The Healthies Condiments and Worst

With processed refined soybean oil as the main ingredient in most mayos, there's NOTHING healthy about mayonnaise. It causes internal inflammation and harms your omega-6 to omega-3 balance with excess omega-6 fats. Tartar sauce has the same issues as mayo. If you can find a mayo made with 100% olive oil instead of soybean oil, this would actually be a healthy choice.


Ketchup? Not quite...

Yes, ketchup is made from tomatoes so it does contain the beneficial nutrient lycopene. Unfortunately ketchup has a high % of sugar, and most brands are made with nasty high fructose corn syrup. Not good. Hey, I'm a ketchup lover myself, but I just try to keep the quantity small to minimize the sugar intake.


Barbeque Sauce? Nope...
BBQ sauce is actually worse than ketchup because it has higher levels of sugar or HFCS and lower levels of actual tomato. Strike 3 with BBQ sauce.


Salad Dressing? Not most store brands...
As you know from this salad dressing article of mine, there's not much healthy about most store bought salad dressings...most contain HFCS and soybean oil or unhealthy canola oil as the main ingredients.
Most "fat-free" salad dressings are simply loaded with extra sugar. Plus, remember that you need a good fat source to go with your salad to help absorb the vitamins and minerals in your veggies, so fat-free dressing is not a good option. Even most salad dressing brands that claim to be "made with olive oil" only have small amounts of actual olive oil, while unhealthy soybean or canola oils are main oils used. Instead, follow my healthy salad dressing recipe if you want a lean healthy body.


So, what are the top 5 healthiest condiments?
Below, I give you my top 5 picks for the healthiest condiments for a lean healthy body. Sure, there might be a few others not on this list that are also healthy, but these are my top 5 picks:


1. Mustard
That's right... mustard is absolutely one of the healthiest condiments! First, it has no added sugar. Also, mustard seed itself is a source of powerful antioxidants. In addition to the antioxidants in the mustard seed, most yellow mustards also contain turmeric (one of the healthiest anti-cancer spices) and paprika, which both contain powerful antioxidants as well!


2. Guacamole
I know, I know... when do I ever stop talking about avocados and guacamole. Sorry, it's one of my favorite foods, and I eat avocados or guac just about every single day. At this point, I don't think I need to explain why Gauc is healthy, as I think everybody knows this by now... but a quick recap: lots of healthy fats (that satisfy your appetite and regulate hormone balance), lots of fiber, and plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
And creamy guac just makes anything taste better! I put it on eggs, on burgers, on chicken or fish, or just eat it with veggie sticks. If you buy pre-made guac from the store, just be sure to check the ingredients and make sure it doesn't have added trans fats or other artificial ingredients. But it's so simple and fast to make fresh guac, I don't know why anybody would buy pre-made guac.


3. Salsa
Although ketchup was on the unhealthy list due to the sugar content, salsa makes the super healthy list as it almost never has added sugars if you get a good brand. Salsa is mostly just vegetables so it's hard to go wrong. I like it on my morning eggs for variety sometimes. I also like to mix salsa half and half with guac for a delicious party treat!
And if you're a ketchup lover and want to reduce your sugar intake, just try salsa instead for a much healthier option. Trust me... salsa on a burger is just as delicious as ketchup on a burger.
Just remember that the corn chips that people generally cram down their throats with salsa are NOT even close to healthy. Corn chips are almost always fried in a heavily refined omega-6 oil such as corn or soy oil, and are inflammatory. Plus, most corn used for corn chips is genetically modified. Organic corn chips are a small step in the right direction (this ensures it's not GMO corn), but I'd still try to keep the quantity small if you're going to eat corn chips with salsa.


4. Hummus
Hummus is mostly just chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon, and olive oil, and is easily one of the healthiest condiments or as a separate snack by itself.
The main thing to look for when buying a good hummus is to make sure it's made with olive oil and NOT soybean or canola oil. Unfortunately most brands use cheap soy or canola oil, but if you're a label reader, it's easy to find a brand that uses solely olive oil.
One of my favorite snacks is just veggie sticks with hummus. However, hummus is also a delicious condiment to go with sandwiches, on top of meat dishes, etc.


5. Pesto
Pesto is generally a mashed mix of garlic, pine nuts, basil, olive oil, and grated cheese. It's a great source of healthy fats and also powerful antioxidants, mostly from the garlic and basil, but to some extent from the pine nuts and olive oil too.
Pesto goes incredibly well with sandwiches, on meat dishes, or surprisingly, even on eggs.
There's one more condiment we didn't cover yet that you might be wondering about...


What about hot sauce? Actually, hot sauce is fairly healthy. Most hot sauces don't have added sugars. And the hot peppers are actually good for you too and could even cause a slight and temporary metabolism increase. The only drawback to most hot sauces is a moderately high sodium content. But unless you go nuts with loads of hot sauce on every meal, the sodium content in hot sauce will not be an issue.


So now that you know 5 of the healthiest condiments, don't be afraid to indulge next time you need one of these tasty additions to your meal.

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Are Fatty Foods Good to Lose Belly Fat?

At this point, the anti-fat propaganda has died and almost everybody understands by now that eating fat doesn't necessarily make you fat. In fact, it's absolutely imperative to get enough healthy fats in your diet to keep your hormones balanced, blood sugar under control, and prevent cravings. Here are 7 examples of "fatty" foods that can actually HELP you to get lean...
1. Super Dark Chocolate (at least 72% cacao content or higher) - It might not be a secret anymore, but yes, dark chocolate (NOT milk chocolate) can be a very healthy food, even though it is technically calorie dense.

However, I would contend that dark chocolate can actually HELP you to burn off more body fat if you're the type of person that has a sweet tooth and likes to eat a lot of desserts. In this case, just 1 or 2 small squares of dark chocolate can many times satisfy your sweet tooth for only 30 or 40 calories as opposed to 500 calories for a piece of chocolate cake or a piece of pie.


Also some brands of dark chocolate that are in the mid 70's in % cacao content or higher, can have a fairly high ratio of fiber content (I've seen some brands have 5 grams of fiber out of 15 grams of total carbs per serving), and relatively low sugar content compared to the amount of healthy fats. In fact, that's one of the "tricks" I use to select a good quality chocolate... I look for more total fat than total carbs (or about the same number of grams of each).


The importance of that fact is that it means many dark chocolates will not greatly affect your blood sugar and will have a fairly blunted blood sugar response compared to other "sweets".


In addition, dark chocolate is also very rich in healthful antioxidants, including a powerful compound called theobromine which has been shown to help lower blood pressure and have other health benefits. The fat content in a good dark chocolate should come solely from the natural healthy fats occuring in cocoa butter and not from any other added fats. Any chocolates with added fats or other additives will generally not be as healthy.


The reason I say to choose dark chocolates with at least 72% cacao content is that the higher the % of cacao, the lower the % of sugar. However, this does mean that any chocolate over 80% cacao content will generally start to get a more bitter taste and have very little sweetness. If you like this type of taste, then the higher % cocao, the better. Otherwise, a good 75% dark chocolate is in my opinion an almost perfect combination of lightly sweet with a rich chocolate taste. Just remember to keep those daily quantities of chocolate small as it is calorie dense!


You can also reap the benefits of the antioxidants and fiber without all of the calories by using organic unsweetened cocoa powder in your smoothies or other recipes.


2. Coconut milk, coconut flour, and coconut oil -- Coconut milk and oil are great sources of a super healthy type of saturated fat called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), including a component called lauric acid, which is a powerful nutrient for your immune system, and is lacking in most western diets. In addition, MCTs are readily used for energy by the body and less likely to be stored as bodyfat compared to other types of fats.

Along with coconut milk and coconut oil as healthy fat choices, we've also got coconut flour as a healthier flour option for baking. Coconut flour is an extremely high fiber flour alternative (almost ALL of the carbs in this flour are fiber and not starch!). Coconut flour is also VERY high in protein compared to most flours and is also gluten free!


Just beware that if you're going to use coconut flour for baking, it absolutely NEEDS to be mixed with other flours as it sucks up moisture like crazy... I've made delicious baked goods by mixing coconut flour with almond flour and quinoa flour in equal parts, and adding slightly more liquid ingredients than the recipe calls for.


3. Grass-fed (pasture-raised) butter -- yes, delicious smooth and rich BUTTER (real butter, not deadly margarine!)... It's delicious, contains loads of healthy nutritional factors, and does NOT have to be avoided in order to get lean. In fact, I eat a couple pats of grass-fed butter daily and maintain single digit bodyfat most times of the year.

There's a lot of confusion about this topic... in fact, I just saw a TV show today that was talking about unhealthy foods and one of the first things they showed was butter. It just shows that the majority of the population has zero idea that butter (grass-fed only!) can actually be a healthy part of your diet.


In fact, there's even ample evidence that REAL butter can even help you to lose body fat for a couple of main reasons:


a. Grass-fed butter is known to have high levels of a healthy fat called CLA, which has been shown to have anti-cancer properties, and also has been shown to help burn abdominal fat and build lean muscle.


b. Grass-fed butter also has an ideal balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids (unlike conventional grain-fed butter) which helps fight inflammation in your body, and can help balance hormones.


c. The healthy fats in grass-fed butter also contain MCTs, which help to boost your immune system and are readily burned by the body for energy. The healthy fats in grass-fed butter also help to satisfy your appetite and control blood sugar levels, both of which help you to stay lean!


If you have a hard time finding a grass-fed butter at your grocery store, Kerrygold Irish butter is one of my favorites, and even though the label doesn't clearly state "grass-fed", the cows are 100% grass-fed on lush green pastures in Ireland. It's one of the richest butters in color that I've seen, which indicates high levels of carotenoids.

4. Whole Eggs, including the yolk (not just egg whites) -- Most people know that eggs are one of the highest quality sources of protein. However, most people don't know that the egg yolks are the healthiest part of the egg... that's where almost all of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (such as lutein) are found in eggs.


In fact, the egg yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids. Also, the protein of whole eggs is more bio-available than egg whites alone due to a more balanced amino acid profile that the yolks help to build.


Just make sure to choose free-range organic eggs instead of normal grocery store eggs. Similar to the grass-fed beef scenerio, the nutrient content of the eggs and the balance between healthy omega-3 fatty acids and inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids (in excess) is controlled by the diet of the hens.


Chickens that are allowed to roam free outside and eat a more natural diet will give you healthier, more nutrient-rich eggs with a healthier fat balance compared with your typical grocery store eggs (that came from chickens fed nothing but soy and corn and crowded inside "egg factories" all day long).


If you want more details on eggs, here is an article that details more about why egg yolks are BETTER for you than egg whites.


5. Grass-fed beef or bison (NOT the typical grocery store beef!) -- I know most people think that red meat is unhealthy for you, but that's because they do not understand how the health of the animal affects how healthy the meat is for consumption. Keep this in mind -- "an unhealthy animal provides unhealthy meat, but a healthy animal provides healthy meat".

Typical beef or bison that you see at the grocery store is raised on grains, mainly corn (and to some extent, soybeans). Soy and corn are NOT the natural diet of cattle or bison, and therefore changes the chemical balance of fats and other nutrients in the beef or bison. Grain-fed beef and bison is typically WAY too high in omega-6 fats and WAY too low in omega-3 fats. In addition, the practice of feeding cattle corn and soy as the main portion of their diet upsets their digestive system and makes them sick... and it also increases the amount of dangerous e-coli in the meat. This is not the case with grass-fed meat.


On the other hand, grass-fed beef from cattle and buffalo (or bison) that were raised on the type of natural foods that they were meant to eat in nature (grass and other forage), have much higher levels of healthy omega-3 fats and lower levels of inflammatory omega-6 fats (that most people already eat way too much of) compared to grain fed beef or bison.


Grass fed meats also typically contain up to 3 times the Vitamin E as in grain fed meats.


In addition, grass-fed meat from healthy cattle or bison also contain a special healthy fat called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in MUCH higher levels than grain-fed meat. CLA has been proven in scientific studies in recent years to help in burning fat and building lean muscle (which can help you lose weight!). These benefits are on top of the fact that grass-fed meats are some of the highest quality proteins that you can possibly eat... and this also aids in burning fat and building lean muscle.


Grass-fed meats are a little harder to find, but just ask your butcher or find a specialty grocery store and they usually have cuts available. I've also found a great site to order grass-fed meats online and have gotten to know the owner of this company well, and they are dedicated to the quality of their foods.


6. 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.

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 sandwiches, 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 micronutrients 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.




7. 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 micronutrients 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.


I hope you enjoyed this look at some of the healthiest "fatty" fat-burning foods you can possibly eat. I could list a ton more, but wanted to give you a few of my favorites for now. Enjoy!

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Chocolate Recipe for Burning Fat

As you know, I always look for ways to make seemingly unhealthy foods into healthy fat-burning versions. Some popular recipes of mine in the past were when I made a truly healthy chocolate fudge (super popular), as well as my recipe for the worlds healthiest cheese steak.


But today, I want to show you my recipe for an amazingly healthy fat-burning chocolate pudding that's high in fiber, healthy fats, protein, and low in sugar, with ZERO artificial sweeteners and NO added sugars!


I know... I'm a freakin mad scientist with this stuff. But I actually got the idea for this recipe from Mens Fitness magazine... however, I changed it all around because I didn't like some of their ingredients, plus their recipe was too high in sugar in my opinion...and I added more protein.


Some of the ingredients may sound weird for a "pudding", but trust me, everybody I know that's tried this has loved it!


Healthy Chocolate Recipe for Burning Fat


(This recipe will make about 2-4 servings and is a great healthy dessert or late night snack)


1/2 of a ripe avocado (soft to touch)
approx 3 tablespoons of almond butter (preferably raw if possible)
approx 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk (preferably organic)
2 heaping tablespoons of organic cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 packet of stevia (or enough to your desired sweetness level)
1/2 to 3/4 of a scoop of chocolate protein powder (my new favorite is an awesome GRASS-FED raw whey protein I found here)
just a small pinch of sea salt
Put the avocado and almond butter into a bowl and mash together with a fork until smooth. Then add all of the other ingredients into the bowl and mix together vigorously until all is mixed and smooth. If you're good with a food processor, you can use that too, but I just mash everything together by hand.


If everything went right, the consistency will be similar to pudding... except normal pudding makes you FAT with loads of sugar! My healthy pudding recipe will actually HELP you to burn fat, control cravings, and satisfy your body's need for micro-nutrients, protein, healthy fats, and fiber.


If the pudding ends up too thick, simply add a bit more almond milk or coconut milk for more moisture until the consistency seems right.


If you want to get a little wild and add some more nutrient-rich additions, feel free to add some chopped pecans, chia seeds, rice bran, or walnuts at the end. And it tastes great to top this dish with some sliced strawberries!

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3 Foods to Avoid in a Restaurant

I've been traveling a lot for business in the last year, and I've noticed that most people totally fall off their fitness routines while traveling...


In fact, eating out at restaurants frequently is one of the biggest reasons why so many people fatten up while traveling. It's almost damn near impossible to eat healthy when you dine out, UNLESS you follow a couple simple tricks that I use to make every restaurant meal healthier, reduce calories, and not lose control.


Here's a few tricks you can use to eat healthier and stay lean even while traveling on business or eating out any time for that matter...


The 3 most important things to avoid that are EVERYWHERE at restaurants are:


the deep fried foods
the refined starchy foods
and any sodas, juices, or other sugary foods (except whole fruits, which are great)
This eliminates the major food sources that do the worst damage in our food supply - the evil trans fats, the inflammatory refined vegetable oils, refined starches, and processed sugars.


This means trying to skip the table bread, skipping the french fries (that come with every single sandwich on every menu known to man), and reducing all of the heaping portions of rice and pasta that are often loaded on the plates as well.


Instead, try to order just meat, side vegetables, and a salad, asking for the vegetables or salad as a substitute for the typical fries, rice, or pasta that the meal probably comes with.


Almost every restaurant I've ever been to will always allow me to substitute veggies or a side salad for the fries or chips that almost always come with sandwiches or burgers.


Side note: It always amazes me how many people scrutinize me because I substitute veggies for fries by telling me that I'm "not living" because I won't eat fries...


Yet they are always the first to complain that they are overweight and have "tried everything", yet can't lose weight. I'm not sure why so many people think eating french fries equals "living it up"... I'm all for moderation with many things, but if there's 2 things that should be almost totally removed from everyone's diet because these foods are simply that evil... it's fries and sodas!


Take a look at the typical difference this simple substitution makes between choosing smart and doing what most people do...


Most people will eat a meal out such as this:


Sandwich or burger
fries or chips
soda or other sweetened drink
A MUCH smarter alternative for a leaner, healthier body is very simply this:


Sandwich or burger
veggies or salad
unsweetened iced tea or water with lemon (and no diet drinks -- unless you enjoy drinking carcinogenic poisonous artificial sweetener chemicals).
These 2 simple substitutions save at least 400 - 900 calories EACH time you dine out (depending on drink refills and fries portion sizes)... AND you're cutting out the most harmful foods to your body as well by avoiding the trannies and high fructose corn syrup.


Also, it may be rare to find this in most restaurants, but if you can find some that offer much healthier grass-fed beef burgers, it's a much smarter decision compared to grain fattened beef.


Side note: a little-known way to eat full portions of rice, pasta, and breads and actually get away with it without packing on the bodyfat is to make sure to schedule a high intensity full body resistance training workout before your scheduled meal time.


Sometimes it may be hard to fit the workout into your schedule right before the meal event, but if you can, the meal can be your "post-workout meal", in which case, your body can handle a higher amount of carbs than normal to help replenish the muscle glycogen depletion you had during the intense workout.


A cardio workout WON'T cut it for this... it must be high intensity resistance training to deplete enough muscle glycogen to handle restaurant portions of carbohydrates.

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How Canned Food and Bottled Drinks Make You Fat?

Learn how Canned Food and Bottle Drinks can increse your Abdominal fat Trough the chemical components, and find tips to to minimize your exposure to negative effects on bodyfat and other health risks.
You may have started hearing in the news about some of the hidden chemicals that might be lurking in your canned foods and bottled water and other drinks. Some of them are known as xenoestrogens, which have the potential to cause serious health problems over time, as well as increase abdominal fat from the estrogenic effect.


Today, I want to share with you some important details about one of the MOST problematic chemicals that you're being exposed to specifically from canned foods and bottled drinks, etc...


It's called Bisphenol A (BPA).


BPA can be found as a component of some types of plastic bottles, and also in the lining inside of canned foods.

Since BPA is a known "xenoestrogen", it's been linked in animal studies (at surprisingly small doses) to all sorts of various health issues such as cancer, metabolic disorders, heart disease, diabetes, and fertility problems and birth defects or miscarriages... and of course, any xenoestrogens in large enough amounts can trigger your body to hold onto abdominal fat (aka - stubborn belly fat).


The major offenders to look for are polycarbonate bottles (some plastics with the #7 symbol on the bottom are polycarbonate, but not all) and also canned foods, since the lining of most canned foods contains BPA, which can leach into food. The longer that a can of food sits on a shelf and the higher the temperature, the more BPA can leach into your food. The same can be said for polycarbonate bottles that contain food or drinks.


According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), BPA was detected in the bodies of 95% of Americans in one CDC study (this is a worldwide issue though, not just limited to the US). This is nothing to shrug off either... look at this scary finding...


The Environmental Working Group reports, "analysis of our tests reveals that for one of every five cans tested, and for one-third of all vegetables and pastas (ravioli and noodles with tomato sauce), a single serving would expose a pregnant woman to BPA at levels that fall within a factor of 5 of doses linked to birth defects — permanent damage of developing male reproductive organs".


If that didn't get your attention, how about this...


The EWG also reports evidence of... "An investigation demonstrating that low doses of BPA spur both the formation and growth of fat cells, the two factors that drive obesity in humans (Masumo et al. 2002)."


This is not surprising, since as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, BPA is a known xenoestrogen, and any xenoestrogens can contribute to what's been referred to as "stubborn abdominal fat" as well as cancer and other health problems.


It's also important to note that any canned tomato products (canned ravioli, pastas, canned tomato pastes, tomato sauces, etc) are some of the biggest offenders with the highest BPA concentrations due to the acidic nature of tomatoes, which leaches more of the BPA.


So what steps can you take to minimize your exposure to BPA and it's negative effects on bodyfat and other health risks?


1. Try to always avoid canned foods as much as possible and choose frozen or fresh foods instead. Buy the ingredients yourself and prepare the meal the old fashioned way instead of resorting to canned foods. Also, a better alternative to canned foods is products in glass containers.


2. If you do resort to using canned foods instead of fresh foods, try to find labels that say that the cans are free of BPA.


3. If you need tomato products, always avoid canned varieties and search for tomato sauces, pastes, etc in glass bottles instead (unless the can specifically states that it is BPA-free). Or just make your own tomato dishes from scratch with fresh tomatoes.


4. If you use plastic wrap, plastic ziplock bags, plastic containers for food storage, etc, try to investigate on the label if the product is BPA-free or not. Some brands packaging will label if their products are BPA-free.


5. If you for some reason choose to use a microwave with your food (which by the way, microwaved food is thought to have negative health effects), then by all means, do not microwave the food in plastic containers as it can increase the leaching of chemicals including BPA.


6. If you drink bottled water, or water from reusable plastic bottles, make sure that it is not a polycarbonate bottle, or make sure that the label says BPA-free. Plastic that shows #7 on the bottom will sometimes contain BPA, but not always. If a bottle shows "PC" on the bottom, it is made from polycarbonate, so it will contain BPA. In addition, sometimes aluminum bottles will contain a lining that has BPA, so avoid these.


7. Avoid soda cans, as the EWG states analysis showed that 42% of soda cans contained BPA. Of course, if you care about your health and your body, I'm sure you never drink soda anyway -- it's pure evil for your body... and yes, that includes unhealthy diet soda too, with it's dangerous artificial sweeteners.


8. Never use plastic cups for hot liquids such as hot tea or coffee, as this can accelerate leaching of BPA and other chemicals, depending on the type of plastic.


9. As much as you can try to avoid BPA and other xenoestrogens, you will most likely still be exposed to some levels of xenoestrogens from various chemicals in your foods (from pesticide/herbicide residues, packaging chemicals, etc), chemicals in your water supply, chemicals from cosmetics, lotions, etc.


However, you can help to protect yourself and counteract these harmful xenoestrogen chemicals in your body with certain powerful phytonutrients in foods like onions, garlic, chamomile and green teas, and cruciferious vegetables. In fact, read this article to see how 3 specific veggies can help you to fight abdominal fat by counteracting xenoestrogens.


If you stick to most of these guidelines, you can help to protect yourself and your family from the health dangers of bisphenol-A (BPA). And you can also help protect yourself against the issue of "stubborn abdominal fat" that can be caused by the xenoestrogen effect of BPA exposure too... which I'm sure you'd rather avoid!

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Foods that Lose Belly Fat Without Exercise

Foods that Lose Belly Fat Without Exercise


I bet you didn't know that there is a specific class of vegetables that contain very unique phytonutrients that actually help to fight against stubborn belly fat.
Let me explain what these unique vegetables are and why they help to burn stomach fat...

The Chemicals in Foods that help You to Lose Belly Fat

Something you may have never heard about is that certain chemicals in our food supply and our environment, such as pesticides, herbicides, and certain petrochemicals from air and water pollution, household cleaners, plastics, cosmetics, etc can react with your hormones and make your body store excess abdominal fat.


These harmful chemicals in this Foods to Lose Belly Fat are known as xenoestrogens.


Xenoestrogens are chemicals that you are exposed to (and are hard to avoid in the modern world) that have an estrogenic effect in your body. Excess exposure to these can cause hormone balance disruptions for both men and women. So if you thought this article was just for the guys, these chemicals can wreak havoc in the body for both guys and gals.


These estrogenic chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis can stimulate your body to store belly fat, along with many other problems (including cancer risks in the long term).


So here's where this specific class of vegetables comes in handy...


One of those cool tricks that I teach my clients that hire me for nutritional counseling is the use of cruciferous vegetables to help fight against stomach fat.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, bok choy, cabbage, etc. contain very specific and unique phytonutrients such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) that help to fight against these estrogenic compounds...


And by fighting against these belly fat stimulating estrogenic chemicals, this is just 1 more step in helping you to win the battle against abdominal fat!


So there you go... just another excuse to do what mom always told you and eat more broccoli and cauliflower!


I've really learned to like brussells sprouts in the last year too... Melt a little grass-fed cheese on them and some garlic and they're great!


So remember to consume this Foods that Lose Belly Fat Without Exercise and give you more healthy nutrients and help you to keep your flat stomach.

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Do Energy Drinks Help You, or Can They Actually Make You Fat?

Do Energy Drinks Help You, or Can They Actually Make You Fat?

Today I have a little rant on energy drinks...


I receive a ton of questions about all of these new "energy" drinks that have hit the market over the last few years. They seem to be all the rage, and they promise you the world with outrageous claims of all of the super energy that you are going to have, and how you'll become the best athlete in the world, start lifting cars over your head, and get a perfect body.


So a couple questions arise:

Are these "energy" drinks really any good for you?
Do they actually increase your energy?
Do they really have some sort of magical energy formula?
Will they help you lose weight?


First of all, let's look at what most of these energy drinks are usually made of. Most of them are simply carbonated water loaded with gut-fattening high fructose corn syrup (or other added sugars), caffeine, the amino acid taurine, and some crappy artificially-derived vitamins added for show to trick you into thinking there's something healthy about these concoctions.


Let's start with the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Well, here we've got empty calories that will go straight to your belly fat, and that are possibly even WORSE for you than plain old refined sugar (although that's up for debate, but semantics in the big picture). Some energy drinks use other added sugars instead of HFCS, but it doesn't really matter, because they are all gut-fattening empty calories with no nutritional benefit.


Ok, so you say that they also have low-sugar or sugar-free varieties as an alternative to the HFCS-laden energy drinks. Yes, but now you have the problem of the harmful chemicals in the artificial sweeteners which have their own set of health dangers.


Another problem with artificial sweeteners is that there are some research studies that indicate artificial sweetener use leads people to inadvertently consume more calories and gain more weight in the long run... in addition to having a negative hormonal effect in the body. I won't go into all of the details on that topic because that would fill up an entire discussion by itself.


Just trust me that artificial sweeteners and artificial chemicals in food in general, are ALL bad news for your body! It's never a good idea to try to "trick" your body with artificial tastes.


What about the caffeine?


Well, first of all, caffeine doesn't in itself provide "energy". Technically, the only substance that actually provides energy is calories (from carbs, protein, and fat).


However, caffeine can be an aid for livening or waking some people up, by means of stimulating the central nervous system.


Instead of caffeine artificially added to some carbonated "energy" drink, I'd rather get my caffeine from a natural source like green, white, or oolong teas (or my new favorite - yerba mate teas), which actually provide very powerful healthy antioxidants too!


Keep in mind though, if you're a regular daily coffee drinker, you probably have some level of addiction to caffeine and probably wouldn't receive too much benefit from the caffeine in an energy drink anyway.


Tip: try to drink more tea and reduce your coffee intake to only a couple days per week max to reduce your dependency on caffeine. Most teas contain much less caffeine than coffee, and some teas (such as green, white, and oolong) contain synergistic phytochemicals that work to slow the response of the caffeine that they do contain. This means you get a milder response from the caffeine in green, oolong, or white teas compared to the harsher jittery response that some people get from coffee.


Now what about that so called magical blend of taurine and B-vitamins that they load into these energy drinks?


Well, big deal...you get taurine in almost any protein source. And the vast majority of those artificially added B-vitamins are simply coming right out into the toilet in your pee. Vitamins are best obtained naturally from a REAL food source, not artificially added to some carbonated drink. Your body just doesn't use fake sources of vitamins as readily as natural sources from real food.


So as you can see, in my opinion, I give all of these energy drinks a big time THUMBS DOWN! Don't fall for the ridiculous marketing of all of these so-called "energy drinks".


Instead, here's my recipe for my own home-made energy drink:


1. Make a big iced tea mixture using green tea, white tea, and yerba mate tea. I like to add a little fruit flavor, so I'll use 1 tea bag of a raspberry or blueberry hibiscus tea, and then use 2-3 green and/or white tea bags, and 2-3 yerba mate tea bags, and make a gallon container of iced tea. I just use a small amount of stevia to lightly sweeten the batch of tea.


2. I buy a container of organic coconut water from a health food store, or buy fresh coconuts to obtain the coconut water from the inside.


3. For my healthy energy drink, I mix a half of a glass of the white/green/yerba mate iced tea mixture and fill the rest of the glass with the coconut water.


This is actually a delicious and truly healthy energy drink instead of the chemical-laden crappy energy drinks that everybody is getting suckered into buying these days.


The green, white, and yerba mate teas contain a small dose of caffeine along with a diverse mixture of powerful antioxidants and synergistic phytochemicals. Plus, the coconut water is a rich source of electrolytes and a diversity of vitamins and minerals. Coconut water is known to provide a good instant energy source, and also contains a small dose of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are healthy fats that are readily used for energy and also aid your immune system.


So enjoy this natural healthy energy drink, knowing that you're doing your body good instead of filling it with chemicals with normal store-bought energy drinks.


As usual, feel free to email this link to your friends and family or share it on your blogs, forums, or facebook pages to help your friends live healthier.

FREE Fat Loss Tips Presentation:

Men Click Here for your FREE presentation with important tips to start losing your belly fat and carving out ripped six pack abs.

Women Click Here for your FREE presentation showing a unique method for losing your stubborn tummy fat and getting a tight sexy stomach.

Click in the lik below to Visit the Truth About Abs Site.

http://www.truthaboutabs.com