14 smoothies for energy!

From rejuvenating coconut water to protein packed hemp seeds, these smoothies are keeping us feeling as cool as a cuke as we kick our training into high gear!

14 smoothies for energy!

1. Green Machine Smoothie – Whole Living
2. Cherry Almond Vanilla Smoothie – Running To The Kitchen
3. Kale Spinach and Pear Smoothie – Joy The Baker
4. Tropical Green Smoothie – 52 Kitchen Adventures
5. Preet’s Special Smoothie – Yyoga + OrganicLives
6. Power Protein Smoothie – Whole Living
7. Mango Coconut Water Smoothie – Whole Living
8. The Mojito Smoothie – My New Roots
9. Crunchy Coffee Fix – Runner’s World
10. Banana Oat Smoothie – Martha Stewart
11. Pineapple and Banana Smoothie – Whole Living
12. Key Lime Pie Protein Smoothie – Peanut Butter Fingers
13. Gingered Beet Smoothie – With Style & Grace
14. Raw Blizzard – Rawified

Sea Buckthorn Benefits Exercise Efforts

Author: Sean Wells
Sea buckthorn could be considered a nutritional cousin to the better-known aloe vera. It is a plant which innately contains a large variety of nutrients, including vitamins, amino acids, omega-3 and omega-7 fatty acids and flavonoids. It also contains a number of bioactive compounds such as quercetin, epicatechin and other polyphenols. These substances work to not only provide the body with essential raw materials, but actively work to improve a number of health markers related to antioxidant activity and inflammation.

In addition to showing potential for general health support, however, extracts from the leaves of the sea buckthorn plant may boost exercise capacity and protect against oxidative damage caused by intense or prolonged exercise, suggests recent data from an animal study. Just one week of supplementing the diet of animals with the leaf extract was associated with an almost 40 percent increase in exercise capacity during swimming.

Researchers tested the potency of the leaf extract in varying amounts, to assess the possibility of a dose-dependent relationship. Amounts were set at 50 mg, 200 mg, and 800 mg per kilogram of bodyweight, respectively.

After receiving their assigned doses, each group swam to exhaustion. Results did indicate a dose-dependent relationship, with the 50 mg group displaying an average performance increase of 26 percent, the 200 mg group an average increase of 39 percent and the 800 mg group displaying an average increase in performance of 38 percent.

In addition, sea buckthorn supplementation was associated with substantial reductions in measurements of malondialdehyde (or MDA) a reactive carbonyl compound, and a widely-used measurement of oxidative stress. Specifically, MDA levels in the sea buckthorn-supplemented group showed no increase at all post-exercise, as compared to an increase of 32 percent in the control group, suggesting strong anti-inflammatory activity.

“The results presented in this study clearly demonstrate that aqueous sea buckthorn leaf extracts have anti-fatigue effects, as evidenced by the enhancement of the swimming endurance of rats” wrote the researchers. “Aqueous sea buckthorn leaf extracts also improve the antioxidant defense mechanisms of the heart cells and provide optimal protection against strenuous exercise-induced tissue damage.”

The data in this specific study suggests that the benefits of sea buckthorn for performance enhancement may reach a point of diminishing returns in amounts between 200 and 800 mg. However, additional trials would be needed to confirm this possibility. For the moment, it appears that human nutrition may soon have a strong new supporter, as well as an exercise enhancer.

Helpful Hints for Optimizing Vitamin and Mineral Intake

By Dr. Deedra Mason
Every bit as important as ingesting the right nutrients is making sure that they are properly absorbed by the body. The following is a seven-point list that can help ensure your body is making the best use of all it receives:

1. Fruits and vegetables should be as fresh as possible and organically grown products are preferable. If vegetable and fruit juices are preferred, those freshly prepared are best, but those prepared in advance are good up to 48 hours before they begin to lose their vitamin content, if refrigerated.

2. Utilize a blender or food processor to help chop up fruits and vegetables to help make digestion easier. Seeds and nuts can also be chopped or ground up and taken with milk or in powder form.

3. A vegetable or fruit juicer provides you with an excellent means of optimizing vitamin and mineral intake as juices are much more easily digested and absorbed. When using one, do not forget to include the seeds and leafy parts, as they are high in minerals.

4. Fruits and vegetables, in addition to being high in vitamins and minerals, also provide roughage to maximize bowel function. This decreases the need for laxatives, whose excessive use can lead to an atonic bowel condition.

5. If taking commercial supplements that are in a tablet form, they will be better absorbed if they are crushed before ingestion. Liquid or capsulized forms are better absorbed by the elderly population, as less digestion is required. They are always more effective if taken with a meal.

6. Refined carbohydrates such as white and brown sugar will decrease immune function and predispose one to diabetes if used frequently and in large amounts. Calcium and magnesium loss also increases, which leads to wasting of bone and a higher incidence of fractures.

7. Protein from fish, chicken, rabbit, nuts, tofu and tempeh are better than red meats sources due to their having less fats and a wider variety of amino acids which are better utilized by persons over age 25. In addition, ground beef consumed in fast-food establishments are often very high in salt as well as fat.

Hopefully, these points will help provide some simple means for increasing the absorption of these important micronutrients on a daily basis. Remember, you are what you eat, and measures like this can help you be your best!

Omega-3s and Your Kids

Author: kerriwhatley
Dr. Andrew Stoll of Harvard Medical School calls omega-3 fatty acids “wellness molecules.” And no wonder. Studies show that omega-3 fatty acids are not only great for the heart, but they also may support a child’s memory, focus, and learning.

What are Omega-3s?

Before you head to your local health food store, there are some things you need to know about omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are a class of fats that come in three “flavors”: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Fish oil and cod liver oil are rich sources of the two most important fatty acids, DHA and EPA. The body converts the third kind—ALA, which is found in flaxseed and various vegetable oils and nuts—into DHA and EPA.

Omega-3s are vital fatty acids (EFAs). That means two things: one, the body can’t produce all the omega-3s from scratch, so these compounds must be part of the diet; and two (and even more importantly), these fats are crucial for staying healthy.

In the 1970s scientists started to study the health effects of omega-3s when they found the link between the low heart disease rate of the Greenland Eskimos and their diet of cold-water oily fish. But a healthy heart was only the beginning of the story. Numerous studies now indicate that the benefits of DHA and EPA are far more extensive than heart health and play an important role throughout your child’s life.

Your Children need Omega-3 Fatty Acids

As infants, DHA plays an important role in the development of the brain, eyes, and nervous system. This isn’t too surprising, since the retina of the eye consists largely of fatty tissue, and DHA makes up 20 to 30 percent of the brain. As toddlers, EPA and DHA can help improve their vision and cognitive and behavioral development. Once your children start elementary school, DHA remains a key component to their success, as it supports their memory, focus, and cognitive development.

Almost every study of behavioral and cognitive problems in children as well as in adults has shown a connection between low levels of omega-3s and severity of symptoms. Of course, as teens and young adults, DHA continues to play an important role. Recent studies have found that it may support hormonal and sexual health, help mood disorders like depression, and protect their hearts.

Getting your Children Omega 3 Fatty-Acid

It is easy for children to have a deficiency in DHA and EPA due to the fact they can frequently be relatively fussy eaters. The typical American diet doesn’t help either. It’s loaded with omega-6 fatty acids (vegetable oils such as corn and sunflower, and animals raised on grain instead of green vegetation), trans-fatty acids from fried foods, and hydrogenated oils, all of which interfere with the ability of the body to convert ALA to the much-needed EPA and DHA.

Since omega-3s and omega-6s are building blocks for all sorts of hormones and other important compounds in the body, it’s critical that they be in balance. Nutritionists believe that the ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in the diet is somewhere between 1:1 and 4:1. Currently, most Americans consume a ratio of 20:1 or higher.

The easiest way to know your children are receiving enough Omega-3s is a dietary supplement. Adding omega-3 rich food will also help, there’s certainly a wide variety to choose from: eggs, dairy products, cereals, cereal bars, peanut butter, and infant formulas. But do they contain enough omega-3s? There is no U.S. recommended daily allowance, but most experts recommend getting anywhere from 500 milligrams (1/2 gram) up to a couple of grams a day of EPA and DHA. So while fortified foods may contribute, they don’t contain nearly enough omega-3s to make up for a diet that’s low in these important nutrients

Diet vs. Exercise: A Verdict is Reached

Author: Sean Wells
A recurring question in the realm of health, nutrition and weight loss is whether it is diet or exercise that is primarily responsible for progress. It now appears that the question has been resolved—and the answer is “yes”. A team of researchers has reported that a combination of diet and exercise yielded marked improvement in physical function and weight loss as compared with either approach performed on its own.

In a one-year randomized controlled trial, researchers examined 107 adults over the age of 65—all were classified as obese according to BMI measurement. Patients were randomly assigned to one of four groups: control (no behavioral changes), diet-only, exercise-only and combined diet-exercise.

Results were judged by a number of factors, including any improvements made in a modified version of the Physical Performance Test, measurements of body composition, assessments of frailty and reports on quality of life. Collectively, accumulated data demonstrated that blood pressure, waist circumference, abdominal fat, serum triglycerides and C-reactive protein were seen to improve in both the diet and the diet-exercise groups.

Researchers also found that body weight was reduced by 10% in the diet group and by 9% in the diet-exercise group; this is a possible indication that some degree of muscular growth had occurred in the group that was both dieting and exercising. There was no change in bodyweight reported in the control group, who made no changes in lifestyle—needless to say, an expected result.

Researchers summarized the more relevant findings as follows: “Diet-induced weight loss with or without exercise, but not exercise training alone, improves insulin sensitivity and multiple other cardiometabolic risk factors simultaneously in obese older adults. However, the combination of these interventions is associated with an even greater improvement in insulin sensitivity.”

Interestingly, there was no measureable decrease in the exercise-only group regarding body weight either. While this lends some support to the widely-held belief that a poor diet cannot be “out-exercised”, it is important to remember that the diet-exercise group still experienced the greatest overall benefits, indicating that physical exercise makes an excellent addition to a proper diet.

How To Avoid Getting Burned This Summer

Author: willllamas
Everyone needs Vitamin D from the sun. However during these hot summer months, we often fall victim to a little too much. Now, there’s an alternative to lathering yourself in sun lotion every time you step outside. Supplementation of astaxanthin, resveratrol and omega-3 fatty acids can protect your skin internally from the sun.

Sunburn occurs when UV rays from the sun burn skin tissue, causing the skin cells to die. This often causes noticeable discomfort, and skin to turn a reddish color. This is a hint that it’s actually a type of inflammation, and sunburn can be a very serious condition. The greatest danger is that sunburn is the leading cause of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Becoming sunburned on a routine basis causes an individuals risk for melanoma to increase dramatically, potentially even doubling after four or more serious sunburns.

Effectively reducing your risk of harmful sunburn can actually start with the nutrients that enter your body. Research suggests that taking these nutrients can help stop sunburn before it strikes.

1) Astaxanthin

The super-antioxidant astaxanthin is naturally found in algae and animals that eat the algae. In concentrated form, it can also be found in various supplements. As an antioxidant it has been primarily been used to promote a healthy cardiovascular system. However, recent research has suggested that astaxanthin helps protect the skin from UV rays, helping to potentially prevent sunburn.

2) Resveratrol

Recently resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grapes, has received a lot of publicity for supporting healthy hearts as well as alleviating certain symptoms related to cancer. This study also suggests that when resveratrol is absorbed into skin cells, it helps them block UV rays.

3) Omega-3 Fatty Acids:

A diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to combat the inflammatory response of skin after it’s been exposed to the sun for too long. This can limit the harmful effects of sunburn as well as reduce the risk of melanoma. Omega-3 acid is found naturally in fish, but supplementation may be suggested, to ensure that both proper quantity and quality is received.

These nutrients have all shown to be effective in combatting UV rays. Try out these suggestions and let us know if you’ve noticed a decrease in sunburn frequency and intensity.

Resveratrol Shows Exercise Benefits

Author: Sean Wells
Dietary intake of the red wine polyphenol resveratrol is known to promote cardiovascular health in the general population—this is the source of the so-called French Paradox.  When it comes to the other half of the health equation—regular exercise—it appears that this extract might also provide some assistance. According to a recent animal trial, resveratrol may help boost exercise performance by improving strength, endurance and fatty acid metabolism.
For the study, two groups of male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to either a standard diet or one supplemented with resveratrol, while simultaneously undergoing a treadmill-based exercise program, conducted five days a week, for a period of 12 weeks. The exercise regimen was progressive, beginning with 10 minutes and incrementally increasing to 20 over the course of the study.
The research team found that the compound improved exercise performance, heart function and muscular strength, all in addition to promoting positive changes in dietary metabolism. Specifically, overall improvement in the resveratrol-supplemented group on exercise performance averaged 21 percent higher over the course of the study, as compared to the control group.
Researchers reported that this supplementation also improved several parameters related to cardiovascular performance. Left ventricular ejection force—meaning more powerful heart muscle contractions and increased blood flow—was observed to increase by 10 percent in the experimental group as compared to the control group. In addition, an increase in fatty acid oxidation—the optimization of fatty acid metabolism as a fuel source for exercise—displayed a noticeable, statistically significant increase.
In regard to the study, researchers had this to say: “Based on these findings, we conclude that resveratrol is an ergogenic aid that improves exercise training via changes in skeletal muscle function and cardiac performance, but also improves energy metabolism.”
As an additional clarification, they summarized the results by comparing the effects of resveratrol to actually embarking on an exercise program; in terms of observed biomarkers, the results were very similar.
“We were excitied when we saw that resveratrol showed results similar to what you would see from extensive endurance exercise training.”
The next project for this research group will involve resveratrol in a human-based, therapeutic application, examining its effects on diabetics who have experienced heart failure, and for whom such endurance training, though potentially beneficial, is not feasible from a safety standpoint. The 10-week study will attempt to reinvigorate heart function in this group through resveratrol supplementation, thereby restoring an enhanced degree of health and quality of life.