Low-Fat Dairy & Whey Benefit Your Waistline. How?

Milk (and other low-fat dairy products) will help you build strong bones, but if you want to whittle your waistline and gain calorie-burning lean muscle you may need to up the ante. In a 2011 Journal of Nutrition study, dieters who ate 30 percent of calories from protein, including six to seven daily servings of dairy, chiseled off more belly and total fat—and gained more lean muscle—than women who trimmed the same number of calories but ate less protein and dairy. Researchers think the whey protein in dairy, which boasts the amino acid leucine, is particularly important in stimulating the formation of new muscle proteins.

Our new IsaLean Pro Shake (In a delicious vanilla flavor) has 35% protein.  The highest quality whey is used in this gluten-free, organic shake.

Worn Out from Exercising? Vitamin C to the Rescue!

A new pilot study reveals that taking vitamin C may take the edge off of exercise.  Paired with a drop in heart rate, researchers found that the perceived rate of exertion during exercise fell as vitamin C levels in the body rose.

Exhaustion following physical activity can be a hurdle for dieters trying to walk off excess weight. In the current study, obese subjects supplementing this antioxidant experienced less discomfort during physical activity after just four weeks.

Researchers from Arizona State University recruited 20 moderately obese, sedentary adults looking to lose weight. In conjunction with a low-fat, low-calorie diet, the participants took 500 mg of vitamin C or a placebo for four weeks. At baseline and at the final visit, researchers measured the subjects’ moods, perceived rate of exertion, and fat burning during a 60-minute bout of moderate-intensity exercise.

Over the course of the trial, both groups lost between 8 and 10 pounds simply by cutting calories. While fat oxidation did not change between the vitamin C and control groups, the researchers saw a drop in heart rate of nearly 8 percent (about 11 beats per minute) and a 10 percent decrease in the perceived difficulty of exercise after vitamin C supplementation. Both heart rate and exertion increased marginally in the control group.

The authors explain that “heart rate is a contributing factor to perceived effort, the significant decrease in exercising heart rate noted for the vitamin C participants may have influenced the ratings of perceived exertion.”

_______________________________ 

Reference: Huck CJ, Johnston CS, Beezhold BL, and Swan PD. Vitamin C status and perception of effort during exercise in obese adults adhering toa calorie-reduced diet. Nutrition 2012;1-4. doi:10/1016/j.nut.2012.021

Read more about this study on Isagenix Health.

Organic Meat/Dairy vs Conventionally Grown Meat/Dairy

Organic meat, dairy products, and eggs are produced from animals that are fed organic feed and allowed access to the outdoor grazing areas. They must be kept in living conditions that accommodate the natural behavior of the animals. Ruminants must have access to pasture. Organic livestock and poultry may not be given antibiotics, hormones, or medications in the absence of illness; however, they may be vaccinated against disease. Livestock diseases and parasites are controlled primarily through preventative measures such as rotational grazing, balanced diet, sanitary housing, and stress reduction.

Organic vs. Conventional Meat and Dairy
Regulations governing meat and dairy farming vary from country to country. In the U.S., these conventionally grown meats and dairy products were found to have the lowest levels of pesticides.
Organic meat and dairy: No antibiotics, hormones, or pesticides are given to animals Livestock are given all organic feed. Disease is prevented with natural methods such as clean housing, rotational grazing, and a healthy diet. Livestock must have access to the outdoors.

Conventionally raised meat and dairy:

Typically given antibiotics, hormones and feed grown with pesticides

·        Livestock are given growth hormones for faster growth.

·        Antibiotics and medications are used to prevent livestock disease.

·        Livestock may or may not have access to the outdoors.

What’s in American meat?

It is helpful to understand what the U.S. government allows in feed or to be used in conventional production:

• Dairy cows – antibiotics, pig & chicken byproducts, hormones (for growth), pesticides, sewage sludge
• Beef cows – antibiotics, pig & chicken byproducts, steroids, hormones, pesticides, sewage sludge
• Pigs – antibiotics, animal byproducts, pesticides, sewage sludge, arsenic-based drugs (growth hormones are prohibited)
• Broiler chickens – antibiotics, animal byproducts, pesticides, sewage sludge, arsenic-based drugs (growth hormones are prohibited)
• Egg laying hens – antibiotics, animal byproducts, pesticides, sewage sludge, arsenic-based drugs

Source: Meat, dairy, and eggs buying guide

Will You Have Fries with That? I Don't Think So!!!

Everybody talks about Fast Food.  "Fast food isn't good for you," "fast food is just junk food," or "fast food makes you fat not fast."  I have watched enough "Restaurant Impossibles" to convince me I don't ever want to eat in a mom and pop type restaurant or cafe again ... but I thought because fast food joints come with established protocals for everything from making a hamburger to emptying the trash ... I was sure they would be reasonably sanitary!!  Maybe not!!!  The excerpts below are from a Shine article by Lylah M. Alphonse. 

Comment from former fast food employee (the establishment will remain nameless, but trust me, it is one of the big ones!):  "Here is how the oil rotation went. You had four vats of oil that you cooked fries in. And boy did you cook fries. Tons of them. After about two days worth, the oil got too dark for fries. So we switched it over to the ones for chicken. Since it was darker, it was ok. Then that goes on for a week. After a week of massive frying. The oil is black as motor oil. At that point, it's switched to the Fish Filet vat. That's the only thing you cook in that vat."

From another fast food employee of another BIG franchise:  "I accidentally left a whole bag of about 100 chicken nuggets out on a counter for way too long.  They melted. Into a pool of liquid. I never understood why. But they were completely indiscernible as being the nuggets I once knew."

Ice machines and ice-cream dispensers can also have major sanitary problems.  After watching several episodes of RI, I really don't ask for ice in my drinks, and in fact, I don't even want to drink the pop or water that is dispensed from machines.  Another ex-fast food worker said it was because they can be hard to clean or don't get "broken down" or taken apart often.  He went on to say that after he had been an employee for four years, he completely stopped drinking ice from all fast food places because "I found a caterpillar sized chunk of mold in the ice about a week after the machine had been 'cleaned',"

This is just a few of the horror stories from the Shine article called "Fast Food Employees Dish About the Menu Items You Should Never Order."

Better Red Than Dead - Or how to soothe a sunburn!!

I have been very lucky so far this summer … I haven’t had a sunburn yet … of course I live in Oregon, and the sun hasn’t really found us this year.

Though I have been lucky so far, I know that once the sun does come out, I will turn a shade of red that even roses would be envious of!!!  I wouldn’t mind if that lush red turned into a golden tan … but no such luck!!

Just in case you find yourself half-baked and in pain this summer … here are some sunburn remedies you might like to try.

Aloe Vera Gel is generally recommended.  Not only does it heal the skin, I find it also takes the heat out of the burn.  You can find Aloe Vera Gel in nearly any store, but why not try it directly from the source: the Aloe Vera plant.  Just slice the leaf open, and smear the gooey stuff that is inside the leaf on your skin.  Don’t wipe it off.  You will feel the cooling healing starting almost immediately.

Another time tested remedy for sunburn is bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).  Just put four or five tablespoons of baking soda in a small bowl of cool water.  Soak cotton balls or a clean cloth in the bowl and lightly dab it onto your burned skin

This next method is not one I have tried myself, but a friend swears that mixing a cup of skim milk with four cups of cold water, and then taking a clean cloth soaked in the mixture and pressing it against your skin will bring relief.  You need to repeat the process for a half hour on the hour for four hours (or until the pain is relieved).

 
My husband is a nut for natural Vitamin E gel.  We were skin diving in the Caribbean once and he got the worst sunburn I have ever seen on the back of his legs.  We didn’t have anything for a sunburn and so he poked little holes in his vitamin E gel capsules and smeared the gel over the burned areas on the back of his legs.  I was impressed.  He didn’t blister or peel. If you try this, make sure you use natural vitamin E, not a synthetic version.

My grandma told me one time that if you have a bad sunburn, you should fill an old sock with uncooked oatmeal and then swish the sock in warm bath water until the water turns milky, then jump into the tub and soak.  You may find it as relaxing as it is refreshing.

 

If you like soaking in a bath tub, you might try putting 6 or 7 green tea teabags into warm bath water.  Let the water cool a little, then get in and soak.  The green tea will relieve the sunburn and boost healing.  You can also put the wet teabags on the most sunburned areas on your skin

The last idea was my mom’s favorite sunburn remedy. Apple cider vinegar (unpasteurized and unfiltered).  Any time my brother or I would come in the house with a rosy glow, she would slather us with apple cider vinegar.  I swear I smelled like a pickle most of the summer.  But it did relieve the pain and sped up the healing (after you overcome the initial sting of the application!!)  This method can be used even if the sunburn is blistering or beginning to peel.

Well … I hope this article helps you in case you do get burnt this summer.  In Oregon, I fear, we are more likely to rust than sunburn this year though.

One Light Bulb at a Time..

This information came to me as an email from a friend.  I am an avocate for buying locally and shopping for items made in the USA ... I think you will find this article eyeopening.

Subject: Made in the USA- Very Encouraging Unfortunately our politicians and top CEO's have pushed for trade to China and Mexico for years so Americans are now out of work. Did you know that there is no electric coffee maker made in the US and that the only kitchen appliances made in the US is Viking?
 
This information came from a report made by Diane Sawyer.  Hopefully this has changed or will soon!!  I DIDN'T KNOW HALLMARK CARDS WERE MADE IN CHINA!  That is also why I don't buy cards at Hallmark any more, They are made in China and are more expensive!  I buy them at Dollar Tree - 50 cents each and made in USA I have been looking at the blenders available on the Internet.  Kitchen Aid is MADE IN the US.  Top of my list already...

Costco sells Goodyear wiper blades for almost half the price that you will pay on the outside and they are made in the U.S.A.

Yesterday I was in WalMart looking for a wastebasket.  I found some made in China for $6.99.  I didn't want to pay that much so I asked the lady if they had any others.  She took me to another department and they had some at $2.50 made in USA.  They are just as good.  Same as a kitchen rug I needed.  I had to look, but I found some made in the USA - what a concept!  - and they were $3.00 cheaper.  We are being brainwashed to believe that everything that comes from China and Mexico is cheaper.  Not so.

I was in Lowe's the other day and just out of curiosity, I looked at the hose attachments.  They were all made in China.  The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there.  They were made in USA.

Start looking, people .  .  ...In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else - most often, their job.  My grandson likes Hershey's candy.  I noticed, though, that it is now marked "made in Mexico." I don't buy it anymore.

My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico...now I have switched to Crest.

You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger .  .  .  I needed 60W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy -- was an off-brand labeled, "Everyday Value." I picked up both types of bulbs and compared them: they were the same except for the price. .  . The GE bulbs cost more than the Everyday Value brand, but the thing that surprised me the most was that that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in - you guessed it - the USA at a company in Cleveland, Ohio. It's Way past time to start finding and buying products you use every day that are made right here.

So, on to the next aisle: Bounce Dryer Sheets...  yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada.  The Everyday Value brand cost less, and was MADE IN THE USA!  I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years, at almost half the price.

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA - the job you save may be your own or your neighbor's!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others in your address book so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time!  Stop buying from overseas companies - you're sending the jobs there.  (We should have awakened a decade ago....)

Let's get with the program and help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the USA.   Support the products that are "Made in the USA"

-- Marie Chandler

Glutahione: The Queen of Anti-Aging Process

Article from: Isagenix Health News

What protects your cells from oxidative damage better than vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, lycopene, or any other antioxidant currently on the market?

The answer is glutathione. This slasher of pro-oxidants and quencher of free radicals is actually made by your cells, for your cells. The glutathione redox system is an antioxidant powerhouse within the body, and consuming certain foods such as whey protein boosts your glutathione levels, and in doing so may preserve your health and delay the onset of old cellular age.

The key to life is sustaining function while efficiently tackling the onslaught of toxins that overwhelm the body. Glutathione is integral in this oxidative balance, as it protects against dangerous oxidative species clamoring to break through the cell’s defenses and is responsible for the renewal of other antioxidant agents. Glutathione is queen in the battle for health and longevity—a protector we must protect. Losing the queen could mean you’re losing the battle.

Biological aging is the result of cellular decline now understood to be due to a combination of oxidative stress and telomere shortening. The health of the cell serves as a junction between biological, cellular, and functional aging. Glutathione wards off damage to cells that, according to the recent scientific literature, accompanies the dysfunction of telomeres and mitochondria that develops over time. 
In addition to environmental, dietary, and psychological stressors that wreak havoc on cells, byproducts of metabolism that are essential to sustain life will also break our bodies down. With living comes aging and the human condition exists in a Catch 22 of sorts.

Glutathione synthesis rapidly decreases as we age. Researchers have found that the elderly have about 50 percent less glutathione in their cells than younger, height- and weight-matched controls (2). Low glutathione levels are not just linked to aging, but also to higher levels of oxidative damage and lower levels of intracellular antioxidants, which are commonly found in aged individuals (3). Glutathione’s actual involvement in the aging process and relationship with chronic disease is unclear. According to researchers, however, glutathione may be the best indicator of functional age.

Synthesized from three different amino acids, glutathione is a tri-peptide. Since it is made by the cell, it would make sense to believe that rate of synthesis is regulated by cells. Fortunately, this is not the case, or at least it is up for debate. Glutathione naturally decreases with age—but so will muscle, collagen, and maybe even cognition. Your antioxidant systems will degrade, and your cells will have a harder time processing toxic loads, unless you enable their defenses. The human body is remarkable in its ability to accept, adapt, and to renew (take advantage!).

Branching out beyond the branched chain amino acids, whey protein is also the best source of the sulfur containing the amino acid cysteine (1). Cysteine, in conjunction with glycine and glutamic acid, are the building blocks for intracellular glutathione. With more cysteine than any other plant and animal protein, undenatured whey protein brings the resources to counter-balance the compression of aging on cell protection.

To illustrate adaptability, older people supplementing with cysteine and glycine increased their rate of glutathione synthesis by 230 percent (2). After just two weeks of supplementing with the glutathione precursors, the subjects obtained an antioxidant status on par with a younger crowd. (To read more about this study, click here.) While these men and women supplemented with individual amino acids, some research suggests that whey protein may actually be a more effective stimulus for dosing up on glutathione (1).

Unfortunately, no one can take candles off their birthday cake, but biological age doesn’t have to have such a fixed rate. The Free Radical Theory of Aging suggests just that—oxidants, radicals, and toxins debilitate cells and deprive us of our youth. Promoting glutathione production is a direct way to reduce the oxidative duress put on cells. Being the sum of our parts, preserving our cellular age should be a key focus for turning back the clock.

References

1. Bounous G and P Gold. The biological activity of undenatured dietary whey proteins: role of glutathione. Clin Invest Med Volume 1991;14:296-309.
2. Sekhar R et al. Deficient synthesis of glutathione underlies oxidative stress in aging can be corrected by dietary cysteine and glycine supplementation. Am J Clni Nutr 2011; 1-7.
3. Kharb S et al. Glutation levels in health and sickness. Indian J  Med Sci 2000;54:52-4.