The DANGERS of Splenda (do NOT use this junk)

Splenda, also known as sucralose, is an artificial, chemical sweetener.

Despite advertisements stating “Made from Sugar, so it Tastes like Sugar”, which attempt to confuse consumers...

Splenda is not natural and contains no elements of natural sugar.

Recently, a study at the University of Duke confirmed this fact. 

Not only is sucralose a heavily-processed, chemical artificial sweetener, but it's also damaging to your gut health, which goes on to affect every other aspect of your health.

Here's a direct quote from that study:

"Splenda suppresses beneficial bacteria and directly affects the expression of the transporter P-gp and cytochrome P-450 isozymes that are known to interfere with the bioavailability of nutrients. Furthermore, these effects occur at Splenda doses that contain sucralose levels that are approved by the FDA for use in the food supply.”

Did you know that over 80% of your immune system finds its home in your gut? 

In fact, there are more than 100 TRILLION living bacteria in your gut that control many aspects of your health, and due to things like the ingestion of artificial sweeteners like Splenda, most folks have created a massive bacterial imbalance in their body.

So the bottom line is DO NOT USE SPLENDA, if you need to make something sweeter use real sugar, honey or something nature made not man made.

Workouts for Last week of July

Well July is almost over and a new month is upon us, so here is whats in store for the 5:45am fitness Camp.

Tuesday- Heavy Arms and Shoulders - Steps Risers, DB and Matts
Wed- Heavy Legs - Steps Risers, DB
Thursday - Heavy Back and Chest - Stability Ball, DB
Friday- HIIT - Full body

Lets get pumped up

3 Deceptive Food Labels (watch out for these)

When it comes to food labels, manufacturers are very good at finding the loopholes in labeling laws and requirements, and subsequently very good at pulling the wool over YOUR eyes.  One such loophole is the manufacturer's ability to claim "zero" grams of fat, or zero grams of trans fat, or zero calories on the label, when in fact the product does indeed contain plenty of fat, trans fat, and/or calories.

Here's the law, and how food manufacturers get around it:

Zero grams of fat or zero grams of trans fat:  As long as the food item has less than .5g of fat or trans fat, respectively, the label does not need to claim their existence on the label.  In fact, the product can even legally market "Zero grams of fat!" or "0g of trans fat per serving!"

More on why this is a HUGE problem, and how food manufacturers deepen this loophole in just a minute.

Zero calories per serving:  As long as the food item has less than 5 calories per serving, it can be rounded down and labeled 0 calories.
   

Deepening the Loophole with Unrealistic Serving Sizes

While .5g of fat or 5 calories may not seem like a big deal, remember that these values are "per serving", and while an entire package, box, can, or bottle of a product may contain hundreds of calories and loads of fat, as long as they can divide that package into small enough servings to meet the calorie and gram requirements to claim zero, it's legal.

Legal AND deceptive as heck.

I don't know about you, but I get angry when we see food manufacturers outright LYING to consumers on their labels and in the nutrition facts.  Some of these products should change the Nutrition Facts header to "Nutrition Lies" and it'd actually be a lot more accurate.

You see, it is my oath and moral duty to provide you with honest nutrition advice and information, and as such, here are my "Top 3 Violators" of this deceptive food labeling practice.

1. Cooking Sprays and Butter Sprays - Cooking sprays are labeled as fat-free but their first ingredient is oil, which is 100% fat.  How in the world can this be?  Well, the serving size is 1/5th of a second.  What?  Last time I used a cooking spray (some of the organic ones are useful) it took about 3 seconds to lightly coat the surface of the pan.  Well, according to the manufacturer, I just used 15 servings.

Bottom line, no one uses the ridiculous and absurd microscopic 1/5th of second spray suggested serving, which isn't nearly enough product to be of practical use.

Cooking sprays aren't fat-free...they are nearly 100% fat.  In my example above, a realistic serving actually contains around 5 grams of fat and 45 calories.  A far cry from the 0 number reported on their nutrition facts.

Same goes for butter sprays, which are 90%+ fat in most cases.  For example, one popular brand of butter spray contains over 800 calories and 90g of fat per bottle, yet it's labeled as a fat-free, calorie-free product!  Yeah, right!

The serving size?  One spray.  Let's get real here...no one is using one spray, or five sprays, or 10 sprays.  In fact, twenty-five sprays equals just one teaspoon, when the servings size for regular butter is 1 tablespoon.  When you balance out the serving size to be the same as a serving of butter, you're looking at 75 sprays to get the same amount.

2.  Artificial sweeteners - Not only are artificial sweeteners bad news for you health, but they're also a top violator of "calorie free" deceptive labeling practices.  Many brands of artificial sweeteners use maltodextrin and/or dextrose (which is pure sugar) as fillers in each packet, and each packet can legally contain up to a full gram of sugar and 5 calories and still be labeled as calorie free.

I've seen people put 3 - 5 packets of this stuff in their coffee or on their cereal...hardly calorie free and even worse, maltodextrin and dextrose are two of the biggest insulin-spiking carbs around -- the entire reason people choose artificial sweeteners over sugar in the first place!


3.  Any food that contains "partially hydrogenated" oils in the ingredient list, period.  Bottom line, you should have a zero-tolerance attitude toward trans fats.  They are the most health-derailing nutrient known to man, and you should be truly consuming ZERO grams per day.

If a product claims "Zero grams of trans fat per serving", especially if they specify "per serving", they are almost always playing the serving size game and you're very likely to see partially hydrogenated oils on the list of ingredients when you flip the package over.  If so, avoid it like the plague.

5:45am Fitness Camp Schedule Week of July 22

OK here we go again
Tuesday - TABATA , Back and Biceps and Core
Wednesday - Heavy Legs
Thursday - Surprise
Friday - TABATA, Chest and Triceps and Core

Lets hit hard, sweat and get stronger

The Best Foods For Every Part of Your Body

   Today's busy, high-stress lifestyles often lead to a diet of convenience—one that's lacking in vitamins and minerals, and overloaded with sugar, fat, and calories. The result: a body that never realizes its full potential. But you can fight back with food; start today and you'll hit your peak from head to toe

Skin

   Carrots are loaded with vitamin A, which helps balance the pH of your skin's surface, making it just acidic enough to fend off harmful bacteria. Plus National Cancer Institute researchers found that people with the highest intakes of carotenoids—pigments that occur naturally in carrots—were six times less likely to develop skin cancer than those with the lower intakes.

Hair

   Low iron levels can lead to baldness, according to a Cleveland Clinic review. Researchers looked at 11 studies on the relationship between iron intake and hair loss, and concluded that treating iron deficiency may help regrow hair. Feed your mane iron-packed foods such as lean red meat, turkey, egg yolks, dried beans, dried fruit, whole grains.

Eyes

   The National Institute of Health found that people who consume the most lutein—a carotenoid found in plant foods—are 43 percent less likely to develop macular degeneration. Lutein helps filter blue light, preventing it from damaging retinal tissues. Eat two servings of greens each day. Consider one serving to be ½ cup of cooked spinach, broccoli, or brussels sprouts.

Heart

   Cornell University researchers found that eating one Red Delicious apple a day can block LDL oxidation, resulting in an 8 percent drop in levels. Bonus: Apples (and their skins) contain soluble fiber, the kind that scrubs artery walls clean. Cut one up and mix it into your oatmeal, another top source.

Muscle

   To maximize muscle growth, you need the right raw materials. Beef is the perfect muscle food because it's packed with protein, zinc, and creatine. Down a hefty portion of each with this taco-salad recipe fromMen's Health cover model Gregg Avedon:
 
   Brown ½ pound of extra-lean ground beef over medium heat. As it cooks, sprinkle it with black pepper, 2 teaspoons of chili powder, and a couple dashes of Tabasco. Place the cooked beef, one diced tomato, and 2 tablespoons of low-fat cheese over a bed of lettuce, and top with salsa.

Bones

   Bones are a lot like reclusive coworkers; until one snaps, you aren't likely to give them much thought. Drink two 8-ounce glasses of vitamin D-fortified low-fat milk every day. This provides your body with 600 milligrams (mg) of calcium and 5 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D, the perfect combination of nutrients to build break-resistant bones. Plus, in a 20-year study, U.K. researchers determined that men who drink more than 6 ounces of milk a day have half the risk of stroke of men who drink less.

Belly

   By snacking on the right foods—those that are low in sugar but rich in protein—you'll keep your metabolic furnace stoked, and be less likely to binge between meals. Have one slice of hard or semihard cheese—for instance, Cheddar, Swiss, or provolone—two or three times a day. Cheese has 7 grams of protein per slice and contains no sugar. That means it doesn't raise blood-sugar levels, so your body stays in fat-burning mode. Want an alternative? Opt for a cup of low-fat plain yogurt or a stick of beef jerky.

Manhood

   When it comes to keeping your sex sessions going long and strong, a certain amino acid known as L-Arginine may be man's best friend. "L-Arginine works like Viagra by increasing nitric oxide to help relax blood vessels and allow more blood flow to the penis," says Marrena Lindberg, author of The Orgasmic Diet. Some studies suggest that getting three grams a day could make for better erections. Many foods high in good-for-you omega 3s are also high in L-Arginine, such as free-range game, seafood, walnuts, and sesame seeds. Plus, omega 3s help your body better absorb L-Arginine, according to a study in Nutrition & Metabolism. There are no RDA guidelines for how much L-Arginine you should have, but Lindberg recommends getting your daily fix by eating omega-3 packed protein such as free-range beef and chicken, or fatty fish like salmon.
 

6 Unhealthy Restaurant Foods

Some Sugar With Your Fat?

Few people would pour themselves a half-cup of sugar and eat it for dessert. Nor would you (hopefully) sit down and gobble up five breakfast sandwiches sprinkled with 10 packets of sugar. Yet U.S. restaurants are serving the equivalents of those things every day, no matter how much bad press their woefully unhealthy offerings garner. Each year, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) releases its annual "Xtreme Eating Awards" (dis)honoring the lows to which chain restaurants will stoop to get you to buy their food.

"This year, we found the highest-calorie menu items we've ever seen," says Paige Einstein, a registered dietician with CSPI, despite the fact that the Food and Drug Administration is getting closer to finalizing calorie-labeling rules for chain restaurants. Such labeling was required as part of the 2010 healthcare overhaul, and, says Einstein, it's probably the only way people will be able to dodge nutritional landmines like this year's "honorees." Without further ado, here's the CSPI list.

1)   Johnny Rockets

Bacon Cheddar Double Cheeseburger, Sweet Potato Fries, and Big Apple Milkshake

The tally: 3,500 calories; 88 grams (g) saturated fat; 3,720 milligrams (mg) sodium; and about 1/3 cup added sugar

Lesson learned: Sit-down restaurants aren't always healthier than drive-throughs, and "sweet potato" fries are still fried potatoes, says Einstein, who notes that, at 1,770 calories, the burger alone would have you eating more calories than if you ate three McDonald's Quarter Pounders with Cheese. Also, don't drink your food: The Big Apple Milkshake includes an entire slice of apple pie blended with ice cream. "People don't register liquid calories the way they do solid food calories," she says. If you want apple pie…don't slurp it through a straw.

2)  IHOP

Country Fried Steak & Eggs

The tally: 1,760 calories; 23 g saturated fat; 3,729 mg sodium; and almost ¼ cup sugar. As CSPI puts it, the combo is equal to eating five McDonald's Egg McMuffins sprinkled with 10 packets of sugar.

Lesson learned: Combo meals are gut-busting. "An eight-ounce steak that's been breaded, deep-fried, and covered in gravy in itself would be a meal," Einstein says. Throw on two of IHOP's plate-size pancakes and a side of fried potatoes, and you may as well not eat for the rest of the day.

3)  The Cheesecake Factory

Bistro Shrimp Pasta

The tally: 3,120 calories; 89 g saturated fat; and 1,090 mg sodium

Lesson learned: Restaurant portions are unforgivingly huge. The dish has the most calories of any dish ever featured in CSPI's Xtreme Eating Awards, largely, says Einstein, because it clocks in at 3½ cups of pasta—plus toppings that include a buttery sauce and fried shrimp—when a standard serving is 1 cup. Even dividing the meal in half would still leave you with three-fourths of your daily calorie requirements. Ask your waiter if smaller portion sizes are available before you order.

4)  Smoothie King

40-ounce Peanut Power Plus Grape Smoothie

The tally: 1,460 calories and 22 teaspoons sugar (nearly ½ a cup!)

Lesson learned: Smoothies you buy at the store are nothing like the healthy smoothies you could make for yourself at home. "Most people make healthy smoothies at home, with yogurt and a little fruit," says Einstein. Not so at restaurants. This one, for instance, isn't fortified with healthy grapes but with grape juice, one of the least healthy and sugary juices out there. In fact, when you factor in the naturally occurring sugar in grape juice, the sugar content of this smoothie shoots up to 39 teaspoons, or ¾ cup of sugar—in one drink! Stick with homemade smoothies and not only will you get real fruit, but you're less likely to drink an entire blender-full in one sitting.

5)  Chili's

Full Rack of Baby Back Ribs with Shiner Bock BBQ Sauce, Homestyle Fries, and Cinnamon Apples

The tally: 2,330 calories; 45 g saturated fat; and 6,490 mg sodium (keep in mind that 1,500 mg is the recommended daily amount of sodium)

Lesson learned: Order your sauce on the side. The staggering levels of sodium in this particular meal are owed, in part, to the BBQ sauce, which, Einstein says, is a notoriously salty condiment. Another lesson? Learn to substitute. This meal comes with two calorie- and sugar-dense sides, but chains like Chili's often allow you to substitute sides, even if it's not explicitly stated on the menu.

6)  The Cheesecake Factory

Crispy Chicken Costoletta

The tally: 2,610 calories; 89 g saturated fat; and 2,720 mg sodium

Lesson learned: Don't let healthy sides lead you astray. The fact that breaded chicken (enough to serve as three meals in a normal household) are accompanied by mashed potatoes instead of fries and bright green asparagus may lead you to believe that this chicken dish can't be that bad, but it is. The serving of mashed potatoes equals three-quarters of a pound. "And the way they served it to us, there was a pool of sauce on the bottom of the plate, and everything was sitting in it," says Einstein—even that healthy asparagus!

Schedule 5:45am Fitness Camp - June 25

Tuesday - 25th. - Heavy upper body with DB and Stability Ball
Wednesday - 26th - Full Body HIIT with mat and body weight
Thursday - 27th - Legs and Core with Steps, Mat and DB
Friday - 28th - Not sure yet

In health
Arden