| Dear Friend,
|
Mar 31, 2010
Is The Silent Killer Sneaking Up On You?
Mar 25, 2010
Are the foods you are eating keeping you in pain?
An Anti-Inflammatory Diet Could Be the Ticket to
Feeling Better
When I say the word "inflammation," it's likely to evoke
thoughts of painful joints and muscles, swelling, and a loss
of mobility. But did you know that recent research shows
that chronic inflammation in your body can lead to serious
diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers,
and Alzheimer's disease, to name just a few?
The amount of inflammation in your body varies and is
dependent on a number of factors - including your activity
level, the amount of sleep you get, the degree of stress in
your life, and even the foods you eat. What you have to
realize is that these factors are cumulative - meaning they
build up over time. And the more that any or all of these
factors get out of whack, the risk for disease increases.
Early in life, these levels can be so low that you might not
even be aware that you have any inflammation in your body.
That's because our bodies do a fairly decent job of controlling
the inflammation - at least for a while. Then one day you wake
up and you're in your 40s and something is just not right.
That's when the fear begins to set in, and you think to
yourself:
What did I do wrong? or What can I do now to help myself?
The first step is to get your C-reactive protein (CRP) levels
tested. C-reactive protein is produced by the liver, and the
level of CRP rises when there is systemic inflammation in the
body. Ask your doctor about this (you may have to demand
to have the test done). All it requires is a blood sample that
will be evaluated by your doctor.
If you have pain due to inflammation, you may choose to take
the traditional medical path, which includes non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroids, and even
joint-replacement surgery in extreme cases. The good news
is that there are natural ways to fight inflammation without
the undesirable side-effects that often result from the
treatments listed above.
What You Eat Makes All The Difference
The food we eat is a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes
to controlling inflammation. The typical American diet consists
of too much fat, tons of sugar, loads of red meat, and a
frightening amount of processed foods - all of which are likely
to increase inflammation and contribute to obesity, which
itself can cause inflammation. By switching to an
anti-inflammatory diet plan consisting of healthy whole foods,
you can actually decrease inflammation and ease the pain
and discomfort associated with it.
The first step is to avoid processed foods, foods high in sugar,
and junk food whenever possible. Instead, choose fresh whole
foods, especially anti-inflammatory varieties such as lean
proteins, fruits, and vegetables. But choose carefully. Many
vegetables and pre-packaged "health" foods can actually
work against you. Use this handy list of the best and worst
foods for controlling inflammation:
Sugar, from any source
Processed foods
French Fries
Fast Foods
White bread
Pasta
Ice Cream
Cheddar Cheeses
Snack Foods
Oils such as vegetable and corn
Soda, caffeine and alcohol
In addition to these dietary changes it is also recommended
that you:
* Maintain a healthy weight - There is no question that
eating healthy is not easy nowadays, whether you're at home
or at a restaurant. But at the very least, you must try to
decrease your intake of sugars and hydrogenated oils and
increase your daily intake of fiber. Ideally, you should be
consuming 35 grams of fiber (that is a ton of fiber, but it's
worth shooting for).
* Get better sleep - 7 to 9 hours of sleep is a must for optimal
health; getting a good night's sleep is key to controlling
systemic inflammation.
* Relax more often to lower stress levels - Find time for
yourself throughout the day to focus on your breathing and
clear the clutter from your mind; learn to stay focused on the
most important tasks in your life.
* Exercise on a regular basis - People always ask me:
What's the best exercise to do? I always tell them:
Do something you like to do and, if your body can tolerate
it, aim for 15-20 minutes three times a week.
* Demand to have you CRP levels tested - This simple
blood test is the best indicator of the amount of systemic
inflammation in your body. Have the levels evaluated by a
certified health care provider who can suggest the most
appropriate action.
So, if you are in pain and you've made a conscious decision
to help yourself get better, then start with the above. If you're
not in pain but just not as fit as you want to be, then check out:
Jorma Persson
Until tonight at midnight, it’s totally F.REE. Download it fast.
Vince Del Monte, one of my closest friends (although I secretly hate how good
he looks in V-neck t-shirts and white Italian loafers), is leaving his muscle building
report to bust through plateaus, up for only another 24-hours.
The 12 Untapped Targets To Ignite New Muscle Gains <- Download it NOW
The title is self-explanatory.
Same info Vince used to climb from 190-lbs to 210-lbs – of rock-hard muscle mass -
and question the statement that the muscle gurus proclaim, “It’s impossible to
blow beyond your genetic potential…”
Well, Vince is in the business of doing the impossible and will let you prove it
to yourself for another 24-hours.
Until tonight at midnight, it’s totally F.REE. Download it fast.
The 12 Untapped Targets To Ignite New Muscle Gains <- Download it NOW
The info is super, super good and I know you’ll learn some new stuff.
Enjoy
Jorma Persson
P.S. I’m absolutely certain this info will be a blessing on your life and Vince
explains why it will help you change your life – in the literal sense – with a
short video he did for you on the next page:
The 12 Untapped Targets To Ignite New Muscle Gains <- Download it HERE
Mar 24, 2010
5 nutritional tips for you
This is always tough to admit, but nutrition is more important
than your workouts when it comes to fat loss.
And since diet is more important than exercise, I've decided
to spend a lot time sharing nutrition tips this week, starting
with these 5 diet secrets:
1) Your nutrition program doesn't have to be extreme.
Hold up on making any extreme diet changes. Make sure
the nutrition plan you've chosen is sustainable. Simple diet
changes go a lot farther than you might think.
Why not just eat more whole, natural foods rather than
trying to go on an impossible-to-stick-to ultra-low carb
extreme plan?
2) Get the junk out of the house.
If it's in your house, you'll eat it...and trust me, this goes for
me too. When I visit a relative's house for holiday, I always
eat the treats they have sitting around. That's why I keep
the junk out of my house.
So whatever your weakness is, keep it out of your home.
Success is that simple.
3) Fill in the "diet-killing" gap.
For some folks, the diet-killing gap is between work and
dinner. For others, it's between dinner and bedtime, but
for almost everyone, there is a point in the day when we
suffer from mindless eating.
So make sure you have alternatives...as soon as you come
home from work, cut up vegetables and dip them into
hummus. That will keep you full on a small amount of
calories.
After dinner, if you need something sweet, stir up chocolate
protein powder into a small bit of plain yogurt. That will
satisfy you.
4) Chew your food 5-10 times before swallowing.
Most people eat so fast they only chew about 1-2 times.
You'll really notice a difference and you'll slow your eating
so you feel full.
5) Have a bowl of broth-based vegetable soup before a
meal.
American researcher Barbara Roll has published a lot of
studies showing that this will help you reduce the food
you eat. Surprisingly, consuming just water doesn't seem
to do the same trick.
So those are just 5 of the diet secrets we have for you now.
Stay tuned for proven secrets to help you lose fat in 2010.
In the meantime check this out: Every Other Day Diet
To Your Success
Jorma Persson
Mar 23, 2010
Here’s a free resource I found for you
fitness model (from Canada) Vince Del Monte. I met Vince
a few years ago and we’ve remained very good friends and
(say something else nice about us).
or his pictures but he’s pretty much the “go to guy” for
muscle building advice in our circle of friends and online
fitness community.
“Wimpy Skinny Vinny” and gained 41-lbs of muscle in
6-months then went on to become a National Fitness
Model Champion and author.
190-lbs and hit a crazy rut after – probably very similar
to your own rut. 190-lbs became his “limit” and according
to the experts – a plateau he should have accepted as
“normal” and not questioned.
of lean muscle the past 2-years. He contributes busting
through his plateau to his discovery of the “The 12 Anabolic
Targets” (which works for beginners, intermediate and
advanced lifters alike).
of them absolutely free in his brand new 36-page report:
The 12 Untapped Targets To Ignite New Muscle Gains.
The 12 Untapped Targets To Ignite New
Muscle Gains
it’s a KILLER content that reveals 12 untapped targets
you must hit if you want to ignite new muscle on your body.
choice later today when you hit the gym.
makes it into your hands:
Muscle Gains <- click here
using and like the most).
And it’s been keeping my workouts fresh and stimulating.
absolutely certain that you will learn some new information
that will help you blow beyond your genetic potential.
Muscle Gains ç FREE download
To your new muscle,
Jorma Persson
Mar 22, 2010
Approved Spices and Foods for Healthy Cooking in the Kitchen
Hi ,
Thanks to the internet, health conscious consumers have a
treasure trove of information they can peruse to get experts’
two cents on what every healthy kitchen needs to function
at its best.
I’ve seen a lot of these lists, and most of the time, I’m not too
wild about people’s suggestions. Some of them are good, but
the majority of them are off-based.
But every once in a while, I’ll find a list that I’m on board
with. And as it happens, I recently happened upon a list
of 10 “essentials” for a healthy kitchen. I agree with seven
out of 10 of them.
Garlic
You’d be hard pressed to find something more nutritious
and delicious than garlic. Adding garlic to virtually any
dish turns the ordinary into something extraordinary—
taste-wise and health-wise.
Perhaps the best way to get more garlic into your diet is
by adding it straight from the garlic bulb itself. But be
careful, because a little garlic goes a long way (too much
garlic, and you’ll literally start to smell like it. That’s a
good thing if you’re a food, but not if you’re a human).
Breaking off just a clove from a garlic bulb for a stir-fry
can help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure levels,
two of the biggest risk factors for heart disease, heart
attack and stroke.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
If I could only use one cooking oil for the rest of my life,
extra virgin olive oil would be it. The benefits of olive oil
are out of this world, as just two tablespoons a day can help
your skin maintain its radiant glow (thanks to its richness
in vitamin E), and keep your waistline trim (by replacing
the brunt of your fat intake with weight-friendly
monounsaturated fats). While all olive oils are good, stick
with the one that’s gone through the least amount
of processing: Extra virgin.
Ginger
Virtually every spice connoisseur hails ginger for its
versatility. From sautéed side dishes to main course
chicken dishes, after dinner delights to midday drinks
(try sprinkling ginger in freshly squeezed lemonade…you’ll
thank me later), no spice rack is complete without ginger.
But besides being an excellent accompaniment to any dish
that calls for zest, it’s loaded with active ingredients that
help treat painful physical conditions like migraine
headaches, nausea and sore throats.
Cinnamon
I tend to associate cinnamon with comfort, as it’s a frequent
accompaniment of comfort foods like cinnamon buns,
eggnog and baked goods. But there’s another reason why
it’s associated with comfort—it’s rife with healing qualities.
For generations, cinnamon has been used to help treat the
flu and common cold, stop the growth of harmful bacteria
(thanks to it’s antimicrobial properties), and increase
circulation by stimulating blood flow.
While cinnamon can be used in savory dishes, it’s traditionally
found in sweet treats. As such, one of the best ways to enjoy
cinnamon in a sweet, yet healthy way is by sprinkling whole
wheat toast with cinnamon, a touch of honey, and a splash of
flax seed oil. Buenisimo!
Peanut Butter
Unlike ginger and cinnamon, peanut butter has no curative
qualities. But let’s face it: No cupboard is complete without
a jar of peanut butter. It’s likely the first thing many of us
ate on a slice of bread, and the first thing we dipped a celery
stick into. But like it or not, peanut butter is among the
most calorie-rich foods on earth and it doesn’t hold a candle
to almonds in terms of nutritional quality.
That said, almond butter and cashew butter are probably
better options than peanut butter, but considering peanut
butter’s ubiquity of usages, I agree with The Learning
Channel: No kitchen is complete without it. Just make
sure your peanut butter’s list of ingredients includes the
following: peanuts. Nothing else.
Turmeric
Thai restaurateurs would be lost without turmeric, as it’s a
critical ingredient to curry. Hot dog vendors wouldn’t fare
much better, as turmeric gives mustard its distinctive yellow
hue. But similar to its spice-based relatives, turmeric has
health properties that go beyond the palette. From
rheumatoid arthritis to inflammatory bowel syndrome,
turmeric helps relieve painful symptoms—both in the
physical realm and the mental realm (recent evidence
indicates turmeric may help slow the progression of
Alzheimer’s disease).
Coconut Oil
I’ve really come around on coconut oil. Long railed against
for its saturated fat content, coconut oil’s saturated fat
content is different. Unlike most sources of saturated fat,
which is made up of long-chain fatty acids, the saturated
fat in coconut oil is made up of medium-chain fatty acids,
which are easier for the body to break down for use as energy.
They also help increase the body’s metabolic rate.
For this and many other reasons, use coconut oil for all your
oil-based cooking needs (thank goodness I don’t have to
decide between olive oil and coconut oil; I’d have a heck of a
time deciding which is the best to use).
So, I’m on board with seven of The Learning Channel’s best
bets for your kitchen. And the ones I’m opposed to—canola
oil, butter and cottage cheese—aren’t bad per se. I just
don’t consider them truly necessary for a healthy kitchen.
Yes, butter is better than margarine. Yes, cottage cheese is
packed with protein. And yes, canola oil has a lot of heart
healthy monounsaturated fats.
So in a pinch, these aren’t terrible options.
But seeing as how we have options to choose from, given
cheese’s and butter’s long-chain fatty acid makeup, and
given olive oil and coconut oil’s superior nutritional profile
(lower in calories, higher in heart healthy monounsaturated
fats, etc.) only seven of the 10 pass my muster.
But seven out of 10 ain’t bad.
To Your Success In Fitness
Jorma Persson
Every Other Day Diet
Mar 18, 2010
Jon's Medical Emergency
Hello,
My friend and fitness author Jon Benson sent me this email.
I have his permission to share it with you, despite the really
personal details... turns out that he had a near-fatal event
in the gym and wanted to share the story with his readers.
I was blown away by what he did in the name of
"preventative medicine"... so read this.
It may just save your life.
Jorma
------------------------------------------------------------|
My Medical Emergency; This Happened Today
by Jon Benson
------------------------------------------------------------|
Sometimes you have to nearly lose it all to realize what you
truly have.
I can honestly say that I have come close to death several
times in my life. I've had my share of accidents, medical
emergencies, and a near-fatal accident while driving.
But there was something about just laying on the gym floor
today with two doctors hovering over me that gave me
serious pause.
Time for some major reflection.
Now, before you get too alarmed (for those who know me, or
just think I'm a pretty good guy... ; )... fear not. I did not have
a stroke or anything like that, thank goodness.
What I did have was a major drop in blood pressure... so
much that I came dangerously close to entering the "coma"
zone.
I kid you not.
And trust me... I felt like I was slipping fast.
My girlfriend was there with me. I had her kneel down and,
just like Spock in an old episode of "Star Trek", I had her slap
me several times in the face. Hard!
"If my eyes roll back, hit me harder."
The doctor probably thought I was nuts... but I know that's
one way to elevate my blood pressure.
So, what happened? Am I falling apart at the relatively young
age of 46? Is my dietary and exercise advise dangerous after
all?
No... and here's why:
I actually VOLUNTEERED for this.
Before you think I've totally lost my marbles, hear me out.
If you listen to the rest of the story, you'll see that not only
has my advice been of great value when it comes to exercise
and dietary strategy...it actually ended up saving my butt!
-----------------------------------------
Really Bad Genetics Meets
The Cath Lab: A Wild Encounter
-----------------------------------------
First, the "volunteered for this" bit needs explaining... right?
Right.
If you read my first book, published in 2004, called
"Fit Over 40" then you may recall that I went into great
detail about my poor genetics and horrible health in my early
and mid-30s.
Since then, and knowing exactly how bad my genetics are
for such things as high blood pressure (oh, the irony!), heart
disease, and stroke, I adopted the dietary plan and exercise
routine I use to this very day. The very ones I cover in
"The Every Other Day Dietplan" and "7 Minute Body".
(If you don't have these books and want them, you can get
both above... oh, and I have a short video up on this page if
you have not seen on a 1-minute fatloss tip... )
Now, let's get real folks: Dietary power and exercise MAY
not be enough to overcome really bad genetics when it comes
to certain diseases. And being ever curious, I wanted to know
exactly how my own health was doing on my plan. So a month
or so ago I paid a visit to the hospital to have some tests ran.
All my yearly check-ups were okay, but I wanted a closer
look at my heart... and I mean "literally".
I wanted to be "cathed"... this is where they insert a camera
into your heart, going up the femoral artery in your right leg,
and take a look around. If they find anything dangerous, like
a clogged artery, they can fix it right then and there with a
stent. A stent is a metal device that presses plaque against
the artery wall and opens up a clogged artery.
Of course I hoped I would not find such a thing... and certainly
nothing worse. I mean, can you imagine? "Mr. Benson, you
need a quadruple bypass!"
I could not, that's for sure... and I was fortunate because, as
you probably guessed, I didn't hear those words from my doc.
It's hard to get a cath done as it's a risky procedure. I can't
even tell you how I managed to pull it off ... that's how touchy
the hospitals are when it comes to this kind of stuff.
Afterwards, I volunteered to do 5-10 workouts at their heart
care facility so I could hook myself up to some nifty gadgets.
I get to watch my EKG (how my heart is functioning during
cardio and weights... and it works like a charm!) and really
nice doctor folks come by to check my blood pressure
(which is always low) during the workout.
Yep... the doc and I wanted to put my workout plan to the
test, I guess you could say. I wanted to do it just to make
sure I was 100% healthy during my training. You never
really "know" I suppose, so I was up for it. And my doctor
wanted me to do it just in case what he found during the
cath was serious. There's a lot to this process, and there's
some details I don't wish to cover for privacy sake... but
anyway, back to my story.
It's long, but it may save your life too. : )
-----------------------------------------
The Good News... The Bad News...
And The Stupid Jon News!
-----------------------------------------
Turns to find out I made a few mistakes... some pretty costly
mistakes... but (get this) none of them had to do with my
dietary or exercise plan.
During the cath, here's what the doc said:
"Jon, your heart's two primary arteries look good... hardly any
obstruction at all. And they are nice and thick from exercise."
For a guy who has had a cholesterol level of over 400 before,
and a history of heart disease in the family, this was really good
news.
"However, your genetics are catching up to you in one of your
arteries.... and you need to be more aggressive with your drug
treatment to make sure we don't have to go back in here one
day!"
Er... what??
Yep... turns out that the only thing that saved me from a
BYPASS (that's right) was what the doctor called "an
enormous amount of peripheral arteries formed from years
and years of weight training and exercise."
Wow.
"Look right here Jon..." (He showed me my beating heart on
camera... freaky...) "See all these arteries? Well the average
person doesn't have them. You do. Congratulations... you
earned them."
Wow again. And remember, I only workout with weights 3-4
times per week and my workouts are rarely over 21 minutes
(time under the weight.)
-----------------------------------------
What I Did Right... And What
I Did Wrong... And Why This
Could Save Your Life
-----------------------------------------
So, listen up folks as I'm about to tell you everything I did
wrong for the past several years... how it ALMOST cost me
dearly (a bypass?... no thanks!)... how I managed to prevent
it... and how I ended up on the gym floor today with doctors
all around me.
It's all related. And again, sorry for the novel-like email, but
(again) this may save your life.
First, here's what my excellent cardiologist said I did RIGHT:
1. Exercise: "Jon, your exercise plan, to put it bluntly, saved
you from a great deal of pain... in fact it probably saved
your life as these blockages would have been far worse
without it." With it, I had only one artery with enough
blockage to warrant the drug therapy that I should have
been on for years... more on that in a second...
2. Dietary plan: "Jon, your diet is perfect for this condition...
low in carbs, high in protein and healthy fats is all anyone
can do in order to help fight this genetic killer."
Yep... again... prevention in the form of dietplan saved my
butt. Or rather my heart. : ) But it wasn't enough... at
least for one artery. However, it WAS enough to prevent
them from having to do surgery on me.
"Jon, the take-away here is simple: Exercise and dietary
plans, even the very best, may not be enough for super
high-risk people...but in your case your lifestyle saved your
life. And it certainly prevented you from having to have any
serious surgery to correct a truly broken heart."
Talk about EXCITING news... yep... you CAN beat this killer,
even when you have MY horrible family genetics. However,
like me, you may need some help... more on that in a second.
3. Blood pressure: "Jon, your blood pressure is excellent. Your
lifestyle and very low-dose diuretic has kept your formerly
sky-high blood pressure (it was 200/110 when I was 32!)
to an excellent 118/78." But you know doctors... even
"excellent" isn't enough and they recommended a stronger
BP med for "my intense weight training."
So, I listened... and ended up on the floor today. You see, many
doctors do not realize the POWER of weight training compared
to cardio. My blood pressure never budges during cardio, but
less than 3 minutes into a resistance (weight-training) session
it goes down like the stock market after a bad news day.
I mean SHOOTS down. I tried to explain this by letting the
doctor see the veins in my legs... "Doc, my veins are MUCH
larger than the average person's... trust me, my pressure is
fine." "Jon, just try it for a few weeks."
Bad mistake.... like I said, I ended up on the gym floor today
with a blood pressure of 72/45. If I hit 40, I'm literally in a
coma. 5 points away... very scary. Needless to say the doc
took me OFF these meds and let me do it my way: With my
Every Other Day Dietplan (low-carb most of the days)
and good-old exercise.
If you have high blood pressure, I URGE you to take up
weight training or resistance (body-weight or band) training.
Of course, ask your doc about it first... but I've seen first hand
for three weeks now how powerful my weight training
sessions are compared to intense cardio sessions.
They are night and day folks... weights RULE. Cardio is good,
but weights are best. Both of course would be the best course
for ultimate health, but most people do far too much cardio
and far too little resistance training.
-----------------------------------------
Oops...
-----------------------------------------
Now, here's what I did WRONG:
1. Cigars: "Jon, you cannot afford to smoke cigars... ever.
They have lowered your protective HDL to a dangerous
level. Stop NOW!" That's all it took folks. Yes, I smoked
cigars for many years, but fortunately I was never an
addict. I quit that very day.
Guess what? 10 days later my HDL DOUBLED (no kidding)...
and without drugs. Of course that's not all I did...
2. Fat too LOW: "Jon, you've lowered your dietary fat too low...
this affects your HDL." Yep, I normally eat about 35% dietary
fat... and I cut it down to 20% to help me get ready for a
photoshoot. Now that I put it back to where it belongs, I still
have my abs (yep!) and my HDL is raising as I type.
3. Stress: "Jon, you are simply working too hard not to do some
form of meditation or de-stressing." So I dove back into my
meditation CDs.
4. Advil: "Jon, you take 4 Advil before you train? You're nuts!
That stuff can cause sticky plaque formations!!" You know,
I may never even had an issue if I had known this (and not
smoked cigars) a few years ago. Live and learn!
5. And finally... oh, this hurt to hear... no drugs! "Jon, if you
want to make sure you beat this thing, you simply must take
some meds to help." Okay, I resisted any form of statin
drug for the past 15 years (drugs to lower cholesterol.) I
opted to try natural stuff... but unfortunately for me I was
never too consistent. And I paid the price.
So the doc and I came to a compromise: I would take the
LOWEST dose of statin along with 400 mg of CoQ10 (scary,
but this was my idea, not his, and statins deplete this
heart-friendly enzyme!) But I wanted a natural solution to the
real issue: small particle LDL. You see, I've known for years
that I carry the gene that makes LDL "small". LDL is not
dangerous unless it is small... that's why "total cholesterol"
means nothing to me. I've seen folks have heart attacks
with a cholesterol level of 130. No joke. But their LDL was
super-small... like mine.
And guess what? Dietplans cannot really help this. Well, they
can HURT it (too many carbs, too many toxic fats, etc.) but
they cannot shift the LDL from small to large.
For that, you need plain old niacin. Just a simple B vitamin...
but in not-so-simple doses. In fact it's considered a drug at
the dose you have to take, and you should NEVER take niacin
over 50 mg without a doctor's supervision as it can be very
toxic to the liver.
-----------------------------------------
The Conclusion: The Power
Is In Your Hands
-----------------------------------------
In conclusion, I'm A-Okay... my heart pumps and functions
"like that of a strong 20-year-old" (my doctor's quote) thanks
to the extra arteries I developed from my exercise program
(how cool!) ... but in order to keep that one artery in check,
I'm taking his advice and taking much better care of myself
than I have been.
Today I learned that this does NOT mean taking blood
pressure meds...thankfully... : ) But I had to make some
changes. Some of them were "stupid" changes... sure, I know
cigars are not good for you. I know you need good fats in
your dietplan. I could have used common sense and figured
out that 4-8 Advil on workout days was... well, stupid.
But the good news, which is what I choose to focus on, is this:
In the areas that 95% of people NEVER change, I didn't have
to change much at all.
Dietary plan and exercise.
Turns to find out that what I was doing works great... and it
did, in fact, save my heart and quite possibly my life.
For more on my dietplan and exercise routine, go here:
Every Other Day Dietplan
Thanks for reading, and I wish all of you good health!
Yours In Fitness,
J O N B E N S O N
P.S. I got lucky in many ways, but especially so when it came
to my doctors. Both of my doctors are young and savvy enough
to be up on the latest research on nutrition. They know NOT
to buy into this "low-fat" nonsense for heart health. (I'd use a
harsher word, but kiddos may be reading... : ) That only works
for about 10-15% of the population. The rest of us need to
lower our CARBS, not our fats... but the way I do it I get to
keep my favorite carbs in my dietplan every week.
The little that I do eat keeps me happy as a clam, and keeps
my heart nice and healthy too. A little bit of bad food will not
hurt most people... but eating it every day can flat-out kill you.
Please... take this seriously. I promise, my dietplan and
exercise routine is a PLEASURE to follow... but if you don't
follow it then find one that IS enjoyable for you to follow...
and do it.
Life is too short, you know?
Mar 16, 2010
3 ways to eat fast-food and drop bodyfat!
Fitness madman Jon Benson is at it again... this time telling us you
can get "skinnny eating fast-food..." And he intends to prove it.
Naturally you have to modify the way you eat fast-food (duh!)
but his tips are really clever. Here's 3 for you today...
from Jon:
Believe it or not you can get lean by eating fast food.
I know, it sounds crazy... but in a few weeks I'm going to prove
it to the world with the release of my newest mini e-book
"Fast Food Fitness: How I Dropped 40lbs Eating Fast Food
Every Day."
Do you think I'm joking? I'm not.
Of course there's a WAY to eat fast food and drop the pounds.
You can't just eat like everyone else does. That's common sense.
And believe me, there are more healthy ways to drop the pounds
than eating fast food... for sure.
But the way I figure it: Would you rather be healthIER and lean or
UNhealthy and overfat?
Silly question... so consider "Fast Food Fitness" a path to the lesser
of two evils... and one that actually got me to 10% bodyfat (that's
pretty lean!) a few years ago.
Here's how it started:
I simply hate to cook! I have since solved that problem... I hired a
part-time chef (it's cheaper than it sounds)... but until two years ago
I was eating out every single meal... I mean EVERY MEAL.
Most of the time... not all of the time, but most of the time... these
meals were fast food joints like burger joints and even fried
chicken places.
But I had to keep my physique, so ... what to do?
Well... you'll have to wait. At least a few weeks.
If you want the book for half-price, you have to own a copy of
"Every Other Day Dietplan"... everyone who owns a copy
before "Fast Food Fitness" hits the Internet will get half-off.
So go here if you don't have EODD yet ...
click-----> Every Other Day Diet Plan
Here's 3 of my top 25 fast-food diet-tips... just these 3 will
take you 1/3 of the way there...
First, use my Half-n-Half Principle. Order whatever you are
going to order and then have the person behind the counter
cut the order exactly in HALF.
Half to go... half to eat there.
Eat half now.... then the other half 3-4 hours later. Believe it or
not, you will store less bodyfat and even increase your metabolism
eating like this.
Simple trick... give it a shot.
Second, ditch all the starch. That means buns, bread and anything
made of flour. BUT here's the "still tastes good" trick I use.
I keep ONE of the pieces of bread from, say, my hamburger.
Then I "pick" at it while I enjoy the meat and either a small diet
soda or tea. Eat no more than 5 "picks" at the bread... about half
a slice. You still get the exact taste of a burger with none of the
stuff that makes most people over-fat.
Third, for you chicken lovers, split your order between fried and
baked chicken. KFC has excellent baked chicken... try it.
Then strip most of the skin off the fried chicken. Not all... most.
You still get the taste, but with far fewer bad food-stuffs and
calories.... make sense?
Enjoy the tips... but remember, the healthiest (and tastiest) way
to eat is still my Every Other Day Diet Plan, which works in your
favorite foods each week....
click-----> Every Other Day Diet Plan
Yours in fitness,
Jorma Persson
Mar 15, 2010
2 cool fitness tip for women
Okay guys... this may not be for you.
But I can promise you that the women in your life... your
spouse, sister, daughters or friends... will appreciate it.
And ladies... this is just too good to pass up sharing with you.
Ladies: Getting fit after a certain age, especially after
having a kiddo or two (or more) can be a real challenge.
Or so I'm told. ; )
One of my professional colleagues, pro trainer Holly Rigsby,
knows all about this challenge. She too lost her figure after
having her little tyke Tyler.
But get this: She's in better shape now than when she was in
high school!
Nothing magical... just a great way to workout for women (and
a dietplan I totally endorse) that works.
It's called "The Fit Yummy Mummy"... great title! And Holly is
definitely that.
You can be as well.
Read more here:
click---------> See The Fit Yummy Mummy System
One more thing:
Go see what's up with the Fit Yummy Mummy.
Yours In Fitness,
Jorma Persson
P.S. Guys, it may not sound like it, but Holly's workouts are
great for men too. Yep... challenging. And her dietplan will
work for anyone; young, old, male, female...
But if this is not for you, please forward this to a gal
you think might enjoy a really solid fitness/fatloss program
designed for women by a woman who's been there...
click---------> See The Fit Yummy Mummy System
Here's an article written by Holly Rigsby:
Two Flat Stomach Secrets For Women
By Holly Rigsby, CPT
FitYummyMummy
Have you tried everything under the sun to get a flat stomach,
only to come up disappointed? Have you fallen prey to all the
gimmicks, fad diets and shameless infomercials promising
you that elusive flat stomach that you desire?
Well fret no more, I'm going to let you in on the two ‘secrets'
that will help you shed unwanted fat and reveal your toned,
flat stomach once and for all.
The first secret for a flat stomach is eating supportively. While
this doesn't seem like a secret at all, most women get this
wrong in spite of their best – but misguided – efforts. Women
have fallen prey to low-fat, low-carb, Hollywood, grapefruit,
South Beach and every other over hyped diet that marketers
can dream up, all in hopes of shedding those unwanted pounds.
But eating supportively isn't about dieting or deprivation;
it's about moderation and balance. While cutting carbs or fats
out of your nutrition plan might give you a temporary loss of a
couple of pounds, it's typically followed by a drop in metabolism
and a weight gain of more than you lost in the first place once
you go back to your old eating habits.
So what is eating supportively?
Eating supportively is having protein and carbohydrates at
every meal. It's grazing on 4-6 meals or snack each day instead
of missing meals and then gorging yourself. It's enjoying a
healthy breakfast and not drinking your calories. But most of all,
eating supportively is enjoying the foods you love in moderation
instead of in excess.
If eating supportively is the first secret to a flat stomach, then
what's the second?
The second flat stomach secret is resistance training.
Unfortunately, just as fad diets have stood in the path of
women achieving the flat stomachs they so desired, so
have the myths of spot reduction and cardio being the best
method for fat loss. Late night infomercials have long
promoted gadgets that promised to spot reduce those
trouble spots that women struggle with and sucked us in
with testimonials from fitness models that undoubtedly
picked up a nifty paycheck for endorsing their wares. But
spot reduction is a myth. Think about it – have you ever met
someone with a flat stomach and fat arms? Didn't think so.
If spot reduction was possible then undoubtedly one of
these happy customers would have toned and tightened
their stomach, yet kept their flabby arms.
The other myth that has led women astray is the belief that
cardio is the best solution for fat loss. Treadmill manufacturers
have sold the virtues of the ‘fat burning zone' and led us to
believe that we could plod along on a treadmill watching
Oprah and before long a flat stomach would be ours. These
two myths have diverted us from the path of what really does
work – resistance training. Resistance training is a flat
stomach's best friend because not only does an effective
resistance training session burn plenty of calories while you're
doing it, but it keeps you're metabolism revved long after you're
done. One recent study showed that you're metabolism would
stay elevated for over 36 hours after a resistance training
session.
Try to get that out of an aerobics class.
And there's another benefit of resistance training when it comes
to getting a flat stomach. The lean muscle that you gain will raise
you're resting metabolic rate and help you burn more fat all day
long, each and every day.
There you have it, two ‘secrets' that are guaranteed to boost
your metabolism and give you that flat stomach you've been
longing for. So ditch the diet books and the aerobics classes
and start eating supportively and resistance training. Before
long that flat stomach will finally be yours.
About the Author
Holly Rigsby is a nationally recognized women’s fitness coach,
certified personal trainer (CPT) and the author of the
internationally popular e-book – Fit Yummy Mummy - Burn
Your Baby Fat & Get Your Body Back. Go to fityummymummy
to get your FREE copy of her special report: "The Five Ways
To Boost Your Metabolism."
Mar 10, 2010
A secret weightloss tip: watch this...
Dear Friend,
If weight loss is important to you then this will be a letter you
want to read now.
I've been looking for the "anti-diet"since we all know that
traditional diet plans simply don't cut it.
A diet plan that's flexible to fit my schedule and one that still
delivers the results.
"Diets" fail because they cramp our lifestyle. Same with
workout plans that demand endless hours of boring cardio
and workouts...
Look, I don't know about you but I can think of better things
to do than doing the "treadmill to nowhere" game and eating
dry oatmeal trying to shed the pounds...
Good news: I found an alternative that not only works...
it works like crazy.
The guy who turned me on to this secret for "real-world"
weight loss (that means I get to keep my lifestyle!) is Jon
Benson.
Jon's written several books... but nothing hit home for me like
this 1 tip for burning off the pounds...
The Every Other Day Diet, see this
Jon, like so many of us, struggled with his body weight and
excess body fat for decades.
When he figured it out he dumped over 70 lbs of ugly blubber
and kept it off for more than a decade now...
One of his wildest tips... what he calls his
"biggest trade-secret"... has got to be the best thing I've seen
in ages for dropping body fat fast...
And he cuts out all the confusion. If you can think of anything
more confusing out there than "How do I drop the weight?"
question, let me know...
The information is all over the place. Jon sorted it out for me
and for thousands of others just like you.
Even better: He gives folks like us back our
time and our freedom...
More here:
The Every Other Day Diet, see this
Let me share a short story with you:
This gal named Lizza was working out for hours a day...
dieting...on dry oatmeal and egg whites... and getting nowhere
fast.
In fact she was just getting fatter... not good.
She was doing what most of us do: Listen to the "so-called"
experts... and most of these experts have never been over-fat
a day in their lives!
That's like listening to a guy who inherited a bazillion bucks
trying to teach a poor guy how to earn it from scratch.
Fat chance... pardon the pun. ; )
These days Lizza is a different person...lean and happy...and
she eats:
-- Pizza;
-- Sweets'
-- Burgers...
Her favorite foods... and she's in the best shape of her life... and
her workouts are now down to ....
And I kid you not....
....7 minutes a day.
Obviously there's a secret strategy behind this plan... otherwise
you'd just get fat like- crazy eating these foods...
And there is.
One really wild, really old, and really powerful secret...
Check out this presentation and see for yourself here --
The Every Other Day Diet, see this
Do this yourself and get your body and your lifestyle back for
good.
To your health and fitness,
Jorma Persson
P.S. And forget long, boring workouts... he's got a much more
effective system that's proven to give you the flatter stomach,
tight legs, and toned body you want.
Watch this while you can --
The Every Other Day Diet, see this
3 Reasons Why Obesity Is... A Disease?
Hi,
I bet you didn't know this ...
Obesity...even being overfat... is a disease.
No, really.
At least that's what several social groups wish you to believe.
"Suffers Of Obesity" is just one of those groups. Their entire
stance is obesity (which, btw, can be only 30lbs or so over
your ideal bodyweight) is an actual disease.
Well, is it?
Yes... and no.
Comedian Ricky Gervais has a hilarious go at this stance...
that obesity is a disease. You sometimes have to laugh,
you know? ; )
"No... it's not a disease... it's greed. You just love to eat,"
or so Gervais believes.
Well, in this article for 2010, a new decade with new ideas,
I'm here to share a new idea with you:
We really need to redefine some words.
One of those words is "disease".
Case-in-point: Wikipedia.com defines disease...
"In human beings, "disease" is often used more broadly to
refer to any condition that causes pain, dysfunction, distress,
social problems, and/or death to the person afflicted, or similar
problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader
sense, it sometimes includes injuries, disabilities, disorders,
syndromes, infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behaviors,
and atypical variations of structure and function, while in
other contexts and for other purposes these may be
considered distinguishable categories."
Let's think about that.
If you bump your knee against a sharp object, is this a new
disease called "bumpuskneeitis?" Er... no. It's an accident.
Sure, it may 'cause' a specific set of symptoms that could
broadly (as in as broad as the back-side of a barn) be
considered a "disease", but ... no. It's an accident with
biological consequences.
Social problems? So, if I decide to read 17 books on why my
parents suck as a teenager and develop anti-social behavior,
is this a "disease"? NO! This is the angst of youth combined,
perhaps, with poor parenting! Sure, it can lead to mental issues
that could be classified as "disease", but guess what?
It's totally within your control. No one force-fed the books to
the teen. And no one is force-feeding you, or anyone you know.
That decision is yours and yours alone... and anyone,
repeat ANYONE on the face of planet earth can change
their behaviors and attitudes toward food.
Okay, some more thoughts on disease:
Let me give you a few examples of what is typically thought
of as "disease"...
--- Leprosy
--- Cancer
--- Hypothyroidism
We'll just take three... there are thousands as you know.
Now, we can all agree that these three states represent true
"disease". The first you could catch by accident; the second is
a combination of genetics, environment, and who-knows-
what-else, and the third is almost always genetic.
One, cancer, is something you 'may' be able to do something
about. For example, lung cancer. 90% of lung cancer patients
contract the disease from smoking.
Let's just cover these 90%, shall we?
And folks, I'm asking for an open mind here...
Is lung cancer, in the case of the 90%, REALLY a disease?
Or is it a biological consequence?
Sure, "cancer" is a disease. But what caused it in this case?
Something involuntary?
Hardly.
Something that could not be stopped?
No way.
The 90% caused it. Period.
Welcome to the real world.
So, I propose this: We redefine "disease" as an abnormal
biological condition that we DO NOT have direct cause or
effect over.
Airborne viruses: Disease. Obesity: NOT a disease.
And yes, lung cancer in chain smokers: NOT a disease;
it's a biological outcome.
The end result should be treated as a disease, of course,
but come on: Where is the responsibility folks?
Life, if you want to life it fully and without fear, is ALL about
taking total responsibility. That's empowerment. Anything less
is...well, LESS.
In our example, lung cancer is no more a "disease" than, say,
me hitting myself over the head with a hammer every day and
causing brain damage is a disease.
Brain damage (not self-induced) = disease.
Brain damage caused by self-inflicted hammer-hitting =
biological consequence. In this case of sheer stupidity!
Now, one could (and many will) make the argument that I
had a "mental" disease that caused me to WANT to hit myself
over the head with a hammer... but... well...
At this point we need to redefine the word "disease" in my
opinion. Here's why:
First, if this were the case, I could say that all criminals have
a disease.
They all have a mental disease that makes them want to kill,
steal... you name it.
This may in fact BE true... we do not know... but do we hold
them NOT responsible if it is? No, we do not.
And that brings us back to obesity.
Obesity and being overfat is not a disease folks...
------ > it's a biological consequence.
And, with the exception of the extremely 'rare' cases of total
glandular dysfunction from birth, obesity... your bodyweight...
is your responsibility.
Period. End of story.
Sorry, but that's the way the ball bounces.
Am I being mean? No. I was obese. I have a right to speak
my mind about it, and trust me: My depression (a disease...
sorta... some genetic, but a lot of it was caused by eating too
much sugar) definitely aided in my obesity.
Then how come I'm not obese any more?
I found a better way to eat. I re-trained my body to crave
this style of eating (and exercise) over stuffing myself with
pizza and burgers every day.
Here's what I use:
Click.Here-----------> Every Other Day Diet
It torches bellyfat...and it reprograms the body and mind to
use food as fuel...especially if you use Jon's "7 Minute Body"
workout system (you can get it at 77% off after you pick up
EODD on the page above... ; )
So be brave. Be fearless. And be responsible.
Oh...and be sure not to catch "internetemailitis"...its a disease
that causes you to want to check your email more than 10
times a day.
I have it. So be careful... may be contagious. : )
P.S. Author Jon Benson documents his journey from obesity
to total leanness in EODD. He had to overcome 'real' diseases,
like pituitary failure from a high fever (i.e. viral pneumonia
that almost killed him) and clinical depression (partially what
he calls "his fault"; partially not... i.e. half disease, half
biological consequence.) He KNOWS what you can do once
you have a solid plan in place and a determined mind.
Then no "disease" can stop you... at least the ones that do
not kill you.
So go for it... be brave, be responsible... and be lean!
click.here ------> Every Other Day Diet
To Your Health
Jorma
Mar 8, 2010
5 Reasons to Avoid Cardio for Fat Loss
Hi,
Maybe you've been told that cardio is the best way to lose
fat...but if you're not getting results with that long, slow, boring
program then I have shocking news for you.
Recently, Men's Health and Women's Health fitness expert
Craig Ballantyne emailed me the top 5 reasons why trainers
should stop telling their clients to do cardio.
I was surprised by all of the research that is out there showing
just how ineffective cardio is for fat loss.
I know I sure won't be using it to burn belly fat in the future.
Now sure, cardio is good for endurance athletes and for your
health, but when it comes to fat loss, here are the 5 reasons to
kick cardio to the curb:
1) Cardio machines over-estimate the number of calories
burned by up to 31%. (reported in Mens Health, Feb 2009)
2) One research study found that when men and women did 6
hours of cardio every week for one year, they only lost 6
pounds. (Reference: Obesity 15:1496-1512, 2007. Exercise
Effect on Weight and Body Fat in Men and Women. Anne
McTiernan*, et al.)
3) When some people start a cardio program, they end up eating
more, and may even gain weight because of this. (Reference:
International Journal of Obesity 32: 177-184, 2008).
4) Even scientists admit that cardio does not burn as much fat
as you'd expect based on the number of calories burned in a
workout. (Reference: Br J Sports Med. 2009 Sep 29)
5) And finally, head-to-head research has shown that interval
training works better than slow cardio for fat loss - even
when diet is not changed. (Reference: Int J Obes 2008
Apr;32(4):684-91).
Wow!
If you're like me, you would never have known about that
research if it wasn't for experts like Craig Ballantyne exposing
the truth about cardio.
Now you might be thinking, if cardio doesn't work,
then WHAT DOES?
Well, don't panic. Insider experts like Craig have known for
years that nutrition, interval training, and resistance training
are the 3 most important secrets for helping you lose belly fat.
In fact, Craig's workout programs have been used by millions
of men and women through his articles in Prevention, Men's
Health, and Women's Health magazine, plus through his
Turbulence Training program.
Now I'll be honest with you, and don't tell Craig this, but while
his workouts in the magazines are good, they aren't nearly as
fun and effective as the workouts in his Turbulence Training
System.
In fact, I want you to try my very favorite Turbulence Training
workout that you'll find here:
=> Turbulence Training
It's fun, fast, effective...and doesn't require any long, slow,
boring cardio or fancy machines at your commercial gym.
So skip the cardio, because research and results prove that it
just isn't worth your time.
To your success,
Jorma Persson
Mar 4, 2010
1-Minute Fatloss Tip
1-minute fatloss tip for this week...
---------------------------------------|
Got a minute?
That's all I need to share Jon Benson's first of many
video-based 1-minute fatloss tips.
Go here for the first of many....
click-----> Every Other Day Diet
His new design is something to see too.
He will be posting his weekly live 1-minute video, tons of new
features... even a "diet quiz" if you care to test your fatloss
knowledge.
Plus his main presentation: "1 Tip To A Flat Belly!"
click-----> Every Other Day Diet
Enjoy!
Jorma
Mar 3, 2010
The truth about weight loss is pretty straightforward...
Hi,
The truth about weight loss is pretty straightforward...
Most Americans need to lose weight but haven’t learned how
to lose unwanted pounds and keep them off. Sounds simple
when put like that huh?
Making wiser food choices at home and when dining out can
help us achieve and maintain healthier body weight. In
addition, we will be getting better nutrition as well, which
helps protect us from chronic diseases.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Dietary
Guidelines), most of us seem to get enough protein but we
consume too many total calories and too much saturated fat,
trans fat, cholesterol, added sugars and salt.
However, we all seem to lack basic vitamins to keep our
bodies healthy inside and out.
The good news is, a balanced diet is not hard to achieve or
maintain...especially when it's laid out before you:
### Every Other Day Diet ###
And whilst many try and force exercise and gym memberships
down your throat, the actual recommended rate of weight loss
is from ½ pound to 2 pounds per week. This is not much at all,
particularly when you're following a varied and fat burning diet.
Remember that what you eat and how much you eat is your
choice. Nobody can force you to exercise or eat right, you need
to make that decision for yourself. But if you're reading this,
then my guess is you're just about ready to make some simple
yet effective changes to your health and your life.
Yes, you will need to have a little sticking power to stay focused
and yes, you will need to make it a habit to choose the foods that
are truly good for you and to avoid the foods and quantities that
are bad for us. Nothing else will work. But the good news is,
you can your favorite food too.
But by following a ready prepared diet plan that actually helps
to burn off fat and reduce additional weight gain is one way to
make your dieting goals so much more easier.
That plan is ready and waiting for you here:
### Every Other Day Diet ###
To Your Health,
Jorma Persson
Mar 1, 2010
Eggs with 22x more healthy omega-3's?
**Eggs with 22x more omega-3's?
I'm always amazed how many people overlook the importance
of what an animal was fed and how that relates to the
nutritional benefits of that product.
Eggs are a perfect example.
As you probably know, the egg supply in the US comes mostly
from factory farm chickens that not only live in horrendously
unhealthy conditions for the chicken, but also fed an unnatural
diet of grains that SEVERELY affects the nutritional qualities
of the eggs for your health.
I've been digging around on this topic for a long time, and here
are some interesting things I've found:
In general, the regular eggs you get at the supermarket (that
are fed grains and are from factory farms) contain anywhere
from 30mg to 80mg omega-3 fatty acids per egg (depending
on egg size, variety of hens, exact ratio of feed, etc)
However, hens allowed to roam freely outdoors and/or fed a
diverse feed of greens, mixed vegetables, bugs, grubs, worms,
etc can contain anywhere from 300mg to 700mg of omega-3's
per egg.
One such study came from a Dr. Simopoulos who analyzed
the omega-3 vs omega-6 content of eggs from a farm in Greece
where the chickens roamed freely and ate a variety of natural
foods such as greens and bugs/worms. These eggs were
compared against analysis of "supermarket eggs" fed a typical
grain diet in the US.
The eggs from the free roaming chickens in Greece had an
omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 1.3 to 1 while the "supermarket
eggs" had a horrendous omega-6/omega3 ratio of 19.4 to 1.
As for total omega-3 content per egg in Simopoulos' report,
the eggs from the free-roaming hens in Greece had 300 mg
of omega-3's per egg, while the "supermarket egg" had a lowly
30mg of omega-3's per egg.
I've also been reading the inside of egg cartons at grocery stores
lately and comparing notes on their label claims of omega-3
fatty acids.
The egg producers recently have been catching on to the
public's knowledge of the reduced omega-3 content in mass
produced eggs...so certain brands have now been "fortifying"
the hens diet with feed additions higher in omega-3's to help
balance out the excess omega-6's found in eggs from
grain-fed hens.
Usually, this fortification occurs by adding either flax seed or
an algae meal (or fish meal) to the hens feed. The hens eat
more omega-3's and that produces a higher omega-3 content
in the eggs.
Some of these so-called "omega-3 eggs" have label claims
anywhere from 100mg omega-3's to 250mg omega-3's...
Definitely better than the 30mg omega-3's found in the
typical "supermarket eggs".
I also stumbled onto a specific brand of eggs recently that
touted that it's hens are fed a patented feed mixture of 20
different vegetables, grains, and minerals. Because of the
diverse diet that these hens are fed, their measured
omega-3 content is listed as 660mg omega-3's per egg,
as well as a perfect 1:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3.
This is 22x the omega-3 content of the grain-fed "supermarket
egg" that contained only 30mg omega-3's in Dr. Simopoulos'
report.
That just shows how powerful of a difference in the nutrition
composition that occurs simply by feeding the hens a proper
diverse diet. And we haven't even touched on the nutritional
content of vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, etc that will
obviously be higher in a healthy hen fed a diverse diet as
opposed to a factory farmed hen.
However, that's only a small step in the right direction. Even
these egg companies with new label claims of increased
omega-3 content still doesn't guarantee that the hens were
raised in an outdoor environment, and allowed to roam freely
instead of being confined in cages and kept indoors in filthy
conditions their entire lives.
Keep in mind that "cage-free" doesn't always mean that the
hens actually go outside... according to some reports, it only
means that there is a small door somewhere that the hens
COULD go outside if they found the small door and were
smart enough to venture through it. This could vary vastly
from company to company.
This is supposedly a loophole in the whole cage-free labeling
system. I'm not sure if there's any way currently to know IF
the chickens actually ventured outside even when they're
labeled "cage-free".
So what are the best options?
1. By FAR the best option is if you can find a local farmer
where you KNOW that the hens are actually outdoors most
of the time and allowed to eat a natural diet with high variety.
These will be the superstar eggs in terms of nutritional quality.
This could be at farmers markets or even farmers that deliver
to urban areas (which I've found in every state I've lived, so it's
not impossible).
2. Ok, I understand that not everyone will be able to find a
local farmer or a farmer that delivers eggs from happy hens
that roam freely eating what chickens were meant to eat...the
world isn't perfect...
So, the next best option is to read the labels on egg cartons and
see if it sounds like the hens were fed a highly variable diet
(instead of just grains). Sometimes this can come from algae
meal or flax seed, etc added to their diet. This is at least an
improvement over standard supermarket eggs.
Despite what you may hear from some so-called "health
experts" who say that all eggs are equal, these types of eggs
WILL have nutritional benefits compared to your typical
supermarket eggs.
Also, look for organic as well as antibiotic and hormone-free
if possible. "Cage-free" may or may not always be an
improvement depending on the company.
And lastly, if you read articles or hear people telling you that
whole eggs are unhealthy because of saturated fat and
cholesterol, please tell them (in a nice way) to GET A CLUE!
That's not how it works... look for a previous article I did about
whole eggs vs egg whites, which also touches on the saturated
fat and choesterol topic.
Eat clean and stay lean.
Jorma Persson
P.S. Click here to find out more about a healthy life style plan.