Goji Berries -- A Nutritional Super-Antioxidant High Protein Berry

The goji berry can have up to 5x the antioxidant power of blueberries and even 6 grams of protein per serving!

by Catherine Ebeling - RN, BSN &

Mike Geary - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist

co-authors of The Fat Burning Kitchen Program

Have you seen those things in the health food stores that look like shriveled up mini RED raisins? They are called “Goji Berries” and they are one of the highest antioxidant berries you can find on the planet. They are also called “Wolfberries” and come from Asia, in places like China, Mongolia and the Himalayas, where they have been consumed and used as a medicine for thousands of years.

Goji Berries have been an important part of Tibetan medicine and have been used for about two thousand years as a natural means of treating kidney and liver problems, and cleansing the blood.

They also have been used to help treat eye problems, skin problems, allergies, insomnia, chronic liver disease, diabetes and cancer. Goji berries are also a general strengthening tonic and are believed to be excellent for virility and sexual health as well.

Why are Goji berries so great? Some of the many nutrients these little powerhouse berries contain are:

• 18 amino acids, making these berries high in protein
• 6 important vitamins
• 5 different types of fatty acids; including two essential fatty acids — linoleic acid and alpha linolenic acid
• 5 powerful carotenoids — beta carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, lycopene, and cryptoxanthin
• Important pigments (phenols) with high antioxidant properties
• 8 polysaccharides and 5 monosaccharides

Goji berries are one of the highest antioxidant 
foods on earth.

Goji berries contain high quantities of super antioxidants like beta carotene and zeaxanthin. Zeaxanthin does a lot of great things, but one of its big jobs is to protect your retinas in your eyes. You’ve heard of age-related mascular degeneration? It is the leading cause of vision loss in older people and easily preventable by diet alone.

Antioxidants slow down disease processes and the aging process by stopping the free radicals that are generated from the environment, poor food choices, smoking, stress, excessive exercise, too much sun exposure, and more. Free radicals injure cells and damage DNA, which can then cause the cell to grow abnormally, which leads to illness and disease.

Goji berries are rich in B vitamins, and also contain large quantities of vitamin E.

And, because Goji Berries contain 18 amino acids, they are also high in protein (at about 13%), so they make a pretty satisfying snack. They contain more beta carotene than carrots, more iron than spinach, and twenty-one important trace minerals. 

A serving of Goji berries can contain 7 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein!
I used to think that only dried goji berries were available in stores, but recently I found frozen goji berries at Whole Foods, and I personally like these a LOT better than the dried Goji berries. The dried goji berries have a stronger taste, and I tend to prefer the milder taste of the frozen berries, which are great added to yogurt (once thawed).
The frozen goji berries have 6 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber per serving, which is insane for a berry.
Goji berries are unique nutritional standouts, and they have specific medicinal qualities that are just now starting to be studied. Much is still unknown about the phytochemicals, polysaccharides, and complex nutritional compounds that they contain.

Some of the phytochemicals in Goji berries are:

Betaine, which is a digestive enzyme made by the liver. It helps make you calmer, enhances your memory, aids in muscle growth, and assists in breaking down fats stored in the liver, as well as preventing ‘fatty liver disease’.

Physalin is another compound that is known to strengthen the liver and help prevent hepatitis B and help fight off certain cancers like leukemia.

They contain a powerful anti-fungal and anti-bacterial compound called Solavetivone.

And the active ingredient that gives Goji berries their reputation for virility-enhancing is Beta Sitoserol, which is actually an excellent anti-inflammatory agent as well. Goji berries have had a long-standing reputation for treating sexual impotence and preventing prostate enlargement, as well as just being a generally good for virility.

A phytochemical called Cyperone is a type of sesquiterpene that benefits the heart and lowers blood pressure. This chemical has cancer-fighting properties as well and is especially good for helping prevent cervical cancer.

Can the mighty goji berry help anti-aging?

Goji berries have been called super berry because the are rated the highest for their anti-aging properties, and rated #1 on the ORAC scale which is the ‘Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity’, which measures the antioxidant level in foods. When compared to blueberries, goji berries showed an ORAC rating as much as 5-10x that of blueberries!

You can find Goji berries at some health food stores, but they are still not well known enough to find them in traditional grocery stores.   

Goji berries are most often sold in their dried form, so they look like little red raisins. Look for Goji berries without any added sugars or additives.

They have a delicious chewy slightly tart taste that you will find delicious. Toss them in cereal, salads, on toast with peanut butter or just eat them out of hand. They are delicious and fantastic for you!  The frozen goji berries that I found at Whole Foods are amazing in yogurt or on salads.

I personally think that there are more benefits to eating whole goji berries (either dried or frozen) compared to taking a supplement or any of the juices with goji that are claimed to be "exotic miracles". 

Most of the "miracle juices" that you see out there touting that they contain goji only contain a very small amount of goji juice and are usually loaded with other high sugar worthless juices like apple juice. These juices are just too calorie dense!  Forget about them.

Stick with whole goji berries instead.  Since it's unlikely that you'll eat goji berries every single day, I personally also take a daily supplement (one of the few supplements I actually believe in) that contains a goji berry (wolfberry) extract, which you can find here:

Check it out here 

It's my favorite antioxidant supplement because it also contains a synergistic blend of powerful antioxidants such as coffee berry, biovin grape (same antioxidants as red wine), acai berry, green tea, and pomegranate all-in-one.

Enjoy!

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The Best and WORST Protein Bars

Don't be fooled by "protein bars" that are really candy bars in disguise... read below for
The 6 Most Important Things to Look for in a Bar
by Mike Geary - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of best-seller:  The Truth About Six-Pack Abs

I know there's a lot of confusion these days about what actually constitutes a truly healthy "protein bar" or meal replacement bar... let's face it... most protein bars on the market have at least one or more of these evil ingredients:

• Too much sugar
• High fructose corn syrup
• Soy protein  (and no, soy protein is NOT healthy)
• Nasty artificial sweeteners  (anybody want some cancer with that protein bar?)
• Other chemical additives
• Artificial forms of vitamins, instead of naturally occuring
• Excessive amounts of sugar alcohols
• and even occasionally, shockingly, trans fats in some bars!

So with that said, some of the worst protein or "energy" bars out there have at least 1 or more of these problems above.
In all honestly, it's actually really hard to find a good bar that doesn't have one of these problems.  I've even seen some bars marketed as "healthy" that contain corn syrup as the 1st ingredient!  No, I'm not joking... they should be arrested for false advertising like that!
I'm not going to "name names" and name all of the junk protein bars (because there's simply too many bad ones to name), but you now know to avoid everything listed above.  And also, here's the absolute MOST important things I look for...
The 6 most important things that I look for in a good protein bar are:
1.  One of the first things I look for on the ingredient label is to make sure there is ZERO soy protein.
Remember that soy protein and soy products in general are one of the most contaminated crops with pesticide and herbicide residues (which are xenoestrogens that increase your "stubborn" belly fat)...
Soy is also the most genetically modified of any crop (which has it's own potentially scary issues we won't even delve into in this article)... and even worse, soy proteins in particular typically concentrate much of the phytoestrogens in soy (different than xenoestrogens), which adds a double whammy for adding belly fat to your body.  Organic soy is a step in the right direction, but I'd still stay away from it for many reasons.
Instead of soy protein, I look for healthier protein sources in my bars, such as brown rice protein, hemp protein, whey protein, or even just obtaining the protein content from various nuts and seeds.
2.  The 2nd most important thing that I make sure to avoid in protein bars are artificial sweeteners.... so I look out for sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame potassium (a.k.a acesulfame K), or any other artificial sweeteners.
I also try to avoid large amounts of sugar alcohols.  If a bar only has 1 or 2 grams of sugar alcohols, that's not a big deal, but I try to avoid anything more than that.
3.  The 3rd thing I look at is total carbohydrates and total grams of fiber.  Specifically, what I look for is a good ratio of grams of fiber to grams of total carbohydrates.  The higher the ratio of fiber compared to total carbs, the better this bar will be for your blood sugar stabilization, and therefore, appetite control.
For example, if bar1 has 5 grams of fiber, but 50 grams of total carbs, that's only 10% fiber content out of total carbs.  Not good!
However, if bar2 has 4 grams of fiber, and 16 grams of total carbs, that's actually 25% fiber content out of total carbs!  Bar2 had 1 gram less fiber, but had a MUCH better ratio (2.5x better ratio) of fiber to total carbs.  Bar2 is the clear winner... assuming it doesn't contain the other evil ingredients we talked about above.
4.  The 4th most important thing I look at on the nutrition label of a protein bar or energy bar is the protein content vs the carbohydrate content.
Generally, I look for at least 10 to 15 grams of protein or more, and maybe no more than 20-30 grams of total carbs.  However, we have to make sure that there's no soy protein, and also, if the fiber content is super high, it doesn't matter if the total carb amount is over 30 grams, as long as the ratio of fiber to total carbs is very high (at least 25% or more fiber content of total carbs)
5.  Another thing I generally look for in a good bar is about 8-15 grams of healthy fats (usually obtained from nuts and seeds in the ingredients, coconut oil, or almond butter).  This is important not only for having a good tasting bar, but also to make sure the bar has a better glycemic profile (which the healthy fats help with), and help to satisfy your appetite longer.
6.  The last thing I look for in a good bar is simply a bonus if it does contain any... and that would be if it has any superfoods or greens... superfoods such as spirulina, maca, blue-green algae, kelp, chlorella, goji berry, raw cacao or organic cocoa powder, and other greens, etc.
So with all of those things in mind, what are the BEST bars out there?
Well, I previously used to recommend a couple that were my favorites - Larabars and Organic Food Bars.
I still think both of these are excellent bars, and use almost solely organic, raw, natural ingredients without any soy protein, HFCS, artificial sweeteners, or other junk.  However, I've always felt they could do slightly better on the fiber content and the protein content... as those are 2 of the most important aspects of a good bar that I look for.
So, just last week, I found a NEW bar, that has just become my new favorite bar!  It's called the Boku Superfood Bar and I just received my box in the mail a couple days ago... and I'm blown away at not only how delicious these bars taste, but also how practically perfect they are in terms of nutrition!
And they're even cheaper than most bars at my local health food store... and better quality.  Needless to say, I'm a little excited about this new find!
Here's why I think these bars are almost perfect nutrition-wise:

• 15 grams of protein (from raw sprouted brown rice protein... and some from the almond butter too)
• a whopping 11 grams of fiber out of 30 grams of total carbs!  (that's a 37% ratio of fiber content... pefect for blood sugar stability)
• there's 13 grams of healthy fats (mostly from the almond butter and almonds)
• these bars also have some sprouted quinoa, and celtic sea salt (but are still low sodium)
• and best of all, they contain loads of superfoods from the Boku Superfood blend of greens, maca, goji berries, antioxidant-rich mushrooms, probiotics, enzymes, and more

Overall, these are the best bars I've found in terms of taste and nutrition combined!  You've gotta give em a try!
Also, I love this company because of their focus on super high quality ingredients.  I've also tried their Boku SuperProtein and and their Boku SuperFood, and I love the quality of both of those products too.  I think they're one of the best companies out there these days in the health food space for sure.
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These Cereals Destroy Your Hormones, Zap Your Energy & Cause Weight Gain

Most cereals are promoted as "health foods" by the 
giant food corporations.  
However, these sinister common breakfast foods that almost everyone consumes daily are killing you slowly, zapping your energy levels, causing diabetes, excess body fat, cancer, and even faster aging in your body.  I'll explain why below...

by Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist
Best-Selling Author:  The Fat-Burning Kitchen & The Top 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging

If you care at all about your body and health, I'm sure you already know to avoid the obvious sugary cereals like the flakes with sugar frosting, the fruity sugar cereals with artificial colors, the frosted wheat biscuits, or the marshmallow cereals that so many parents are poisoning their kids with these days.
However, even most breakfast cereals that aren't frosted in sugar are marketed heavily as "heart healthy", "rich in fiber", and "a good source vitamins & minerals"... Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth!
As a Nutritionist that's studied the biochemistry of nutrition for over 25 years, and how certain foods affect the cells of your body, there are at least 10 important reasons to be extremely concerned about what cereals are doing inside your body.  I'll touch on a few of the important details in this short article...

Most cereals (even "whole grain" or "high fiber") cause extreme harm to your hormones and create runaway blood sugar in your body

One of the WORST things about most cereals, even so-called "whole grain" cereals is that they ALL cause a significant spike in your blood sugar (regardless of whether they are wheat, rice, or corn based) to dangerously high levels, which results in a cascade of fat storing hormones to be released in your body, and causes more carb cravings later in the day.  This is NOT the way to start your day if you care about your waistline or how much belly fat that you have.
In fact, even cereals that have added fiber (such as bran flakes or raisin bran) have been found to cause just as much of a massive spike in blood sugar as the low-fiber cereals such as rice or corn based cereals.  Remember that the starches in wheat, corn, or a bowl of rice cereal break down quickly in your body into SUGAR and immediately do as much harm to your blood sugar regulation system as if you ate 40-60 grams of pure corn syrup or pure table sugar.
Those massive spikes in your blood sugar essentially damage your cells in your body through a process called glycation, which accelerates the rate of aging in your joints, skin, organs, and even your brain.  Ouch...  That tiger on the cereal commercials is never going to warn you about that!
And speaking of hormones, another effect of high blood sugar is that it blunts the ability of your body to release growth hormone (aka, the youth hormone), so if you want to look and feel younger, cereals are NOT helping you in that department!
Note:  Regarding the claims that cereals are a "good source of vitamins and minerals", this is actually FALSE... The majority of vitamins and minerals in most cereals are not naturally occurring, but rather, are synthetically added vitamins, which have been proven to be less absorbed than natural vitamins and potentially even harmful in some cases.  As an example, synthetic vitamin E is shown in some studies to be harmful to us, while natural vitamin E is beneficial.

Crunching your way to Diabetes and belly fat every morning?
Think about this next time you're gobbling down that bowl of bran flakes, rice puffs, or wheat biscuits while you're running out the door in the morning...
The more cereal you eat, the more you constantly stress your pancreas and other organs involved in controlling your blood sugar.  Insulin levels surge every day to try to control your massive blood sugar attacks from all that cereal, and eventually, your insulin sensitivity suffers, leading many people to type 2 Diabetes, and a life of injecting insulin with needles and stabbing your fingers every day for blood tests 3-5x every day of your life.
Not only that, but causing high insulin levels in your body every morning by eating cereal also triggers your body to STORE body fat.  So if you want to be lean, cereal is directly going against your goal, and only making you fatter!

Gut Inflammation and even gut damage?
More bad news about cereal...
Any cereals with wheat ingredients in them can possibly cause gut inflammation and long term gut damage from too much gluten and lectins, even if you're not officially gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive.
Think those corn-based cereals are better than wheat?  Think again!  Corn-based cereals are almost always made with GMO corn, which has many scientists very concerned about long term health threats, since there are no long term studies on the effects of GMO corn to your health, as well as your children's health.
And rice-based cereals (krispies, etc) aren't much better, as they cause just as high of a blood sugar spike as pure table sugar... Ouch!

Cereal causes CRAVINGS for more carbs later in the day, leading to excess calories
The blood sugar spike and subsequent insulin surge from your morning cereal makes your body to try to get all that sugar out of your blood and into cells (usually fat cells), and that causes a big drop in your blood sugar hours later.  This makes you CRAVE more carb-based or sugary foods later in the day.
The result of this is a constant wild roller coaster ride of blood sugar and insulin all day long, leading you to eat more calories in any given day.
I recently read a study about people that ate egg-based breakfasts vs cereal-based breakfasts...  Even though the people that ate egg-based breakfasts consumed far more fat in the morning, they ended up eating much less calories throughout each day because they didn't have the wild blood sugar swings, hormone imbalances, and subsequent cravings.  Egg breakfasts are proven to CONTROL your appetite, while cereal breakfasts are proven to INCREASE your appetite for more food, particularly more starchy and sugary carbs.

Cereal makes your body a carb-burner instead of a fat-burner
The more carbs that you eat each day from foods such as cereal and breads, the more you train your body to rely on carbs for energy.  So when your blood sugar dips again, you need more carbs again, or you'll have a major energy slump.
On the other hand, the more that you get most of your calories from healthy fats instead (avocados, coconut oil, grass-fed butter and cream, olive oil, nuts, seeds, eggs, and pasture-raised meats), the more you train your body to be a fat-burning machine.
This is called creating a "fat adapted metabolism" and you do this by reducing your overall carb intake and simultaneously increasing your healthy fat intake.  This doesn't mean you need to go extremely low in carbs like Atkins, but just a LOT lower than the average carb addict, which is pretty much everyone eating a modern diet.
By relying mostly on healthy fats for energy instead of carbs, this balances your hormones and gives you VERY stable blood sugar levels throughout each day, allowing you to also have VERY stable energy levels throughout each day without the typical spikes and slumps in your energy that most carb addicts feel every single day.
Another benefit of creating a "fat adapted metabolism" in your body is that you will naturally lose body fat easier!  There is no magic ratios of macronutrients that's perfect for everyone, nor do I think you need to obsess over exact calories or exact ratios of carbs to fat... However, to give you an idea of how far off most people are... Most people currently eat a diet that is in the range of 60% carbs, 20% fat, and 20% protein.  What I'm describing to you in order to create a fat adapted metabolism would be more around eating 20% carbs, 60% fat, and 20% protein.
Basically, as you can see, it's like flip-flopping the typical western diet ratios of carbs to fat.

Healthier alternatives to cereal that are still QUICK (helping you to be a fat-burner instead of carb-burner)
Instead of the typical cereal in the morning (that's slowly killing you and making you fatter), try a bowl of plain greek full-fat organic yogurt (which is loaded with healthy gut probiotics, healthy fats, AND protein) and add in a handful of fresh, organic berries (or frozen wild blueberries), a handful of nuts such as either almonds or pecans (more healthy fats), and a little stevia or vanilla protein for a little added sweetness if you need it.
This breakfast will leave you leaner, keep your blood sugar, energy levels, and hormones balanced for the day, and prevent cravings for more starchy and sugary carbs later in the day.
Another option is simply any combination of eggs, veggies, avocado, and even organic breakfast meat if you want.  One of my favorite quick breakfasts is to cook up a couple eggs over easy real quick and slice a half of an avocado on a plate.
I chop the eggs and avocado together with some hot sauce and a couple slices of turkey, and voila... a quick 5-minute breakfast that's incredibly delicious, yet MUCH healthier than that bowl of cereal, and will help balance your hormones for the day instead of creating hormone imbalances and energy crashes like cereal does.
On the next page, I'll show you why you should STOP eating whole wheat bread, vegetable oils, canola oil, energy bars & these 2 particular milks if you want to stay lean and avoid diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes...plus you'll discover the popular restaurant plant-based "side dish" that CAUSES heart attacks according to one New Zealand study:

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3 of the Most Toxic 'Health' Foods

Let's face it, most of us have probably eaten something we thought was healthy due to savvy marketing tactics, only to find out later that it really wasn't what it was hyped up to be. 

Many so-called healthy foods have little nutritional value and some even contain harmful chemicals, despite that bright and shiny advertising that leads us to believe otherwise.

Advertising is definitely tricky. It can make some of the unhealthiest foods look healthy - even if they're anything but. These three foods are some of the most toxic of purported "healthy foods" that should be avoided at all costs, that is, if you're interested in achieving optimal health, of course!

#1 Heart Healthy Vegetable Oil

Have you ever reached for that bottle of vegetable oil on the grocery store shelf because the label read "heart healthy?"
Industrial vegetable oils found in the supermarket typically contain .56 to 4.2% of their fatty acid as trans fats, which are highly toxic. Trans fats are actually "fake" fats. They're known to clog arteries, increase levels of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, and lower HDL, or "good" cholesterol. Eating too many trans fats causes an overload of inflammation, a main factor in many chronic diseases, as well as weight gain.
The heat and harsh chemicals used to extract oil from vegetables, including bleaching and the toxic solvent hexane, actually destroys some of its vitamins and antioxidants. In later stages of processing, even more chemicals are injected in to "improve" the color and odor. Not only that, but overheating vegetable oils - which is typically what's done when cooking with them, releases compounds that can damage lungs and potentially cause cancer.
Not only that, but almost all vegetable oils are damaged and rancid from their processing and also contain high amounts of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, both of which cause massive inflammation throughout your body that can possibly lead to heart disease, cancer, digestive disorders, and joint problems.
Remember that inflammatory vegetable oils are used in almost every type of fried food at most restaurants, and any type of processed food that contains vegetable oils such as potato chips and many snack foods.
Despite the healthy sounding name of "vegetable oil", the fact is that vegetable oils do NOT come from vegetables... This is a generic term that usually means any combination of soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, or other heavily refined processed omega-6 based oils that are all bad for you.
So what should you use instead?
For high heat cooking, use organic extra virgin coconut oil which contains medium chain fatty acids that are resistant to high heat. They also turn into ketone bodies in the liver which provide energy to the brain and are known to help improve all types of health problems.

#2 Energy/Protein/Breakfast Bars

Those prettily packaged bars advertised to boost energy, provide protein or as a "healthy" substitute for breakfast are another one of the worst offenders. Most are highly processed products - really just a candy bar in disguise - filled with sugar, high fructose corn syrup and even trans fats as well as artificial sweeteners.
If you read the label of a Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Strawberry Yogurt Bar, for example, you'll see that it has just 130 calories and 3.5 grams of fat. Sounds good, right? Unfortunately not. Many of its ingredients aren't technically food - it packs a ton of sugar and even contains Red Dye #40. While it's a pretty color, its effects are anything but, with just a few of the reported symptoms including migraines, inability to concentrate, nervousness and upset stomach. Children have been found to be especially sensitive to Red 40, exhibiting symptoms like temper tantrums and aggressive behavior.
If you need a boost of energy or are looking to meet your body's protein needs after a workout, grab a small handful of raw, organic almonds instead! They make the perfect convenient snack that you can take with you wherever you go.

#3 "Healthy" Breakfast Cereals

You probably know to avoid sugary cereals like Lucky Charms or Cocoa Pebbles, but most breakfast cereals, even those with health claims like "whole grain," are often loaded with refined blood sugar spiking carbs and sugars. Manufacturers fortify them with a few synthetic vitamins, a small amount of whole grains, and then market the product as "healthy."
Some cereals even contain preservatives like BHA and BHT which are linked to an increase risk of cancer. Not only that, but you may be getting a dose of unhealthy trans fats disguised under a new name: "monoglycerides."
But the WORST thing about most cereals, even so-called "whole grain" cereals is that they ALL cause a significant spike in your blood sugar which results in a cascade of fat storing hormones to be released in your body, and causes more carb cravings later in the day. This is NOT the way to start your day if you care about your waistline!
Not only that, but any cereals with wheat ingredients in them can possibly cause gut inflammation and long term gut damage from too much gluten. Think those corn-based cereals are better than wheat? Think again! Corn-based cereals are almost always made with GMO corn, which has many scientists very concerned about long term health threats. And rice-based cereals (krispies, etc) aren't much better, as they cause just as high of a blood sugar spike as pure table sugar... Ouch!

Instead of cereal in the morning, try a bowl of plain greek yogurt (which is loaded with healthy gut probiotics AND protein) and add in fresh, organic berries, nuts, and a little stevia or vanilla protein for a little added sweetness. This breakfast will leave you leaner, keep your blood sugar and hormones balanced, and give your body much less toxic load than cereals.
Unfortunately, this is just 3 examples we gave you in today's article, and deadly toxins are lurking EVERYWHERE these days in hundreds of foods, in your lotions and shampoos, plastics, air pollution, water pollution and more...
For that reason, you absolutely MUST detox at least occasionally to keep your hormones normalized, keep your energy levels high, and to keep your metabolism from shutting down.
The problem is that MOST "cleanses" or celebrity detox fads out there are actually dangerous to your health and can HARM your hormones making fat loss impossible in the long term and even causing rebound weight gain that's worse than where you started.

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The Top 5 Healthiest Condiments (and the WORST)

http://losebellyfatforlife.com

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer
Author of best sellers:  The Truth About Six Pack Abs & The Fat Burning Kitchen

I'm sure you can think of all sorts of condiments that are obviously NOT healthy...

What about Mayo?  Sorry...
With processed refined soybean oil as the main ingredient in most mayos, there's NOTHING healthy about mayonnaise.  It causes internal inflammation and harms your omega-6 to omega-3 balance with excess omega-6 fats.   Tartar sauce has the same issues as mayo.  If you can find a mayo made with 100% olive oil instead of soybean oil, this would actually be a healthy choice.

Ketchup?  Not quite...

Yes, ketchup is made from tomatoes so it does contain the beneficial nutrient lycopene.  Unfortunately ketchup has a high % of sugar, and most brands are made with nasty high fructose corn syrup.  Not good.  Hey, I'm a ketchup lover myself, but I just try to keep the quantity small to minimize the sugar intake.
Barbeque Sauce?  Nope...

BBQ sauce is actually worse than ketchup because it has higher levels of sugar or HFCS and lower levels of actual tomato.  Strike 3 with BBQ sauce.
Salad Dressing?  Not most store brands...

As you know from this salad dressing article of mine, there's not much healthy about most store bought salad dressings...most contain HFCS and soybean oil or unhealthy canola oil as the main ingredients.
Most "fat-free" salad dressings are simply loaded with extra sugar.  Plus, remember that you need a good fat source to go with your salad to help absorb the vitamins and minerals in your veggies, so fat-free dressing is not a good option.  Even most salad dressing brands that claim to be "made with olive oil" only have small amounts of actual olive oil, while unhealthy soybean or canola oils are main oils used.  Instead, follow my healthy salad dressing recipe if you want a lean healthy body.


So, what are the top 5 healthiest condiments?
Below, I give you my top 5 picks for the healthiest condiments for a lean healthy body.  Sure, there might be a few others not on this list that are also healthy, but these are my top 5 picks:
1. Mustard
That's right... mustard is absolutely one of the healthiest condiments!  First, it has no added sugar.  Also, mustard seed itself is a source of powerful antioxidants.  In addition to the antioxidants in the mustard seed, most yellow mustards also contain turmeric (one of the healthiest anti-cancer spices) and paprika, which both contain powerful antioxidants as well!
2. Guacamole
I know, I know... when do I ever stop talking about avocados and guacamole.  Sorry, it's one of my favorite foods, and I eat avocados or guac just about every single day.  At this point, I don't think I need to explain why Gauc is healthy, as I think everybody knows this by now... but a quick recap:  lots of healthy fats (that satisfy your appetite and regulate hormone balance), lots of fiber, and plenty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

And creamy guac just makes anything taste better!  I put it on eggs, on burgers, on chicken or fish, or just eat it with veggie sticks.  If you buy pre-made guac from the store, just be sure to check the ingredients and make sure it doesn't have added trans fats or other artificial ingredients.  But it's so simple and fast to make fresh guac, I don't know why anybody would buy pre-made guac.
3. Salsa
Although ketchup was on the unhealthy list due to the sugar content, salsa makes the super healthy list as it almost never has added sugars if you get a good brand.  Salsa is mostly just vegetables so it's hard to go wrong.  I like it on my morning eggs for variety sometimes.  I also like to mix salsa half and half with guac for a delicious party treat!
And if you're a ketchup lover and want to reduce your sugar intake, just try salsa instead for a much healthier option.  Trust me... salsa on a burger is just as delicious as ketchup on a burger.

Just remember that the corn chips that people generally cram down their throats with salsa are NOT even close to healthy.  Corn chips are almost always fried in a heavily refined omega-6 oil such as corn or soy oil, and are inflammatory.  Plus, most corn used for corn chips is genetically modified.   Organic corn chips are a small step in the right direction (this ensures it's not GMO corn), but I'd still try to keep the quantity small if you're going to eat corn chips with salsa.
4. Hummus
Hummus is mostly just chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon, and olive oil, and is easily one of the healthiest condiments or as a separate snack by itself.
The main thing to look for when buying a good hummus is to make sure it's made with olive oil and NOT soybean or canola oil.  Unfortunately most brands use cheap soy or canola oil, but if you're a label reader, it's easy to find a brand that uses solely olive oil.
One of my favorite snacks is just veggie sticks with hummus.  However, hummus is also a delicious condiment to go with sandwiches, on top of meat dishes, etc.

5. Pesto
Pesto is generally a mashed mix of garlic, pine nuts, basil, olive oil, and grated cheese.  It's a great source of healthy fats and also powerful antioxidants, mostly from the garlic and basil, but to some extent from the pine nuts and olive oil too.
Pesto goes incredibly well with sandwiches, on meat dishes, or surprisingly, even on eggs.
There's one more condiment we didn't cover yet that you might be wondering about...
What about hot sauce?  Actually, hot sauce is fairly healthy.  Most hot sauces don't have added sugars.  And the hot peppers are actually good for you too and could even cause a slight and temporary metabolism increase.  The only drawback to most hot sauces is a moderately high sodium content.   But unless you go nuts with loads of hot sauce on every meal, the sodium content in hot sauce will not be an issue.
So now that you know 5 of the healthiest condiments, don't be afraid to indulge next time you need one of these tasty additions to your meal.
Now for the BAD NEWS...
On the next page, we'll show you at least 23 so-called "healthy" foods that could be causing diabetes, weight gain, high blood pressure, cancer and more, so you NEED to be informed about these:

Next page:  The top 23 "health" foods to AVOID  (these cause weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and more)
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My "Superhuman Smoothie" Recipe -- for extreme health

Beware:  "Your Body May Become TOO sexy if you drink something THIS good for you"

by Mike Geary - Certified Personal TrainerPersonal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Author of best-seller: The Truth About 6-Pack Abs

I've made this smoothie for some friends recently, and they joked that this was some sort of "superhuman smoothie" because it was so healthy, they hadn't even heard of half of the ingredients before.  They also said that it was not only incredibly delicious, but gave them insane amounts of energy.
I will warn you right off the bat... this could probably qualify as one of the healthiest smoothies on the planet, but based on the types of "exotic" ingredients, it's definitely not cheap.  But if you're willing to investinvest in the highest quality food ingredients for your own "extreme health", this smoothie can be part of your arsenal!

I'm also fully aware that some people in some areas of the country (or the world) may not have access to a health foodhealth food store that has all of these ingredients.  However, if you live near any major urban area in any modernized country, or even if you're in a rural area but have access to a great health food store, you can find almost every ingredient.
I also firmly believe that the combination of SuperFood ingredients in this smoothie can really go a long way towards strengthening your immune system, giving you loads of energy, and also helping to burn body fat, build lean muscle, and control your appetite and cravings. There's even some ingredients that can help boost libido, lower blood pressure, and more!
That's why I said this smoothie was only if you wanted EXTREME HEALTH!
And if you remember one of my concepts I always preach is obtaining the highest micro-nutrient density possible per unit of calories... this smoothie would rank at the top in that category!  It's also insanely high in antioxidants.
The "Superhuman Smoothie" Recipe for Extreme Health
Depending on your body size, the quantities in this recipe may actually be enough for 2 servings.  In a blender, mix together:

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (very low in sugar if you get the unsweetened variety)
• 1 cup coconut milk drink (if you can't find the "coconut milk drink", you can use 1/3 cup canned coconut milk with 2/3 cup water, since canned coconut milk is much thicker and creamier than "coconut milk drink")
• 1 packet unsweetened frozen acai puree (you can find unsweetened acai frozen puree at many health food stores)
• A couple handfuls of frozen goji berriesgoji berries or other mixed berries (I've found frozen
• goji berriesgoji berries at Whole Foods stores... don't use dried goji berries as they'll make big chunks in your smoothie.  The frozen goji berries taste better too.  You can read more about the superfood status of goji berries here)
• A small handful of frozen spinach
• 1 packet of stevia (a natural non-caloric sweetener I like to use since I'm strictly against the use of artificial sweeteners)
• 2 teaspoons of chia seedschia seeds (one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can eat...loaded with rare antioxidants, soluble fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and super high in omega-3's) 
• 2 teaspoons of hemp seeds (significant amounts of zinc, magnesium, phosphorus and other minerals, as well as a high quality protein and omega-3 fatty acids)
• 1 scoop of Boku SuperFoods powder (this stuff has to be the most amazing SuperFood mixture I've found yet!)
• 1 teaspoon of spirulina powder  (good source of unique antioxidants, tons of B-vitamins, carotenoids, protein, and strengthens the immune system)
• 2 teaspoons of raw cacao nibs (one of the highest antioxidant foods available; can help reduce blood pressure and improve overall cardiovascular function)
• 1 teaspoon of raw organic cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon of raw Maca powder (nutrient-rich, made from a south american root; purported to help increase libido; adaptogen that can help the body deal with stress)
• 1 scoop of chocolate Raw Grass-fed whey protein (this is one of the only truly RAW and grass-fed whey proteins I've found)
• 1 tablespoon of raw almond butter

Blend all the ingredients until thick and smooth.  I add the powdered ingredients after the blender is already running so that they mix easier.
This smoothie is so powerfully healthy for your body, you'll notice a consistent "super-energy" throughout the day without spikes and crashes if you start each day with one of these.  Also, if you consciously think about how nutritious this smoothie is, your body will actually get even better results, because of the power of the mind (placebo effect).
If you liked this today's article please feel free to share this with your friends and family.

For more nutritional recipes, you can find them in  Fat Burning Kitchen

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3 SATURATED Fats that Actually SLOW Aging in Your Body

Yes, ALL three of these foods have a high ratio saturated fats, but studies are showing that they actually improve your heart health and fight aging. Read on...

by Mike Geary - Certified Nutrition Specialist & Catherine Ebeling - RN, BSN
Authors of the best seller: The Top 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging

The majority of the population these days still seem to "fear" fats in the diet because of all of the fat-free and low-fat propaganda of the 80's and 90's that falsely made people think that all fats are bad for us.  Nothing could be further from the truth!
As a health author, blogger, and Nutritionist, I observe people's eating habits all the time... and I still constantly see well-intentioned, but misinformed people choosing egg whites instead of whole eggs, even though studies show that the "fatty" yolks contain almost all of the anti-aging benefits, heart-health benefits, and 90% of the valuable antioxidants and vitamins/minerals in an egg, whereas the whites contain very little nutrition at all.  Not only that, but egg yolks have been proven to raise your GOOD cholesterol, and improve the good to bad ratios.
I also still observe people constantly choosing "low-fat" and "fat-free" options of various foods at the grocery store despite the fact that most of these options contain a LOT more carbs and sugars to replace the fats that are taken out, which actually leads to FASTER AGING by increasing the amount of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) that your body produces.  These nasty little compounds called AGEs speed up the aging process in your body including damage over time to your organs, your joints, and of course, wrinkled skin.

Plus, it's high blood sugar from all of those extra sugars and carbs in "low-fat" and "fat-free" choices that increase AGEs in your body on a daily basis leading to faster aging.  On the other hand, all of those FATS that people have been avoiding for years can actually SLOW the aging process by keeping your blood sugar lower and more stable, hormones balanced, and for other reasons too.
In fact, it's absolutely imperative to get enough healthy fats in your diet to keep your hormones balanced, blood sugar under control, prevent cravings, and to SLOW the aging process in your organs, skin, and joints.
And I'm NOT just talking about the obvious healthy fats that you hear about in the news all the time, such as almonds, walnuts, avocados, fish oil, and our beloved olive oil... all of those examples ARE definitely healthy and contain loads of beneficial nutrients that can help you to live longer, healthier, and leaner...
BUT...
Here are THREE more examples of "fatty" foods that most people falsely think are "unhealthy" simply because they do contain certain ratios of saturated fat... But in reality, these foods are shown in studies to protect our bodies from the ravages of aging and even help us to stay lean...


1.  Grass-fed (pasture-raised) butter & cream
Yes, delicious smooth and rich BUTTER (real butter, NOT deadly margarine!)... It's delicious, contains loads of healthy nutritional factors, and does NOT have to be avoided in order to stay healthy and get lean.  In fact, I personally eat a couple pats of grass-fed butter several times daily (and a Tbsp of heavy cream in my coffee daily) and maintain very lean body fat most times of the year.
There's a lot of confusion about this topic... in fact, I just saw a TV show today that was talking about unhealthy foods and one of the first things they showed was butter.  It just shows that the majority of the population still doesn't fully understand that butter (grass-fed only!) can actually be a healthy part of your diet.
In fact, there's even ample evidence that REAL butter can even fight aging and help you to lose body fat for a couple of main reasons:
   a.  Grass-fed butter is known to have high levels of a healthy fat called CLA, which has been shown in numerous studies to have anti-cancer properties, and also has been shown to help burn abdominal fat and build lean muscle.
   b.  Grass-fed butter also has an ideal balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids (unlike conventional grain-fed butter) which helps fight inflammation in your body, and can help balance hormones, thereby helping to slow the aging process, and keep your body lean.
   c.  The healthy fats in grass-fed butter also contain MCTs (similar to the MCTs in coconut oil), which help to boost your immune system and are readily burned by the body for energy.  The healthy fats in grass-fed butter also help to satisfy your appetite and control blood sugar levels, both of which help you to stay lean!
If you have a hard time finding a grass-fed butter at your grocery store, Kerrygold Irish butter is one of my favorites, and the cows are 100% grass-fed on lush green pastures in Ireland. It's one of the richest butters in color that I've seen, which indicates high levels of carotenoids, powerful antioxidants that help fight aging.  Another great brand is Organic Valley which has many options for pasture-raised butter and cream.
Note for people who are dairy sensitive or think they might be: 
People that are dairy sensitive or intolerant are generally NOT sensitive to butter or cream. This is something that's highly misunderstood in the nutrition industry, even by most authors and doctors.  The truth is that it's almost always either the lactose or the casein that people are sensitive to, and butter or cream has nothing more than traces of either since butter and cream is solely the fat portion of dairy while the lactose and casein have mostly been removed when the fat is skimmed off the milk.  The amount of casein in butter or cream is negligible compared to milk.
Also, fermented dairy generally doesn't give people any problems either (kefir or plain yogurt) because the lactose has been digested by the microbes, making kefir 99% lactose free usually.  Plus, even the casein in kefir and yogurt is MUCH more highly digestible because the microbes have already performed a little pre-digestion on it.


2.  Super Dark Chocolate (at least 72% cacao content or higher)
It might not be a secret anymore, but yes, dark chocolate (NOT milk chocolate) can be a very healthy food, even though it is technically calorie dense.
However, I would contend that dark chocolate can actually HELP you to burn off more body fat if you're the type of person that has a sweet tooth and likes to eat a lot of desserts.  In this case, just 1 or 2 small squares of dark chocolate can many times satisfy your sweet tooth for only 30 or 40 calories as opposed to 500 calories for a piece of chocolate cake or a piece of pie.
Also some brands of dark chocolate that are in the mid 70's in % cacao content or higher, can have a fairly high ratio of fiber content (I've seen some brands have 5-7 grams of fiber out of 15 grams of total carbs per serving), and relatively low sugar content compared to the amount of healthy fats.  In fact, that's one of the "tricks" I use to select a good quality chocolate... I look for more total fat than total carbs (or about the same number of grams of each).
The importance of that fact is that it means many dark chocolates will not greatly affect your blood sugar and will have a fairly blunted blood sugar response compared to other "sweets".
In addition, dark chocolate is also very rich in healthful antioxidants, including a powerful compound called theobromine which has been shown to help lower your blood pressure and have other health benefits.
Dark chocolate also contains antioxidants called flavanols with dozens of health benefits... One study found that eating as little as 6.7 grams of chocolate per day has a protective effect on your heart.  Other studies show benefits to your digestive system by improving the ratios of good to bad bacteria in your gut, possibly due to the catechins and polyphenols in cocoa.
The reason I say to choose dark chocolates with at least 72% cacao content is that the higher the % of cacao, the lower the % of sugar.  However, this does mean that any chocolate over 80% cacao content will generally start to get a more bitter taste and have very little sweetness.  If you like this type of taste, then the higher % cocao, the better. Otherwise, a good 75% dark chocolate is in my opinion an almost perfect combination of lightly sweet with a rich velvety chocolate taste.
You can also reap the benefits of the antioxidants and fiber without all of the calories by using organic unsweetened cocoa powder in your smoothies or other recipes.
The bottom line is that you can enjoy small to moderate amounts of dark chocolate and also cocoa powder daily, and it only helps you to stay lean and fight the aging process in your body.


3.  Coconut oil, coconut meat, coconut flour, and coconut milk
Coconut milk and oil are great sources of a super healthy type of saturated fat called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), including a component called lauric acid, which is a powerful nutrient for your immune system, and is lacking in most western diets.  In addition, MCTs are readily used for energy by the body and less likely to be stored as body fat compared to other types of fats.
Eating coconut oil can help improve the health of your skin from the inside out... But in addition to being healthy internally, coconut oil is also known to be great for the health of your skin externally as a skin moisturizer that's healthier for you than most lotions since natural coconut oil allows you to avoid the harmful chemicals found in many lotions.
Coconut oil is even shown to help improve your thyroid function as well as helping to protect your brain from Alzheimers.
There are even direct studies that show that coconut oil can help you burn off abdominal fat more efficiently.
Along with coconut milk and coconut oil as healthy fat choices, we've also got coconut flour as a healthier flour option for baking. Coconut flour is an extremely high fiber flour alternative (almost ALL of the carbs in this flour are fiber and not starch!).  Coconut flour is also VERY high in protein compared to most flours and is also gluten free!
Just beware that if you're going to use coconut flour for baking, it absolutely NEEDS to be mixed with other flours as it sucks up moisture like crazy... I've made delicious baked goods by mixing coconut flour with almond flour and quinoa flour in equal parts, and adding slightly more liquid ingredients than the recipe calls for.

Let's look at more shocking anti-aging foods, spices, teas, and nutrients...

We'll show you MORE delicious foods, spices, herbs, and nutrients 
that PROTECT your body from the ravages of aging on the
next page!
These specific foods you'll discover on the next page will:

• Naturally boost your energy, 
• Help KILL your joint pain,
• Lower your blood pressure,
• Fight diabetes & control blood sugar,
• Boost your brain health,
• HEAL your digestion problems,
• and raise your metabolism
   

You will also discover over a dozen surprising tricks you can use daily to FIGHT aging, helping you to look 5-10 years YOUNGER... click the button below to go to the next page to discover unique and delicious anti-aging foods, spices, herbs, teas, and other potent youth-enhancing nutrients: 

Next Page 

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These 15 WHITE foods protect your cells & flatten your stomach

As I was flipping through the channels the other day, I stopped on a news station where a prominent Registered Dietician was giving nutrition tips for a "summer ready body".  I always find it interesting to hear what other health professionals are advising to their clients, and even more interesting was when she stated that one rule she requires EVERY client of hers to follow is the "no white foods" rule.

Really?  What about cauliflower?  And how about cancer-fighting onions and garlic, or probiotic-loaded plain Kefir?

I can just imagine one of her sweet, good-intentioned clients saying "No no" to cauliflower because her dietician told her "no white foods".

Of course, I understand that the rule is a good one when applied to processed "white" foods like bread, pasta, and crackers, but believe it or not this dietician went on to specifically outlaw such white foods as bananas and potatoes just because of their color!  Now I know that bananas and potatoes are a bit carb-heavy, but for those of us that exercise hard, these types of carbohydrates can actually be beneficial for post-workout recovery.  Another benefit of both bananas and potatoes is that they are natural non-processed foods packed with potassium and a boatload of other vitamins and minerals.

For those of us that are a bit more "carb-sensitive" such as diabetics or people that are sedentary, it is best to keep bananas and potatoes at a minimum, but for the rest of us, they can be perfectly healthy when eaten at the right time of day.

Additionally, here are a host of other WHITE foods to fuel your metabolism and protect your cells with antioxidants:

Veggies such as onions, cauliflower, garlic, turnips, parsnips, and mushrooms are all loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber while yielding next to zero calories.  Fill your plate with these white gems, and then pile on some more!

White beans are another white food example that is high in protein, very low glycemic (so they're easy on your blood sugar), and high in fiber while being absolutely packed with antioxidants.

Other healthy white foods...

Organic grass-fed dairy products such as cottage cheese, and other cheeses are all very high in protein and healthy fats while other fermented dairy products such as plain yogurt and plain kefir offer hefty amounts of probiotics to boot!

Then there are white seeds like pumpkin seeds and even white chia seeds that pack a superfood punch rich in omega-3s, protein, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.

And lastly (but certainly not least!) are the many varieties of white fish that are great for you -- another great metabolism-boosting source of protein, but here's something you may not know:  While we've been told that fish is one of the healthiest food choices around (and for the most part it is), there are specific types of fish -- all very common -- that you should literally NEVER eat due to incredibly high levels of contamination that can and WILL hammer the delicate cells of your body with toxic inflammation...

In the end, toxic inflammation build up from contaminants in food like heavy metals (as well as unhealthy vegetable oils) contributes to achy joints, premature aging of the skin (and less visible organs like the heart, kidneys, and liver), difficulty shedding excess weight, cognitive decline, forgetfulness, feeling blue and moody, and so much more...

Do you want to find 101 more anti-aging foods CLICK HERE


Eat healthy,

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

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