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It is a known fact that vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients are essential to good health. If this world were perfect we would get all these nutrients from the food we eat on a daily basis. However, because this does not always happen, there are some convincing reasons to consider taking vitamin, mineral or micro-nutrient supplements.

Vitamins can help us overcome our lifestyle problems. On the whole, we are not very responsible when it comes to healthy habits. Many people play with their lives by smoking, drinking alcohol to excess, not getting adequate exercise or sleep, making poor choices in foods, and many other activities that lead to poor health. By taking vitamins every day, some of these negative effects may be counteracted.

Women in particular have special vitamin needs related both to osteoporosis and pregnancy issues. Although men can also have osteoporosis, it tends to attack women more and cause them greater suffering. By supplementing with calcium on a daily basis, much of the risk for osteoporosis can be offset and some of the latest research is showing that vitamin D plays a significant role in the prevention of osteoporosis. For women who are pregnant or considering having children, folic acid is an essential supplement. This B vitamin can prevent birth defects such as Spina Bifida in newborn babies. Lastly for pre-menopausal women there is overwhelming research showing that a large percentage of the population are iron deficient.

Men, too, have issues that can be fought through proper vitamin intake. Cardiovascular problems are thought to be reduced by taking vitamin E supplements. They are believed to play an important role in keeping the blood pressure and cholesterol levels low in most males aged forty and over. Keeping the arteries clean is an important factor in preventing heart attacks and vitamin E has been shown in research studies to accomplish this task.

Dieters have special supplementation needs of their own. Many young girls diet on a regular basis and consume far too few calories to accommodate their vitamin needs. While the wisdom of going on particular weight loss diets is a topic for another discussion, anyone on such a diet should look to vitamin supplements to avoid malnutrition and other maladies. Inadequate nutrition can cause a person to be vulnerable to various ailments and a weakened immune system.

Another great reason to consider vitamin supplementation is the potential cancer prevention some vitamins are believed to provide. Research has suggested that vitamin E and vitamin A prevent skin cancer. Many studies in recent years have found that other types of cancers may be similarly prevented by taking certain vitamins.

While there is never a fail proof plan when it comes to vitamin supplements, the evidence does suggest that risk may be reduced and conditions may be improved through supplementation. Due to all of the possible benefits, supplementation is definitely worth considering. Lastly, while I have not even scratched the surface of the benefits and the various nutrients that we need to optimize our body’s ability to rebuild and repair itself on a daily basis please take the time to ensure that you are getting these vital nutrients on a daily basis for a long healthy life.

References:

1) The American Society for Nutritional Sciences

2) PubMed Articles: Zinc Supplementation

3) American Heart Association: Antioxidants

4) American Heart Association: Homocysteine

Sushi is one of the healthiest foods in the world, popular for centuries in Japan, has become immensely popular in the Western world in recent years. You may soon find yourself invited to enjoy sushi with friends at a sushi bar or restaurant. Despite the common reaction of distaste at the prospect of eating raw fish, sushi is actually a simple and delicious food that can easily be enjoyed by even the extremely squeamish.

Some of the various types of Sushi that you may come across when visiting your local sushi bar are:

Nigiri-Sushi - fresh raw fish (sushi-grade) with sticky rice

Nori-Maki: prepared with sushi rice, crab meat, shrimp, salmon, tuna, avocado, asparagus, red bell pepper, carrots, and wasabi

As you can see from the descriptions above sushi is made ingredients all low in calories, high in high-quality proteins and other vital nutrients. Sushi is a very healthy meal made mostly with rice, fish and vegetables. As a note however, sushi should always be made with fresh ingredients, not only for the safety of the eater but for the flavors. The delicate flavors of rice, vegetables and fish are enhanced with healthy soya sauce, ginger and wasabi

As for the health benefits of eating sushi, some of the things you may want to know follows:

The thin, toasted seaweed sheets, called Nori, used in rolled (maki) sushi are high in Vitamin A, B-complex, Niacin, Vitamin C and also good for digestion.

The rice used in making sushi is low in fat and sodium free while also being a complex carbohydrate which is needed as fuel for your body.

The various fish or meats used in sushi are excellent sources of protein and minerals.
Whether you’re eating vegetarian sushi or it is mixed with fish, the fresh, uncooked vegetables provide the vitamins and other nutrients you look for in a healthy diet.

Taurine vs. Cholesterol
Taurine is an amino acid, named because it was discovered in the bile of the ox, found much in fish, octopus, cuttlefish and shellfish, and effective for lowering the cholesterol level in blood and preventing arterial sclerosis.

Some mollusks and shellfishes contain fairly high cholesterol, though they also have higher amount of valueable taurine, so that the content ratios (T/C = Taurine/Cholesterol) of those is a great concern.

White-meat fish (shiro-mi-zakana) have only a small amount of taurine generally, 60 mg/100 g with a ratio of 1.7 for sablefish (blackcod or ‘gin-dara’) except sea bream or yellowtail, on the other hand, blue-meat fish (ao-mi-zakana) have the ratio of 3.5 - 4.0 in average like mackerel and horse mackerel.

All shellfish have an extreamlly high content of taurine, 550 mg for clams and 670 mg for eyes of scallop, except for freshwater clams. Squid has a high content of both taurine and cholesterol, and sea urchin contains more cholesterol than taurine.

Beef has the ratios from 0.6 (loin) to 0.2 (liver), and pork is 0.8, these figures mean that cholesterol content is higher than taurine.

Even the condiments served with sushi have health benefits.

While soya sauce has come under attack for certain additives that pose a potential health risk, naturally fermented soya sauce does not have this danger. Soya, the main ingredient in soya sauce, has been linked to lower breast cancer and fewer menopausal symptoms in Asian cultures who use soy as a staple in their diets. Soya is a source of high quality protein, low in saturated fats and is cholesterol free. Soya sauce is high in salt although low sodium versions are also available for those who require it.

Ginger, called ‘gari’, is often served alongside sushi and helps with digestion while also fighting bacteria. This is especially of interest to those concerned with the bacteria found in uncooked meat.

Wasabi, Japanese horseradish, can also kill bacteria found in raw fish and is often provided alongside sushi servings as a garnish or is included as in nigiri sushi.

Looking for a fast-food meal that is healthy for you? Give sushi a try and you’re sure to enjoy the flavors and you are sure to benefit from the vast amount of nutrients provided in a low calorie meal.

While for a long time I did not understand the scientific foundation for why my sweet-tooth seemed to always win out I knew very well that was a battle that I would eventually always loose. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but my willpower could only hold out so long and then I would succumb to the temptations of sweets. In order to fully understand this we need to take a little trip through history.

Now the history I am talking about is more like ancient history, more specifically pre-historic history, because that is were this whole problem started. In all fairness for millions of years it wasn’t a problem because much like any animal in the wild we never knew when our next meal would be. If you have any doubt about that statement, just take an hour or so and watch one of those animal shows on your television. Often they talk about the fact that a pride of lions for example may not make a kill for a couple of weeks. The problem here is, if they don’t kill something many times they don’t eat. Imagine going for a week or two weeks before you had a chance to sit down for a good size meal.

What do you think you would do once you were able to sit down to that meal? More than likely it would be a long while before you would get up from the table. That is the way you are wired at the genetic level. Deep down in your DNA you are wired to eat as much as you can, when you can, simply because for millions of years you had no way of knowing for sure when you were going to get your next meal. That same genetic code is what drives you today, because your DNA does not know that you have a surplus of food waiting at every corner today.

Worse than that, our genetic wiring has us programmed to eat foods that are sweet and/or high in fat. Why - you ask? When you don’t know where your next meal is coming from it is very important that you take in the maximum amount of calories possible to sustain your bodily functions until such time that you get another meal. Not only are the calories important, but the type of calories. While the news media and all the hype about foods high in fat give fatty foods a bad name, the truth of the matter is that your body needs fats to function. These essential fats are very important for your brain functions, your nerves, and the list goes on. Again if you are going between long periods of time between meals, you are programmed to desire the tastes of foods high in fat. If you are starting to feel like the odds are stacked against you, you are correct, but the good news is that as you understand more about what is going on in your body you can eat foods that are good for you, but will turn off the alarms that drive you to eat the foods that are not so good for you.

I am sure that you all know that there are parts of the brain that process feelings of pleasure and thus when something triggers that portion of the brain we tend to remember that and what to repeat that feeling of pleasure. Most notably, sexual experiences set off these triggers in the brain and as such there is no problem with keeping the human species alive and well. Needless to say, food also plays an integral part in the pleasure centers of our brain, in conjunction with the parts of the brain that tells us when we are full. Without getting in to all of the details of the biochemical signals that play a role in that series of communications that tell us we are full, that brownie was really good, or hey you really want more of that ice cream, I will tell you that there are a series of chemicals (Ghrelin, Leptin, Cholecystokinin, PYY) that control all of these essential communications. While I’ve covered this in-depth in another article I will mention that it is well documented that some of these chemicals measure lower than they should in over weight people leading researchers to believe that this flaw in their chemical makeup is leading to their weight problems.

By now you are starting to understand why your willpower to stay away from that second helping, to avoid the fatty foods or to simply pass on dessert is under constant attack. Would you be surprised to know that the fast food industry, the manufactures of processed foods, and the food industry as a whole have known this information for a long time. As a matter of fact that understand everything that I have just mentioned and exactly how all these chemicals interact to bring the most pleasure to that all important section of our brain. As a matter of fact the food industry and those responsible for marketing these products study this at length, many times in the form of study groups or taste tests. Armed with this information they make sure that they can maximize the response all the way from your taste buds in your mouth right to the point of when you body is going to tell you that you have had enough and worse yet, all the way to the point when your body is going to start a craving for more of what you just finished.

With what seems to be all of the odds stacked against us there are still many things under our control. Additionally, you can take heart in the fact that you are not in this battle along. By many estimates close to 70% of the US population is overweight to some degree and yet with all of the information that is known about appetite, diet and our biological make-up we seem to have no solution to the problem. You may or may not be aware of the fact that when it comes to track records the group of drugs with the worse record of all are weight-loss drugs. The reason being is that people will loose weight for a given period of time and then our genetic programming kicks in and we are right back to where we started before. Unfortunately, we have become a society of instant gratification which is not a good way to approach any kind of weight-loss program. In short we don’t gain weight over night and as such we should not expect to be able to get the weight off over night. Combine all of the weight-loss drugs on the market and the 50 million or so diets programs that are available to you on the market today and in short you have a fantastic recipe for total confusion.

While there is nothing sexy or mysterious about the real answer there is one available to all of us. That answer is to eat a highly varied natural foods diet. That means eating lots of unprocessed foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, fish and when possible eat those fruits and vegetables in their raw uncooked state. Additionally, eating much smaller more frequent meals is one of the best things that I have ever done. If you think about it that makes a lot more sense in that you body has to deal with smaller quantities of food and as such you body is much better equipped to take full advantage of the calories and nutrients that you have taken in. Not to mention as a bonus I just feel like I get to eat more, but in reality I have eaten less total calories. For me I personally the best way of eating is more of a Mediterranean type of diet. When traveling through the Mediterranean regions all of the meals typically focused on lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains/whole grain breads, lots of seafood combined with some red meats and for the most part most of the foods that I ate where all organic foods. As you now know we are preprogrammed genetically to really like the fatty and sweet foods, but by sticking with a highly varied natural foods diet our genetics will not rule our waistlines.

References:

1) Wikipedia: Appetite -

2) Time Magazine: Science of Appetite

3) FAQs.org (Appetite)

4) Stephen Cherniske, M.S., The Metabolic Plan, pg 79-86, The Random House Publishing Company, 2003, ISBN: 0-345-44102-8

5) Wikipedia: Blood Sugar

6) Wikipedia: Glucose

7) Paul Zane Pilzer, The New Wellness Revolution, pg 62 – 76, John Wiley & Sons, 2007 ISBN: 9780470106181

Wikipedia: Cholecystokinin (CCK)

9) Wikipedia: Ghrelin

How often have you been in the presence of some child that is running around the room like the energizer bunny rabbit and someone has commented that they would love to have that kind of energy again? One of my favorites is, how can we bottle some of that energy? I heard that one often when growing up.

While I would love to talk about all of the gory details about where energy starts, how it is created and why we seem to have less and less of this precious commodity as we get older, I’ll spare the details. However, with that said I can tell you emphatically that energy does NOT come from caffeine and it certainly does NOT come from refined carbohydrates and/or refined sugars. Why do I bring this up? Well how often do you or someone you know pick up an Energy drink or stop at their favorite coffee shop to get a boost during the day? Caffeine has become the number one drug of choice in the US and my guess is (based on my travels) that is the case pretty much world wide. Unfortunately caffeine is little more than a chemically induced stress which our bodies misinterpret as energy.

The serious part of this equation is that stress is the number one killer in the US. Now for those of you that are looking at a list of the top diseases, or causes of death you are not going to see stress listed there. Why? Basically it boils down to the fact that stress is a silent killer. Stress is Mother Nature’s way of weeding us out without having to rely on a catastrophic event to wipe out a large number of people. The reason behind this very effective tool that Mother Nature has is that stress simply provides the environment in which our bodies are not at their peak thereby allowing a multitude of diseases to take root, setting us up for a Heart-attack, a stroke, and this list goes on. In short stress drains our immune system (and a multitude of other bodily functions) to the point where we can no longer fight off things that should be of little to no consequence.

To make matters worse Energy Drinks are one of the hottest items on the market today. Now you can rest assured that those with the added vitamins and nutrients are much better for you – NOT! What little nutritional value they have is so far out weighed by the caffeine, the sugars, etc, etc that their nutritional value is non-existent. What’s more is that they give you a false sense of energy for a short period of time until you coming crashing back to earth. What do most people do once they hit this low? Reach for another energy drink and I really use that term loosely and only because that is the popular term that they are marketed under. If you hear nothing else, hear this: ENERGY DRINKS DO NOT GIVE YOU ENERGY. Primarily due to the fact that your energy level is not low because of a caffeine deficiency.

In short energy drinks are little more than a typical soda that you have been drinking your whole life. What do energy drinks provide you with:
- Large amounts of caffeine
- Large quantities of sugar
- Other herbal stimulants such as guarana and ginseng
- A roller coaster ride that severely stresses your adrenals,

The possible health risks involved with the consumption of energy drinks is very lengthy. The stimulating properties of these drinks typically boost the heart rate, increase blood pressure, add to the dehydration of the body, and, like other stimulants, prevent sleep. Unfortunately, there has been little testing with regards to some of the biggest concerns. In short it is not nearly enough is known about the effects caused by the combination of ingredients in energy drinks. To further complicate matters there are many of these drinks that are used in combination with alcohol as mixers.

Natural Energy
As you may or may not know, energy is created via a very complex process known as the Kreb Cycle and as we age our Kreb cycle begins to be less efficient at that energy creation process. The good news is that recent scientific research has discovered the rate limiting factors that prevent us from creating energy the way that we did when we were kids.

If you really would like to have the unlimited supply of energy that we all had at one time it is now possible. Maybe not to the point of being 5 years old again, but what about simply not feeling like you need to take a nap in the afternoon. What if you could get to the end of the day and still have energy to spend on your favorite hobby, take a walk with the love of you life, or …….. you fill in the blank?

You in fact have millions of energy factories throughout your body and they are a section within the cells of your body known as the mitochondria. What has been discovered is that over time the by products of the energy creation that we so desperately need to get through the day actually begins to damage the mitochondria and as such the energy creation process becomes less efficient. One of the biggest causes of this slow down in the creation of energy is caused by free radicals that are those by-products that I just mentioned. Research has shown that by increasing the amount of acetyl-L-carnitine and alpha lipoic acid available to your cells our energy production can be rejuvenated.

Now please take note that I have very much simplified the discussion of what needs to take place here in order to get the full benefits of these two supplements, but what I really wanted to point out is that you do NOT have to rely on huge doses of sugar and caffeine to fool you body in to thinking it has energy. Further more to get the maximum benefits available to you in a well planned anti-aging regimen you want a product that is going to provide the nutrients that are needed and any additional components required for you body to fully utilize what you are putting into it. Personally, for me the best thing on the market is AgelessXtra.
References:

1) Wikipedia (Kreb Cycle)

2) Wikipedia (Energy Drinks)

3) Alternative Medicine

4) Brown University: Health Education

5) Stephen Cherniske, M.S., The Metabolic Plan, The Random House Publishing Company, 2003, ISBN: 0-345-44102-8

While I have titled this Chapter 1: Foundations it is really a combination of the Introduction to the Metabolic Plan and Chapter 1.

From the start Stephen Cherniske does a great job of simply putting things (life & aging) into perspective. As we all know, when we were in our twenties we are all immortal. Well more like we don’t think about our immortality. This all changes when we reach forty and then when fifty rolls around we really come face to face with the fact that life is half over – the fun half. Unless you’ve been living in a cave by yourself, you realize that that the second half of life for many is filled with progressive degeneration, pain and limited mobility and finally death.

In spite of the fact that anti-aging is a relatively new science Stephen Cherniske  has spent a life time studying aging and the aging process in multiple arenas:
- Traveling to six countries
- Teaching clinical nutrition at UCLA
- Directing the first FDA licensed clinical lab
- Advisor to the US Olympic Track and Field team
- Serving on the faculty of the American College of Sports Medicine
All this time spent studying aging, because as it turns out aging is very closely related to human performance.

Through “The Metabolic Plan” Stephen wants us to learn/understand that the chronology of aging is very different from the biology of aging. If we improve the biology of our aging process, suddenly the number of years past is not nearly as important as one once believed. Some of you may be thinking that genetically you didn’t really get the genes that you would have picked out for yourself. The good news is that genes only account for about 35% of the aging process, which means that you have control over 65% of your aging. The real question that Stephen Cherniske wants each of us to take a hard look at is: What are you going to do with your 65%? One of the things that I am very impressed with is that Stephen himself being a very busy individual is very focused on minimal effort for maximum results. However, there are some key points to that statement:
- It takes some effort on your part
- Secondly, he is talking about a lifestyle change – This isn’t for a day, a week, or even a year. Anti-aging is about life long changes.

Foundations
Did you realize that our energy, vitality, sex drive all reach a peak at about 20? From there aging really begins. How about the fact that our prime of life lasts for only about 15 years from 15 to 30? Would you be interested to know that Stephen Cherniske and his team have found that we can have a prime of life that lasts into our 60s? The Metabolic Plan is about more than learning about nutrition, healthy eating, and exercise. The Metabolic Plan is more about getting you to understand a paradigm shift.

Old: Aging = degeneration
New: Aging is a dynamic process that we control

Old: Your body wears out.
New: Your body has Miraculous powers of regeneration.

Old: Life expectancy of 76.7
New: Life potential of 120+

So the next question you need to answer is: What are you going to do with the extra years? Keep in mind that your body replaces 300 billion cells daily and better cells mean improved chemical makeup, improved strength, immunity, mood, sex drive, memory – you fill in the remainder.

I’m sure that it is not a news flash to you, that Stephen notes that for many physical fitness has been forgotten. Much of this is to blame on the many advances we’ve made over time. However, with all of our advances our bodies have not changed at the cellular/DNA level for millions of years. Therefore we are still programmed if you will to stay physically active. You ever hear the statement: Use it or loose it. I think that applies here.

Additionally, we have six major glands responsible for the vast number of hormones (chemical messengers) required to keep our bodies functionally properly. Of all these hormones these there are some 3000+ studies showing that DHEA is a critical key to our anti-aging quest. Restoring DHEA to optimal levels should be at the top of your list.

In closing you need to know that The Metabolic Plan is a comprehensive and proven system for rewinding your biological clock. Unlike much of the confusion that has been created around metabolism by the multitude of stimulant, weight-loss products that are highly catabolic (damaging to our bodies) The Metabolic Plan is focused on Anti-aging. To get our understanding of anti-aging in perspective we need to understand what it is and what it is not. Eating well, exercising, minimal drinking, not smoking, etc, etc are NOT anti-aging. These are all prudent things to do in an attempt to live a healthy lifestyle. Anti-aging is about reducing the amount of catabolic damage that takes place in our bodies on a daily basis and shifting our bodies into a more youthful, anabolic (rebuilding/repairing) state.

What is glycation? In short glycation is a scientific term for what ahappens when sugars,l such as fructose or glucose, combine with proteins or lipid molecules. Additionally, glycation is the process bakers and cooks refer to as browning. You may be shocked to learn that this browning actually happens to us as we age. From an anti-aging perspective this is not a good thing.

With this information it is easy to see that we have two forms of glycation that we need to be concerned about. We have Endogenous glycations, which predominately occur in the bloodstream and Exogenous glycations that occur out side the body.

Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs) are formed when sugars are cooked with proteins and fats. What you may not realize is that very often sugars are added to many of our foods specifically to enhance this browning effect. Worse yet once absorbed by your body AGEs are well known pro-inflammatory and disease initiating compounds. AGEs have been implicated in many age-related chronic diseases such as: Type II Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Cancer, Neuropathy and the list goes on.

Did I mention that Glycation and AGEs have a very important partner in the damage of our tissues?  That partner in the initiation and acceleration of these diseases, especially oxidative stress and inflammation, are the free radicals that we are learning so much about. To make matters worse glycated proteins are estimated to generate 50 times more free radicals than non-glycated proteins. Again, from an anti-aging standpoint this is something of great importance.

By now I hope that you are starting to get the idea that our bodies were not designed to handle the simple sugars that find their way into our diets. In short, at the cellular and DNA levels, sugars are a disaster waiting to happen. Do you find yourself, struggling against fatigue? More times than not, that fatigue is self induced by virtue of the fact that sugar raises blood glucose levels so fast that the body has to respond by secreting large amounts of insulin. This cycle creates a huge spike in energy quickly followed by extreme fatigue. Think about most of the energy drinks on the market today where caffeine and sugars are the most prominent ingredients.  Watch for an upcoming article on energy drinks.

Ok, I’ve dumped a lot on you in a very short amount of time. In a perfect world we could totally eliminate sugars from our diet. While I know that this is not very practical, I will please with you to do everything in your power to reduce the amount of sugar in your diet. Keep in mind that by some estimates the average American consumes roughly 24 teaspoons of sugar daily. That 24 teaspoons per day equates to more than 100 pounds of sugar in a year.

So first and foremost reduce the simple sugars in your diet. Secondly, reduce and/or eliminate AGE laden foods by limiting browned or charred foods. A short list of some of those foods include: well done meats, poultry, eggs, barbecued or grilled meats, poultry and fish. One of the worst is deep fried foods. As I stated this is a VERY short list.

Lastly, for some good news. Scientists have discovered that alpha lipoic acid can arrest the glycation process. Additionally, it has been discovered that N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) slows the glycation process. As an added benefit scientists discovered that lipoic acid aids in the restoring of glutathione and vitamin C. As you may imagine the flavanoids found in fruits, vegetables,  and whole grains have been found to reduce the glycation of hemoglobin.

In conclusion, while glycation, AGEs and their partner in crime, free radicals, lead to the initiation of many of our age related diseases we have the ability to avoid being plagued by these problems. In fact it is really more than a choice on our part. If you have watched anyone in their later years and thought to yourself that you wanted a different path: you have that option. The downside to that choice is that it is not about making that decision for a single day. What you have to commit yourself to is a lifestyle change. That change includes: the reduction of simple sugars, over cooked foods – especially deep fried foods and then ensure that you are getting adequate amounts of antioxidants, nutrients and flavanoids in your diet. While not always easy to get through our daily diets, with the abundance of high quality supplements, green drinks and other whole food sources, we have the tools we necessary to live a long healthy life.

References:

1) Stephen Cherniske, The Metabolic Plan, 2003, pg 79-86

2) Ahmed N, Furth AJ. Failure of common glycation assays to detect glycation by fructose. Clin Chem 1992;38:1301-3 PMID 1623595.

3) McPherson JD, Shilton BH, Walton DJ. Role of fructose in glycation and cross-linking of proteins. Biochemistry 1988;27:1901-7. PMID 3132203.

4) WikiPedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycation

5) WikiPedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_glycation_endproduct

What exactly are vitamins and minerals? We hear about them in the news, read about them in articles and many of us take them on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, according to the US Department of Agriculture roughly 39% of Americans use vitamin and mineral supplements daily and over 80% of bodybuilders regularly user vitamin and mineral supplements.

In a broad sense vitamins and minerals are considered essential dietary nutrients – meaning our bodies don’t make them. Therefore, they must be obtained from our diet or supplementation. While they are considered micronutrients they play a vital role in maintaining the proper biological functioning of everything in our bodies: immune system, muscles, brain, connective-tissue, liver, lungs, etc, etc.

The primary role of vitamins in the body is to act as coenzymes (ie substances that enhance the action of proteins). As coenzymes, vitamins are an essential part of thousands of chemical reactions that must take place in our bodies. What many people don’t understand is that vitamins are either fat or water soluble, depending on whether fat or water based molecules transport the nutrients through the blood stream.

Fat soluble vitamins include: Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K. Since the vitamins have an affinity for fat they can be stored in both adipose (fat) tissue and the liver, which extends the functional life in the body.

The water soluble vitamins include all of the B Vitamins, and Vitamin C. Therefore they are not stored in the body for more than a few hours. As such it is important that our bodies receive a supply of these nutrients throughout the day. One of the reasons I am very much appose to the one pill per day takes care of my vitamin needs – not likely.

Minerals on the other hand, are classified as either bulk or trace minerals dependent upon the amounts needed for the body. Bulk minerals include: Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Sodium. Trace minerals include: Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Selenium and Zinc.

Before 1941 the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) did not exist and as such there were no guidelines regarding the intake of vitamins and minerals. The Food and Nutrition Board established the vitamin and mineral needs to avoid deficiency hence the name, RDA. Please keep in mind that the Food and Nutrition Board did not (and has never) looked at what optimal intake levels should be. The Optimum Daily Allowance (ODA) represents a reference level, above the RDA, which researchers in the anti-aging field believe cellular rejuvenation begins. In order to prevent diseases caused by a deficiency of these vital nutrients the ODA is often many times higher than the RDA. It is important to note that while the ODA may be many times higher than the RDA, the ODA is still well below the upper limit where any nutrients could potentially cause side effects. Stay tuned for more on the ODA.

If you have an interest in your health, want to know how to have a positive impact on your aging process or just simply want to understand what your body is going through as we age, there is no better read than “The Metabolic Plan” written by Stephen Cherniske.

Over the next few weeks I will give a brief overview of each of the twelve chapters, provide some insights into what is covered in each chapter and give you a brief synposis of the important details. Now while I would highly recommend reading the entire book, my hopes are that with the details I provide you may at least take it upon yourself to read the chapters that you feel are most important to you.

As Stephen explains at the start of the book, your body has an astounding capacity for repairing itself. If you take the time to unlock these regenerative powers you have the ability to slow and even reverse the aging process. If that sounds like something you would like to know more about take the time to pick up a copy of The Metabolic Plan and read it for yourself.

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*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

What is one of the biggest resolutions that the general public will be making right about the time the holidays come to an end? You guessed it: they plan to shed some of those pounds that have been added during the holiday season. For many the adding of additional pounds gets off to a great start at Thanksgiving time and runs right through the New Years Eve parties. It isn’t hard to figure out where the extra pounds come from when you start looking at the quantity of food that is available during this time of year, the types of foods that are being consumed and lastly add the fact that there is typically an above average amount of alcohol consumed during all the festivities.

Did you realize that for the average person starting on a new workout program they are looking at about a 6 week transition period? And further more, during this transition phase all of the things that you hear about feeling better, having more energy, reducing stress in your life,  when engaged in a workout program simply isn’t true. The reasoning behind this is that your body simply doesn’t know what to do with all of this new activity. In many cases you have just transitioned from sedentary lifestyle to an active lifestyle and your body doesn’t like it because it is change. Not to mention that many people make the mistake of starting a diet at the same time they just engaged in a workout program at their local gym. In short you have been setup to fail before you even step into your first workout. As opposed to starting a diet in the typical sense that most people start a diet, try eating a little healthier at the start without necessarily limiting your calories. Once you have adjusted to your new exercise routine then you may want to look at your calories. Please don’t get me wrong, as I am not saying that you should eat like there is no tomorrow. Even too much of a good thing can be bad for you. Simply try cutting out the simple sugars that are found in your sodas, candies, and many processed foods. Stick with your vegetables, whole grains, meet, fish, poultry, and dairy products.

While there are a number of benefits to a consistent exercise program, in order to begin to experience these benefits you have to make it through the transition phase. First you need to understand that consistency in your exercise program is far more important than the intensity. Assuming that your goal is to burn fat, as a general rule you want to start of slowly and whatever the activity try to keep active for 30 minutes or more 4 to 5 days out of the week. The reasoning behind the 30 minutes plus is that it takes approximately 30 minutes for your body to switch from burning carbohydrates to burning fat. As a result every minute beyond 30 minutes that you are able to exercise you are burning additional fat.