino acid. These amino acids can join together to make thousands of different proteins. Scientists have found many different amino acids in protein, but 22 of them are very important to human health.

Of those 22 amino acids, your body can make 13 of them without you ever thinking about it. Your body can't make the other nine amino acids, but you can get them by eating protein-rich foods. They are called essential amino acids because it's essential that you get them from the foods you eat.

Different Kinds of Protein

Protein from animal sources, such as meat and milk, is called complete, because it contains all nine of the essential amino acids. Most vegetable protein is considered incomplete because it lacks one or more of the essential amino acids. This can be a concern for someone who doesn't eat meat or milk products. But people who eat a vegetarian diet can still get all their essential amino acids by eating a wide variety of protein-rich vegetable foods.

For instance, you can't get all the amino acids you need from peanuts alone, but if you have peanut butter on whole-grain bread you're set. Likewise, red beans won't give you everything you need, but red beans and rice will do the trick.

The good news is that you don't have to eat all the essential amino acids in every meal. As long as you have a variety of protein sources throughout the day, your body will grab what it needs from each meal.

Are you drinking Enough Water and What Actually is Enough?

Are you drinking Enough Water and What Actually is Enough? 

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 30%.

One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.

Lack of water is the number one trigger of daytime fatigue.

Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking a healthy amount of water each day?

And is 8 Glasses of water a Must?

In general, to remain healthy we need to take in enough water to replace the amount we lose daily through excretion, perspiration, and other bodily functions, but that amount can vary widely from person to person, based upon a variety of factors such as age, physical condition, activity level, and climate. The "8 glasses of water per day" is a rule of thumb, not an absolute minimum, and not all of our water intake need come in the form of drinking water.
Many fruits and vegetables we eat contains water too.

The best general advice is to rely upon your normal senses. If you feel thirsty, drink; if you don't feel thirsty, don't drink unless you want to. The human body already does a good job of regulating water balance on its own, and you therefore need not force yourself to drink when you are not thirsty for fear of being dehydrated.

If you workout and sweat then of course you need to drink more water to replace what you've lost. Some of us may require more than 8 glasses of water, however your body will create a demand for water and you will automatically want to consume more water. So make sure you are drinking healthy amounts of water each day but there's no need to get caught-up with a glass count. Just remember to drink enough water to stay healthy and hydrated!

Eat your way to a Leaner Body

Eat your way to a Leaner Body

Exercise is important when you want to look great in or out of cloths. However if you don't eat right all the exercise in the world can save you from eating junk foods and sugar. Here are some simple steps that will get you eating for a leaner body!

Fish is an excellent source of protein that should be consumed regularly. Varying in fat content, some types of fish are high in healthy fats while others are low in fat altogether. Unlike other tissue proteins, though, fatty fish provide a host of benefits to you.

Salmon and sardines, for example, are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which support the immune system and assist with muscle recovery and growth, in addition to many other benefits. Fish that are lower in fat, such as tuna, also make an excellent source of protein. Everyone, regardless of their phase of diet or training goals, should strive to take in eight ounces of fatty fish at least 2-3 times a week.

Vegetables are one of the most overlooked components of our nutrition. Many of us are rigorous about our protein and complex carbohydrate consumption, but lax about eating a sufficient quantity and variety of vegetables. Everyone should strive to take in five or six servings every day.

To meet your needs, include more than one serving at a meal. Not only do vegetables provide nutrients that other foods may lack, but they also provide bulk and fiber, helping your body more efficiently process a high-protein diet.

A very important supplement, L-Glutamine

Known for its immunity-enhancing properties, L-Glutamine is not only one of the most prevalent aminos in the body, but also one of the most important for protein absorption. If you're overly stressed from dieting or training, supplementing with L-Glutamine allows your body to maintain its storage supply of L-Glutamine in muscle tissue, enhancing overall muscular growth and recovery. Take 10-40 g of L-Glutamine a day. The digestion system can not absorb protein without having L-Glutamine present in the gut. So make sure you keep your levels high all day long!

Anti-oxidants are crucial too

Take a mix of antioxidants; a good cocktail has an anti-catabolic effect by quenching free radicals formed during and after intense exercise. In your antioxidant regimen include 400-800 international units (IU) of vitamin E, 500-1,000 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, 200 micrograms of selenium (from selenium yeast). Get the rest from five or six servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

Get your minerals in or you won't get the results you desire!

Take extra calcium and magnesium. If you look at the label of any once-daily multivitamin, you'll notice a "mineral gap"—a place where certain minerals should be listed. Even if they're included, most multis contain only a small percentage of the Daily Value (% DV) of calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Calcium is important for fat-burning metabolism, magnesium for training performance and potassium for muscle cell volume. A once-daily multivitamin simply doesn't cut it. Correct the situation by taking 1,000 mg per day of supplement-source calcium (or two to three cups of fat-free dairy products), 450 mg of magnesium, and five or six servings of fruits and vegetables per day (for potassium as well as other micronutrients).

The Wonderful Benefits of Branch Chain Amino Acids better known as BCAA.

The Wonderful Benefits of Branch Chain Amino Acids better known as BCAA.

As I've stated in a few articles on select amino acids such as L-Glutamine the importance of these supplements are way understated. If you are looking for optimal health you really need to be taking a variety of these Amino-acids. I feel the same way about BCCA's outside of L-Glutamine and L-Arginine BCAA's are of the utmost importance for a multitude of reasons.
In the quest to build muscle, most athletes can't seem to get enough protein. We eat copious amounts of chicken, steak, eggs, and fish to get it. We isolate the various types of proteins like whey and casein and make them into powders to take advantage of different digestion rates. We don't stop there though, we then isolate individual amino acids that protein is comprised of and consume them separately as well.
Even the most serious of health minded people are left wondering why they need to take additional amino acids when they are already getting so many amino acids in all the protein they are consuming. The truth is that individual amino acids can influence muscle growth through a variety of different pathways, and of all the amino acids none have been shown to be more important than the branched chain amino acids.
Branched chain amino acid supplements (BCAAs) have been around longer than others such as creatine and beta-alanine, but few realized the full range of their capabilities regarding muscle growth and performance. Branched chain amino acids have jumped to the forefront of research in recent years and the results have been turning heads within the fitness industry. We now know that BCAAs go far beyond simply being building blocks for muscle tissue and can affect muscle growth through pathways few thought possible.
Let's take a look at just what are the BCAA's
The BCAAs are leucine, isoleucine, and valine. The name "branched-chain amino acids" is derived from the structure of these compounds. Each one has a forked outcropping that looks a bit like a branch, hence the name branched chain amino acids..The three BCAAs are incredibly essential and actually fall into the category of essential amino acids. Essential amino acids are amino acids that the body cannot synthesize on its own and therefore must get adequate amounts through dietary sources. In fact, even though there are about 20 amino acids that the muscles use for growth, the BCAAs comprise roughly a third of the aminos within muscle tissue. So if muscle growth is your goal BCAAs are a must.
How are the BCAA'a metabolized?
It may not seem like the metabolic process of different amino acids matters as long as the end point is muscle tissue. The truth is that the manner in which amino acids are metabolized plays a large role in their functions within the body. The metabolism of BCAAs is different that the metabolic processes of other amino acids. What truly makes the BCAAs special is how they are metabolized. While most amino acids are metabolized in the liver BCAAs are metabolized primarily by muscle. Despite their structural similarities the three branched chain amino acids have different metabolic routes. The breakdown of leucine is accomplished solely through fat pathways. Valine is broken down solely through carbohydrate pathways, and isoleucine through both. The different metabolic pathways of these three amino acids lead to varying requirements for each.
BCAAs, unlike most other amino acids, are metabolized in within muscle tissue, allowing them to be oxidized (used as energy) by muscle cells to produce cellular energy in the form of ATP. ATP is the primary source of energy that fuels muscle contraction and allows you to lift weights.
The fact that leucine, isoleucine, and valine are metabolized within muscle tissue allows them to be a quick energy source when the body needs it. There is a significant increase in BCAA metabolism during prolonged exercise simply because the body requires more energy during periods of stress such as training. This makes BCAAs incredibly effective when taken around workout time.
The unique metabolic processes, requirements, and versatility of BCAAs allow them to impact nearly every aspect of training.

BCAA's will improve performance
Improving performance during training is of utmost importance no matter what your goals. If you are an athlete, improved performance will help you in your sport of choice during actual competition. Improved performance is just as important to the health enthusiast as well since improved performance translates into more muscle mass, which eventually translates into more fat burning.
BCAAs have been proven in many studies to be a potent performance enhancer, and as previously mentioned, BCAAs make a great energy source for working muscles because of their unique metabolism. This can have a positive impact on performance. Not only can BCAAs be used as energy themselves but they also enhance fat oxidation in glycogen depleted subjects. This allows individuals to train harder for longer without fatigue due to the higher energy demands being met. This goes for both high intensity training as well as endurance training.
Another way that BCAAs can enhance performance is through their ability to spare glycogen during training. Found as stored carbohydrates within muscle tissue and the liver, glycogen is the favored fuel source for working muscles engaged in high intensity exercise. This makes glycogen availability and preservation vitally important if you wish to continue to train hard for longer periods of time. Studies have shown that by ingesting BCAAs before and during training glycogen levels can be spared by 25%. It is thought that the ingestion of BCAAs boosts blood alanine levels which gets converted to glucose in the liver and then sent back to working muscle to be used as fuel. This glycogen sparing effect of BCAAs will not only allow for longer more intense training sessions but also allows for faster recovery leading to a better workout tomorrow.
How do BCAA's effect hormonal function?
They are the primary determinant for how much muscle someone will build. They are what separate top level bodybuilders from the rest, elite athletes from everyone else, and cause the muscular differences between men and women. They are hormones! The hormones that are of most importance to us as serious lifters are anabolic hormones. Anabolic hormones are hormones within the body that promote protein synthesis (muscle growth), and the most notable anabolic hormones are testosterone, insulin, and growth hormone (GH). These hormones play a large role in controlling your muscle building destiny. Luckily it has been shown that BCAA intake can have a positive effect on anabolic hormone release.
Testosterone may be the most well know of the anabolic hormones. BCAAs can have a positive impact on testosterone levels when consumed pre-training. During intense training it is normal for testosterone levels to rise. After training is ceased testosterone levels will begin to fall back to normal baseline levels. Studies have shown that when athletes were given BCAAs prior to training, post-workout testosterone levels remained elevated for several hours, whereas the control groups noticed a significant drop in testosterone once training ceased. This can go a long way to maximizing growth from every single training session.
Ingestion of BCAAs not only increases testosterone in the post-training period but also builds muscle by improving the body’s testosterone to cortisol ratio. While testosterone is an anabolic hormone and promotes muscle growth, cortisol is a catabolic hormone and breaks down muscle tissue. Anyone looking to build muscle will want testosterone levels to remain high while minimizing the release of cortisol. It has recently been found that taking BCAAs while resistance training results in significantly higher testosterone levels with a lower creatine kinase and cortisol response. This leads to more muscle tissue being built and less muscle tissue being broken down.
Lastly, the amino acid leucine has also shown promise for increasing insulin sensitivity. Essentially, insulin sensitivity ensures that the insulin within your body maintains its effectiveness. This leads to easier fat loss, more muscle growth, and defense against diabetes.
Can BCAA's help me drop body fat? YES
The effects of BCAA intake on fat loss is something that has only been explored in more recent years. Newer research is showing that BCAAs can have a positive effect on fat loss. This doesn’t mean you can eat pizza at every meal with a side of BCAAs and the fat will just melt away though. BCAAs seem to maximize fat loss when one is already on a fat loss diet. On any fat loss diet, carbohydrates will need to be lowered to some degree. It seems that BCAAs ability to spare glycogen and increase insulin sensitivity may play a role in speeding up the results of a fat loss plan.
BCAAs should also be used as a supplement during any fat loss plan because of the muscle preserving effects. On any calorie restricted plan muscle tissue loss is a serious concern that must be addressed. All of the positive effects that BCAAs have on muscle growth will also serve to protect muscle during periods of calorie restriction. It is always important to remember that anything which builds muscle will also preserve muscle.
Now a little more technical info on BCAA's and how it helps build muscle and save it when you are dieting.
Last, but most certainly not least, of BCAAs many functions is their ability to act as signaling molecules within the body. This has been bringing about some of the most exciting new research within the bodybuilding community in recent years. To get an understanding of how important this is you must first understand the role of protein within the body.
It has long been known that amino acids act as substrate for muscle tissue. This essentially means that when you consume protein, your body will take the amino acids from that protein to compose muscle tissue and other proteins. This is why people often refer to amino acids as building blocks. BCAAs have been proven to be much more than simple building blocks though. Within recent years it has been discovered that BCAAs, particularly leucine, act to send signals to the body that inform it to build muscle.
One of the ways leucine works to signal muscle growth is through it’s interaction with mTOR which stands for mammalian target of rapamycin. The mTOR is located within the cells and, among other things, is responsible for detecting an excess of amino acids. It has been shown to play a key role in regulating muscle hypertrophy (growth). Though this process is not entirely understood, the mTOR pathway has been discovered to be extremely sensitive to the amino acid leucine. Recent tests have shown that when leucine is taken orally it activates mTOR, which activates protein synthesis (muscle growth), and increases a cell’s capacity to produce new proteins (muscle tissue). This means that along with resistance training there is a way to send messages that control growth right at the cellular level. This is truly exciting news.
Many people will ask “If leucine has the greatest effect on muscle growth, then why not take take leucine alone without isoleucine and valine?” It has consistently been shown that the greatest results in protein synthesis are seen when a 2:1:1 ratio of leucine, isoleucine, and valine are taken. When leucine is taken alone it can lower concentrations of the other two amino acids.
It is also important to note, although BCAAs can act to signal muscle growth, there must be a full spectrum of amino acids to act as substrate for muscle growth. This means that you can send signals to your body to build muscle all you want, but if it has nothing to build with you are out of luck. So make sure you ingest enough whole protein every day.

Dosage and when to take BCAA's

As with everything the dosage will vary with every single person. It's really simple though, once you get started.

The more muscle mass you have and the more you are restricting calories is a good indicator on the dosage you need to be taking.

Remember anytime you restrict calories below caloric requirement you will go into a catabolic phase and your body starts to feed on the muscle you worked so hard to build. That's why you need BCAA's and L-Glutamine.

Taking to little of a dose is like using a garden hose to put out a major forest fire. Some of us will require larger doses than others. The best way to know your taking the right amount is simple.
1. You lose the cravings for carbohydrates
2. The mental fog that comes with low calorie intake improves
3. Your sleep at night improves
4. You feel fresher in the gym while you are training
5. You muscle belly will take on a more full and hydrated look.

For those of you that weigh under 140lbs your dosage will vary between 3 to 10 grams daily.

For those of you that weigh over 141 lbs I would suggest 5 to 15 grams daily.

The optimal time to take your BCAA's will be before your training session and within one hour after training. There are other times to take BCAA's as well. I recommend taking a small portion upon wakeup and you may well want another portion late evening. The amino acid you should focus on at bed time though is L-Glutamine this will help you sleep better and prevent enzymatic breakdown of muscle tissue while you sleep. You can also take L-Glutamine with you BCAA's before and after training. I also suggest taking a small dose (.500MG to 1 gram) of L-Glutamine with at least 3 of your meals.

Easy Steps to Improve Your Strength!

Easy Steps to Improve Your Strength!

Are you stuck, hanging in limbo not able to get past that strength plateau! Maybe it's time to change things up and take your strength to the next level. Follow these easy steps and get stronger!

1. Although true research is sparse, both anatomical and biomechanical evidence supports the need for changing both hand and foot positions, as well as seat angles, on exercises throughout your training cycles. Also by creating these variations, support musculature (stabilizers) will improve as will your overall length and variety of muscle movement. More angles, more fibers, and longer ranges of motion, means greater strength. And one final thought; making simple adjustments adds tons of exercises to keep your workouts both challenging and stimulating, so it is less likely for you to overtrain and/or become bored.

2. Whether you are squatting or bench pressing or doing heavy deadlifts and bent-over rows, forcing the barbell to track in straight line not only improves strength, but actually puts your body in the proper biomechanical alignment. While popular theory explains that a bar should travel in an arced movement pattern, physics say force is greater in a straight line. When the strongest lifters in the world have been examined in both squats and bench presses, their movement patterns were closest to a perfect straight line. When you first try this from your usual movement pattern it will feel odd, but with practice you will see your strength numbers skyrocket.

3. In an effort to build stability, advocates of ball training have forgotten the most basic element of balance - it comes from the ground up. While balance is certainly important, strength is paramount. Using unstable surfaces and weird circus-like tricks does not increase muscle size and quality.

Get your core work from big lifts such as the bench, squat and deadlift and feel free to occasionally mix in dedicated exercises like the plank and superman.

4. Avoid Percentage Charts- Percentage charts often misrepresent a true maximum and leave the lifter with either too much or too little, especially since many lifters underestimate their 1RM. Instead, just get the most out of whatever weight you're using. Don't leave anything on the floor. Work as hard as you can every single session. Why base your training session on something you did four weeks earlier when you can make the most out of your routine by basing each workout on the day before.

5. Mix things up- Use a variety of rep ranges and weights to change your training all the time. Never get use to the same routine. The body quickly adapts to how you train so never let is adapt. Continue to change the training and you will keep growing and never get bored!

Nutrients that Women Need Most!

I many cases a picture is worth 1,000 words. Here is a quick snap shot and what many women need more of in their daily diet. Have a wonderful weekend!

You're Never Too Old!

Reverse Aging with these Simple yet very Effective Steps!
 
Forget Low Fat Diets.
 
Low fat everything has been the craze now for decades and look around. What has that wonderful bit of advice done for the bodies you see? We're fatter, sicker, and more addicted to sugar and carbs than any other time in history. And, we're passing these habits to our kids.

Fats are not to be feared – they're to be embraced. They do not make you fat; rather, they help your body regenerate your power hormones. Testosterone, the 'strength' hormone, for example, is the direct result of cholesterol and dietary fat intake. That's right: "Cholesterol" isn't a dirty word! Your body needs dietary fat and cholesterol in order to produce ANY AND ALL vital hormones.

People on low fat diets look drawn, gaunt, and weak. They are often sick, sometimes to the point of literally breaking down. And, they can never just enjoy eating out. Every meal and every gram must be accounted for. Do you really think this will make you younger? Of course not... it will worry you to death if it doesn't kill you first!


Stop Running in Circles

Gym classes can be fun, if you like sitting in one place and torturing yourself. But have you noticed how little people change their bodies in these classes? Sure, it's good "cardio", but cardiovascular conditioning can be gained with far less time and effort.

Treadmills, and any form of endurance training (especially running) does very little to help the age reversal process. Many times, these long-duration exercise bouts accelerate the aging process by increasing free radicals. These free radicals are scavengers that prey on your body's essential nutrients and tissues.


Stop Blaming Everything On How Old You Are

Your body doesn't own a clock. Studies have shown that men and women in their 90s were able to gain muscle tone in just a matter of weeks of simple weight training. I've personally seen men and women transform their physiques at literally all ages—25 to 95! In the picture above this lady is 82 years young and stronger than many women 50 years her junior.

If you're around those naysayers who are constantly talking about growing old, all their aches and pains, and how life is just down hill after 40—LEAVE! Surround yourself with positive thinkers who absolutely crave a challenge. A challenge is what keeps you YOUNG, and the best challenge there is happens to be taking control of your health and body.
Avoid Chronic Dehydration

Water isn't just "good for you" — water burns fat. Water suppresses hunger. Water renews your skin. Just drinking 12 ounces of pure water every day can take a few years off your face in a matter of weeks. You'll also drop fat, have more energy, and save your kidneys and liver from chronic overwork.

When your kidneys are taxed from too little water, your liver has to take over. Now, get this: Your liver is your number one fat-burning organ. Do you REALLY want it processing liquids and toxins rather than BURNING FAT? No way, right? Well, grab a glass of water, and watch the mirror. Within a few weeks, the change to your face and body will be noticeable.


Work Out LESS (Yes, Less)

If you don't work out at all, you're going to lose muscle tissue every year. That means you'll get fatter and flabbier each and every year with less shape and more sag. Is this what you desire? No way, right?

Well, the answer is old school resistance training. Mix your cardio in with your weight training and exercise 3 times weekly using both weights and cardio.

How To Stop Overeating

Not All Calories Have the Identical Effect

The dogmatic belief that "a calorie is a calorie" has done much to contribute to the ever-worsening health of the Western world. It's one of the first things dieticians learn in school, and it's completely false.

Calories are not created equal, and as just mentioned, the source of the calories makes all the difference in the world. Groundbreaking research by Dr. Robert Lustig shows that calories from fructose are of particular concern.

According to Dr. Lustig, fructose is "isocaloric but not isometabolic." What this means is that identical calorie counts from fructose or glucose, fructose and protein, or fructose and fat, will cause entirely different metabolic effects.

However, Dr. Guyenet counters that although this is true at high levels, most of the human studies have found little difference in the effects of sugar versus starch at more normal levels of consumption, as long as excess calories are not consumed.

The reason for the difference in metabolic effects is largely because different nutrients provoke different hormonal responses, and those hormonal responses determine how much fat your body will accumulate and hold on to.

This is why the idea that you can lose weight by counting calories simply doesn't work. After fructose, other sugars and grains are among the most excessively consumed foods that promotes weight gain and chronic disease.

Another dogmatic belief that simply isn't true is the idea that obesity is the end result of eating too much and exercising too little; i.e. consuming more calories than you're expending.

Here, research by the likes of Dr. Richard Johnson clearly demonstrates that this too is a complete fallacy. Like Dr. Lustig, Dr. Johnson places most of the blame on excessive fructose consumption, and his book The Fat Switch shatters the myth that obesity is the result of eating too many calories and not exercising enough.

Here again Dr. Guyenet disagrees. He believes that developing obesity is impossible without consuming more calories than are expended. If the energy content of your body is increasing, that means ‘energy in’ has to be increasing, and/or ‘energy out’ has to be decreasing. It’s just that many things influence how much is coming in vs. out, for example what type of food you eat.

Although this may be technically correct the wild card here that is frequently overlooked is your body’s ability to burn fat as its primary fuel. Due to insulin and leptin resistance, most people have impaired enzymes to burn fat which lends credence to Dr. Lustig’s and Johnson’s assertions.

The Science of Obesity
While the first law of thermodynamics does apply to humans, in order to actually gain a significant amount of weight, Dr. Johnson’s research shows that you have to do two things:

Block your sensation of fullness, and
Impair your body's ability to burn fat by downregulating the enzymes responsible for metabolizing fat.
What this means is that in order for you to become severely overweight you must first become leptin resistant. Leptin is a hormone that helps you regulate your appetite. When your leptin levels rise, it signals your body that you’re full, so you’ll stop eating. Refined sugar (in particular fructose) is exceptionally effective at causing leptin resistance in animals, and it’s also very effective at blocking the burning of fat...

Guyenet also disagrees with this concept. He believes the most effective way to cause leptin resistance in rodents is a refined high-fat diet. Please note that these are not the healthy fats I advocate like coconut oil, avocados, butter and olive oil, but highly processed and refined industrialized soy, corn and canola oils.

He also discusses the impact of leptin sensitivity loss in the featured lecture. He notes that once your brain has lost its sensitivity to leptin, it will perceive the situation as normal, and will therefore defend that fat mass.

Another interesting tidbit is that if you’re insulin resistant and obese, it doesn’t take much fructose to activate the processes that will keep you fat. Some of Dr. Johnson’s most recent research shows that the more high-fructose corn syrup you eat, the more you absorb and the more you metabolize it. Thus, eating fruits may be more of an issue if you are insulin resistant, whereas fruit intake is likely safer or even beneficial if you are lean and healthy. This helps explain the paradox of how some very fit people can eat a lot of fruit—which is rich in natural fructose—without gaining any weight.

Toxic Foods and Bad Habits Hamper Proper Metabolic Function
Over the past 60 years or so, a confluence of dramatically altered foods combined with reduced physical exertion and increased exposure to toxic chemicals have created what amounts to a perfect storm. The extensive use of sugar—primarily in the form of high fructose corn syrup, which is added to virtually all processed foods—is at the heart of it all. But one also cannot underestimate the impact of chemistry, and the creation of truly addictive foods.

If you think about it, it’s quite revealing that, in contrast to third-world countries, the poorest people in the US have the highest obesity rates. This seeming contradiction is, I believe, a clear indication that the problem stems from the diet itself. Something in the cheapest and most readily available foods is creating metabolic havoc, and indeed that’s what studies are finding.

Research into the addictive nature of processed foods reveals that food companies have perfected the art of creating addictive foods4 through the masterful use of salt, fat, sugar, and a wide variety of proprietary flavorings—most of which are far from natural. As a general rule, "food" equals "live nutrients." Nutrients, in turn, feed your cells, optimize your health, and sustain life. Obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and heart attacks are all diseases associated with a processed food diet – a CLEAR indication that it does not provide the appropriate nutrition for your body.

How to Regain Your Lean Body
So if you are carrying more body fat than your ideal, what's the answer? I believe there are two primary dietary recommendations that, if widely implemented, could help you regain your lean body and reverse our current obesity trend. This kind of diet will naturally shift your body from burning sugar to burning fat as its primary fuel, which will automatically help you shed excess weight, and counteract disease processes associated with a processed, high-sugar diet:

• Avoid, sugar, refined fructose, grains, and processed foods
• Eat a healthful diet of whole foods, ideally organic, and replace the grain carbs with:
• Large amounts of vegetables
• Low-to-moderate amount of high-quality protein (think organically raised, pastured animals). As a general guideline, I recommend limiting your protein to about one gram of protein per kilogram of lean body mass, or one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body weight. (If your body fat mass is 20 percent, your lean mass is 80 percent of your total body weight)
• As much high-quality healthful fat as you want (saturated and monounsaturated). For optimal health, most people need upwards of 50-85 percentof their daily calories in the form of fat
• While this may sound excessive, consider that, in terms of volume, the largest portion of your plate would be vegetables, since they contain so few calories. Fat, on the other hand, tends to be very high in calories. For example, just one tablespoon of coconut oil is about 130 calories—all of it from healthful fat. Good sources of fat include coconut and coconut oil, avocados, butter, nuts, and animal fats. Also take a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fat, such as krill oil.

The Case for Intermittent Fasting

Another strategy that works really well in combination with this kind of diet is intermittent fasting. In fact, intermittent fasting, or “scheduled eating,” is one of the most powerful interventions I know of to shed excess weight, as it effectively jump starts your body to burn fat instead of sugar as its primary fuel. There are many different variations of intermittent fasting, but my personal recommendation is to fast every day until you reach your ideal body fat.

You do this by scheduling your eating into a narrow window of time each day. For example, you could restrict your eating to the hours of 11am and 7pm. Essentially, you’re just skipping breakfast and making lunch your first meal of the day instead. This equates to a daily fasting of 16 hours—twice the minimum required to deplete your glycogen stores and start shifting into fat burning mode.

By increasing insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial energy efficiency, fasting helps slow down disease processes typically associated with insulin resistance—which includes metabolic syndrome. Fasting also benefits your body by reducing oxidative stress, and inducing a cellular stress response (similar to that induced by exercise) in which your cells up-regulate the expression of genes that increase their capacity to cope with stress and resist damage.

Intermittent fasting also has the near-magical side effect of eliminating sugar and junk food cravings. While most people will successfully switch over to burning fat after several weeks of intermittent fasting, it may take up to several months for those that are seriously insulin/leptin resistant. Their body needs to learn how to turn on the fat-burning enzymes that allow it to effectively use fat as its primary fuel. So don’t get discouraged. Just keep at it. Once you’ve become fat adapted and are of a normal weight, without high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol, you really only need to do scheduled eating occasionally. As long as you maintain your ideal body weight, you can go back to eating three meals a day if you want to.

Quit 'Dieting' and Start Living Healthily
If you want to shed excess weight and protect your health, my most urgent recommendation is to replace processed foods with homemade meals, made from whole, ideally organic, ingredients. Remember to replace the grain carbs with vegetables, small amounts of high quality protein, and plenty of healthful fats

Source: Dr. Joseph Mercola


Mark Harris, PhD
Exercise Physiologist/Nutritionist
TexasMetabolics@gmail.com
Texas Metabolics

Connection Between Sugar and Chronic Disease

A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Internal Medicine4 examined the associations between added sugar consumption and cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths. The study did not include naturally occurring sugars in the diet, focusing only on added sugars. The study, which thankfully has met with robust media coverage,5, 6, 7, 8 found that:

• Among American adults, mean percentage of daily calories from added sugar increased from 15.7 percent in 1988-1994 to 16.8 percent in 1999-2004
• Mean percentage of daily calories from added sugar decreased to 14.9 percent in 2005-2010
• Most adults (just over 71 percent) get 10 percent or more of their daily calories from added sugar
• Approximately 10 percent of American adults got 25 percent or more of their daily calories from added sugar in 2005-2010
• The most common sources of added sugar are sugar-sweetened beverages, grain-based desserts, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, and candy

Americans get, on average, about 350 calories a day (equivalent to about 22 teaspoons of sugar and 25 percent of their daily calories) from added sugar in the diet. According to this study, those who consume 21 percent or more of their daily calories in the form of sugar are TWICE as likely to die from heart disease compared to those who get seven percent or less or their daily calories from added sugar.

The risk was nearly TRIPLED among those who consumed 25 percent of their daily calories from added sugar. At present, about 600,000 Americans die of heart disease each year,9 and it's the leading cause of death among both sexes. Not surprisingly, the authors concluded that:

"Most US adults consume more added sugar than is recommended for a healthy diet. 
We observed a significant relationship between added sugar consumption and increased risk for CVD mortality."

Mark Harris, PhD
Exercise Physiologist/Nutritionist
TexasMetabolics@gmail.com
Texas Metabolics