Stress-Eat in Style

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Stress Eat, Josh BezoniSo many of us struggle with stress eating. The struggle of daily life can feel overwhelming and in an attempt to cope, we stuff our mouths and stomachs with fatty comfort foods. Yet, this only exacerbates the issue. As stress mounts, our waistlines expand and our self-esteem shrinks—but what if there were a way to eat and lose pounds? What if there was a way to eat comfort foods that make us feel don’t just make us feel comfortable, but make us feel better?

There is! Seriously. Here are some fantastic healthy alternatives to traditional ‘comfort foods:’

Oatmeal: Oatmeal has carbs, a LOT of them. Carbs tell your brain to make serotonin. Serotonin=happy hormone. Therefore, if you eat oatmeal, you will be happy. Though this is a simple explanation for why oatmeal is such an awesome substitute, it is more or less the extent of it. Oatmeal also coerces a steady blood sugar response, which one, is great for your waistline and metabolism, and two, means steady serotonin.

Oranges: The beloved fruit of Florida decreases cortisol levels in humans. Cortisol is the body’s number one stress hormone. So more oranges equal less stress. Plus, oranges have been proven to reduce blood pressure levels when people are subject to stressful circumstances.

Turkey: The staple of Thanksgiving boasts an amino acid that goes by L-tryptophan, and L-Tryptophan also triggers serotonin release which means it triggers happy for you.

Salmon: Salmon and many other types of fish have a very large count of omega-3 fatty acids. Although ‘fatty acids’ may not exude undertones of fresh, healthy, nutrition, these do. In fact, they incite a reduction in stress levels when consumed in appropriate servings. According to a study published in none other than the respected Diabetes & Metabolism, omega 3s prevent cortisol events from peaking. Another study conducted in Michigan went so far as to say that omega 3s decrease anxiety by an astounding 20%.

Avocados: Everyone’s new favorite food has wonderful nutritional benefits when consumed in moderation. Their high potassium content helps reduce stress-induced spikes in blood pressure. Although bananas may get all the credit for potassium, avocados actually have more!

These are just a few foods that provide a tremendous alternative to more generic comfort foods. The next time you open the freezer to look for a gallon of ice cream, consider eating something that not only tastes good, but is good for you.

Double Fat Loss Today

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Josh Bezoni, Diet, Fat LossWhen we are first being taught about nutrition, the Food Pyramid always springs to the forefront of conversation. Claiming that grains (made up of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta) make up the base of the food pyramid, it was thought we were supposed to receive an astounding fifty percent of our diet from carbohydrates.

Crazy! It’s this sort of fattening advice that perpetuates nutritional misperceptions which relegate people to an unhealthy lifestyle, condemned to believe they are doing the right thing and properly monitoring their diet when, in reality, they are actually making losing weight more difficult, more frustrating, and downright exhausting. What’s the most ridiculous part of all this? We know better.

Fortunately, government agencies and the United States educational system have released massive updates to the outdated policy; it’s just slow to take effect. In fact, the USDA is rightfully now recommending that half of your diet come from fruits and vegetables, and only 30% should come from grains—much better advice. Not to mention, the ‘experts’ are now also suggesting that protein makes up about twenty percent of our diet, a fantastic increase from the nearly nonexistent portion that was advised before.

All this said, there are still some considerable improvements to be made even to this new and improved My Plate System (the new and improved version of the Food Pyramid). For one, it does not really allot for healthy fats like nuts, oils, and organic dairy products—think butter and cream. These sorts of fats are a vital part of any diet, and most certainly should not be eaten sparingly. In actuality, you should be consuming about 25% of your calories through these open fats.

In regards to grains, I would chop it down to size and say they should only make up about 15% of your diet. There are only two meals a day where you should even consider eating grains, anyway, and those are breakfast and the meal after your workout. The reason for this is that research has proven glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity are at their highest during these two points in the day.

With respect to protein, let’s beef that up to at least 35%. By increasing protein, you will have an increased thermic effect of feeding (which means you burn more calories just by eating protein), have better blood sugar control, see a decrease in body fat, and witness a significant increase in calorie-burning lean muscle.

Really, just by lowering grain consumption, you will improve your body’s capacity for processing carbohydrates, and then when you increase your protein intake, you can nearly DOUBLE your fat loss. It’s that easy.

Time to Place Whey by the Wayside

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If you’ve ever even thought of lifting weights or undergoing any sort of weight training regimen, you have probably thought about purchasing the most fundamental supplement to ever grace the vitamin industry, whey protein. Known for its incredible popularity and its supposed ability to foster a more rapid development of stronger, more resilient muscle fibers, its negative associations often, all-too-often, in fact, slip under the radar.

So, in light of these aforementioned negative associations, I would like to elaborate. There are, in reality, two major hindrances to whey protein as a product:

Whey Protein Absorption: According to a study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, the rate of protein absorption is eight grams every hour. While there are certainly a variety of factors that contribute to this, the single largest influencing factor is undoubtedly the fact that the whey is not broken down into small enough peptides by our body’s natural enzymes in order to be absorbed in time, and if the protein is not absorbed in time, then it essentially useless.

Whey protein can only be absorbed efficiently over the course of 1.5 hours, so even if a particular protein has 60g in a single serving, only about 12-20g of that 60 will be put to good use. That means the vast majority of the rest of that whey protein is bound to be excreted, nutritious value and all. It’s wasted.

Insulin Release Associated with Whey: Let’s play a game. If I presented you with a serving size of generic white Wonder bread, and a serving size of standard whey protein isolate, and asked which if these causes a greater spike in insulin, what you say? Would you choose the well-touted, known to be terrible for you, nutritionally devoid white bread, or the muscle and nutritional supplement, whey protein? Remarkably, the answer is…you guessed it! Whey protein.

As outrageous as it seems, whey protein actually causes a greater spike in insulin than white bread. According to a study published in Nutrition & Metabolism as of 2012, the specific amino acids in whey protein actually emulate beta cells to such a degree that they secrete more insulin than a similar serving of carbs from white bread.

Of course, I am only referring to insulin release in this scenario. Obviously, when taking into account nutritional value as a whole, white bread is no match for whey protein. Yet, that said, there really is no ignoring the fact that your fat-burning capability is noticeably afflicted when there is a presence of excess insulin; so ideally, choosing foods with a lower insulin response is preferable.

The fact is that whey protein is by no means the best supplement around despite whatever its incredible popularity might suggest. The next time you’re shopping around for strength training supplements, I’d recommend you check out time-released proteins where your body is able to absorb the nutritious value of whatever you’re consuming over an extended period of time, and then you will be able to gain the most out of what you buy.

The Breathing Exercise that Eats Belly Fat

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In the swirling chaos of our daily lives, stress often rises to the surface and influences our mood, our attitude, and our hormones. When we try to compartmentalize this mental duress, it soon becomes physically apparent, whether we like it not. In fact, it can incite inflammation, accelerated aging, poor judgment, bad decisions, and impaired slumber. Put frankly, stress makes you fat, sick, dumb, and weak.

For example, scientists at the University of California at San Francisco have found a proven association between cortisol (the stress hormone) and belly fat content. Yet, despite this terrible news being proven (we all knew it was true anyway), there is something we can do to take control of our lives and our own fitness. We are not subject to the whim of inevitable stress.

Essentially, you can combat stress and relax through something called “deep belly breathing.” When engaging in “deep belly breathing,” you are able to overcome your body’s stress response, decrease your cortisol production, and bolster your melatonin creation (the sleep hormone that also protects against aging). Alright, alright, now here’s how you do it:

  1. Sit or lie down in a dark and quiet room. Place the palm of your hand on your stomach.
  2. Take a deep, slow breath through your nose and pay particular attention to how your stomach rises and falls underneath your hand.
  3. Exhale. Slowly, and for as long and steadily as possible (like, for at least five seconds). Breathe out until your lungs are entirely devoid of air.

And that’s it! Just repeat steps one through three every night for at least a week and I promise you will not only feel better and more energized, but you’ll even notice your waistline shrinking! Yet, that’s not all. There’s actually another trick that has been proven to burn 400% more fat when used, and it takes less than a minute!

Another study published in the Journal of International Medical Research illustrated that people who used the same aforementioned trick actually managed to lose 20% of their body fat in only 12 weeks. If you want to burn 400% more fat than you would otherwise by dedicating a simple minute, check out this neat and easy to understand video.

Sodium Linked To Obesity

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Sodium is a natural element that the body needs to function. It’ s important for water balance, nerve function, and countless other physiological functions. However you really only need a small amount per day. About 500 mg is plenty. That’s the amount you’d get just snacking on chips, crackers, various cheeses, salted nuts or eating canned food items like soups and canned veggies. The total daily recommended limit of sodium consumption is around 2,300 milligrams.

However, most Americans are eating too much sodium. WAY too much sodium. On average, 4,000 to 6,500 mg a day. It’s not only hurting their health, it’s expanding their waistlines. In fact, the American Medical Association is campaigning for the FDA to withdraw salts designation as a “safe” food additive. They’re pushing for Americans to cut their intake in half.

This isn’t too surprising. Food manufacturers have known for a long time that salt is an addictive substance. That’s why they pack it into more and more processed foods. People will eat more, and then food companies will make more money. A clinical research has shown that salt shares characteristics with addictive substances (like morphine, cocaine, and heroin) which release dopamine (feel-good brain chemicals) when we eat it. That’s why salt addictions are so common and why people have such a hard time cutting down. Often people who don’t even know they’re addicted to salt will experience withdrawal symptoms when trying to cut back.

A 2006 Finnish study published in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases found a link between increased salt intake and obesity. From the 1980s to the mid 1990s, the salt intake in the United States increased by more than 50% as Americans started eating more and more processed foods. In the same time frame, obesity has gone up steadily. Also keep in mind that when people eat more salt, they will naturally have the desire to drink more fluids to maintain water balance in their bodies.

Unsurprisingly, between 1977 and 2001 the U.S. caloric intake from sweetened beverages like fruit juice, soft drinks and energy drinks increased by 135%. It’s pretty easy to see that as food companies make foods more salty, people will drink more and more super-sized sugary drinks to wash it down.

High sodium diets also are the leading cause of high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. These diseases also go hand in hand with obesity. To alleviate the high blood pressure caused by salt intake, your body will dump extra water into your blood vessels which causes the overall pressure to increase as blood vessels expand. African Americans, Hispanics, and obese men and women have a higher sensitivity to sodium and are more prone to high blood pressure as a result. If you fall into one of these at-risk categories, you should try to limit your salt intake to less than 1,500 mg a day.

For regular salt use, I recommend using Celtic Sea Salt or pure Himalayan Pink Salt, because these have 84 minerals whereas regular table salt has only 2. They also don’t go through an unhealthy refining process like regular table salt does.

Also try to stay away from fast food, as many items at these restaurants will put you over your daily allowance really quickly. A McDonald’s double cheeseburger with small fries, for example, contains 1,310 mg of sodium. If you’re trying to be healthy at a fast food restaurant, good luck. The mesquite chicken salad at Chili’s has 2,710 mg of sodium. That’s more than most adults should eat in an entire day.

You can limit your salt intake by eating less processed food, getting frozen or fresh veggies instead of canned, buying fresh meats, choosing low-sodium options of canned soups and snacks, and asking for unsalted entrees at restaurants.

The Best Snack for Satisfying Cravings

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AlmondsWe have all been there. It’s 3:30 in the afternoon, and you’ve long since forgotten about what you ate for lunch. You’re feeling a little lethargic, your stomach is starting to grumble, and you want to reach for something quick to satisfy your craving and get you through to the end of the work day.

Everyone gets cravings, and every now and then, we all give into them. You’re human! I’m not here to guilt trip you. But one of the best defenses again succumbing to your daydreams of chocolate chip cookies and oily potato chips is to have a few smarter (i.e. healthier) snacks at your disposal.

One of my favorite, guilt-free snack foods is inexpensive, requires no prep, and is easy to take on the go. So what’s this amazing mystery food?

Almonds!

Whether it’s the slight grumble of your tummy or just because you’re in need of something salty, almonds are a great go-to snack. Unfortunately, our cravings often leave us reaching for the closest bag of potato chips or pretzels, which aren’t exactly helping you achieve your weight loss goals. They’re also not going to fill you up for very long, and you’ll likely end up snacking on something else before the day is through.

Almonds are loaded with healthy fats and protein that will satisfy your hunger pangs, keep you feeling full for hours, and help you scratch that salty craving itch, without undoing all the hard work you’ve been putting into your diet and exercise routine lately.

Pro tip: separate out your servings ahead of time, so you have a pre-portioned snacks ready to go. While almonds are great, it’s easy to overeat any food you’re grabbing straight out of the container. Research has shown that people will eat two to three times more of a food when eating out of the container compared to eating pre-portioned food out of a bowl or ziplock bag.

At the beginning of the week, separate out 5 bags of almonds for yourself and bring one with you each day. You’ll feel better knowing you have a snack at your disposal that you don’t need to feel guilty about digging into.

One ounce is the perfect amount to set aside for a great fat-burning snack that will satisfy your cravings while holding you over until your next real meal.

How Do Obesity Additives Make You Fat

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Studies show:

  • Obesity additives with a hormone called Leptin (which sends a signal from our stomachs to our brains to tell us we’re full). Here’s an example: After a meal, your stomach is supposed to stretch as it fills with food, and send a signal to your brain that tells you to stop eating. But, Obesity Additives shut down this signal from your stomach to your brain, so you keep eating and eating resulting with dissatisfaction.
  • Some Obesity Additives create access weight by causing insulin to skyrocket in your body. As a result, insteadJosh Bezoni of storing the calories we eat as energy in our muscles, our bodies lock it away as fat in various areas—these include the areas under the chin and arms, on the belly, and on the hips and thighs.
  • Other Obesity Additives addict us and cause us to eat uncontrollably by altering our neurotransmitters. This way, you crave them uncontrollably and obsess about food all the time. 
With Obesity Additives it may seem impossible to loose weight. Failing to lose weight isn’t all your fault. 
These dangerous Obesity Additives are even hiding in dozens of foods within your kitchen. 

    • Salad dressings—including many low-fat and fat-free versions
    • Cereals, crackers, breads, chips, pretzels, pasta and macaroni and cheese
    • Condiments like ketchup, jelly, jams, syrups, gravies, and sauces
    • Dried, canned, and cured meats
    • Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables!!
    • Soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, and teas
    • Many pre-packaged diet foods and drinks
    • Hundreds of foods labeled low-fat, fat-free, and “diet”
    • And, of course, most junk foods, desserts, and fast foods

 

 

Check Out Josh Bezoni’s 15Foods that Kill Belly Fat, Fast!

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. You should not stop taking any medication without first consulting your physician.

7 Belly Killing Foods by Josh Bezoni

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1. Oatmeal: Fiber + Whole-grains = life, you just cannot go wrong. Be sure to stay away from the processed, high sugar oats out there, just stick to slow cooked oats with a dash of cinnamon, some walnuts, berries and natural sweetener for taste.

green tea - josh bezoni2. Green Tea: Is an antioxidant that many scientific studies have linked to increased fat burning, including a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Green Tea is said to boost the daytime metabolism of test subjects by 35- 43%.

3. Beans: Fiber is known to clean your system of toxic waste and reduce belly fat in an affective way. Black beans, navy beans, refried beans, and lima beans all have 6 or more grams of fiber per ½ cup.

4. Berries: Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are loaded with fiber and are packed with vitamins that can fight cravings. Cravings are a result of vitamin deficiencies.

5. Cinnamon: Cinnamon contains an antioxidant that increases insulin Chili Peppers - Josh Bezonisensitivity.

6. Chili Peppers: Studies have shown that the active ingredient in chili peppers and powder is something called capsaicin. Capsaicin increases calorie-burning, stabilizes blood sugar levels, which results in a decrease of fat storage, and is a potent antioxidant.

7. Yogurt: Most regular yogurt is extremely bad for your belly. It’s loaded with belly-bulging sugar… real and artificial, thats why you want to avoid it. However, Greek yogurts like Stoneyfield Farms Oikos Greek Yogurt etc. are loaded with probiotics that fight belly fat.

 

Check Out Josh Bezoni’s 15Foods that Kill Belly Fat, Fast!

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. You should not stop taking any medication without first consulting your physician.

Fighting Belly Fat: Calorie Confusion

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new-nutrition-label_largeJosh Bezoni continues to give his readers insight on healthy dieting. Based off of Bezoni’s 37 Foods that Fight Belly Fat, this article covers all you need to know about confusing your calories.

Heres the problem with cutting calories… Most people use this method as a means to lose severe weight. Although this method might work temporairly, calorie restictions tend to backfire and disfigure your metabolism. Here are two reasons why:

1.Hunger Cravings

Cutting calories will constantly lead to uncomfortable cravings and uncontrollable hunger. The prime reason for that is your body isn’t receiving enough nutrients and cannot function correctly. As a result, your body experiences severe hunger and will eventually effect you mentally. With that being said, those who cut calories tend to gain even  MORE weight than where they started and potentially lose control of their eating habits.

2. Negative Calorie Confusion

Hormone levels in your body that are responsible for keeping your metabolism stronger than ever start adapting to your new calorie intake, and then begin to decrease rapidly. This Negative calorie confusion causes your body to conserve calories while storing homorne insulin. Once the hormone called Coristol is affected, it then skyrockets and begins storing more fat. As a result, your rapid weight loss will come to an end.

Lets take a look at a healthy way to confuse your calories.

 

Healthy Calorie Confusion

Lets say you changed the number of calories you’re eating every 7 days just before your body picks up on these specific changes? What if you actually changed the number of calories you eat every week for 7 days in a row? Yup! you got it.. This is Josh Bezoni’s calorie confusion method! When you begin to confuse your calories in a healthy way, you will trick your metabolism but also continue burning calories and body fat without constant cravings and unstoppable hunger. This can be achieved by changing the calories you’re eating before your body is able to lower the hormones in-charge of cot rolling your calorie-burning metabolism.

 

For more tips on how to confuse you calories, check out Josh Bezoni’s full 37 Foods that Fight Belly Fat.  

The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem or for prescription of any medication or other treatment. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet, exercise or supplementation program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem. You should not stop taking any medication without first consulting your physician.