Top 55 high protein foods

This post is going to reveal you the top 55 high protein foods that Joel Marion and Josh recommends to eat.

This is a very nice list and I really recommend to try some of these protein sources.

Original article

Hey, it's Coach Josh and I want to talk about my Thermal Burn Technique to burn a LOT more calories during the day... through food—I’m talking about up to 30% more calories from certain foods. I'm also going to reveal my top 55 high-protein foods, so be sure to stay tuned.

As for my Thermal Burn Technique, it works like this: Nutrient-dense foods tend to be more complex. Take proteins, for instance. It takes more energy for your body to digest and use protein than it does for simpler foods like sugars. The thermic effect of protein is the highest of all foods.

After eating protein, your metabolic rate will increase by approximately 30 percent. In other words, if you eat 100 calories of protein, 30 of those will be burned just digesting and using the protein. By comparison, the thermic effect of carbohydrates is typically around 10 percent, and fat is just 5 percent.

Proteins are primarily used as our body's— building blocks. They are most abundant in animal products—lean meats, egg whites, and low-fat cottage cheese are great protein sources. (Protein is also found, to a lesser degree, in beans, nuts, and various grains for you vegetarians out there.) Proteins are found in every cell in our bodies. Our muscles, hair, skin, nails, hormones, and blood all contain protein. And protein is extremely important both to our overall immunity and health.

Protein is also an extremely important (but often overlooked) fat-loss nutrient. Why? Proteins (along with resistance exercise) actually help your body change shape by adding muscle and increasing your metabolism. Remember, the point isn’t just to lose weight. The point is to lose fat, and increase muscle.

With all is this in mind, here are my top recommended high-protein foods. Please be sure to choose grass feed beef, cage-free chicken meat and eggs, and other organic meats whenever possible to avoid hormones and other unnatural additives.



With that said, you don't have to limit your diet to just protein in order to burn belly fat fast.  In fact, you can actually eat certain "forbidden" foods to accelerate your fat loss...the key is knowing which ones to choose.

Learn which foods at this link:==> "Cheat" Foods that KILL Stomach Fat? (yes, indeed!)

Enjoy!Coach Josh
-----
Josh Bezoni
Co-Founder, BioTrust Nutrition            

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Chia seeds: powerful fat burning effect?

What if I told you that you could lose ELEVEN pounds of fat by eating only ONE spoonful of this white food on your breakfast? It may sound too good to be true but I recently went through a very interesting article from Joel Marion describing this superfood.

Joel has been a great motivator for me and helped revisit my current diet from scratch.

Now what is the name of this white food: Chia seeds! You will find below the original article from Joel along with a link to a video explaining why Chia seeds are so healthy for you.

Original article

My buddy Chad Tackett recently introduced me to a "new" superfood that can
burn up to 11 pounds of fat...

...WITHOUT making any changes to the foods you love or anything else you do!

Get the scoop on this new superfood here << Click Here

And you only need ONE spoonful of this white food on your breakfast to:

- Conquer mid-day and late-night cravings
- Control your appetite
- Boost your metabolism
- Keep you feeling fuller longer
- Control your blood sugar

Check out the new video Chad made about how to use this food here:

==> See how you can actually lose belly fat with this new superfood

Keep rockin',
Joel

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CLA: powerful fat-burning effect?

This article will share with you a video from Mike Geary's that explain what food could possibly be the MOST powerful "fatty" food that helps to boost your metabolism and flatten your stomach... It contains some VERY unique nutrients that cause a shift in your fat-burning metabolism: CLA or conjugated linoleic acid.

You will find the video link below. The video also include tips and a 21-day fat-burning plan.

http://natural.topflatbellyfood.com/?SID=21day718&lp=n

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Nuts and fat burning hormones

As you may know, nuts are very high in fat and calories. This means that your initial reflex might be to avoid them. However, this article snippet from Mike Geary's explains why nuts are very healthy and can in fact help you achieve your fat-burning goals when consumed wisely.

"Fatty flat-belly food: Nuts:  Walnuts, Almonds, Pistachios, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, Macadamias, etc --  Yes, this is yet another "fatty food" that can actually help you burn belly fat!  Although nuts are generally between 75-90% fat in terms of a ratio of fat calories to total calories, this is another type of food that is all healthy fats, along with high levels of micro-nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Nuts are also a good source of fiber and protein, which of course, you know helps to control blood sugar and can aid in fat loss.

Nuts also help to maintain good levels of fat burning hormones in your body (adequate healthy fat intake is vitally important to hormone balance) as well as helping to control appetite and cravings so that you essentially eat less calories overall, even though you're consuming a high-fat food.  My favorite healthy nuts are pecans, pistachios, almonds, macadamias, and walnuts, and by eating them in variety, you help to broaden the types of vitamins and minerals and also the balance of polyunsaturated to monounsaturated fats you obtain.

Try to find raw nuts instead of roasted nuts if you can, as it helps to maintain the quality and nutritional content of the healthy fats that you will eat.

Also, try to broaden your horizons beyond the typical peanut butter that most people eat, and try almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, or macadamia butter to add variety to your diet.

One of the little "tricks" that I've used with clients when trying to cut down body fat is to have them eat a handful of nuts such as almonds or pecans about 20 minutes before lunch and dinner.  This ends up being a perfect time to control your appetite before lunch or dinner and helps you to eat less overall calories on that meal instead of going into your meal famished and overeating."

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

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Avocados: can it improve your good cholesterol?

Here is another post that will share Mike Geary's view on super-foods such as avocados. Did you know that avocados can improve your good cholesterol? You may think of them as a high fat "fruit" but I recommend to revisit this "fatty food" and introduce it to your current diet. You will find below the original article snippet from Mike's newsletter.


"Fatty flat-belly food: Avocados -- Even though avocados are typically thought of as a "fatty food", they are chock full of healthy fats!  Not only is this fruit (yes, surprisingly, avocados are actually a fruit) super-high in monounsaturated fat, but also chock full of vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, and antioxidants

Avocados have even been shown in studies to improve your good HDL cholesterol levels.  Not only that, but including avocados on a salad increases your absorption of certain vitamins and antioxidants in the other veggies in the salad by as much as 5x or more... this is due to the healthy fats in the avocado that are necessary for the proper digestion and absorption of some vitamins and antioxidants in veggies.  So don't have a "fat-free" salad... include healthy fats like avocado and olive oil with your salad and you'll absorb MUCH more nutrients from the veggies.

Also, in my opinion, guacamole (mashed avocados with garlic, onion, tomato, pepper, etc) is one of the most delicious food toppings ever created, and you can be happy to know that it's also one of the healthiest toppings you can use on your foods.  Try sliced avocados or guacamole on burgers, eggs or omelets, on salads or with fish, or as a delicious side to just about any meal.

The quality dose of healthy fats, fiber, and micro-nutrients that you get from avocados helps your body to maintain proper levels of hormones that help with fat loss and muscle building.  Also, since avocados are an extremely satiating food, eating them helps to reduce your appetite in the hours after your meal.  Say goodbye to junk food cravings and bring on that fat burning!  I personally eat anywhere from a half to a full avocado DAILY and it only helps to keep me lean."

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

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Potatoes fat-burning secrets

This post will share with you what I learned recently from Mike Geary concerning potatoes and its health benefits. Like many, I always though potatoes were bad for me given their high glycemic index and potential to spike insulin.

Since the reading of this article, I have now added potatoes consumption on my "cheat" days.

The following article is the original transcript from Mike's newsletter and I recommend to read it fully. You will also find at the end of the article tips on how to eat LOTS of carbs and NEVER store them as fat on your body.

Original article

"Many people think they need to avoid foods like white potatoes
in order to burn off body fat.

After all, they have a high glycemic index, which means they can
spike insulin and potentially take your body out of a fat-burning
environment.

Additionally, they’re high in complex carbohydrates so people
automatically assume they need to be avoided.  This may be true
for sedentary people.

However, if you’re consistently using higher intensity exercise
you should NOT be afraid of this all-natural starchy carb.

Believe it or not, potatoes can actually be one of the best foods
to eat to get lean muscle and a flat stomach, BUT only if you use
them in a smart way.

And potatoes are a MUCH healthier form of carbohydrates than
wheat (bread, pasta, bagels, etc) because potatoes don't contain
inflammatory gluten and other anti-nutrients that wheat contains.

Here are 3 dirty little fat-burning secrets about that you probably
NEVER knew about potatoes.

#1: They fuel Glycolysis.

All natural white starches, like potatoes, contain the purest glucose molecules that fuel our “anaerobic” activity.  So if you’re using intervals, intense weight training, or ANY type of high intensity metabolic circuits, potatoes can help fuel a VERY important process called glycolysis.

This will fuel your body’s ability to more “efficiently” use other carbohydrates as energy and enhances the production of ATP (our bodies’ primary energy source).

#2: They replenish glycogen and help reset our fat burning hormones

If you constantly keep your carbs low, it will only take about 72 hours to drain glycogen levels (the energy stored inside your muscles and liver).

This is a great short term approach for fat-loss, but it can put you in a “trick bag” because you’ll suppress your fat burning hormones, which will put the brakes on your fat loss over time.

So by regularly consuming the type of starch from potatoes, you’ll help reset the fat-burning hormones that keep your metabolism “happy”.

Additionally, you’ll replenish depleted glycogen levels to sustain you with adequate energy for your workouts and living everyday life.

#3: They help promote an “anabolic” environment

When you engage in regular high intensity exercise sessions your body can release more stress hormones (cortisol) and tend to go into a catabolic state.

This can cause you to lose precious muscle tissue and slow down your metabolism (i.e. Metabolic Slowdown).

But if you’re eating more all natural white starches (from potatoes), you’ll keep your metabolism humming along and prevent muscle loss by keeping your body in an “anabolic” environment.

This is often referred to as anabolism.

Now you can probably see why I personally prefer “white” starches, like potatoes, after my workouts.

They come straight from nature and contain the purest starch and glucose polymers our bodies need to fuel anaerobic activity.

ALL of this will help you speed up recovery, control your hormones, and improve your insulin sensitivity.

Also, many times the pure amylopectin starch found in the white stuff is less problematic than a starch containing gluten or lectins that you get from whole grain / whole wheat foods. 

Another solid reason to eliminate processed grains and go with the all-natural “white stuff” if you exercise.

All of this means one thing -- potatoes can help you increase fat burning and create a healthier metabolism.

Now I know you won’t get this advice from Dr. Oz or your local personal trainer, but this is what REAL nutrition is all about.

Just make sure you always combine starches with a lean animal protein and try to eat them AFTER high intensity exercise so they can work their metabolic magic during your post workout window.

But remember, if you’re sedentary the rules change...

I recommend you limit your intake of starchy carbs if you're sedentary because your metabolism simply doesn’t need as much glucose.

However, if you’re are a hard exerciser, here are 3 simple steps you can use to eat LOTS of carbs and NEVER store them as fat on your body

=> How to eat LOTS of carbs and NEVER store them as fat (3 simple steps)"

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

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How to flatten stomach in 36 days | Fruit for fat loss? | Do you eat bacteria?‏

This post will share with you a consolidation of great articles that I got from Mike Geary's newsletter.

If you want to get aggressive with your fat loss goals this summer, be sure to check out this post about a very unique new 36-day protocol that's tested and proven to help you lose significant body fat in only 5 weeks:

How to flatten your stomach in 36 days (aggressive new protocol, super-effective)


Interesting Health Stories:

* This fruit increased fat loss after 12 weeks (study results)

* These 3 artificial-sounding ingredients are actually GOOD for you

* Beware of these TOXIC protein bars (do you eat this type?)

* Are you feasting on bacteria?

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Extra Virgin Coconut Oil healthier than Olive Oil?

This article will share with you a great post from Josh and Joel newsletter that describes the health benefits of coconut oil.

Enjoy!

Josh & Joel original article

While Extra Virgin Olive Oil has always been (and will continue to be) a staple, nutritious, go-to oil for healthy cooking, there's a new kid on the block that's getting all the attention as of late, and for good reason.

This powerhouse oil is even being touted by "celebrity" fitness gurus like Jillian Michaels and Dr. Oz for its metabolism and weightloss benefits, and even more, Hollywood celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, and Angelina Jolie are swearing by its hair, skin, and anti-aging properties!

Oh me, oh my!  What ever could this miracle oil be?

Well, before we get to that, you may be shocked to learn that this oil is 90% SATURATED FAT...and yes, by most standards it's even healthier than extra virgin olive oil.

We're talking about Extra Virgin Coconut Oil.

While Extra Virgin Coconut Oil has a higher smoke point than Olive Oil (meaning it can withstand even higher temperatures without being damaged or denatured), its most unique health and fatloss benefits come from a special type of saturated fat that is most abundantly found in coconut oil: Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs).

MCTs are a very unique form of saturated fat that have been shown to possess antioxidant and anti-microbial properties to help fight off aging as well as anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral immune benefits.

Even more, several studies have linked the consumption of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to smaller waist sizes and another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found MCTs to be THREE times more effective at raising metabolism than long-chain fatty acids.

Beyond that, coconut oil has been shown to slow digestion, increasing feelings of fullness and stabilizing blood sugar levels.  Clearly including this "super" oil as part of your nutrition plan carries many benefits and is a win-win all around.

But the type of coconut oil that you choose is very important, as some coconut oils are BAD NEWS for your health (such as hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated coconut oil).

By far, the purest form of coconut oil is Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, and the top researchers and experts recommend 2 - 4 tablespoons daily.  The easiest way to get your daily quota of this super fat is to use coconut oil in cooking as you would olive oil or any other oil, in baking, and you can even mix it in your fat-burning protein shakes.

Enjoy that advice?  Then you'll LOVE this:

==> FLATTEN your belly with this incredibly simple 30 second trick

To your success!

Josh & Joel         

-------
Josh Bezoni & Joel Marion
Co-Founders, BioTrust Nutrition      

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#1 Metabolism-Boosting Tip for Women

This post is to share a tip I saw from Joel Marion's newsletter. It is essentially a tip for women only that wish to boost their metabolism.

This video lesson will show you a brand new, powerful  metabolism-boosting tip designed specifically to help women lose weight FAST where they need to most.

Find below the link to access the video.

## The Venus Factor
http://www.venusfactor.com/welcome/vid

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The #1 Thing People Do Wrong to Lose Fat‏

I came into an interesting article from Steve & Becky Holman recently regarding the #1 thing people will do wrong to lose fat.

Probably some of you guessed it: starving yourself! Unless you follow a very specific diet plan that also include "cheat" days, starving yourself will shutdown your metabolism and gives you little hope of achieving your fat loss goals.

Find below the article. I recommend that you visit Steve & Becky Holman web site for more tips and tricks on training, fat loss and nutrition.

Original article

When most people make the commitment to lose body fat and get in shape, what's the first thing they do? Many cut their eating drastically, sometimes skipping meals altogether. Don't do it….

Why is that bad? Your body goes into starvation mode and begins preserving body fat and burning muscle. The result is a metabolism crawling along at a snail's pace. Here's a quote from our colleague, Jerry Brainum, a respected nutrition researcher who knows...

“[On only 500 calories a day], it's impossible to get sufficient protein on that level of daily calories. I used to see a trainer who worked with only women. He put every one of his clients on the same 500-calorie-a-day diet plan. They all lost weight, and a lot of it. But the weight they lost was nearly all lean mass [muscle]. You could tell, since even the younger women showed saggy skin, facial wrinkles (caused by excess loss of protein in the skin needed to support skin structure, i.e., collagen and elastin). Of course, since their resting metabolic rate dropped to nothing, they all gained the weight back, and looked far fatter later. The 'Oprah syndrome.' This trainer made a fortune, driving fancy cars, and even had a long-running infomercial. But he was a total fraud who knew nothing, and even worse, seriously endangered the health of those who payed him to help them.”

Heed his warning. Don't fall for the severe-calorie-reduction myth if you want to lose FAT. If you just want the numbers on the scale to go down, it will work, but you will look and feel worse (skinny-fat is not healthy, and you look older).

The key is four to six PROTEIN-charged meals a day--and eating clean MOST of the time. Plus, you must keep working out to build muscle so your metabolism stays stoked.

Train smart, be well, live long.

Steve & Becky Holman
Editor in Chief & Nutrition/Lifestyle contributor, Iron Man Magazine
Co-creators of Old School New Body and the NEW e-book Midsection Makeover

http://www.SteveAndBeckyHolman.com

P.S.: PROTEIN KEEPS YOU LEAN--The research shows without a doubt that eating protein at most meals will keep your metabolism running white hot so you dump more body fat. A convenient way to get enough is with all-natural BioTrust LowCarb protein powder. We mix it into our oatmeal or stir a scoop into a glass of water to drink with meals that are lacking sufficient protein. It's all-natural whey-casein protein from grass-fed cows--and you can get it at 20 PERCENT OFF, as well as all BioTrust products, today only. Use coupon code freedom20 at checkout for 20 percent off your ENTIRE order (we also suggest their probiotic supplement, Pro-X10). Go HERE <==

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Natural oil for Alzheimers disease

This week I received a very interesting email from Mike's Geary newsletter discussing about some natural oils that can help the Alzheimers disease. It essentially involves the usage of  organic coconut oil (Extra Virgin Unrefined and Organic Coconut Oil).

I highly recommend that you go through the entire article since this new discovery is looking promising for potential future Alzheimer's  cures.

The complete and original article can be found from The Alternative Daily.

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20 rules to get lean in 2013

Today's post will share an old consolidation paper from Mike Geary that provides 20 tips and rules on how to get lean in 2013. Mike's recommendations have been quite useful for my health and diet since the last few years.

You will find below links to great articles that I highly recommend you to read.

The top 20 "food rules" to get lean for life

3 Foods that boost your brain power

11 Ways that "whole wheat" harms your body (digestion issues, acne, brain fog, blood sugar, and more)

Foods that kill you slowly vs foods that HEAL you

2 powerful tips that will change your life

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Black tea – 2012 season now begin

This is to inform you that the 2012 tea season is just about to begin! India produces some of the best Black teas in the world. The spring harvest of the Darjeeling region is one of my favorites which produces very tasty and healthy black teas with a mild and fruity after taste.

What is so special about the spring harvest?

The spring harvest is produced from the younger leaves which means more concentration of anti-oxidants, caffeine and theanine and minimal concentration & absorption of local contaminants (pollution).

From my personal experience, spring harvest produces the best teas with some exceptions of summer harvest for some Oolong teas that I will share with you in future articles.

What I’m proposing to you is a weekly review of 2012 black teas from the spring harvest so please stay tuned for weekly articles.

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Green tea health benefits

This article is the first of a series that I will dedicate to green tea and its amazing health benefits. I have been drinking green tea for about 2 years now and I will share with you everything that I learned: best teas to buy, my personal experience and preparation techniques.

The 2012 tea season is just about to start so please stay tune for regular posts on this topic!

A little piece of history

Green tea is made from the plant Camellia sinensis and originates from China (~ 4000 thousands years ago). It is widely consumed in Asia countries but its popularity in America has been on the rise since the last 10 years following more and more evidence of powerful positive health benefits.

Green tea vs. black tea

As you will learn, there are several types of tea available:

-        Green tea

-        Black tea

-        Oolong tea

-        White tea

-        Pu-Er tea

All the above teas originate from the same Camelia sinensis plant; the differences are in the oxidation technique used by the producers. For example, green tea is not oxidized at all vs. black tea which has oxidation level between 80% - 100% depending of its origin and time period of production. The oxidation level has a direct effect on the tea taste, texture and key nutriments ratio (caffeine, polyphenols, L-theanine).

You will learn how to appreciate all of those but for now let’s review the health benefits of green tea.

Why is green tea not oxidized?

Green tea produces (China, Japan, India...) typically apply heat on the fresh leaves which removes any possbility of oxidation. This is the most important aspect of green tea as it preservers its high anti-oxidant properties. Please note that other teas such as Black tea & Oolong tea also have their own health benefits as you will learn from my future articles so my recommendation to you is to try to appreciate all types of teas with an increased focus on green tea.

Health benefits

Green tea has gained significant popularity these days due to its amazing health benefits:

-        Lower risk of developing heart disease

-        Lower risk of developing certain types of cancer (green tea is a powerful anti-oxidant)

-        Polyphenols and caffeine can increase your metabolic rate and stimulate fat oxidation (can help you lose weight when combined with healthy habits)

-        Can be effective in lowering LDL cholesterol levels (bad cholesterol)

The primary compounds responsible for such health benefits are called catechin polyphenols; particularly epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which are found in high concentration in green tea.

Green tea journey

Now that you understand green tea’s health benefits and what it can do for you, it is now time to experience it! The next article will provide you a green tea buying guide based on my own experience.

Please share your personal experience and recommendations on green tea.

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Cinnamon - can it help reverse diabetes?

This article will share with you what I learned recently regarding cinnamon; an amazing spice with great health benefits along with some potential future use to combat type 2 diabetes.
 
I'm a close follower of Mike Geary's newsletter. Mike is an expert in fitness and overall nutrition and is one of the reasons of my recent interest in better eating habits and why I decided to create and share this Blog with you. I highly recommend his books!

Cinnamon health benefits is again something that Mike brough to my attention via his newsletter and I really thank him for his hard work and passion in this domain.

Cinnamon - what is it?

Cinnamon is a sweet and quite tasty spice found mainly from South East Asia. It is a very old spice and you are very likely familiar with it as it is the primary spice used in foods such as apple pies and buns! What you probably don't know is the impressive list of health benefits of cinnamon and how it can help controlling your weight and blood sugar level.

Cinnamon Health benefits - another superfood?

Cinnamon is known to provide you the following health benefits below:

•          Anti-Clotting and Anti-Microbial properties

•          Consuming cinnamon right before / with a high carb meal can help reduce impact on your blood sugar levels. This is due to the fact Cinnamon slows the foods absorption of your foods in your stomach (up to 37% reduction based on some research)

•          May improve the effectiveness of your body insulin response (very good news for type 2 diabetes individuals)

•           Its calcium and fiber can improve your colon and heart health (positive effect on your cholesterol)

• Cinnamon's scent may also boosts your brain function (good news for cognitive related diseases)

Why is cinnamon helpful in controlling blood sugar level?

Eating a meal high in carb triggers an insulin response by your body in order to keep your blood sugar level under control. For diabetes individuals, either their body does not produce enough insulin, produces no insulin, or has cells that do not respond properly to the insulin the pancreas produces. You can access the full report (video) below:
http://www.diabetesreversed.com/presentation.php?subid=geary_diabetes

Cinnamon can help by both controlling surge of sugar level due to reduced meal absorption along with an increase ability for your body to respond to insulin.

Some people believe and even suggest that it can reverse diabetes type 2. However, current positive studies appear to have been small and larger trials will be required to confirm such findings with an increase confidence level.

What can cinnamon do for a non diabetes individual?

Keeping your sugar level under control is also important in order to reduce risk of developing type 2 diabetes (along with good long term eating habits). Also, your body fat burning machine is typically turned OFF in presence of insulin so adding cinnamon from time to time (especially when you are expecting a carb heavy meal) before a meal may help keep down these insulin surges and maintain your body in its "fat burning" state for longer periods of time during the day.

My experience and tips

I personally enjoy cinnamon taste very much. Adding cinnamon in a cup of coffee or green tea (instead of sugar) is one way to consume more cinnamon and my current preferred choice.

Please share your experience with cinnamon, the effect on your body and recipes.

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Curcuma - Powerful anti-cancer ally?

One of the key goals to eat better is not only to promote weight loss and overall better health but also to help reduce risk of major health problems such as cancer. This is why I will also research on this subject and create a "cancer fighting foods" section from this Blog.

This article will share with you what I learned with regarding curcuma, especially turmeric (Curcuma longa), a spice with promising cancer fighting properties.

Curcuma - what is it?

Curcuma is basically a genus of many species in the plant family Zingiberaceae. It is actually from the same plant family of ginger (another healthy spice).

The turmeric plant appears to be one of the curcuma species that has been more studied recently for its anti-cancer capabilities. It is mainly used as a spice in curry (to give curry a spicy taste and yellow-orange color) and consumed in Asian countries such as India.

Health benefits

Turmeric has been used and harvested as far as 5,000 years ago in countries like India, China as a spice but also as an overall digestive tonic. Turmeric is believed to have anti-inflammatory (reducing inflammation in your body should always be a goal) and antioxidant (very important to protect your body and cells against free radicals, which can damage your cells and lead to cancer) effects.

Curcumin is believed to be the primary agent responsible for turmeric's yellow-orange color and its health benefits:

•           Early research suggest turmeric can keep several kinds of cancers from growing or spreading

•           Strong antioxidant effect that can reduce risk of cancer but also protect the brain, liver (detoxification effect), and other key organs from damage by toxic substances such as drugs, radiation, excessive alcohol, heavy metals etc.

•           Anti-inflammatory effect (useful to treat or prevent diseases such as arthritis, IBS etc.)

•           Can help your digestive system due to its strong by reducing inflammation (has been shown to help reduce and health stomach ulcers)

•           Can help protect your cardiovascular system by preventing the oxidation of cholesterol which can lead to blood vessel damage. Turmeric can also help reduce your "bad" cholesterol level

•           Some research also suggest turmeric may help protect against Alzheimer's (neurodegenerative) disease. Alzheimer rate is very low for example in countries such as India.

As you can see, the list of curcuma health benefits is very impressive, especially regarding cancer prevention and its overall healing & anti-inflammation effects.

How to use

I'm planning to purchase curcuma very soon and share my experience. For now, find below information and ideas I found regarding how to select and consume curcuma (turmeric powder).

•           If possible, use organically grown turmeric (reduced risk that the herb has been irradiated)

•           Pure turmeric powder is recommended vs. curry powder (pure turmeric powder has the highest concentration of curcumin)

•           Turmeric powder is typically used in Indian foods. You can add it to your rice, soup etc. for an increased taste and color

•           Another interesting idea is to add turmeric powder to any healthy (homemade if possible) vegetable dip (this is very likely how I will first try turmeric)

Please share your experience of curcuma, the effect on your body and recipes.

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Ginger - Surprising health benefits

Ginger is a very common spice that you are likely familiar with. This spice has been used for thousands of years in Asia for its medicinal properties. I personally enjoy it very much when eating sushi or when used as an ingredient for a general Tao sauce for example.

What I did not know is that this spice also provides some very unique health benefits.

Known Health Benefits

The primary known health benefits of ginger are as per below:

•           Help and support your overall digestion

•           Increase your energy level

•           Can help in gas relieve and reduce nauseas

•          Can help in reducing inflammation (foods which help reduced your body inflammation is always preferred)

•           Can stimulate your blood circulation

•           Ginger powerful oils (gingerols and shogaol) have healing properties

Ginger effect on your fat cells

What I found actually the most interesting with ginger is that recent research is showing that it can help burn fat by reducing the number of fat cells produced by your body.

Apparently, this is due to ginger components 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol which help increase your level of adiponectin in your blood. Adiponectin is a key protein hormone in your body important in glucose regulation and to break down your fat cells (in order for your body to use fat as energy). For example, obese individuals have lower level of adiponectin in their level which make it harder for them to lose fat.

How to increase your ginger consumption

The simplest way I found to increase my consumption of ginger is to make some tea! You simply need to cut about 3-5 pieces of ginger then add hot water on top. The taste is pretty good too!

My experience and observations

My initial observation after a cup of pure ginger tea is increased stamina and blood flow.

Please share your experience with ginger and its overall effect on your body.

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Coconut - Health benefits finally exposed?

While doing research on healthy fats and oils, I found several articles and Web sites praising the health benefits of coconut; especially coconut oil and how it can do wonders for your body and your health.

This article will share with you what I learned on coconut oil and why and how I decided to include it in my diet.

Coconut oil - history recap

Coconut is mainly found in tropic and sub tropic areas and produced in bigger quantify in countries such as Philippine, Vietnam, India etc. Coconut oil was consumed in bigger quantity in US a few decades ago (along with butter, animal fat etc.) but then got bad press due to its high saturated fat content, which has been linked generally as bad for your heart and arteries. Such bad press did trigger people to switch to other available cooking oils such as vegetable unsaturated  oils (corn, sunflower, canola, olive etc.).

Coconut oil saturated fat - valid concern or not?

Coconut oil is quite high in saturated fat (90%+ of fat content is saturated) which was (still is) originally a source of health concern. However, recent research has demonstrated that not all saturated fat have a negative effect on your cholesterol level (bad cholesterol). Recent researches has in fact shown that coconut oil can actually increase your "good" cholesterol level and reduce level of "bad" cholesterol.

If you are like me and learning all this for the first time then I'm sure that you will be confused given the different and conflicting sources of information that are available to us out there.

Raw virgin coconut oil is what appears to be healthy since it is composed mainly of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) which are easily digested and absorbed by our digestive system.

This oil is also very stable at high temperature which makes it a perfect candidate for cooking vs. other polyunsaturated oil which are unstable under heat and can trigger increased inflammation in your body.

Health benefits summary

The list of health benefits is quite impressive and explained by the various fat & acid compounds found in coconut oil including poly-phenols, vitamin E, K and iron.

•            Improved and increased metabolism (can help achieve your weight loss goals)

•            Good for your heart due to positive impact on your cholesterol and arteries

•          Very stable and healthy oil for cooking (reduced inflammatory risk)

•         The saturated fat may have some anti microbial properties. Its various acid compounds may also help improve your immune system

•            Can also help your hair and skin

Virgin coconut oil - my experience

I purchased this week my first bottle of virgin coconut oil. My goal right now is to use it mainly as a replacement for my other vegetable oils and monitor the effect on my body

As you can see, the composition of coconut oil is solid which is normal since its melting temperature is 24 degrees Celsius.

My first impressions:

•           Delicate and pleasant taste (quite tasty when used on bread instead of butter)

•            So far works great for cooking of any meat, vegetables, eggs etc.

•            I did notice a mild  increased blood flow effect after eating a bigger quantity (1 tablespoon) which may be due to its increased metabolism effect

I will keep you posted on my future observations.
Please feel free to post any comment or share your experience with coconut oil.

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Sardines: Superfood?

This article will share what I learned recently regarding Sardine, its impressive health benefits and why it could be considered a "superfood".

Now, before you say "Yurk, I don't want to eat Sardines!" please read below the nutrition facts regarding this small fish and what it can do for your health.

Sardine - what is it?

You can get the complete definition of a sardine from Wikipedia but essentially it is a small and oily fish that was named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. The actual name of this fish may depend of where you live. For example, in Quebec, Canada, where I live, the sardines that I buy originate from New Brunswick saltwater (North Atlantic Ocean).

Why so healthy?

Find below the nutrition facts from sardines I purchased recently.

Probably the most important nutrition aspect of Sardines is that they contain a lot of healthy Omega-3 fat. Omega-3 fat is now more and more recognized globally as an oil that may:

• Decrease risk of heart disease

• Decrease inflammatory processes within your body (very important to reduce risk of artery plaque build-up)

• Decrease bad cholesterol and increase the good one

• Can also help you in your fat loss goals

• And the list goes on...(I will get back on Omega-3 via separate articles once I do more research)

Sardines also contain a lot of muscle-building protein (amino acids), quite important as well. Also, since most sardines are canned with their soft bones, you also get a lot of vitamin D & calcium which is quite important for your bone health. Sardines also contain vitamin B12, E, iron and potassium.

Now you may wonder, "other fishes too have Omega-3, protein etc. so again why Sardines?". Another important point is the toxic contamination these days found in fish. This is particularly a concern for big fishes such as Tuna since they can live long enough to accumulate higher amount of toxic substances such as mercury. Sardines are low in the food chain which means they tend to contain much lower level of mercury. 

Bottom line, you get all the benefits of fish oil (Omega-3) and more with much lower level of contaminants so no surprise this little fish is getting all that good press these days... 

Sardines - my experience

I started to consume  sardines about 2 weeks ago and one positive side effect I can feel on my body after a meal is increased blood flow. I did some research on this and this may be due to the Omega-3 which is known to improve the blood flow by opening up the blood vessels. This may also be due to the vitamin B12 which is known to increase energy and metabolism rate. Also, after a sardines meal, I don't feel the need to eat any junk food or refined sugar. My current target is to eat sardines about 3-4 times per week.

My only problem right now with sardines is the taste but the solution I found so far is to add a lot of lemon juice on top. I'm hoping that sardines will become an "acquired taste" soon.

Please feel free share your experience of eating sardines, the effect on your body and recipes.

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