The Benefits of Protein Powders
April 27, 2010
I know protein is good for me, but do I need a supplement? Whey, egg, casein and soy — which one protein is right for me and what does each one do?
Let’s get the facts straight. Protein exists in virtually everything that moves and makes sounds, or in almost any animal. Primary dietary protein sources include fish, eggs, chicken, pork, beef, venison, buffalo and many other wild animals.
But which is the best source of protein? Ah, the million dollar question. As with any supplement, no protein powder will match what Mother Nature provides on earth. Natural proteins deliver more quality nutrients to your body than any protein powder ever could. Still, protein powders do have their place.
Scientist have come a long way in their development of protein supplements, including how they taste. Even recently, the best you could hope for with a protein shake was that you could choke it down in spite of its chalky taste and consistency. Now they actually taste good. Today there are plenty of protein powders and meal replacement shakes on the market. The key is finding the best quality products with the highest level of bioavailability.
Your primary source of protein should be meat, fish, poultry, eggs and other seafood. The protein source should be organic and grass-fed, free-range or wild. These furnish the body with the highest quality protein, provided that they are not cooked, or cooked very lightly, because heat denatures protein (kills proteins).
Other sources include commercial meats, farm-raised fish, and other genetically modified organisms like soy. Protein also can be found in other foods like nuts, legumes, some veggies and certain grains. However, your best sources of protein for packing on the muscle are organic meat and fish.
Protein shakes or meal replacements should be the last place you should look to fulfill your body’s protein requirements. Although they can be beneficial, remember, nothing beats Mother Nature’s proteins — not even a scientist-developed protein — for making you healthy and strong. Protein supplements are particularly useful for vegans, vegetarians and non-meat eaters, as well as for people with problems digesting heavy proteins or whose lifestyle prevents them from consuming proteins during the day.
A protein drink or meal-replacement shake is a great morning meal for those get-up-and-go types who only are short on time but understand how important breakfast is to losing fat and gaining muscle. Breakfast is the most important meal of any healthy diet, so a quick protein shake is a must for people who just don’t have time to prepare a good breakfast.
The best protein powders or shakes are made from egg or whey. Use casein, protein from dairy products, sparingly. Avoid soy proteins, as these are the cheapest products you can buy and typically are genetically modified. Genetic modification means scientists have altered the organism from its natural state, a practice discouraged by most non-soy-paid scientists. Do your own independent research if you like, but always consider the source. Take with a grain of salt the comments of “specialists” who are paid by companies to say theirs is the best stuff for your body.
Remember, these are general protein recommendations. If there’s something on this list that you are allergic to, that obviously would not be a good product for you. A food allergy test is recommended before you begin any supplementation program to determine if you have specific allergies and if there are particular substances your body has problems processing.
One last note: All the protein in the world won’t help you if your body is deprived of other nutrients, such as essential vitamins and minerals. For optimal health, make sure you consume enough protein, eat organic and supplement with a great multivitamin.
The Number One Recommended Protein Products that will deliver your body the highest amounts of quality protein. These Supplements will give you the most gains and help you lose the most fat.
Hamoon Arbabi
http://www.articlesbase.com/supplements-and-vitamins-articles/the-benefits-of-protein-powders-56707.html
Certified Organic Skin Care
April 24, 2010
There are many products available in the market that contain toxic ingredients, which in the long run can harm your body and skin. Nonetheless, people buy and use them every day. You wonder why people would buy products that harm them. Well, the answer is they don’t know they are harmful. There are many popular brands of skin care products that fall into this category.
How Do You Ensure That You Get The Best For Your Skin?
Buy certified organic skin care products which will have their ingredients listed carefully on the label, so you will know exactly what you are buying and using on your skin. When you see a product that says, ‘certified organic skin care product’ you will know that it has been tested for purity and found satisfactory by a certified legal body, ensuring that it is safe for you to use.
There are many products out there that claim to be organic. But are they really? Since the trend is slowly shifting towards organic products for food, clothing, and cosmetics, there is much temptation to cut corners in manufacturing to increase profits. This has resulted in many questionable products reaching the market under the banner of being organic products.
This is why the label of certified organic skin care product is so important. Check whether your favorite organic product has been certified or not. If it has not been certified yet, you are advised to use it with caution. Only when you get a certified organic skin care product you can be sure that it is made of one hundred percent organic ingredients and it is safe to use.
There have been many instances in the past where people bought non certified organic skin care goods only to find out later that they contained chemicals and non-organic ingredients. Many times chemical products look and smell better than the organic counterparts.
It is your choice, whether you want to use a chemical cosmetic or an organic one, however, if you choose the latter be sure you know how to identify it when you shop.
Dave Owen
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/certified-organic-skin-care-81962.html
Awaken to the Benefits of Natural Food Supplements
April 21, 2010
If health food supplements are supposed to be natural solutions for dietary deficiencies in human beings, all natural health supplements should come from human food.
After all, fish eat fish food, dogs eat dog food, cats eat cat food, cows eat grass and dung beetles eat dung. That, by the way is how its always been.
Naturally it would be safest for humans to supplement their diet with human natural food supplements. Consider the overall benefits – weight loss, no obesity, natural cures, healthy lifestyle, weight control. What more would one ask for?
When natural really is natural
Carrots and whole grains are natural and healthy for humans that have been proven. So why do so many supplement manufacturers use strange ingredients in their products that have no safe, long-term, non-toxic history of use? The answer is not complex really. There is no other market for this kind of junk, so, as no one else wants it, it’s cheap and plentiful.
what scientists don’t really know are the long-term detrimental effects of these non-human foods. Who really wants to be a guinea pig? For instance, let’s take dunalliela salina thats used as a carotenoid; it grows in stagnant polluted water that no living creature eats. Its use in food supplements is based not on nutrition but on profit margins and hype-marketing.
Natural foods and food supplements are strong marketing expressions. And the majority of marketers have no issues with concocting tales, stretching the truth and misusing these words to promote their “unnatural” products particularly if it increases their profit margin.
Human food chain nutrition
If you want nutritional foods that go way beyond natural, you ought to consider whole food and even organic foods. These natural food supplements use traditional fruits, vegetables and whole grains as their source of ingredients. They are even guaranteed to be free of all toxins and have been proven to work. Hundreds of thousands of satisfied people in dozens of countries around the world have been using natural supplements for over 50 years to look and feel their best – naturally.
Benefits of natural food supplements
They encourage access to key nutrients that prevent disease. Thus they eliminate the population of diseased, malnourished customers.
They make artificial food supplements more expensive, putting their purchase out of reach of more consumers.
With the loss of vitamin sales, a lot of artificial health retailers will be forced out of business. This is good for the health industry at large. The fewer health shops, the less competition there is for prescription drugs.
They set the stage for the future banning of artificial food supplements that prevent disease such as blueberries, broccoli and garlic.
They allow for the arrest and incrimination of key proponents of bad health (drug manufacturers, retailers and consumers), removing them from the public stage so that they no longer have a voice.
They allow natural health critics to use circular logic to attack the drug industry.
Kevin Pederson
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/awaken-to-the-benefits-of-natural-food-supplements-129852.html
Is Organic Skin Care Really Better For You?
February 27, 2010
In this day and age we are becoming more and more obsessed with organic products. Organic food is all the rage, and now organic beauty products are also taking a center stage. So just how good are these products for us? Are they really that much different from ordinary products?
The Benefits of Organic Skin Care
With so many chemicals in ordinary skin care products, it is shocking to think that we plaster our skin with creams and lotions every single day, yet we do not know what is in them. We have an amazing sense of trust in the manufacturers of skin care products, yet it seems that we are really being let down in a big way!
Ordinary products contain chemicals such as alcohol and lead. Alcohol is extremely drying on the skin and it can cause all kinds of problems, yet we spread it onto the skin without much thought. However, some people are seeing the light and more and more of us are turning to the benefits of natural products. Below are a few benefits of using organic products over ordinary, chemical-packed ones:
Gentle Enough For Even Sensitive Skin
As organic products are made form natural ingredients, they are often really good for people who suffer from sensitive skin. However, there are some natural chemicals included in organic products so you should always see if you are allergic to any of the ingredients before trying them.
What You See is What You Get
With organic products you know exactly what you are getting. There are no hidden downsides and you can rest assured that you are using the best ingredients for your skin.
They Do Not Always Have to be More Expensive
Although organic products are generally more expensive than ordinary ones, as they mainly use natural ingredients, it is possible to create some of your own recipes. This is not really expensive, and you are getting the bets of both worlds as you get to try out natural products, and you know exactly what is going into them.
Homemade Organic Skin Care
All you sometimes need to make your own organic skin care products is to open your kitchen cupboard. There are plenty of ingredients there which can help to give you beautiful, glowing skin the natural way!
For example, baking soda is great rubbed onto the skin once a week whilst you are in the shower. It can also be good to remove blackheads. If you have oily skin, fresh tomatoes are great for treating the oily areas of your face. However, some people may be allergic to the tomato juice, so always test on your arm before trying it on the face.
Vinegar is also another one of natures miracles. Apparently it works wonders on smelly armpits and feet. All you do is mix 50% of vinegar and 50% water, and use instead of your ordinary deodorant. Vinegar is also good for athletes foot and if you give your feet a vinegar bath every day for a week, the condition usually clears up pretty well.
If you fancy making your own face mask, mixing egg yolk with honey often makes a good one. Simply leave it on the skin for 20 minutes and then rinse it off. This is great for people with sensitive skin, though the honey can cause a tingling sensation. If this happens to you it is possible to use only the egg yolk.
Overall, home made organic skin care products may be a little messier sometimes and they may not smell as nice as ordinary products, but at least you know what you are getting. Your skin really will love you for it, and your purse will too!
Louise Forrest
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/is-organic-skin-care-really-better-for-you-126607.html
