Metabolism Mastery

Calories In vs. Calories Out

To positively change the composition of your body (decrease fat, increase lean muscle) you have to know how to play the game of numbers. If you burn more calories than the calories you take in each day you will lose weight, this is called creating a caloric deficit. It is the only way to lose fat.  If you do the opposite, take in more calories than what you burn, then you will gain weight.

Too much of anything gets stored as fat – even if you’re eating nothing but healthy, supportive foods. If you eat too many of them, your body will still store the extra calories as fat. Even though this appears to be a simple concept, don’t be fooled. The caloric deficit must be kept small for you want to maintain lean muscle and only lose fat weight. This strategy allows you to keep a high metabolism while at the same time transforming the shape of your body.

If calories are severely reduced, your body thinks you are starving and sets into motion a series of metabolic and hormonal events, which ultimately leads to muscle loss and a slower metabolism. Even more tragic, skipping meals and starving yourself causes your body to increase the level of fat storing enzymes so you are actually teaching your body to become efficient at storing fat!

Originally posted 2009-10-04 15:07:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

by Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN
Author, Eating for Energy

Today we’re going to look at 3 amazing types of edible seaweed. As I mentioned yesterday’s post, the health benefits of sea vegetables are absolutely ridiculous and now we’re going to learn some more specifics relating to dulse, kelp, and nori.

Dulse

Dulse is a seaweed highly rich in iodine, iron, and calcium.

It can easily be added to salads and soups as it makes a great seasoning. Because of its sodium content it can also a replacement to table salt.

Kelp

Another great alternative to salt, kelp is usually used in smaller quantities because of its potent mineral content and strong flavour.

It has some protein and is rich in iodine, calcium, potassium, and many of the B vitamins. Kelp is other high in disease-fighting phytonutrients such as fucosterol, vanilin, and lutein.

Nori

Nori is probably the most common seaweed as it the one used to make sushi. It is very high in protein (nearly 50% protein content), fiber, vitamin A, calcium, iodine, iron, and phosphorus.

Because it comes in sheets, nori is easiest to use when making wraps (instead of using wheat-based or lettuce wraps).
Seaweed Recipes

Now that we’ve looked at some common types of sea vegetables, I want to give you some ideas as to how to use them. Here are recipes from our Total Wellness Cleanse to get you started.

Winter Squash Kelp Soup

One 5″–6″ piece of kelp
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium winter squash, cubed (about 1 quart)
1 small handful parsley, chopped
Fresh ground black pepper

1. Lightly rinse kelp

2. In a soup pot, cover kelp with water and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Remove and cut the kelp into small pieces.

4. Return to the pot with the onion and squash; add water to cover.

5. Simmer for 20–30 minutes until squash is soft, or pressure cook for 5–10
minutes. Puree soup is desired. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Avocado Sea Wrap

1 avocado, cut into lengthwise strips
1 small handful alfalfa sprouts
¼ cucumber, julienned
1-2 Nori sheets leaves, rinsed and carefully unfolded
Juice of ½ lemon
1-2 tbsp olive oil

1. Lay the avocado strips, alfalfa sprouts, and cucumber inside the 2. Drizzle some lemon juice and olive and roll to make a wrap.

There are plenty of ways to incorporate edible seaweeds into your diet. Besides recipes like these ones, the easiest way is just to sprinkle them on your salads and soups as seasoning. Then, if you want to get more fancy, you can give some elaborate (yet simple) seaweed-based recipes a shot.

Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN
Author, Eating for Energy

Originally posted 2009-09-13 21:43:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

“I Control Nothing…I Manage Everything’ – Jon Benson Author of M-Power Audio Series

Originally posted 2009-10-10 12:37:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Most of us who live with animals know that foods that are dangerous for dogs, chocolate,  and dogs do not mix. But there are  many other harmful foods lurking in our pantries and fridges – seemingly innocent vegetables, fruits, and other edibles that may be delicious to us, but are dangerous, and even deadly, to our dogs.

To learn more about what foods are and aren’t safe for dogs to share with us, we consulted veterinary nutritionist Joan Weiskopf, author of Pet Food Nation: The Smart, Easy, and Healthy Way to Feed Your Pet Now (Collins). A breeder of champion Bedlington terriers, Weiskopf is a font of information on the subject of what foods are and aren’t safe for dogs to eat, and has a thriving business consulting by telephone with clients about individual canine diets.

Please continue reading…

Originally posted 2009-09-15 14:35:58. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Prograde Nutrition’s BIG Back-to-School Sale

It’s that time of year. Summer is over. We’re all back from vacation. The kids are back at school. And people everywhere are ramping their fitness program back up.

To make those fitness efforts easier than ever my buddies over at Prograde Nutrition are having an enormous sale. This week only you can get 10% off ALL of their powerful products. Yes, the very same ones I use and have been telling you about.

All the details, including the EXACT time it expires this Friday, can be found right here:

Prograde Nutrition’s Back To School Sale

Your partner in health, fitness and weight loss,

Phil Bray

PS – By the way, Prograde Nutrition’s products are notoriously delicious. You definitely want to take advantage of this BIG sale in a BIG way.

With Thanksgiving just two short weeks away, you’re probably thinking about holiday cooking. At EWG, we are too. So we put together this month’s Healthy Home Tip to help you find safer cookware.

We think you should be able to cook a meal without the risk of filling your kitchen with toxic fumes. Don’t you?

Learn about non-stick cookware — why it’s toxic and how to clear the air in your kitchen.

Visit our Healthy Home Tips page to learn:

• Why you should skip the non-stick;
• How to cook with non-stick if you’re stuck with it;
• What safer cookware to choose;
• Other ways people are exposed to PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals).

Talk to you in a month when we discuss our next Healthy Home Tip: Your healthy holiday kitchen.

Thanks for reading!

Environmental Working Group

P.S. Interested in safer cookware for Thanksgiving? Order it at Amazon using this link, and a portion of your purchase will go to EWG!