What Everyone Ought to Know About Flaxseed

Flaxseed is touted as one of the world’s healthiest food. It’s rich with nutrients and there’s evidence that it may help lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other cardiovascular issues. Let's explore this tiny seed and discover why it should be added to your diet!

Flaxseed Health Benefits

1. The Omega-3 essential fatty acids in flaxseed are heart-healthy good fats that can help lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation (approximately 1.8 grams per tablespoon of flaxseed).
2. Fiber in flaxseed helps keep you full and relieve constipation.
3. Lignans found in flaxseed have antioxidant properties and may help protect against some cancers (specifically breast, prostate, and colon) by interfering with the growth of tumor cells.

Other Important Tidbits

1. Aim to consume 1-2 tablespoons of flaxseed each day to fully receive its benefits.
2. Ground flaxseed is easier to digest and ensures you’ll absorb its nutrients. It can be purchased ground or you can grind the seeds yourself using a coffee grinder.
3. Flaxseed color doesn’t really matter; the brown and golden varieties are nutritionally very similar.
4. Look for flaxseed in the flour or grain aisle at your grocery store. It can also be purchased online!

Flaxseed Uses

• Add a couple of tablespoons to your oatmeal, smoothies, soups, yogurt, sauces, stews, meatballs, and burgers.
• Add when baking breads, muffins, and pancakes.
• Combine 1 Tbsp ground flax with 3 Tbsp water to make a flax egg as an egg replacement when baking.

Shelf Life and Storage

• Store ground flaxseed in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer to keep the oils from oxidizing.
• Store whole flaxseeds in a cool dark place until ground.
• Flaxseed will last 1 year in the fridge.
• Flax meal will last 1-2 months in the fridge.
• If your seeds have a bitter taste, they may have gone bad and should be disposed.

Flaxseed Recipes

1. Strawberry Egg Crepes
2. Molten Chocolate Pudding Loaf
3. Blueberry Maple Muffins
4. Spicy Baked Flaxseed Tortilla Chips
5. Almond Flax Crusted Chicken
6. Berry Flaxseed Smoothie

Flaxseed veterans: What is your favorite use or recipe?

Lindsay is Registered Dietitian and writes about food and fitness at The Lean Green Bean. She shares healthy recipes, fun workouts, and snapshots of her life. She lives with her husband in Ohio and enjoys traveling and spending time outside with her dogs. You can connect with Lindsay on Twitter: @leangrnbeanblog.

4 Healthy Kid-Friendly Snack Recipes

Ah, smell that? It smells like new backpacks and pencil shavings. That's right, believe it or not, it's back to school time! And with the kids headed back to the school, it also means it's time to start packing lunches and preparing after school snacks again. If you're looking for some fun and healthy kid-friendly snacks for your little guy or gal, we've got you covered. And guess what? Adults like 'em, too!

Banana and Peanut Butter Sushi

These fun little bite-sized pinwheels are satisfyingly sweet (without any added sugar). Each sushi roll is packed with whole grain fiber, complex carbs, healthy fats, belly-filling protein and tons of healthy vitamins and minerals.

To Make: Warm a whole grain tortilla in the microwave until soft and pliable. Spread 1-2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter on the tortilla, then sprinkle on one diced banana. Roll the tortilla in tightly, and gently squeeze with your hands to squish wrap together. Using a sharp knife, cut tortilla into sushi-sized pieces.

To Pack: Either leave the tortilla whole, wrap in aluminum foil and serve as a roll-up, or pack sushi slices into an air-tight container for the lunch box.

Tomato and Cheese Sticks

These bite-sized delights will satisfy any hungry kid after school. They are easy, fun, and totally adaptable. Try using different cheeses, fun toothpicks, or colored tomatoes. You can even swap out the tomatoes for sweet peppers, cucumbers, or whatever other veggie your kid is into.

To Make: Cut mild cheddar cheese into 1/2" cubes. Stick a cherry tomato and cheese cube onto a toothpick.

To Pack: These sticks will travel well with an ice pack in baggies or airtight containers.

Chocolatey Trail Mix

Make your own trail mix! It comes together in a flash and you get complete control of the ingredients.

To Make: Mix together 1 part raw almonds and 1 part dark chocolate chips to 2 parts unsweetened dried fruit. Try raisins and blueberries!

To Pack: Use little baggies for easy snacking.

Apple and Peanut Butter Sandwiches

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but this won't ensure that your kids will eat it. These little apple sandwiches are fun, tasty, and still get your kids all the great nutrition of eating fruit.

To Make: Fill a small bowl with cold water and a splash of lemon juice and to avoid browning, don't skip the lemon water step. Slice an apple into 1/4" slices crosswise and using a small cookie cutter (for fun shapes) or a knife, cut out the core to make donut-shaped slices. Dunk the slices in the lemon water, drain and spread peanut butter and raisins on one of the slices, then top with another slice.

To Pack: Wrap each pre-made sandwich tightly in aluminum foil.

What healthy snacks do you pack in your kid's lunch box?

Cassie Johnston is an award-winning food writer and recipe developer living and working in Southern Indiana. Her work has been feature in national publications such as Gourmet Magazine and The Huffington Post. Cassie’s a big fan of strenuous hikes, cheese, watching sports, Brussels sprouts, and craft beer, and she’ll talk your ear off about her love of local food and seasonal eating. She’s obsessed with social media and loves connecting with new friends—you can follow her on Twitter:@backtoherroots.

 Article is from anytime fitness http://anytimehealth.com/blog/395383-4-healthy-kids-friendly-snack-recipes

Top Up Your Energy Tank: Energy Buster # 2

Being Carb Neutral

The Rational: " A carb is a carb is a carb"

The Truth Be Told: " You need a balance of healthy carbs entering your system throughout the day to avoid crashes in blood sugar level," says White. "Slower- Digesting sources such as whole grains, bran, fruits, and vegetables, beans, and dairy are all considered superior carbs for energy production, as well as to provide your body with important vitamins, minerals and a range of phytonutrients."

Fuel Fix:  Most of the carbs you consume over the course of the day should be slow digesting, complex variety since these have less of an impact on insulin and they provide a steady source of energy. Fast-digesting carbs, such as those found in processed sugars, white bread and other refined grains and flours, spike blood sugar and therefore cause a drastic increase in insulin, which can signal your body to store fat. It's that post- insulin crash that can sap your energy levels. So, the only times of day upi should be opting for simple(fast digesting) Sugars are the first thing in the morning and immediately post-workout, when you need to  rapidly replenish stored sugars(glycogen) 

Musclemag's Ultimate Guide to Nutrition & Supplements (Special Edition) Dec 2011 Page 132

Click the Cover to Get Your Copy Today!!!

Product of the Week (Norpro 175 Stainless Steel Vegetable Steamer)

PRODUCT OF THE WEEK!

 Click the Photo to Get Yours Now!!!

Steaming is one of the healthiest cooking techniques around. 

It's also a quick and easy way to cook up dinner veggies. Here are some of the best vegetables to steam and tips for keeping them nice and crisp.

The Benefits of Steaming
You may have heard this before: steaming is one of the best ways to cook veggies so they keep their nutrients. Vitamins are easily destroyed when you cook with water for long periods of time (i.e. boiling), but steaming uses the steam from boiling water to cook your food — not the water directly.

Another advantage of steaming is no added fat or sodium (do you dab butter in a boiling pot of broccoli or load in the salt?). Any veggie you steam will be around 25 calories per half-cup and chock-full of vitamins and minerals.

Veggies to Choose
Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, artichokes, zucchini and green beans are great choices because they're sturdier and won't turn to mush too easily. Leafy greens — baby bok choy, spinach and Chinese broccoli — also steam up nicely but take less time. If you want to try something new, steam some radishes or quartered new potatoes.

How to Steam
Large chunks of veggies are tough to steam quickly — so if you're in a hurry, cut or trim your vegetables into smaller pieces first.

A steaming basket is a cheap way to steam food. Fill a pot with 2 ounces of water and place the basket with the veggies on top. Once the water boils, it takes anywhere from 5 to 12 minutes to cook. It depends on the thickness of the veggie so you may want to check periodically (but don't keep lifting the lid!) and pull them off when they hit your preferred softness. And, please, don't forget the lid. You won't get anywhere unless the steam is trapped in the pot.

Immediately after steaming, have a colander of ice or bowl of ice water ready to plunge — or "shock" — your cooked goodies. This will stop the cooking process so your veggies stay nice and crunchy.

While we prefer the old-fashioned way, you can also steam in the microwave. There are some microwave-ready steam veggie packs you can buy at the grocery store. Or just place evenly cut veggies in a microwave-safe bowl (glass), add a little water to bottom and top with microwave-safe plastic wrap. You'll want to pull back one corner of the topper so some steam can escape — no need for an explosion. Usually, the stovetop method takes the same amount of time.

Tools to Use
I always have trouble steaming asparagus because it doesn't fit well. I checked around and found this asparagus steamer, which is my next kitchen purchase. There are also stack & steam sets available, which let you cook pasta and steam veggies at the same time (a real time, energy and dish-washing saver). You might have a bamboo steamer at home — they're typically used for Chinese dim sum but also work for steaming veggies. A double boiler is a make-shift solution, too, as long as there are holes in it.

The Flavor Traps
Now that you've used a healthy cooking method, don't go adding tons of high-calorie toppings such as oil, cheese or butter (my clients do it all the time!). If you decide to add butter or oil, stick to 1 tablespoon and measure it out. Lemon, garlic or just a dash of black pepper work wonders. I love a spritz of fresh lemon on my steamed asparagus. Try mixing a few minced garlic cloves with a teaspoon of olive oil and drizzle over broccoli.


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Courtesy of Toby Amidor
Original Article can be found @: http://www.foodnetwork.com/healthy-eating/healthy-how-to-steaming-veggies/index.html

Top Up Your Energy Tank(Energy Buster #1)

Energy Buster # 1: Dropping calories to Low

The Rational: "if cutting 100 calories a day can help me get leaner, then dropping 250 can get me there faster." Taking in too few calories a day creates a calorie deficit and slows metabolism. making this mistake on a regular basis will tank energy levels and as a result, your workouts will suffer."

Truth Be Told: "Less isn't always more," says Dana Angelo White, MS RD, ATC, sports nutritionist and owner of Dana white Nutrition "Taking in to few calories per day creates an energy deficit and slows metabolism. making this mistake on a regular basis will tank energy levels and as a result, your workouts will suffer."

Musclemag's Ultimate Guide to Nutrition & Supplements (Special Edition) Dec 2011 Page 132

Click the Cover to Get Your Copy Today!!!

Motivating Kids to Get Fit

With childhood obesity increasing at staggering rates, parents and caregivers must play an active role in protecting children’s health. Eating healthy foods is a key factor in maintaining their overall well-being. But, this has to be balanced with regular physical activity.

Children who are physically active on a regular basis will reap enormous benefits. Studies have shown that they:

• Are less likely to become overweight
• Have a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabete
• Have reduced blood cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure
• Have higher self-esteem and reduced incidences of depression and anxiety
• Are more likely to build strong bones and muscle
• Are more attentive in school

1. Focus on fun. You don’t have to call it “exercise,” just consider it an activity. Find out which ones your child likes and encourage those.
2. Limit TV and computer time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than “two hours of daily media exposure” for children ages two and older. When they are watching or clicking, make sure they take breaks and move around.
3. Schedule play dates. The key word here is “play.” Have your child get together with a friend and play a game of tag, race down the block or kick a ball around.
4. Get fit as a family. Create some funny dance moves. Put up a net and shoot hoops. You could also visit a zoo, play miniature golf or enjoy other activities where a lot of ground is covered on foot.
5. Choose fitness-oriented gifts. For your child’s next birthday, consider giving him or her a jump-rope, mini-trampoline, hula-hoop — something that will encourage movement.
6. Clean up. Chores don’t have to be a bore. Sing a silly song with your child as you both wipe tables and counters. See how long both of you can hold a funny face while folding and putting away clothes. Older kids can help wash the car. On a hot day, this can turn into water play.
7. Skip the mall. Go to the playground. Sure, most malls have kids’ play areas. But, when the weather is nice, enjoy a local park or playground instead. Fresh air always does a body good; especially a little one.
8. Be a model of fitness. It’s much easier to motivate kids to be active, if you lead an active lifestyle. Whether you follow a structured fitness program or are lucky to get in some morning stretches, let them see you moving. It will likely inspire them to do the same.
9. Encourage walking or biking whenever feasible. This is easy to accomplish if you live near stores, libraries or other places you visit regularly. If you live in a remote area, establish a safe route to tour on bike or on foot with your child.
10. Be a fitness advocate at your child’s school. Do you know how much physical activity your child gets at school? Now’s the time to find out. If you don’t like the answer, gather support from other parents to enforce positive changes.

Now that we know why children need to be active, it’s time to get them up and moving. Here’s how:

Notes: 

• The American Heart Association recommends:All children age 2 and older should participate in at least 30 minutes of enjoyable, moderate-intensity physical activities every day. These activities should be developmentally appropriate and varied.

• If your child does not have a full 30-minute activity break each day, try to provide at least two 15-minute periods or three 10-minute periods in which they can engage in vigorous activities appropriate for their age, gender and stage of physical and emotional development. Any concerns about your child’s physical or overall health should be discussed with their pediatrician.

 Original article can be found at:

http://www.pbs.org/parents/food-and-fitness/sport-and-fitness/motivating-kids-to-get-fit/

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(Product of the Week) SKLZ SpeedSac - Indoor/Outdoor Variable Weight Sprint Trainer

Product of the Week

Build explosive leg drive out of the blocks with the SpeedSac. This variable weight sled allows you to strengthen your lower body muscles by resistance training, similar to metal sleds. Practice exploding from a set position, improve your dash time, and increase overall speed. With removable weights, the SpeedSac allows you to adjust the towing resistance. You can also use the handles on the bags to perform various upper and lower body exercises such as lunges or front raises.

Features

• Includes 3 durable weight bags that can be filled with up to 10 pounds of sand (30 pounds total)

• Sled material won't harm grass or mark wood floors

• Adjustable leash length to accommodate athletes of any size

• Sand not included
  

About SKLZ

SKLZ is committed to elevating the athlete in each of us by guiding and serving athletes on their journeys to be their personal best. As the flagship brand of Pro Performance Sports, based in San Diego California, SKLZ develops innovative athletic performance and skill development training products, technology and knowledge for serious athletes of all ages, skill levels and sports including baseball, football, soccer, golf, softball and basketball. SKLZ is known around the world for delivering durable, high-performance training products used by professional and amateur athletes as well as their coaches and trainers seeking to improve on a sport-specific skill or a performance-focused goal such as speed, agility, balance or core strength.

Product Description

Blow past the competition when you train with the SKLZ SpeedSac. Designed to help you build explosive leg drive out of the blocks, this variable weight sled allows you to strengthen your lower body muscles by resistance training similar to metal sleds. With removable weights, the SpeedSac allows you to adjust the towing resistance, and you can also use the handles on the bags to perform various upper and lower body exercises such as lunges or front raises. Complete with three weight bags that accommodate up to 10 pounds of sand each; will not harm or mar floors. About SKLZ As an innovator in athletic training, SKLZ is the flagship brand of Pro Performance, a premier player in the development and marketing of training aids and equipment for basketball, football, soccer, baseball, softball, and golf. With products designed for players of all ages and skill levels, SKLZ focuses on finding innovative products and methods that help maximize athletic potential and meet goals. Located in San Diego, California, SKLZ and Pro Performance operate internationally, with their products found at major sporting goods retailers, specialty shops, and training centers everywhere. Adjustable leash length to accommodate all athletes. Won't harm grass or mar wood floors. 3 weight bags fill with 10 pounds of sand each. Strengthens lower body muscles through resistance. Dimensions: 120L x 16W x 5H inches.


Ivey McAllister
Full Spectrum Health and Fitness
ivey@success4you.ws

Cheating to Leanness: Make Cheat Days Work In Your Diet

Cheating to leanness: How to make your cheat days work in yout diet

If you are wondering how the occasional deviation from your plate of chicken and broccoli benefit you, you're in the right place. Cheat days, or what I call "refeed" days, shouldn't be a green light for an all out sloth, but rather a strategically planned aspect of a well implemented fat loss diet. Both from a physical and a psychological standpoint I have had many clients who reap the benefits of enjoying their favorite foods. When it comes down to it, our basic physiology and psychology backs the notion of refeed days, and my clients do as well.
A sneak peak at the hormone Leptin will shed a little light on how cheating helps us lose fat. Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells, and to an extent the cells lining the stomach. Leptin essentially gives a real-time play-by-play to a part of the brain known as the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus for all intents and purposes controls metabolism and hunger. There is an inverse relationship between our body fat and our fed state in regards to leptin's signals and subsequently the hypothalamus's actions. Theoretically, the fatter we are and the more fed we are, the higher our metabolism will be and the lower our hunger hormones should be (see figure below). There are of course exceptions as seen in leptin resistance, which is a whole separate article.

↓ Fat = ↓ Leptin = ↑ Hunger Hormones + ↓ Metabolism

↑ Fat = ↑ Leptin = ↓ Hunger Hormones + ↑ Metabolism

So that leaves us with the questions, "What does cheating on your diet and leptin have to do with each other, and how can their relationship help my six-pack?" Really it's pretty simple once you know the mechanisms. When you partake in modern day famine, or what we would call dieting, your body's natural defense mechanisms try to preserve you. This manifests itself when you chronically restrict calories and consequently leptin's signals to the brain decrease, making the hypothalamus turn the dial down on your metabolism. It seems pretty intuitive doesn't it? Much like our ancestors, if you haven't stumbled upon a water buffalo or a bushel of berries (bear with me, think chicken breasts and sweet potatoes) in quite some time, your body will want to keep enough insulation on you for the winter to come. Thus the body will decrease what it can control, your metabolism.
Don't fret however, the fate of your metabolism plummeting can be blunted by an occasional dietary sidetrack. Leptin is sensitive to acute, or short-term, increases in carbohydrate consumption. That is to say if you have been dieting on both a calorically restricted diet and carbohydrate restricted diet, occasional periods of high carbohydrate consumption will increase leptin levels. Thus the higher carbohydrate "refeed," is born. Carbohydrate cycling ring a bell? By increasing leptin during caloric restriction through higher carbohydrate days, and keeping insulin in check on lower carbohydrate days, carbohydrate cycling sheds fat and keeps the metabolism humming. Of course the organization and implementation of a carbohydrate cycling diet is individual, and dynamic.
With this all in mind I would be remised to leave you without a plan to implement all this information into your nutritional regimen. After all, your reading this with the aspirations of an Adonis-like physique, and the luster of a cheat day to help you do so. As promised, below is a basic protocol to implement a higher carbohydrate cheat, or "refeed," day into your diet:

Day 1: 0.5grams of carbohydrates per lb bodyweight
Day 2: 0.5 grams/lb bw
Day 3: 1.5g/lb bw
Day 4: 0.5g/lb bw
Day 5: 0.5g/lb bw
Day 6: 0.5g/lb bw
Day 7 (Cheat Day): 2.5-3g/lb bw

Bear in mind while the above may not be a typical carbohydrate cycling protocol, it certainly enables fat loss results. On the lowest carbohydrate days (0.5g/lb bw), the source of carbohydrates should come from non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and green beans. Proteins and healthier fats such as coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, and almonds should make up the lion share of your calories. On the medium day (1.5g/lb bw) starchy carbohydrates such as oatmeal, brown rice, and sweet potatoes can be incorporated in your post-workout meal. And finally, what you have been waiting for, on your cheat day (2.5-3g/lb bw) it's your choice! However, I would recommend an abundance of healthy starchy carbs, like the ones mentioned above, if your intensions are to get lean and mean.
Remember though, you are aiming to increase carbohydrate consumption not fat consumption. Personally, my cheat day involves a trip to my favorite Mexican restaurant for corn chips and salsa, as well as fajitas with corn tortillas, as I am gluten intolerant.
There you have it! The how and why to cheat on your diet. So break out your calculator and figure out just how much you can liberate yourself from the rigors of dieting one day a week. You'll not only be looking forward to that cheat meal, but also looking at a more chiseled physique in the mirror.

Written By Adam Bisek @ http://www.cutandjacked.com/article-categories/nutrition

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A Quick Review on CLA's: Natures Fat Burner

Conjugated Linoleic Acid: Natures Fat Burner

     Flip through any fitness magazine, and what’s the first thing you see? Flashy ads, featuring models with ripped physiques, claiming all their results are from uber-powerful fat demolishing power matrix pills. These fat burners have varying degrees of effectiveness, and most are plagued by what I call “over complication disorder” - they have two or three known effective ingredients, like caffeine, green tea, or yohimbe. The rest is a proprietary blend of all kinds of long chemical names, and super-scientific explanations of how they work, designed to sell the product. What if there was a simple supplement that had one ingredient, and actually did work? Good news; there is.

Conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, is quickly gaining popularity as a type of natural “fat burner.” It is not a thermogenic supplement like many other fat burners on the market, it simply helps your body become more efficient at processing and storing dietary fat intake. In very simple terms, CLA helps prevent your body from storing extra fat by interfering with the chemical that adipose cells, or fat cells use to absorb and store excess fat. Studies show that CLA also helps the body use stored fat for energy while increasing lean body mass. It doesn't directly burn fat cells on it’s own, but it encourages the body to burn fat with a proper caloric deficit and exercise, and prevents your body from absorbing fat and forming new fat cells.
Many double-blind clinical studies have been performed on CLA, where half of a given group was given a placebo, and half was given CLA supplementation. All of these studies showed the same thing: those on CLA showed decrease body fat, although not necessarily decreased weight, and increased lean body mass. The only adverse effect found was some minor gastrointestinal bloating and discomfort. This varies person to person, and is often not a big enough problem to steer people away from CLA.

These studies show that a person with a clean diet and exercise can expect to increase fat loss over a long period of time with CLA supplementation. The shortest clinical study showed that users began to see results of CLA supplementation after twelve weeks; this is not an overnight fat burner. However, given all of the above information, CLA seems like a healthy and extremely effective supplement for those looking to burn fat and increase lean body mass without using any harsh stimulants.

This may not be a miracle pill, or a quick fix, but if something quick and natural can help increase lean body mass while decreasing fat mass, that can hardly be considered a bad thing. CLA isn't too expensive either, so if you're the type that loves supplements, this is a great one to consider!

                                           CLICK HERE

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Written by:  Matt Dustin, NASM-CPT

References:  Guallier JM, Halse J, Hoivik HO, Hoye K, Syverstsen C, Nurminiemi M, Hassfeld C, Einerhand A, O’Shea M, Gudmundsen O. Six months supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid induces regional-specific fat mass decreases in overweight and obese. 2007 Mar;(3):550-60. PMID: 17313718

Guallier JM, Halse J, Hoye K, Kristiansen K, Fagertun H, Vik H, Gudmundsen O. Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation for 1 y reduces body fat mass in healthy overweight humans. 2004 Jun;79(6):1118-25. PMID: 15159244

http://www.cutandjacked.com/Conjugated-Linoleic-Acid-CLA-Natures-Fat-Burner

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