As we get older it is natural to begin loosing lean muscle tissue. This loss of lean muscle mass is responsible for many of the conditions that we encounter as we age. Particularly noticeable is that our metabolic rate begins to slow down as early as 30 years old. Things we once could eat now make us gain fat.

Protein is the main nutrient that our bodies need to help preserve lean muscle tissue, and most people do not eat enough. Instead they overload on fats and carbohydrates. Of fats, carbohydrates or protein, protein is the one that will not make you fat. Instead protein will work to maintain and even rebuild lost muscle tissue and in turn help to speed up your metabolism.

How much protein should you consume daily? A good rule of thumb is 1 gram per every pound of bodyweight. So a small lady would consume around 100 grams a day, while a large man might consume 250 grams per day. To make it simple, instead of having one chicken breast and a huge heaping serving of rice, have two chicken breasts and a little portion of rice. Orient each meal of the day towards more protein and you will begin to see great improvements in your metabolism and overall health.

Anti-Ageing, Diet, Fitness, Protien, Weight Loss Hide

Yes, good fats can help in an effective weight loss strategy, particularly useful when dieting are the monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats are considered good fats and help to improve triglyceride and cholesterol levels when eaten regularly. These most convent sources of monounsaturated fats are nuts, avocadoes, and olives.

The thing that I like most about these fats when dieting is there ability to make you feel full even when consuming low calories. What I like to do is have 3 small servings of monounsaturated fats each day evenly spaced through the day. These are high in calories so I am talking about just a half of an avocado or a handful of nuts or olives. I have found the results of this strategy very effective. It enables me to eat low calories and low carbohydrates without feeling so hungry all the time. It is also very good for you and a very healthy approach to dieting.

Diet, Weight Loss Hide

Ingesting synthetic man made sugar substitutes is one of the worst things we can do for our health. All of them; NutraSweet, Splenda, Saccharin, are all molecularly altered substances that the human body was never designed to process, especially in the quantities that are being used daily by many millions of people. The people that are choosing to limit real sugar intake by using sugar free products are literally overdosing on all these chemicals.

These fake sugars are one of the leading cases of elevated liver enzymes, because our livers are forced to work way too hard to attempt to process and rid our bodies of these toxic substances. Elevated liver enzymes are one of the first warning signs of deeper health concerns, because they are the initial indicator of toxicity in our bodies. There are mounds of research connecting these chemicals to many forms of cancer. Using these substances to me is just not worth the health risk.

What are the alternatives? First let’s take a look at Stevia. Stevia is a completely natural plant that grows is native to South and Central America. Stevia is 300% sweeter than table sugar, and it is virtually calorie free so it works great in a low calorie or low glycemic index diet program. It does not elevate glucose (blood sugar) levels so it is useful for diabetics as well.  It is available in both powdered and liquid forms, and is very convenient to use.

Next, there is Xylitol. Xylitol is a natural sweetener that is was originally derived from the bark of the birch tree, but is also now extracted from the fibers of many fruits and vegetables including corn, plums and berries.  Xylitol is an organic compound and is not molecularly altered in any way. It has roughly two thirds the calories of traditional sugars and does not significantly elevate blood glucose levels. It also has the benefit of being extremely tooth friendly and is used as a cavity preventer in various gums and toothpastes.

Both Stevia and Xylitol are far better sugar alternatives than any of the nationally advertised chemical sweeteners that are being marketed as safe. Try switching to one of these natural and healthy products for your sweetening needs.

Natural Sweeteners, Nutritional Supplements, Stevia, Weight Loss, Xylitol Hide

We eat way to much carbohydrates and fats in our diets. The average person seems to pay very little attention to protein intake.

Our body stores all its reserve protein in our muscles. When we don’t eat sufficient protein in our diets our body will begin to cannibalize our own muscle tissue as its only source of more protein. The body’s metabolic rate is solely determined by how much lean muscle mass we have on our frame. Our metabolic rate is what determines the efficiency of out body’s ability to burn caloric energy. Without adequate protein we destroy our lean muscle tissue and in turn destroy our metabolisms. So, by the time we are 40 we have begun to loose much of our lean muscle tissue and have replaced the tissue with fat. And then we wonder why our metabolic rate is so slow.

When people diet they only increase this muscle loss scenario. Most diet programs today focus only on total weight loss, and unfortunately a lot of this weight loss is loss of healthy muscle tissue. When the diet is over you have lost some weight, but the weight usually comes back on, because your metabolic rate has been decreased by the effects of a diet with low protein. When choosing a diet program to follow you need to pick one that understands this and focuses on protein intake while loosing weight. This is the only type of dieting that is in the long run is even worth pursuing. Otherwise your weight loss will only be temporary.

It is almost impossible for an individual to take in to much protein. The idea that to much protein is a health concern has been completely disproven.  Eat as much protein as you can particularly if you are restricting calories.

Diet, Energy, Protien, Weight Loss Hide