Author: Shannon C.

When most people begin looking at the various supplements they can take to improve their health and well-being, probiotics do not cross their mind. Instead, the main ones they turn to are options like a multi-vitamin, fish oil, protein powder, fat burners, and pre-workout supplements. And while these are all great options and can help accelerate your fat loss results, you must ensure you aren’t overlooking is probiotics.

What are probiotics and how can they help? Let’s go over a few things that you need to know.

What Are Probiotics

Probiotics are essentially the ‘good’ friendly bacteria that reside in your body. They live inside your gut and everyone naturally has a certain level, but sadly, many lifestyle choices including poor food choices, smoking, lack of exercise, stress, and the use of antibiotics can kill off the good bacteria, leaving bad bacteria in their wake.

When this bad bacteria begins to overpower your gut, that’s when problems begin to set in.

The Benefits of Probiotics

So what benefits do the good bacteria – the probiotics have?

These healthy bacteria are going to first help with the process of digestion. Those who have adequate levels in their body are more likely to avoid gas, bloating, and indigestion pain, feeling better throughout the entire day.

In addition to that, good bacteria can help strengthen your immune system. Many people don’t realize that the healthy bacteria make up nearly 80% of their total immune system. Therefore when your gut environment is not up to par, it can mean you are more at risk for illness and disease. Keeping your gut environment where it needs to be can help you defend against this.

Finally, probiotics can also help with brain health as well. There is a strong brain-gut axis, so when your gut is healthy, you’re more likely to have superior memory capacity, better learning capabilities, and higher processing speeds on new cognitive tasks.

So there you have the main benefits of using probiotics. As you can see, they are just as important as any other supplement you may be taking, so are worthwhile to include in your program plan. While you can find these healthy bacteria in certain foods you eat such as yogurt, kefir, and kimchi, generally speaking, it’s simply easier using a high quality supplement.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

If you’re on a raw food diet and are feeling like there isn’t a lot that you can eat, it’s time to think again. Raw food eating has become more and more popular over the last few years with many people realizing the different benefits that can come about by using this way of nutrition.

How can raw food benefit you?

Benefits Of Raw Food Eating

The first benefit most people notice from using this diet is increased energy. You’ll no longer be putting so much strain on your digestive system to break down and digest all the toxic food that most people put into their system. Instead, you’ll be feeding yourself wholesome foods in their most natural state.

In addition to this, you’ll also see your nutritional status go up. Eating uncooked foods often means they have more total nutritional density as nutrients have not been lost throughout the cooking process.

Finally, raw food eating can save time. If you don’t have to cook and prepare your foods, you can create a meal in a hurry.

Raw Food High Energy Bars

As you begin using this nutrition plan, you do need to watch that your calorie intake stays high enough. If you have a tendency to load up on fruits, vegetables, and salads, it can mean that you start to fall deficient. While these foods are very healthy, they are also very low in calorie content.

This high energy bar recipe will change that. Pack one of these along with you for a mid-morning snack or for a pre-workout treat and you’ll have energy to spare.

They also combine complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein, giving you everything that your body needs to function optimally.

Prepare a large batch of this recipe so you always have these bars on hand. After preparation, simply wrap them in plastic wrap and store in the fridge or even the freezer (if using for long-term storage) until serving.

½ cup slivered almonds
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup walnut pieces
½ cup raisins
½ cup dates, sliced
¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
¼ cup natural almond butter (pure)
¼ cup organic honey
1 tbsp melted coconut oil

Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan and then combine with the honey and almond butter. To this mixture, add the remaining ingredients until well coated. Press into an 8 X 8 inch pan and then place in the fridge until set. Slice into bars and then serve.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Looking to get your protein intake up higher? Check out these top sources of protein to eat daily.

Protein is a critical part of any diet plan, especially one geared towards fat loss. Protein helps with the repair and rebuilding of lean muscle mass tissue, it helps to suppress your hunger, and it also helps to speed your metabolic rate. As you can see, it’s a nutrient you can’t afford to miss out on.

But, which are the best protein sources to be eating on a regular basis? Let’s take a quick look at the best protein sources to include in your meal plan.

Chicken

Rich in protein, low in fat, and highly versatile, you simply can’t go wrong with chicken. You can cook this one in many different ways, so it’s a great stand-by to always have on hand.

Beef

Don’t fear beef! Even if you are focusing on fat loss, beef is an excellent source of protein and also provides a good dose of energy-boosting iron as well. Plus, it contains vitamin B12, which is hard to find in the diet.

Choose lean cuts of beef whenever possible and add it to your menu once or twice per week.

Egg Whites

Egg whites are another terrific choice. While you can eat up to one whole egg per day in most cases without worry, egg whites are great after that.

They’re a high volume food, meaning you get plenty of food for few calories. This makes them a great option for those seeking fat loss results. They’ll combat hunger without putting a huge dent in your calorie intake.

Salmon

To help bring your omega-3 fatty acid intake up, consider salmon. Salmon is a rich source of protein and these omega fats will help to improve blood glucose control, increase brain health, boost heart health, and simply improve your overall well-being. It’s one food you don’t want to miss out on.

Cottage Cheese

Finally, don’t overlook the value of cottage cheese. This type of protein is known as casein protein, which is slow to digest in the body and great for combating hunger. It’s also a perfect protein source to help provide some bone-building calcium as well.

Serve it with a few grapes as a snack or on the side of your main meal.

So have a good look at your current diet plan. Are you getting these protein sources in? If not, now is the time to start.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Should you be using a cheat meal? Find out how these can help boost your progress here.

Cheat meals. It’s something that almost every dieter wants to know about – and may be dreaming about the entire time they are on the plan. Many have the notion that having a cheat meal is basically experiencing a set-back and could even result in fat gain.

But, this isn’t always the case. In fact, cheat meals, when used properly, can help you see faster success than if you didn’t use them.

Here’s the low-down on how cheat meals can benefit you.

A Lesson On Leptin

Whenever you go on a reduced calorie diet, your body will slowly begin to adapt. Your metabolic rate will slow down thanks to a hormone called leptin, which is produced in your body fat cells. When leptin levels start to decline, your daily calorie burn drops, hunger goes up, fatigue sets in, and basically, you want to come off that diet plan entirely.

Leptins goal is to stop the perceived starvation (your diet) from occurring.

Enter The Cheat Meal

The best way to get leptin back to normal amounts is to simply gain the weight you’ve just lost back again. Since this is clearly not desirable, there is an alternative. You can temporarily reset leptin levels through eating a very high calorie meal, specially high in carbohydrates.

When you do this, the body thinks it’s no longer starving and leptin returns back to baseline. With it, you’ll also see food cravings decrease, hunger become more manageable, and your energy level will increase.

Often when weight loss slows, it’s because leptin is too low and your metabolism is running at slow speeds. When you have a cheat meal however, you raise your metabolism back up and then when you go back down to that lower calorie intake, fat burning continues.

Cheating For Success

So how can you maximize your chances of success? First, focus that cheat meal primarily on carbohydrate rich foods. Keep fats lower as this will help ensure that you don’t gain excess body fat from the cheat meal itself. Carbohydrates have more of an influence, so they should be the focus.

Then, know how often to cheat. Obviously you can’t cheat too often or you will just gain weight.

Those with 20 pounds or more to lose should cheat once per month while those with fewer than 10 pounds to lose can cheat every other week.

If you plan your chest meals correctly and use the right foods, they can both satisfy your food cravings and help you see faster results.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Should you consider a fat burner? Here’s a little more information to help you decide.

After making the decision to focus on fat loss, you may decide to look at the many different fat burners out there to choose from. Could a fat burner give you an extra edge allowing you to see optimal results?

Many people aren’t quite certain about fat burners, so let’s clear up some of this confusion.

What Fat Burners Do

Fat burners are, as their name suggests, a product designed to help you burn fat. They assist the weight loss process by either suppressing your appetite, making it easier to stick with your diet plan, giving you more energy throughout the day so you’ll burn more calories over all, or through boosting your metabolic rate, also increasing your calorie burn.

Basically, they help to make the fat loss process and sticking with your plan that much easier.

Common ingredients in fat burners include yohimbe, bitter orange, caffeine, as well as green tea extract. Each ingredient will have its own unique set of benefits and most fat burners have a different combination of ingredients and their dosage.

Who Should Use Fat Burners

So who should use fat burners? The key point to note here is that you should not use a fat burner unless you are on and following a proper diet and exercise plan. Don’t use a fat burner thinking it will get you result alone. It won’t. This is where most people go wrong. They believe that if they use a fat burner, they don’t have to worry about dieting or exercising regularly.

This is not the case however. You need that proper plan first and then from there you can use a fat burner to help give you an extra edge.

Weighing The Risks Worth The Benefits

Always remember, all good things come with drawbacks. While fat burners may help accelerate fat loss results, they aren’t without side effects. Especially if they contain caffeine or bitter orange, you may experience side effects such as increased heart rates, higher blood pressure levels, feelings of anxiety, and nervousness.

So keep these points in mind. Fat burners can be helpful but only when used in moderation in the proper dosages.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Which protein powder variety is right for you? Find out with this overview of the top choices.

Thinking of adding protein powder to your daily routine? If you’ve been doing your research, you know by now that adding more protein to your menu is key for optimal success. Protein powder just happens to be a great way to do just that. If you aren’t keen on eating multiple chicken breasts per day and are watching your fat content putting steak and eggs out of the question, you’re going to need an alternative solution.

Protein powder can fill in the missing void, however it is important to realize that not all protein powder varieties are created equally.

Let’s take a closer look at the main types of protein powder and what you should know about each of them.

Whey Protein Powder

The most commonly used protein powder is just your standard whey protein. This protein powder is typically cost effective and contains an average of 20-23 grams of protein per scoop, along with a gram of two of each fat and carbs.

This protein powder has been shown to help blunt appetite levels, so using it in the day may actually help you see faster fat loss results. It also contains immunoglobins, which serve to strengthen your immune system and may help keep you feeling strong and healthy.

For someone on the hunt for a basic protein powder, it’s a great choice to use.

Whey Isolate Protein Powder

If, on the other hand, you want a protein powder that’s designed for immediately after exercise, a whey isolate protein powder is the better route to go. This is another form of whey protein powder only this time, it’s been processed for rapid digestion.

The minute it hits your blood stream, it’ll start breaking down, delivering you the amino acids your body is hungry for. This protein powder typically contains very few grams of carbs and fats and is great for jump-starting recovery.

Casein Protein Powder

Finally casein protein powder is the third option and is a slower digesting form of protein, so is directly opposite that of whey isolate powder. This one is thicker in consistently and best to use before bed as you are entering the overnight fast.

It’s also a good option if you know you’ll be going quite a few hours between meals.

So there you have a brief look at the different types of protein powders. Choose whichever one will meet your needs and requirements best.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Discover the most important benefits that squats have to offer and why they deserve a place in your workout program.

If there’s one exercise that must be making an appearance in your workout program, squats would be it. But yet, so many people skip over this highly effective move, usually because it’s hard work. Make no mistake, squats can be slightly painful from a muscular fatigue standpoint and they do demand a lot out of you.

This said, squats also offer a number of unique payoffs. Let’s look at four reasons to make sure that next time you hit the gym, squats are on your agenda.

Squats Burn Massive Calories

Looking to lose weight? You might just consider hopping off that piece of cardio equipment and getting into the squat rack instead. While most don’t consider squats a fat loss exercise as they think of it as a way to build muscle, they can do both.

When you are squatting, you’ll be working so many muscle fibers all at once, your calorie burn both during the exercise as well as after the exercise will skyrocket.

Doing four sets of 10 rep heavy weight squats is a sure-fire way to get your body utilizing fat as a fuel source for the next 48 hours. Try it yourself and see.

Squats Get You Six Pack Ab

Okay, so many squats themselves will not get you a six pack (as you also need a good diet to achieve that!), what squats will do is strengthen your entire core region so that when you do get down to low body fat percentages, you can see those abs clearly.

Don’t mistake squats as just a move for your lower body. It’ll work your abs and core as well.

Squats Give You Cardiovascular Benefits

One thing you’ll notice about squats is that they leave you breathless – and not because you love them. When you’re pushing yourself hard in this exercise, you’ll be gasping for air at the end of each set you do.

This clearly illustrates you’ll be reaping cardiovascular benefits from them. Ditch your cardio and try squats instead. You’ll get the same heart-health benefits you’re going for.

Squats Defend Against Low Back Pain

Finally, squats can help put an end to low back pain. While if you do squats improperly, they can cause back pain, if you take care to use proper form and an appropriate weight, they’ll strengthen all the muscles in the lower back, helping you avoid back pain down the road.

So as you can see, there are plenty of reasons to add squats to your workout program. Next time you head in for legs, get them on deck.

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.