Six Snacks Every Man Should Eat Following a Workout

Have you hit a plateau in your workout? Sure, your weightlifting routine was helping you to gain muscle mass before, but now that bodybuilding wellbeing has come to a halt and you don’t know why. While changing up your routine can help you get your weightlifting wellness back on track, you may be overlooking another important factor: nutrition. Wellness expert Jacob Franek explains, ‘During a workout, your body breaks down muscle glycogen as well as muscle protein structures. Therefore, following exercise, your body needs to replenish its energy stores and repair muscle tissue to allow for new growth. In order to do this, you’ll need to consume enough carbs to promote substantial insulin release. That’s because it’s your body’s insulin that is responsible for shuttling carbs and amino acids back into the muscles.’ So which foods should you be eating after a workout?

 

1. Chicken Stir Fry: According to Franek, ‘Chicken is an excellent source of lean protein and other important nutrients like niacin, a B vitamin essential to carbohydrate metabolism. And although brown rice is generally a healthier option than white, after a workout, you actually want to switch to foods with a high glycemic index (GI). These foods will replenish your muscles with glucose more rapidly, so try pairing your stir-fry with white rice instead of brown. Add steamed veggies for additional flavour and nutrients.’

 

2. Hummus on a Whole-Grain Pita: ‘Most major food guides tell us to substitute meat for alternatives from time to time,’ says Franek. ‘Hummus is just one example of a great alternative to meat. Made from chickpeas, hummus is an excellent source of both protein and carbs. Combine with a whole-grain pita for a complete post-workout punch.’

 

3. Toasted Whole Wheat Bagel with Almond Butter: Franek points out, ‘Whole-wheat bagels are dense in calories and complex carbs, while almond butter is chalk-full of essential minerals like potassium, an electrolyte responsible for maintaining muscle contractions. Combine the two and you have yourself a dynamite duo even in spite of the fat content of your almond butter. Although fats should generally be avoided following exercise (since they slow absorption of other nutrients), monounsaturated fats like those found in almond butter are helpful in maintaining testosterone, a hormone essential to protein synthesis.’

 

4. Dried fruits and nuts: ‘Not everyone has time to whip up a full meal within the window of opportunity,’ notes Franek. ‘For men on the go, dried fruits and nuts are a simple solution. Try filling a plastic baggy with this healthy pairing to store in your gym bag for immediate access after your workout. You’ll get a healthy dose of protein from your nuts, plus you’ll get a quick injection of simple carbohydrates from your dried fruits. Simple carbs are easy to digest and will replenish your muscle glycogen quicker than complex carbs, making this simple snack a top post-workout food.’

 

5. Tuna and Whole-Wheat Crackers: Franek comments, ‘Tuna is low in fat but packed with protein and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. On the flip side, crackers are a crunchy source of energising carbs. If you can, skip the mayo and opt for some fresh lemon juice, olive oil and a little mustard instead.’

 

6. Salmon, Mashed Potatoes and Salad: ‘Like tuna, salmon is another nutritionally powerful fish packed full of protein and omega-3s,’ Franek asserts. ‘Pairing salmon with a side of mashed potatoes, which are high on the GI, will balance your fish with a hearty serving of glucose-giving carbs. If you’re feeling adventurous, substitute your white potatoes for sweet potatoes which provide a cornucopia of vitamins and minerals at the expense of a few points on the GI. A hearty salad completes the meal and will satisfy your taste buds.’

 

Categories: almond butter, Complex Carbs, dried fruits, grain pita, mashed potatoes, men, muscle glycogen, nuts, Post-Workout, post-workout snack, stir fry, Workout

How to Ensure That You Have a Healthy, Balanced Vegan Diet

If you are on a vegan diet, finding adequate nutrition in your food to maintain your wellness and wellbeing can be a bit of a challenge. You do have to work a little bit harder to get all of your nutrients – but of course this is true of any diet that you go on.

 

Eating a balanced diet is important for everyone, no matter what age they are or what kind of diet they follow. Being a vegan does not have to overly complicate your life though – there are lots of ways to keep your vegan diet simple but enjoyable at the same time.

 

Raw food is a good way to go when you are a vegan – and raw food is extremely good for you. Raw food is especially appealing in summer, as it is easier to keep cool if you are not having to cook or eat hot food. Make sure that you keep a wide variety of veggies, legumes, fruits and nuts in the house. Mix and match these each day, making sure that you get enough nutrients – such as protein from the nuts and beans alongside carbs and vitamins from a salad.

 

Colour coding is something that you can do when you are a vegan too. Generally, ever colour of vegetable represents a different nutrient, and so when your plate looks like a rainbow, you know that you are getting a varied diet. This can be especially easy to do with salads, where you can add salad vegetables in a variety of colours.

 

Soup is also a staple for vegans. A bean base can be used to add protein to the diet and then you can add any number of colourful veggies. It keeps really well, too, and you can refrigerate leftovers and eat it for days.

Categories: balanced, diet, Food, nbsp, nutrition, nuts, raw food, vegan, Vegan Diet

The Classic Weight Loss Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Why is weight loss always so temporary? Sure, you shift a few pounds in the beginning but then you turn around and you’ve put it all on again from nowhere. Still, according to Jillita Horton, a certified personal trainer and fitness writer, ‘Permanent weight loss seems unachievable until you nail down a plan and avoid making some classic diet and exercise mistakes.’ So what are these classic mistakes you’re making, and how can you guard your wellbeing against them?

 

1. Wearing a weight loss suit: While you may think that rocking the Neil Armstrong look when exercising will help you to lose weight faster, the only thing these weight loss space suits do is make you sweat more, which makes you lose water faster. Horton explains, ‘You’ll end up thirsty and gain back the sweat weight by drinking water. These suits look very uncomfortable, and probably are; uncomfortable attire will inhibit your exercise output, and you’ll end up burning fewer calories – and as you can see, this will surely sabotage weight loss efforts.’ As these weight loss suits restrict your movement and make you feel overly hot, they impair your ability to work your hardest or run your fastest. ‘Wear light, loose workout clothes,’ Horton advises. ‘And focus on a rigorous workout, and drink plenty of water.’

 

2. Thinking that weight loss and weight gain take the same amount of time: This misconception is at least fairly logical; it took three years for you to gain 100 pounds of fat, so surely it takes three years to get back to your original healthy weight. However, Horton explains, ‘A person can gain weight for a variety of reasons, and major weight gains usually do take time. A change in eating and exercise habits, due to large loads of life stress, can still take a few years to result in a 100-pound weight gain. But with a complete turnaround in dietary habits and a renewed commitment to rigorous strength training and vigorous cardio exercise, a person can lose excess body fat in far less time than it took to put it on.’ Still, if you don’t commit to your new wellness programme, your progress will be much, much slower.

 

3. Believing it’s not safe to lose more than two pounds a week: 3,500 calories is equal to a pound of fat. Let’s say you’re an obese person with a sedentary lifestyle, who consumes 5,000 calories on an average day. You then decide to add an hour’s daily exercise to your lifestyle, and cut your calorie consumption down to 3,000. This means you’ve created a daily calorie deficit of 2,000, which means you consume 14,000 fewer calories a week – this doesn’t even include the ones you burn off from the added exercise. When you divide 14,000 by 3,500, it turns out you’re losing four pounds every week. Then, assuming your hour’s exercise a day burns an extra 500 calories, that makes for a weekly weight loss total of five pounds. But what’s with all the numbers? ‘To say this is unsafe is to say that it is unsafe to consume 3,000 calories a day and exercise one hour a day,’ Horton clarifies. ‘However, if a person goes from 3,000 calories a day to 1,000, then yes, this is very unhealthy and will ultimately screw up metabolism and cause other problems.’

 

4. Avoiding nuts for weight loss: Horton asserts, ‘Nuts have always gotten a bad rap from the dieting camp. But nuts are super-healthy and improve cholesterol profile.’ She adds that two or three teaspoons of cashews, pecans, peanuts or walnuts can kill your appetite for hours.

Categories: calories, exercise, horton, loss, Mistakes, nuts, weight, weight gain, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Suit

Hold onto Your Nuts: Why These Snacks are Health Powerhouses

Ok, so you know that munching on nuts is good for you, but why? Can nuts prevent health concerns and enhance your wellbeing, or are they just a better snack option than wolfing down half a tub of ice-cream? The truth is, the unsaturated fatty acids and other nutrients found in nuts can do wonders for your heart wellness, and these nutty little guys are also inexpensive and convenient in terms of storage and eating on-the-go. So what is it about nuts that makes them so healthy?

 

1. Nuts lower your cholesterol: If you eat nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet, this can lower your body’s levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. This is known as the “bad” kind of cholesterol, as high levels of LDL is one of the primary culprits for causing heart disease.

 

2. Nuts reduce blood clots: You’re less at risk for developing blood clots if you eat nuts, which means you’re less at risk of having a fatal heart attack.

 

3. Nuts help your arteries: Nuts improve the health of the lining of your arteries, which helps to prevent a whole host of heart health problems.

 

4. Nuts prevent ageing: According to registered dietician and nutritionist Susie Bond, of Health First’s Pro-Health & Fitness Centres, as ‘nuts contain an abundance of important nutrients for heart health, including omega-3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, plant sterols and fibre,’ this can help to prevent the signs of ageing.

 

5. Nuts contain unsaturated fats: We’ve already touched on this, but there are good fats found in nuts that are thought to play a role in LDL cholesterol reduction. Wellness experts aren’t entirely sure why, but it’s true of both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

 

6. Nuts contain omega-3 fatty acids: Although not all nuts contain omega-3 fatty acids, most nuts are packed with the stuff – which is great news for your heart. Omega-3s work to prevent dangerous heart rhythms that can lead to heart attacks. Although you’ll also find these fatty acids in many kinds of fish, nuts are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3s, so vegetarians have no excuses. As an added bonus, omega-3s are thought to have a role in preventing acne, protecting you against breast cancer and helping you lose weight.

 

7. Nuts contain fibre: Not only does fibre help to lower your cholesterol and aid in digestion, it also is thought to play a role in preventing diabetes and can help to stave off tiredness and fatigue. Plus, this macronutrient, found in all nuts, is a key part of any smart diet plan, as fibre helps you to feel fuller for longer, so you eat less.

 

8. Nuts contain vitamin E: As a powerful antioxidant, vitamin E is an amazing nutrient, especially with regards to your eye health and the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. However, vitamin E is also beneficial to your heart, as it may have a part to play in stopping the development of plaque in your arteries. This is important, as arterial plaque can narrow your arteries, which leads to chest pain, coronary artery disease or a heart attack.

 

9. Nuts contain plant sterols: In some nuts, you’ll find plant sterols, a substance that can help balance your cholesterol and reduce your risk of coronary artery disease. Although you might get plant sterols added to your orange juice or margarine, they occur naturally in nuts.

 

10. Nuts contain l-arginine: As a source of l-arginine, nuts improve the health of your artery walls by making them more flexible and less prone to blood clots that can block blood flow.

Categories: artery disease, blood clots, fatty acids, heart health, nuts, omega 3s, plant sterols, unsaturated fat

How to Eat to Prevent Disease and the Signs of Ageing

It’s easy to say that you want a healthy diet, but what should you actually include? Your wellness doesn’t just come down to eating a few more salads here and there – although that’s better than nothing – but, if you want to guard your wellbeing against chronic disease and the premature effects of ageing, you need a balance of antioxidants, phytochemicals, soy, soluble fibre, omega-3s and other components of food. Luckily, registered dietician and nutritionist Susie Bond, of Health First’s Pro-Health & Fitness Centres, is on hand to tell you the super foods that contain an abundance of these healthful components.

 

1. Vital veggies. As spinach is rich in folic acid, vitamins E, C, B6, beta-carotene and calcium, it’s a food to stick on your shopping list. Bond adds, ‘Spinach is rich in the antioxidant lutein, which may reduce the risk of macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness in older adults.’ However, if green and leafy isn’t your thing, try something a little more cruciferous. According to Bond, broccoli ‘and other so-called “cruciferous” vegetables are especially rich in sulforaphane, which is a very powerful anti-cancer phytochemical. Other cruciferous vegetables include cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts.’

 

2. Necessary nuts and beans. ‘Nuts contain an abundance of important nutrients for heart health, including omega-3 fatty acids, monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, plant sterols and fibre,’ says Bond. She recommends an ounce of nuts every day, as well as a weekly intake of beans. ‘These include kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc,’ she explains. ‘These little powerhouses provide a healthy dose of cholesterol-free protein and contain an abundance of other essential nutrients such as fibre, zinc and folic acid.’

 

3. Something sweet and special. The next time you want to indulge your sweet tooth, try some berries with Greek yoghurt. ‘Include strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cranberries often,’ Bond urges, as all berries are extremely high in antioxidants. She adds, ‘Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt is higher in protein than regular yogurt and lower in sugar. It is also a great source of calcium. Yogurt contains probiotics, essential for a healthy digestive tract.’

Categories: Greek yoghurt, nuts, spinach

How to Overcome the Hunger Pangs of Your New Diet

You’ve read about the latest diet and thought “Now, that sounds easy.” You’ve stocked your fridge with the recommended foods, eliminated all the dangerous temptations and even gone out and bought a new dress which will fit you in two weeks time. However, there you are, day one, mid-morning, and you hear an oh-so familiar sound. It’s your stomach rumbling. Diet over. Feeling hungry is one of the biggest complaints from dieters limiting their calories, but you can guard your wellbeing against hunger pangs – all you need is the right healthy and filling foods to get you through to lunchtime.

Berry Filling – Berries pack so much good-for-you nutritional power they might as well be flying through the sky wearing a cape. According to a study from the Tufts’ Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Centre on Ageing (HNRCA), the antioxidants found in berries boost your brain’s ability to process information. Blackberries and cranberries are good for you, but the real berry trinity is made up of raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Raspberries contain riboflavin, niacin, folate, magnesium, potassium, copper manganese and vitamin C. Similarly, strawberries are good for manganese, potassium, vitamin C, and fibre, while the rich antioxidants in blueberries help prevent ulcers, lower cholesterol and decrease your risk of heart disease and certain kinds of cancer.

Eggs-tremely Satisfying – The yolks in eggs contain and high level of fat, and so wellness experts believed eggs were bad for you. However, as this has been discovered to be unsaturated fat, eggs have been rightly reinstated in the healthy food category. The antioxidants found in eggs can help fight cancer and reduce the signs of ageing, while the egg whites contain protein which will help you to feel fuller for longer. Plus, on a nutritional level, eggs provide selenium, choline, vitamin B12, riboflavin and iron, along with several other nutrients.

Hunger? Nut a Problem – Just like eggs, nuts contain rich heart-healthy unsaturated fats, which will help to fill you up. You should go wacky for walnuts in particular, as these contain high levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). This is an omega-3 fatty acid which has been proven to improve your mood, contribute to your hearth health and lower your LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels.

Categories: berries, Eggs, nuts

Add Walnuts to your Diet to Reduce the Risk of Diabetes

Adding walnuts to diet could reduce an older woman’s risk of developing diabetes, according to US research.

The study, by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, built on previous research which had revealed a potential correlation between nuts and the prevention of diabetes. The Harvard study pinpointed walnuts as the nut most likely to reduce middle-aged women’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Nuts have a high fat content and this would seem to make them an unlikely aid to preventing diabetes, one of the causes of which is known to be obesity. However, the Nurses’ Health Studies I and II, which has been monitoring women’s diet and health for three decades, looked at middle-aged women who had been consuming walnuts over a 10-year period and discovered a possible link between eating walnuts regularly and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.

The Harvard study did note that eating too many nuts could be a health concern because nuts are high in fat and also have a high energy content. However, the research showed that women who ate a lot of walnuts didn’t put on weight and now more research is planned to explore exactly how walnuts stop an individual gaining weight.

Walnuts are rich in a fatty acid known as polyunsaturated fatty acids, PUFAs, and have many other nutrients, antioxidants and compounds that are beneficial to health. PUFAs help with cognition and brain function and the Harvard team believe PUFAs may hold the key to diabetes prevention.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the blood disorder, in which the body fails to produce enough insulin or any insulin at all to convert the glucose in food into fuel for the blood cells. It is considered one of the major worldwide health problems, usually affecting people over the age of 40.

Add Walnuts to your Diet to Reduce the Risk of Diabetes

Categories: aged women, Diabetes, harvard, harvard study, health, Middle-Aged, nuts, reduced risk, Type 2 Diabetes, Walnuts