Vigour – Health and Sports Nutrition

Over indulgence and weight gain is an accepted part of Christmas for most people with the new year bringing resolutions of fitness and weight loss to the forefront once again.

General overeating is of course a significant factor in the increased calorie intake during the festive period; however, the majority of food and drinks consumed are high in calories with negligible nutritional benefit. This consumption, alongside limited bodily exertion and exercise, results in significant and rapid weight gain. Using supplements during this period so that the body still receives its required nutritional content is essential.

Although many of these traditional elements would be difficult to sacrifice, a number of products can be indulged in moderation not only to not avoid them but to limit the effect of the high calories they contain.

Baileys Irish Cream
Just 3 large 100ml glasses of this popular Christmas drink can add almost 1000 calories to you daily intake. Try drinking in moderation.

Premium Lagers
Consuming just 4 pints of an average premium lager can add over 1000 calories to you daily intake. Light beers can be substituted if possible to save some valuable calories.

Mulled Wine
A large glass of this unique festive drink can contain up to 505 calories. Although an ideal warming drink, having just one, will significantly limit your calorie intake.

Overeating and abdominal bloating is something most will experience during December. OptiBac Probiotics For a flat stomach is an ideal supplement for those suffering from abdominal bloating due to trapped wind, food intolerances, PMS or stress.

The British Dietetic Association has composed a list of the worst 5 celebrity diets of 2011.

The Dukan Diet

Rumoured Celebrity Users: Kate Middleton, Jennifer Lopez

Developed by Dr Pierre Dukan, this diet is now extremely popular in France with Dukan himself warns of its side effects of a lack of energy, bad breath and constipation.
The four-phase diet, which is also reported to be followed by actress Jennifer Lopez and supermodel Gisele Bundchen, starts with 72 high-protein foods for quick weight loss, followed by “pure protein” days alternating with proteins accompanied by vegetables.

The Baby Food Diet

Rumoured Celebrity Users: Lady Gaga

This diet requires users to consume up to 14 jars or baby food or puree per day. This restrictive diets provides few calories and lacks the essential nutritional values required for adults.

The Blood Group Diet

Rumoured Celebrity Users: Cheryl Cole

This diet works on the premise the different blood groups require different foods in order to lose weight. This diet has no scientific evidence to back its claims and will leave users deficient in a number of key nutrients.

Alcorexia

This diet restricts the caloric intake from food consumption during the day so users can drink more alcohol without gaining weight. This extreme diet could result in alcohol poisoning and even death.

The Raw Food Diet

Rumoured Celebrity Users: Demi Moore, Natalie Portman

This diet focuses on the user only being able to eat raw food and only unpasteurised dairy products.
This approach leaves many nutritious foods unavailable for consumption or and even a risk of food poisoning.

It is estimated that you lose 1 pound of your weight with every 3200 calories you burn. It means that you have to create a caloric deficit and perform exercises at the same time to get your desired results fast. However, make sure that you don’t take less than 1400 calories a day because eating less than recommended calories will slow down your metabolic rate and you will also lose your muscle mass along with fat.

The key to reducing body fat is to ensure that your energy intake is lower than your energy expenditure. Energy is measured in calories, and whilst the body is in a negative energy balance, weight loss will occur. So to lose weight in the quickest possible manner, energy intake should be reduced, and energy expenditure should be increased. This is achieved in practice by eating a balance, low calorie diet, and exercising regularly. The use of weight loss supplements will also aid this process.

Make sure that you eat meals in small portions throughout the day to lose the fat and increase your metabolic rate. It is important that you choose a balanced diet plan on a daily basis to supply your body with the daily recommended amounts of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. You need to use low glycemic index foods such as whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables as a source of protein and carbohydrate. Avoid high glycemic index foods such as baked goods, bread, cereal, pasta, cheese and rice and try use a protein supplement which are ready available online or in many high street stores.

If unhealthy dietary habits and lower amount of exercise have added unwanted pounds to your body over the years, then a combination of cardio exercises and a healthy balanced dietary routine makes an excellent way to reduce your body fat. Walking is regarded as one of the best exercises to burn extra calories. A research has shown that 9,000-10,000 steps (approximately 5 kilometres) a day may help those people wanting to lose weight. Make sure that you walk to your nearby store, walk your dog or run on a treadmill. It makes a good idea to buy a pedometer to count your steps.

Healthy dietary habits mean that you should incorporate fibre and nutrients-rich foods into your daily routine. Consume lean meats, seeds, nuts, cereals, whole-grains and dark-coloured bread. Follow a low glycemic index diet. Avoid consuming white bread, sweets, bagels and muffins as they are loaded with high-fructose corn syrup and sugar. Avoid the consumption of sodas, fruit juices, carbonated drinks and more than one glass of wine a day. Prefer drinking red wine over other alcoholic drinks as it helps reduce bad cholesterol, thus keeping your serum cholesterol levels in check.

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Weight Loss Supplements

Weight loss supplements are designed to assist and improve the body’s physical and metabolic systems. This function of increased efficiency encourages the use of undesirable fat reserves for energy and subsequently results in weight loss and a leaner physique.
A balanced healthy diet and regular exercise is the ideal solution for those looking to lose weight and burn body fat. However, there are additional supplements that can aid this process.

There is a substantial array of weight loss products available to consumers each with varying ingredients and nutritional content.
Aside from conventional products, supplements containing ingredients such as Sida Cordifilia, commonly known as bala, have been subjected to scientific research studies regarding their fat burning qualities and their positive effect on the central nervous system and the heart.

Sida Cordifolia contains small amounts of both ephedrine and pseudoephedrine with many nutritional companies including it as a weight loss product.
Research studies have shown that Sida Cordifolia possesses a significant blood-sugar lowering activity and therefore may help to reduce the storage of fat within fat cells.

The Key To Reducing Body Fat

The key to reducing body fat is to ensure that your energy intake is lower than your energy expenditure. Energy is measured in calories, and whilst the body is in a negative energy balance, weight loss will occur. So to lose weight in the quickest possible manner, energy intake should be reduced, and energy expenditure should be increased. This is achieved in practice by eating a balanced, low calorie diet, and exercising regularly.

Obtaining the right amount of calories can be achieved more easily with the use of sports supplements, giving you greater control of your total calorie intake. Using supplements, you also have more control over the macronutrient profile of your diet. E.g. you can use whey protein powder do give your diet a greater shift towards protein.

The Importance Of Fat

Fat provides the highest concentration of energy of all the essential nutrients the body requires and are found in three categories- Trans Fat, Saturated Fats and Unsaturated Fats.
There is an optimal level of body fat which needs to be carefully monitored but is an important source of fuel for those involved in endurance events. If this dietary fat level is exceeded, then adverse health effects are likely to occur.

Fat is also needed to help the body during high intensity exercise, where carbohydrates are predominately used as fuel, to access glycogen stores. Fat also helps with the efficient distribution of vitamins A,D,E and K around the body.
Consuming dietary fats alongside protein and carbohydrates all in the required ratios is an important part of sports nutrition with which it provides additional health and performance benefits.

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The recommended dietary allowance / recommended daily allowance is is defined as the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of approximately 98 percent of healthy individuals.

The RDA for individuals will differ when taking into account the varying requirements of males, females and their relative ages. Most food packing will include the RDA along side its own nutritional content.

It is also evident that even the healthiest of individuals that have a severe surplus or deficit will develop a number of health issues. By keeping the required nutritional intake close to equilibrium, the body can operate at optimum levels.

For those with a deficiency, which is often the result of a poor diet or from the additional nutritional requirements from intense exercise, the use of health supplements (vitamins) and sports supplements in the most efficient means of regaining nutritional balance.

The use of a daily multivitamin or a whey protein supplement is now generally consumed by many individuals to easily combat the possibility of deficiency.

With 10 in 100 adults worldwide considered to be overweight, obesity has become a global epidemic. Obesity-related diseases such as stroke, heart attack, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and type-2 diabetes account for nearly 10 million deaths every year all around the globe.

The body mass index is used to provide an estimate of healthy body weight based on an individuals height.

The calculation of BMI is defined as an individuals body weight divided by the square of their height and is widely used to generally categorised people as underweight, overweight or obese.

The Body mass index does however have limitations as it does not account for the difference between body fat percentage and lean muscle mass. For those with a large proportion of lean muscle, especially those that engage in intense activity and use sports supplements such as whey protein or weight gainers, the BMI may indicate that they may be overweight or unhealthy.

Generally, the body mass index is therefore only a tool to measure an average ideal weight for any given height. Alternative methods to provide more accurate means of indicating obesity have been developed such as the body volume index.

Recently, researchers have developed a new way to measure the body fat. The new obesity scale is offered due to the flaws of the BMI. For example, BMI calculation cannot be generalized across men and women, athletes and different ethnic groups.

BAI (Body Adiposity Index) focuses on height and hip measurements and calculates the ratio of hip circumference to height.

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Nutrition has a direct effect on the physiological as well as metabolic processes of the body. Nutrition can be defined as the supply of the necessary materials to the cells and tissues to support life. Nutrition mainly comes in the form of food and a proper nutrition is essential to prevent many health problems.

There are six classes of nutrients which play a key role in keeping you healthy and fit. Those six classes of nutrients include: protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water. Protein, fat, water and carbohydrate are macronutrients because they are needed in relatively large amounts by your body. Minerals and vitamins, on the other hand, are micronutrients because they are needed in smaller quantities. Macronutrients provide structural materials for the cells and provide energy to tissues.

Protein makes an integral part of many animals’ body structures especially muscles, hair, and skin. It also makes an important component of several enzymes that control chemical reactions within the body. Each molecule of protein is composed of amino acids, which further contain nitrogen and sulphur. Not only amino acids help produce new proteins, but they are also responsible for replacing damaged proteins. Some amino acids can not be produced by our bodies and they are categorized as “essential amino acids”. There are 21 amino acids in a human body, out of which 10 are essential and, therefore, must be included in your diet. One needs adequate amounts of amino acids in certain situations such as development, pregnancy, and injury. Important food sources of protein include tofu, soy-products, meats, legumes, eggs, cheese and milk.

A molecule of fat contains several fatty acids. Fats may be classified as unsaturated or saturated. Unsaturated fats are further categorized as monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Moreover, unsaturated fatty acids are classified as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Unsaturated fats mainly come from plant sources and are considered healthier than saturated fats which typically come from animal sources. Important food sources of unsaturated fats include flaxseed oil and olive oil.
Carbohydrates may be classified as polysaccharides, disaccharides, and monosaccharide. Carbohydrates include fibre, sugar, and starches. The important food sources of carbohydrates include grain-based products, bread, noodles, rice, and some pulses. Dietary fibre completely absorbs in humans and helps avoid gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhoea and constipation.

Dietary minerals are mainly comprised of chemical elements other than oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen. They can be categorized into macrominerals and microminerals. Macrominerals are those minerals which are essential for your body with a recommended daily allowance greater than 200mg/day. They include magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, chlorine, phosphorus, and sulphur. Microminerals are required in trace amounts with a recommended daily allowance lesser than 200mg/day. They include cobalt, manganese, nickel, fluoride, copper, chromium, iodine, selenium, zinc and iron.

There are different types of vitamins such as vitamin A, B complex, C, D, E and K. Vitamin deficiencies may result in an impaired immune function, premature aging, certain forms of cancer, disorders of cell metabolism and poor psychological health. Important food sources of vitamins include fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts.

You can supply your body with all of the above mentioned nutrients by either following a balanced diet plan or consuming dietary supplements on a daily basis. You should take a multivitamin, protein powder or meal replacement powder on a regular basis to provide your body with protein, carbohydrate, fat, minerals and vitamins.

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Yerba mate, also known as erva mate, is a shrub that can grow up to 40-45 feet in length. Its botanical name is llex paraguariensis and it belongs to the Aquifoliaceae family of plants. This plant is native to subtropical South America particularly northeastern regions. The leaves of this plant are evergreen and they contain caffeine and related compounds.

There are numerous health benefits of yerba mate. According to a recent research, yerba mate tea helps reduce weight as it enhances metabolic process and the mobilisation of fat and glucose reserves. Yerba mate contains xanthines such as theophylline, caffeine, and theobromine. These compounds are known to have a relaxing effect on heart tissue and smooth muscle tissue. Moreover, the leaves of this plant are rich in minerals such as manganese, potassium, and magnesium.

Another benefit of consumption of yerba mate is that it helps reduce elevated serum cholesterol levels. It exhibits antioxidant properties and helps destroy free radicals which are responsible for premature aging. Yerba mate is rich in phenolic constituents that help reduce risks of oral, breast, prostrate, lung, and blood cancer.

There are various dietary supplements on the market that make use of yerba mate in their formulation. Slender Xcellerate Weight Loss is a popular supplement that you should consume on a regular basis if you want to reduce your weight or get the health benefits of yerba mate.

This supplement makes a unique combination of yerba mate and active green tea extracts. Yerba mate extract helps suppress appetite by reducing the likelihood of snacking due to fatigue and supporting energy levels. Green tea components inhibit the breakdown of fats, thus reducing the amount of fat digested by the body.

A nutritious, balanced and healthy breakfast plays an important role in maintaining your health and well-being. When you supply your body with essential nutrients early in the morning, they help you perform your everyday life activities with maximum energy. Make sure that your breakfast is comprised of wholegrain cereals, fresh fruits, probiotic yoghurt, mixed seeds and a glass of milk.

Wholegrain cereals especially oats, and wholegrain breads reduce the risks of heart diseases, type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Fresh fruits especially citrus fruits and berries provide you with a lot of energy and antioxidants. Among citrus fruits, oranges and grapefruits make wonderful sources of phytonutrients and vitamin C. Probiotic yoghurt is low in saturated fats and is high in “friendly bacteria” which promote healthy digestive as well as immune systems. Among mixed seeds, try to consume linseed or flax seed on a regular basis. Not only do seeds contain vitamin B complex, vitamin E and unsaturated fats, but they are also rich in phytochemicals and fibre.

Most people have a hectic lifestyle and they find it very difficult to include a balanced and healthy breakfast in their daily routine. Therefore, it becomes essential for them that they take a multivitamin supplement on a daily basis. Maxifuel Sports Vitamins Multivitamin makes a smart choice because it is both inexpensive and highly effective. This supplement contains 27 essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants including vitamins A, B complex, C and E, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, chromium, selenium and iodine. Maxifuel helps you fine-tune your diet and optimise your nutrition.

If your blood cholesterol levels are high, then you are more susceptible to the risks of coronary artery disease and heart attacks than those with normal cholesterol levels. Therefore, high cholesterol patients should change their lifestyle in order to bring their cholesterol levels down. They should change their dietary habits and avoid eating fat-rich foods. Moreover, they need to consume high-fibre diets on a regular basis. Another positive lifestyle change would be to include an aerobic exercise routine in their busy schedule.

Sometimes, a lifestyle change would not work out and one has to make a decision on taking medications for the rest of his or her life. This makes an important decision and one needs to consider many factors before starting the medication.

One of the most important factors is the reading of your total cholesterol. If it exceeds 240mg/dL, then you have to start taking medicines especially those belonging to statin group. Another important factor is your LDL cholesterol. If it is over 190mg/dL, then you should start using medications immediately in order to avoid the future complications. When taking medicines, it is important that you get periodic blood tests to check your liver function.

For high cholesterol patients who are on a diet/exercise regimen or medications to lower their cholesterol levels, a supplement should also be included in their dietary routine that helps them accomplish their objective. Seven Seas Cod Liver Oil Plus Garlic is a hot brand on the market that makes a wise choice to use. It is a unique combination of cod liver oil omega-3 with vitamins A, D and E plus garlic.

Not only healthy omega-3 fatty acids help maintain normal cholesterol levels, healthy heart and blood circulation, but vitamin E provides you with the antioxidant properties. Vitamins A helps improve your eyesight, whereas vitamin D makes your bones strong. Moreover, garlic helps maintain the health of your cardiovascular system. Another wonderful attribute of this supplement is that it makes an ecologically friendly choice because it sources cod liver oil from sustainable fish stocks of Arctic Fisheries.

Your dietary habits have visible effects on your health and well being. Moreover, use of certain foods on a regular basis help you avoid numerous diseases such as type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, coronary artery disease, osteoporosis, and even cancer. Similarly, some foods also help reduce the symptoms of many diseases.

A recent study, which was conducted on women, has revealed that those women who consume green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, legumes and fibre-rich foods on a regular basis, have only one-half the risk of breast and ovarian cancer compared with those women who consume these food items in the smallest amounts. Vegetables, fruits and legumes are rich in antioxidants, which help nullify the harmful effects of free radicals within your body. Not only free radicals damage the tissues, but they are also responsible for the onset of different types of cancer. Vitamins C and E are natural antioxidants that help destroy the free radicals.

Along with antioxidant-rich diets, make sure that you take a supplement that contains antioxidants in its formulation. Seven Seas Multibionta Probiotic Multivitamin makes a complete supplement with multivitamins, minerals and probiotics. Not only vitamins C and E help you avoid different types of cancer including breast cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer and prostrate cancer, but the probiotic nutrients help maintain healthy digestive and immune systems. The minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium help your bones stay strong and healthy. Other minerals such as zinc, selenium, molybdenum, chloride, iodine, manganese, and iron help you stay healthy, fit and full of energy.