Simple Weight Loss Solutions Without Going Into Any Programs

Weight loss solutions are commonly mistaken now as those diet programs, diet pills, and exercise programs that are advertised everywhere. Now, most people think that there is no other way to lose weight than to get one of the three paid programs. There are still other solutions where people do not have to spend so much, and they can do them on their own. The following are examples of things that can help achieve fat reduction. They may have slower results, but it will not break the budget.

1. Drink Plenty of Water - one of the best solutions that most people are not aware of. Most people think that drinking lots of water is only for proper hydration of the body. It can also induce weight loss because drinking lots of water can make a person feel full, therefore they will not over eat and gain more weight.

2. Vegetables Snacks - most people get fat because they eat too much junk food between meals. Junk foods like potato chips contain too many calories and that makes people obese. One of the best solutions is substituting those junk food snacks with vegetable snacks, like vegetable salads. This will greatly help in the battle against fat. Vegetables will offer more nourishment than junk food, and will never make anyone fat no matter how many vegetables they eat. However, it is advised to use only non-fat dressings on the vegetable salad.

3. Eat slowly - Ever wondered why it is said that French people are rarely fat? They eat their food slower. It takes some time for the brain to recognize that there is already food inside the stomach. By eating slowly, the signal from the stomach will be able to reach the brain that there is already food in the stomach. The brain now can stop sending signals of hunger. This is one of the fat burning solutions that all people, regardless of weight, should practice.

4. Do Cardio Workouts - the best weight reduction exercises are cardio exercises. Compared to other kinds of exercises, cardio exercises burn the most calories. There are many forms of cardio exercises which can be done without spending too much, like running or biking. For just an hour a day, that will greatly burn down calories inside the body.

5. Avoid using oil - most oils even how healthy they claim they are contain calories. It would greatly help any weight loss solutions if the foods that are going to be eaten do not contain any kind of oil. This means that the most recommended foods are those steamed, boiled, or broiled.

Are the P90x Exercises Ideal for You?

Have you been searching for the right exercise program for yourself? Or are you tired of the one you are currently on? Is it not producing the results you were hoping for? If so, you may want to consider looking into the P90x program.

The P90x Workouts Defined

The P90x exercises were designed by personal trainer to the stars, Tony Horton. He teamed up with Beachbody CEO, Carl Daikeler, nutritionist Carrie Wyatt, creative director Ned Farr, Beachbody fitness advisor Steve Edwards; and workout video director Mason Bendewald. Together, they produced the p90x workouts. Their goal is to give the user improved physical health in 90 days. This is achieved through a scrupulous and thorough training program that comes with a nutrition and dietary plan.

The program comes in a set of 12 DVDs. It contains the following:

P90x Exercises: The P90x workouts combines cardio, strength training, yoga, stretching, and plyometrics.

Trainer: These routines are taught by Tony Horton himself together with his fitness team. They carefully guide you through the right way of doing the P90x exercises. They also give you tips on how to adjust from basic moves to the more intense levels.

Nutrition Guide: The program comes with a dietary plan to compliment the P90x workout routine.

But just like any other program, p90x requires a certain level of commitment to get the results you are hoping for. You may want to ponder on the following before purchasing:

Be prepared for a long term fitness plan. The p90x program needs your discipline for a period of 90 days. You must be determined and patient enough to get through the program. There are no shortcuts.

Are your arms and chest ready?If you are not used to having your chest, shoulders and arms worked out, then be ready for that. P90x workouts involved a lot of strength training for these specific parts. But not to worry, each routine includes effective warm up exercises as well as guidance in executing the moves.

You have to be willing to adjust your diet plan. The P90x program contains a healthy eating scheme made up of three phases or parts. It will definitely alter your daily food consumption and will take a little getting used to.

You have to be open to all kinds of exercises.Some people think that certain exercises are not meant for them. P90x involves yoga and cardio. It is helpful to keep an open mind and try these routines.

So, what effects can you expect from the p90x workouts?

Since it is a complete body workout, all your muscles will be toned and sculpted, and you will achieve a slim physique. You can now say goodbye to your baby fats and the unsightly bulges you have had problems with since forever. The p90x exercises, if followed religiously can give you the perfect beach body abs you've always dreamed of, the well - toned arms and legs you desire, and a lasting feeling of physical well- being.

Parkour Visions Summit and Talk

On August 13-15th, my friends Rafe Kelley and Tyson Cecka are hosting a parkour summit at their Seattle gym Parkour Visions. For those of you not familiar with the sport, here's a description from the Parkour Visions site:

"The essence of Parkour can be stated simply: it is the art of overcoming obstacles as swiftly and efficiently as possible using only your body. The fundamentals include running, jumping, and climbing, and we build on these fundamentals to improve our ability to pass over, under, around and through obstacles with more complex movements. Parkour is a system of fitness training that improves strength, speed, agility, co-ordination, stamina, endurance, and precision. It offers a full-body workout at any level of experience, and improves your ability to move, to harness your confidence, to change how you see the world. Parkour practitioners are called traceurs."

The summit will include seminars on strength training, injury prevention and rehab, and nutrition, as well as parkour jams, a roundtable and a dinner. I'll be giving a talk titled "Natural Eating for Sustainable Athletic Performance" on Saturday, August 14 from noon to 1:00 pm.

Registration is $40 for the whole summit. You can read a description of it here, and find a link to the registration system at the bottom of this page.

Real Food XI: Sourdough Buckwheat Crepes

Buckwheat was domesticated in Southeast Asia roughly 6,000 years ago. Due to its unusual tolerance of cool growing conditions, poor soils and high altitudes, it spread throughout the Northern latitudes of Eurasia, becoming the staple crop in many regions. It's used to a lesser extent in countries closer to the equator. It was also a staple in the Northeastern US until it was supplanted by wheat and corn.

Buckwheat isn't a grain: it's a 'pseudograin' that comes from a broad-leaved plant. As such, it's not related to wheat and contains no allergenic gluten. Like quinoa, it has some unusual properties that make it a particularly nutritious food. It's about 16 percent protein by calories, ranking it among the highest protein grains. However, it has an advantage over grains: it contains complete protein, meaning it has a balance of essential amino acids similar to animal foods. Buckwheat is also an exceptional source of magnesium and copper, two important nutrients that may influence the risk of insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease (1, 2).

However, like all seeds (including grains and nuts), buckwheat is rich in phytic acid. Phyic acid complexes with certain minerals, preventing their absorption by the human digestive tract. This is one of the reasons why traditional cultures prepare their grains carefully (3). During soaking, and particularly fermentation of raw batters, an enzyme called phytase goes to work breaking down the phytic acid. Not all seeds are endowed with enough phytase to break down phytic acid in a short period of time. Buckwheat contains a lot of phytase, and consequently fermented buckwheat batters contain very little phytic acid (4, 5). It's also high in astringent tannins, but thorough soaking in a large volume of water removes them.

Buckwheat is fermented in a number of traditional cultures. In Bhutan, it's fermented to make flatbreads and alcoholic drinks (6). In Brittany (Bretagne; Northwestern France), sourdough buckwheat flour pancakes are traditional. Originally a poverty food, it is now considered a delicacy.

The following simple recipe is based on my own experimentation with buckwheat. It isn't traditional as far as I know, however it is based on traditional methods used to produce sourdough flatbreads in a number of cultures. I used the word 'crepe' to describe it, but I typically make something more akin to a savory pancake or uttapam. You can use it to make crepes if you wish, but this recipe is not for traditional French buckwheat crepes.

It's important that the buckwheat be raw and whole for this recipe. Raw buckwheat is light green to light brown (as in the photo above). Kasha is toasted buckwheat, and will not substitute properly. It's also important that the water be dechlorinated and the salt non-iodized, as both will interfere with fermentation.

For a fermentation starter, you can use leftover batter from a previous batch (although it doesn't keep very long), or rice soaking water from this method (7).

Ingredients and Materials

• 2-3 cups raw buckwheat groats
• Dechlorinated water (filtered, boiled, or rested uncovered overnight)
• Non-iodized salt (sea salt, pickling salt or kosher salt), 2/3 tsp per cup of buckwheat
  
• Fermentation starter (optional), 2 tablespoons
  
• Food processor or blender

Recipe

1. Cover buckwheat with a large amount of dechlorinated water and soak for 9-24 hours. Raw buckwheat is astringent due to water-soluble tannins. Soaking in a large volume of water and giving it a stir from time to time will minimize this. The soaking water will also get slimy. This is normal.
   
2. Pour off the soaking water and rinse the buckwheat thoroughly to get rid of the slime and residual tannins.
3. Blend the buckwheat, salt, dechlorinated water and fermentation starter in a food processor or blender. Add enough water so that it reaches the consistency of pancake batter. The smoother you get the batter, the better the final product will be.
4. Ferment for about 12 hours, a bit longer or shorter depending on the temperature and whether or not you used a starter. The batter may rise a little bit as the microorganisms get to work. The smell will mellow out. Refrigerate it after fermentation.
   
5. In a greased or non-stick skillet, cook the batter at whatever thickness and temperature you prefer. I like to cook a thick 'pancake' with the lid on, at very low heat, so that it steams gently.
   

Dig in! Its mild flavor goes with almost anything. Batter will keep for about four days in the fridge.

Thanks to Christaface for the CC licensed photo (Flickr).

Minger Responds to Campbell

Hot off the presses: Dr. Colin Campbell's response to Denise Minger's China Study posts, and Minger's retort:

A Challenge and Response to the China Study

The China Study: My Response to Campbell

This is required reading for anyone who wants to evaluate Dr. Campbell's claims about the China Study data. Denise points out that Dr. Campbell's claims rest mostly on uncorrected associations, which is exactly what he was accusing Minger, Chris Masterjohn and Anthony Colpo of doing. He also appears to have selectively reported data that support his philosophy, and ignored data that didn't, even when the latter were stronger. This is true both in Dr. Campbell's book, and in his peer-reviewed papers. This type of thing is actually pretty common in the diet-health literature.

I respect everyone's food choices, whether they're omnivores, carnivores, or raw vegans, as long as they're doing it in a way that's thoughtful toward other people, animals and the environment. I'm sure there are plenty of vegans out there who are doing it gracefully, not spamming non-vegan blogs with arrogant comments.

As human beings, we're blessed and cursed with an ego, which is basically a self-esteem and self-image reinforcement machine. Since being wrong hurts our self-esteem and self-image, the ego makes us think we're right about more than we actually are. That can take the form of elaborate justifications, and the more intelligent the person, the more elaborate the justifications. An economic policy that makes you richer becomes the best way to improve everyone's bottom line. A dietary philosophy that was embraced for humane reasons becomes the path to optimum health... such is the human mind. Science is basically an attempt to remove as much of this psychic distortion as possible from an investigation. Ultimately, the scientific method requires rigorous and vigilant stewardship to achieve what it was designed to do.

How Healthy are Meat Substitute Products?

Good morning friends,

I was researching the "Meat" alternatives this morning and came across the Morning Farms FAQ section of their website. How could it possibly be healthier for us to transition from a meat based diet to a non meat diet and use meat substitutes like those sold by Morning Farms? The idea that I'm dealing with is about consuming a healthy diet that is better for my family and more pleasing to the Creator. What I found is that the ingredients used to make these "Meat Substitutes" are anything but more healthy.

Here is a question and answer from the Morning Farms website:

Q.  Are Morningstar arms� products  made with GMO ingredients?

A.  We recognize that some Morningstar Farms� consumers may prefer foods that do not contain biotech ingredients, so we offer Morningstar Farms� Breakfast Patties Made with Organic Soy. At this time, all of our other products contain biotech ingredients. The ingredients we use have been approved by the appropriate regulatory authorities, and all of our products comply with food labeling requirements in markets where they are sold throughout the world.

Now I am not trying to put down the Morning Farms company nor the people that currently purchase their products. What I am concerned with is the hype around the "Better for you" concept that is being spread. Is it "Better for you" to consume GMO products instead of hormone induced meats? Is it "Better for you" to replace the Meat you currently consume with these Meat Substitutes? I'm not willing to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire!

Let's look at the ingredients that are found in this new product...

Ingredients:

TEXTURED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, WHEAT GLUTEN, WATER FOR HYDRATION), CORN OIL, EGG WHITES, CALCIUM CASEINATE, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF MODIFIED TAPIOCA STARCH, ONION POWDER, MIXED TRIGLYCERIDES, CANOLA OIL, HYDROLYZED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (CORN GLUTEN, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOY PROTEIN), DEXTROSE, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SALT, YEAST EXTRACT, SUGAR, CARAMEL COLOR, WHEY*, METHYLCELLULOSE, SPICE, GARLIC POWDER, MALTODEXTRIN, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, SOY SAUCE (WATER, SOYBEANS, SALT, ETHYL ALCOHOL, WHEAT), AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, ASCORBIC ACID, THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), NIACINAMIDE, SESAME SEED OIL, SOY LECITHIN, IRON (FERROUS SULFATE), THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), VITAMIN B12.
*ADDS A TRIVIAL AMOUNT OF CHOLESTEROL.

Okay, so we can see that these are all just as processed and just as unhealthy as the ingredients found in regular processed foods. 

What am I to do? Could the answer be simply "No Meat" and "No Meat Substitutes"?

Going Vegetarian? Should we or Should we Not?

Okay, so I had a friend over for Shabbat services and we were talking Torah. She brought up the topic of how much meat is eaten and that the prophets say that the ETERNAL NEVER asked for animal sacrifices (Jer. 7). Well, it was on! I began to reference all of the scriptures that I know concerning Kashrut, animal sacrifice, the feast days and so on...Then I realized that I had heard the very same statement from another brother that came to  the Shavuot celebration. Now that was two people in less than a few months. I began to consider the thought that what I thought I knew about the will of the ETERNAL was being challenged and that I need to go into a serious study concerning this issue.

So I began...

Two weeks later, I am seriously considering the idea of removing all meat from my family's diet. Why, you ask. Didn't the ETERNAL give us clean animals to eat and sacrifices were really big "cook outs" anyway, right? The truth of the matter is that we have to consider the original diet given by the Most High. We must ask ourselves if eating meat is in the "PERFECT" or "ACCEPTABLE" will of the ETERNAL. We must consider the conditions in which animals were raised in the bible days and compare that to the factory farming of today. We must consider the commands given to Noach, Moshe and others in the Torah and why they were given. If we follow on to know the "Perfect" will of the ETERNAL, we may find that it is not in the eating of meat.

Herein lies the beginning of my search for the truth of the matter. I will follow up with a few scriptural incidences for us to consider.

For right now, I am not eating meat, although I am still eating fish, eggs and dairy. Walk with me thru my journey of discovery and let us find the conclusion of the whole matter.