Health Secrets

It hasn’t been too long since the American Medical Association officially announced that Americans needed to start taking vitamin supplements to maintain their health. While there are probably many reasons for this, one of the most glaring is the fact that our general food supply sucks.

This announcement harkens a very sad fact, in my opinion: Americans can no longer get the essential nutrients we need from the food we eat. I suppose it’s easier to get millions of Americans to start taking supplements than it is to make a billion dollar industry change its practices.

Although I have much to say about most facets of the American food supply, for the purposes of this article I want to discuss the most vital food component on the planet: raw vegetables. It’s the most vital food component because, with rare exceptions, every organism on Earth either eats raw vegetables or eats animals that eat raw vegetables. Basically speaking, without raw vegetable consumption, the planet would die.

Giving the American population the benefit of the doubt, very few people are apparently aware of how desperately our bodies are craving the nutrients found in raw vegetables.
If the general population really is aware of this and still doesn’t eat more raw vegetables, that fact is sadder than the announcement from the AMA.

Raw vegetables are extremely rich in minerals, vitamins, trace elements, enzymes and natural sugars. All of these are things that your body needs to function properly and the raw veggies will help stabilize and normalize your natural bodily functions. They actually help pretty much ALL of your natural bodily functions operate.

Enzymes are especially essential for our overall health because they aid in digestion. This is why people frequently refer to green vegetables as a natural laxative; they get the stomach working properly. Thanks to the overall condition of the food supply in this country, our system needs as much help as it can get with regards to digestion.

So, with the explanation of the general benefits regarding vegetables in front of you, you may be wondering why it is I’ve been advocating eating them raw. The explanation for that is contains three points which are incredibly disturbing to me:

1. Scientific studies have shown that the commercially produced vegetables today aren’t nearly as nutritious as they were 50 years ago. One of the likely causes for this is the fact that farming has been “advanced” to the point that it doesn’t take nearly as long for a vegetable to be full grown…though that doesn’t mean that they are nutritiously mature. They don’t lay underground as long as they used to, so they don’t have the same opportunity to fully develop.

2. Most Americans purchase their vegetables in the produce section of the local grocery story. However, the local grocery store has its vegetables shipped in from all over the country. Since vegetables naturally begin to lose their nutritional value the moment they are harvested, the travel time between the production farm and the produce department allows for significant nutrient loss.

3. All forms of cooking vegetables reduce their nutritional content. Even steaming, which is by far the healthiest form of cooking, still makes the vegetables less nutritious than they would be if eaten raw.

So, you put it all together and the picture is pretty scary. Our commercially available vegetables aren’t as nutritious as they used to be when they are harvested; they start losing the nutritious value that they do have at harvest; they continue losing it all along the route to your local grocery store; and then you cook them which reduces the nutritional value even further.

We may be better off coloring cardboard green and eating it.

Seriously, this is a sincere problem for the general health of America. I’m advocating eating raw vegetables in an attempt to salvage their incredibly reduced nutritional value. To really combat this problem you need to start growing your own vegetables organically or, barring that, purchase them at the local farmer’s market.

Or, as the AMA suggests, you can just start popping supplements and continue eating cardboard. Mmmmmm, cardboard.

One thing I get asked about seeing as how I run a health site and all is what programs and products I recommend for weight loss and overall fitness.

That’s an excellent question.

I read a lot of books, ebooks, and even articles on the Internet on the topic.

One thing I’ve learned is that there’s a lot of hype, and not a lot of substance.

You ever see those previews for movies, and the movie looks really good from the previews, and then when you get to the theater, the previews were the only good parts of the movie, or maybe the previews were even better than the movie.

Well, that’s how I feel about a lot of the products I see and try out - good previews, bad product.

Which brings me to my review of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle - one of the more popular weight loss / fitness products on the net right now.

I remember reading the salesletter thinking it sounded really good, which made me think that all the good stuff was in the salesletter of the product.

So I sat down and gave it a read. It was somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 pages before reading the bonuses, so even if it sucked, he couldn’t be accused of not delivering any bulk in his product.

When I first started reading the program, chapter one was a bit of a surprise to me.

It covered, *gasp*, goal setting. Imagine that, setting goals actually helps you lose weight, and not some magic little pills you pay $150 for…

Most other books simply talk about why all other diets don’t work and why theirs is different.

Well, Burn the Fat turned out to be different too. It’s not a diet book.

Instead, I think it’d be more accurate to call it a nutrition and fitness book. Since the book doesn’t promote crash diets, and focuses more on fat loss than just weight loss (there’s a big difference).

One section that I really learned a lot from was the chapter on how to increase your metabolism. I’ll admit that in the past I’ve tried some of those gimmicky diets and in the process lost some weight, but slowed down my metabolism in the process - making it much easier to gain weight and much harder to lose anymore weight.

So when I learned how I could increase my metabolism, eat more, and still lose weight, I was really excited. And guess what, it actually works - and there’s no crazy supplements or voodoo magic involved - the technique is very simple.

Another section that I found really interesting, and you probably will too, was the section on different body types. Basically, that all men are created equal thing doesn’t apply to genetics. Some people are more gifted than others. Some people will find gaining weight almost impossible while others will find it easy to gain. Other people can eat at McDonalds everyday while other people can live off salad and still not be able to see there abs.

That’s the problem with so many diet programs out there. They’re one size fits all. This program isn’t, which means that it will work for just about anyone who really gives it a try rather than most other programs where it works for a few people - and those are the people you see on TV - but for the general population it won’t work.

So I have to say that overall I was actually pretty pleased with Burn The Fat and would be happy to recommend it to my readers.

However, just so you know if it’s right for you, I’ve made a quick little checklist.

Burn The Fat Is Right For You If:
-You Want To Lose Weight
-You Want To Get In Better Shape
-You Want To See Some Muscle Definition In Your Body
-You Want To Achieve Permanent And Lasting Results
-Even If You’ve Tried Other Diet Programs And They Didn’t Work - Like I said, this program is more about nutrition and fitness than weight loss - it’s just that the fat loss is an excellent side effect of being in shape.

Burn The Fat Isn’t Right For You If:
-You Want To Lose 30 Pounds In 30 Days
-You Want A Magic Pill
-You’re Idea Of Exercise Is Walking Out To The Mailbox To Get The Mail

Now, I’ll be honest, this product isn’t perfect. You’ll find that it recommends you use artificial sweeteners in some places, and if you know me, you know how totally against artificial sweeteners I am. Also, I’ve found that while the sections on nutrition are great, and that it helps you learn how to make good food choices, the actual recipe section is a little light - there’s a few to get you started, but after that, you’ll have to apply what you know. If I were doing a revision, I’d add more recipes.

However, overall, it’s a product that I’d recommend to anyone looking to lose fat.

Here’s another review of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle.

Overall: Thumbs Up - Recommended

This product is available from - Burn The Fat - click here.

By now, everyone has heard that you’re supposed to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. We’ve all heard it, but how many of us actually do it?

Very few.

Today, I’m going to cover why drinking enough water is so important for your health and why it’s absolutely essential if you want to lose weight.

First, let’s cover the basics. Your body is 60-70% water. Your blood is almost all water. Your muscles contain water. Heck, even your bones contain water. Water is essential to proper body function. Your body uses water to regulate its temperature, transport nutrients, build body tissue, digest food, breathe, lubricate joints, and a whole host of other tasks.

Basically, without water you die.

When you’re dehydrated, exercise becomes more difficult.

Studies have show that even mild dehydration of just 3% of your body weight can decrease your strength by 10%. And if 10-12% of your body’s weight in water is lost, death can occur. So before, during, and after exercise, be sure to drink water.

Water Is Essential For Weight Loss

I know that some people are afraid to drink too much water or they think they’ll get bloated and start retaining water. Actually, the opposite is true. When your body is dehydrated, even a little bit, your body starts to retain water to survive. When your body starts retaining water, your kidneys stop eliminating waste through urine so your body starts building up waste. Once your kidneys stop doing what they’re supposed to, the liver steps in and tries to help out. However, when the liver steps in to get rid of waste, it starts to neglect its other jobs, one of which is burning fat. So when you’re dehydrated, you’re not going to be burning fat. If you want to burn more fat, drink more water.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

The number you hear thrown out most often is that you should drink 8 8oz glasses of water a day (64oz). However, for many people, especially active people, your needs may be a gallon of water or more.

The National Research Council recommends 1-1.5 ml of water for ever calorie (kcal) you use each day. So, if you typically expend 2000 calories a day, then you should drink 66-100 ounces of water a day. If you expend 3000 calories a day, then you should drink 100-149 ounces of water each day.

It may seem like a lot of water, but keep in mind that once you feel thirsty, you’re already in a state of mild dehydration. Your goal should be to never be thirsty.

Hungry Or Thirsty?

It’s been said that the thirst mechanism is so weak in most people that it’s often mistaken for hunger. So next time you think you’re hungry, drink a glass of water first and wait 15 minutes. In many cases, you won’t be hungry anymore, but if you’re still hungry, then by all means eat. So just by drinking water you can stop yourself from overeating and this process alone may help you lose a few pounds.

Can I drink anything besides water?

Yes, but you should still make it your goal to drink mostly water. If you want to enjoy a sports drink after a workout, go ahead. If you want to have your morning cup of coffee, that’s also okay.

However, soda doesn’t count (you really shouldn’t drink soda except on special occasions) and alcohol certainly doesn’t count – alcohol actually dehydrates you and stops fat loss dead in its tracks.

Can I Drink Too Much Water?

It’s hard to, but yes. I was actually tempted not to even include this section since I don’t want to encourage people to avoid drinking water.

So yes, it is actually possible to drink too much water. It’s called water intoxication (or hyperhydration and water poisoning) and it happens when you drink more water than the body can remove (i.e. you drink too much too fast). It can also happen if you’re drinking a lot of water but not replacing electrolytes during heavy exercise (i.e. you’re running a marathon).

However, this is very rare, and almost everyone doesn’t drink enough water, so don’t be afraid to drink water. If you’re really concerned after a workout that you don’t have enough electrolytes, then have a sports drink (gatorade or powerade are acceptable) or eat a banana.

What kind of water should I drink?

I don’t like the idea of there being chlorine and fluoride in my tap water, so I don’t drink tap water if I can help it. I usually just buy spring water by the gallon at my local supermarket for about 60cents/gallon. However, if you prefer using a water filter or if you enjoy plain ole tap water, then go ahead. There are certain types of water that are slightly better for you than others, but for now, I would just concentrate on drinking the water rather than worrying about any of the other small details.

Have a great day, and bottoms up.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my health secrets blog. Before I make any specific posts, I wanted to take a few moments to let you know the purpose of this blog, what you can expect from me, and also what you won’t see me doing.

First, the purpose of this blog is to help you break through all of the clutter you see online and to help you separate marketing hype from the actual facts. I spend a lot of time online looking at different sites that are supposed to be helping people lose weight or getting healthier, and as I’m sure you’re well aware, there’s a lot of mixed messages out there.

I decided that using a blog platform would make it easy for me to update this site since if you’ve visited before, you know that in the past, I haven’t updated very often. Since it’s really easy to update a blog, you can expect me to post new articles and information a few times a week, probably not daily, but at least once a week. One hobby I have is making videos, so from time to time I may start adding videos or podcasts, but one thing you’ll always be able to count on is some good old fashioned text.

One topic that you’re going to see from me frequently is the topic of weight loss. Why? Well, considering how many Americans are currently overweight or obese, and the amount of health problems being overweight causes, I think that any site that’s going to spend time talking about optimal health ought to spend a considerable amount of time talking about how to lose weight. But for those of you who are already in good health, don’t worry, there will be plenty of information that you’ll want to read as well.

You won’t see me pushing the latest fad diets here and you won’t see me promoting every new supplement that hits the market. There are certain diets that work, and there are certain supplements that I’ve had good results with that I recommend, but I won’t recommend anything that I think is unproven or unsafe just to make a few extra bucks. This site is supported by advertising, so if you do see an ad for something that I don’t recommend, then don’t click on the ad, and the ad being there is certainly not an endorsement by me.

This site is also not like some of those magazines that you see that are nothing more than ways for drug companies to push their products as the way to stay healthy. My take on drug companies is that while they do serve a purpose, ultimately their mission is to make as much money as possible, not keep you as healthy as possible so if you’re looking for an alternative to drugs and medications, I’ll try to provide as many as I can.

My disclaimer: I am not a doctor. I don’t play one on TV. I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I’m simply one person who wants to live a long and healthy life, and I want to help others do the same. So please don’t take anything I say here as gospel, and when in doubt, consult your doctor.