Muscle Weight Gain Enemy

Muscle Weight Gain Enemy: Trans Fats
Copyright (c) 2006 Jonathan Perez

Will eating foods that contain trans-fats affect my goals
to build muscle mass and gain healthy weight?

Many skinny individuals feel that they have to eat a ton of
"everything" in order to gain muscle weight.

Basically, trans fats (or trans fatty acids, as they are
called), are an unnatural fat that is formed or created
whenever you fry or overheat oil, like vegetable or corn
oil.

When the elements that make up these oils are heated to an
extremely high temperature (like when you fry), they mutate
and turn into "trans" fats.

Also, manufacturers of different foods and snacks use a
process in which they take vegetable oil and convert it to
"hydrogenated" oil, which turns the oil into a solid that
can be used to make certain snacks.

That "hydrogenation" process turns a normal oil into a
trans fat.

So what does this have to do with trying to build muscle
mass and gain weight???

Check these little facts out:

Harvard scientists estimate that trans fats may contribute
to more than 30, 000 premature deaths each year.

Since trans fats aren't found naturally in "nature", your
body has a very difficult time processing them.....meaning
it will cause damage to the heart.

Trans fats raise your bad cholesterol and lowers the good
one in your blood.

Trans fats are a major risk factor for developing diabetes.

Trans fats may actually promote muscle loss and could even
increase the risk of cancer.

In an 80, 000 person study, Harvard found that getting just
3% of your daily calories from trans fats increases your
risk of heart disease by up to 50% (this is the equivalent
of eating a single order of french fries).

The FDA estimates that most supermarkets carry more than
42, 000 products that contain trans fats.

Here are examples of everyday foods that contain trans fats:

chicken pot pie = 72 trans fat calories

2 biscuits = 72 trans fat calories

1 large order of french fries = 63 trans fat calories

1 cinnamon roll = 54 trans fat calories

6 fish sticks = 45 trans fat calories

1 order of nacho cheese = 45 trans fat calories

1 tablespoon of stick margarine = 45 trans fat calories

6 Oreo cookies = 36 trans fat calories

1 waffle = 36 trans fat calories

1 small movie-theater popcorn = 30 trans fat calories

1 slice of apple pie = 27 trans fat calories

1 pack of cheese and cracker sandwiches = 27 trans fat
calories

2 homemade chocolate chip cookies = 27 trans fat calories

5 pieces of chicken tenders = 25 trans fat calories

1 brownie = 25 trans fat calories

1 jelly donut = 18 trans fat calories

Anything that is fried is full of trans fats.

Also, if in the ingredients you see "hydrogenated oil" or
"partially hydrogenated oil" (except peanut butter), you
can be sure it has lots of trans fats.

Everybody wants to blame "carbs" or "sugar" for all the
health problems issues people are facing today.

But the truth is that a moderate amount of carbs aren't the
problem, nor is regular fat, to a certain extent.

Trans fats are the real enemy!

Be sure to eat a lot of calories, but watch out for the
trans fats if you are working on gaining muscle weight!

----------------------------------------------------
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Fish Food for Thought

Fish Food for Thought
Copyright (c) 2006 The Brain Code LLC

Have you heard about omega-3s? You may have seen headlines
in the New York Times or CNN touting their benefits. Maybe
you have seen them highlighted on cereal boxes and other
food products. What are they and why is it such a big deal?

The fat brain

Omega-3s are one type of Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acid or
PUFA that are incredibly important for your heart and
brain. In fact, your brain is about 25% PUFA by weight and
about 40% fat overall. Yes, the brain is a big fat organ!
This is one reason why low-fat diet fads are not the best
option.

Omega-3s are actually important for every cell in the body
but they are especially high in brain cells. They help your
brain cells signal to each other appropriately and keep
things running smoothly.

So what kinds of foods have them? Actually, there are three
main kinds of omega-3s. One that comes mostly from plants,
like flaxseed and some nuts, and two others that come
mostly from fish. They are all important for the body but
the omega-3s found in fish appear to be most important for
the brain.

Food for your mood

The interesting thing is that societies who eat more fish
have lower rates of depression, suicide and violent
behavior. Also, omega-3s have been found to be lower in
blood samples from suicide victims, schizophrenics and
bipolar patients.

These types of studies are called ‘observational' because
you can't say that low omega-3s caused these conditions.
However, one study that took place in a British women's
prison showed that giving inmates omega-3 supplements
actually reduced violent behavior. Also, omega-3s have
shown promise in small clinical trials treating depression
and bipolar illness. Other studies in animals show that
omega-3s affect the levels of neuro-chemicals that control
mood, like dopamine and serotonin.

This is not to say that if you don't get enough omega-3s
that you will get mentally ill, but there appears to be a
real link. Many factors contribute to mental illness,
including, genetics, chronic stressful experiences,
physical activity and yes, diet. Omega-3s look like they
are one piece in the puzzle.

What about Mercury?

So should you just eat more fish? This brings up another
problem. Too much fish can lead to problems from mercury
and PCBs. In fact, pregnant women are advised not to eat
fish at all. This is a big debate in the medical community
because omega-3s are incredibly important for development
of the fetus and the growing baby will ‘steal' omega-3s
from the mother if she doesn't get enough in her diet. Some
researchers argue that this advice does more harm than
good. Still, most doctors today don't offer their pregnant
patients any other alternatives ­ they just say don't eat
fish.

This is where fish oil supplements can come in. They are
becoming very popular and offer a safe alternative ­ if you
are careful. The thing to look for is ‘molecular
distillation' on the back of the bottle. This means that
the manufacturer has tried to remove heavy metals and PCBs.
Still, I would check with them to make sure they have some
kind of quality control since the FDA does not regulate
this claim.

Why now?

So why didn't we have all these problems centuries ago.
It's not like all our ancestors took fish oil pills all the
time. Well, there is another major factor that I haven't
mentioned yet ­ omega-6s.

Omega-6s are another kind of PUFA that are also important
in the brain. The balance between omega-6s and omega-3s in
the diet is very important. They are like the yin and yang
of fats. They compete with each other for many biological
functions and keep each other in check.

For example, omega-6s help the immune system by turning on
inflammatory processes necessary to fight infections.
Omega-3s help to turn it off and keep inflammation low.
They are both important but need to be kept in balance.

We think that the ideal ratio between omega-6s and omega-3s
is about 1:1 and this is what we probably ate throughout
most of our thousands of year history. However, today's
western diet is closer to 10:1 or even as high as 30:1 in
favor of omega-6s. We are getting too many omega-6s and not
enough omega-3s to balance them out.

Why? Omega-6s are high in oils from corn, safflower,
canola, peanuts and soy. These are found in high
concentrations in many of the foods we eat, especially
processed foods. It has really been since the industrial
revolution that we started to consume large amounts of
omega-6s and lower amounts of omega-3s.

Many researchers, including myself, believe that this is
one factor in the rise of many diseases today. Since
omega-6s tend to promote inflammatory responses, we are
essentially eating a high inflammatory diet. Inflammation
is a major suspect underlying many diseases of the brain
and body ­ the big ones being heart disease and Alzheimer's
disease.

So there it is. Omega-3s are important for many functions
and they are a big deal because our dietary intake of
omega-3s and omega-6s are out of whack. The best thing you
can do is to stop eating many of the processed foods that
contain high omega-6s and eat a little more fish.
Personally, I take a high quality fish oil supplement daily
and so do my wife and kids.

----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Simon Evans is a research neuroscientist at the
University of Michigan and a nationally licensed youth
sports coach. He is concerned about the health of today's
youth and shares information to help parents ensure their
own childrens' health. You can visit Dr. Evans website at
http://www.thebraincode.com

Top 10 Ways to Fail Miserably At Losing Weight

Top 10 Ways to Fail Miserably At Losing Weight
===================================
Americans are getting fatter. I hate to be the one to put
it so bluntly, but the scales don't lie. 65% of adult
Americans are either overweight or obese. 25% of Americans
are obese.

Now for the bad news - things are only getting worse. In
1991, only four states had obesity rates of 15 to 19
percent and none had obesity rates greater than 20 percent.
By the year 2000, all of the 50 states had obesity rates of
15 percent or greater, with 35 of the 50 states having
obesity rates as high as 20 percent or greater.

In 2005, obesity rates increased in 49 out of 50 States
(congratulations to Oregon for bucking the trend). The
Trust for America's Health is projecting that by 2008 a
staggering 73% of US adults could be overweight or obese.
The trend is clear - we are all getting fatter by the day.

With the rise of the Internet and our new information on
demand society you can hardly sneeze without hitting a "how
to lose weight article." Books, articles, videos, TV
specials, magazine, blogs, web sites - they are filled with
tips and tricks on how to lose weight. Is there any
celebrity left who has not published a diet book?

So, two trends seem undeniable - we are getting fatter and
we are getting bombarded with articles on how not to get
fatter. In fact, I would argue there is a direct
correlation - the more articles written on losing weight,
the more weight we gain. While it was a reasonable
assumption to think that writing articles on how to lose
weight would help people lose weight - the numbers reveal
that is not true.

Not one to ignore statistics - I now see as a health author
I am part of the obesity problem. Today I will correct
that mistake. If writing articles on how to lose weight
has led to record levels of obesity, then writing an
article on how to gain weight should lead to record levels
of weight loss.

In my quest to help reverse the growing obesity rate, here
are my

Top 10 Ways to Fail Miserably at Losing Weight...

1. Natural = Bad. Fully processed = good

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains - these just don't spike
the blood sugar levels. Fully processed, close to
impossible to digest foods - this is where you get to ride
the insulin roller coaster to certain weight gain.

2. If you can pronounce the ingredients in your food, you
are eating the wrong food.

Grab a snack, flip it over and read the ingredients. If
you can actually pronounce all the ingredients - put it
down. You need to concentrate on snacks that have a list
of ingredients that require a PhD in chemical engineering
to decipher.

3. Drink more Eggnog

At 430 calories and 20 grams of fat per cup - Eggnog is a
guaranteed way to put on those extra pounds. Stock up
around the holidays, you want to make sure you still have
eggnog left when you are trying to put on that extra 10
pounds so your bikini doesn't fall off you come summer time.

4. It is hard to eat while exercising - so don't exercise.

Exercise simply cuts into the few waking hours you have to
eat food - so don't do it!

5. Eat Late

Numerous studies have shown that our body has a tough time
burning the calories we eat late at night. Try to have
your largest, sugar laden meals just seconds before you
doze off.

6. Super size your Super Size

Super Size meals, Double Big Gulps - all moves in the right
direction, but just not enough. A good rule of thumb - if
you don't need a dolly to carry your meal from a fast food
restaurant - you haven't super sized enough.

7. Remove all mirrors from your home

Mirrors just reflect reality - who wants this. You need to
make sure the media decides exactly how you perceive
yourself.

8. Eat Out and Eat Often

Having all your meals away from home is a great way to pack
on the extra pounds. Of course, "all you can eat buffets"
are the Holy Grail of gaining weight.

9. Have all home faucets rewired to a soda keg

Drinking plenty of water can wreck havoc on your goal of
NOT losing weight. To avoid any temptation to drink water,
have a plumber hook your faucets up to a soda keg. Simply
replacing 60 ounces of water with the same amount of Coke
will add a nifty 700 calories to your diet.

10. Remove all positive people from your life

You are going to need to be down, depressed and negative to
succeed in failing your diet. Remember - food is your
comfort, not friends or family. Stock the cupboards with
comfort food and disconnect the phone.

While other writers continue to act irresponsibly -
contributing to the obesity rate by writing articles on how
to lose weight - I want to be able to sleep at night. If I
could just get Oprah and Dr. Phil to join me in writing
articles on how not to lose weight, I am sure we could put
an end to obesity.

Copyright © 2006 Hoodia Advice, LLC

----------------------------------------------------
Dan Nessel is a health and diet writer just trying to help
Americans lose weight. When Mr. Nessel is not writing
whimsical articles about a serious matter such as Obesity,
he works as a researcher for Hoodia-Advice.Org.
Hoodia-Advice.Org specializes in presenting unbiased
research and information on Hoodia Gordonii.
http://www.hoodia-advice.org