The Energy Drink Blog

It has been found that most Americans are not getting enough nutrients and vitamins with their daily intake of food. With an increasing number of people over weight, this can be hard to believe, however with further analysis into the situation it can be seen that most people get their nutrition from diets that are loaded with sugar, sodium and other unhealthy ingredients. This lack of whole, unprocessed foods could be a major reason for missing dietary essentials and an obese population.

Some of the essentials that most people are missing include calcium, fiber and vitamins. There are many ways however, to increase intake of these essential nutrients without having to buy diet pills. These ways include changing the diet to include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as whole grain foods. Low fat dairy products are also essential because they are an excellent source of protein, and calcium.

As anyone who has recently tried to lose weight knows, foods rich in protein and fiber are essential to feeling fuller and burning calories. Eating foods that make us feel full help cut back on the calories that we take in daily. Eating these foods also help supply our bodies with elements such as potassium and magnesium which are critical for proper cell reproduction and function.

Not only will making simple diet changes improve health, changing the foods we eat can help us lose weight and prevent the likeliness of suffering from diseases such as cancer and others.

Did you know that the human body is more that 65% water? Everything from our blood, muscles, brain, and bones are comprised of a significant percentage of water. Water is a vital element for sustaining life and body functions. Unfortunately most of us do not drink nearly enough water and are dehydrated. Dehydration can have a negative effect on our bodily systems. To further illustrate this read the following.

Often times thirst can be mistaken for hunger. If we feel hungry, it is often that we are not hungry, but rather thirsty. A way to be sure that we are giving our body adequate hydration is to drink water even when we are not thirsty. Usually, once we realize that we are thirsty, it is too late and we are already dehydrated.

Aside from keeping us hydrated, drinking water is also necessary for those who are trying to lose weight. Drinking water not only helps us to feel full, but it also helps to flush our body of toxins and helps aid fiber in the digestion process.

If you often feel tired, it could be because you are not hydrated enough. When there is not enough water in the blood, it slows down the body functions and often leaves us feeling sluggish and tired. Headaches and constipation can also result from dehydration.

To prevent dehydration from occurring, it is recommended that ½ to ¾ of an ounce of water be consumed daily per pound of body weight. This will ensure that the body is properly flushed of toxins and waste. Staying hydrated will also help keep the skin looking young and plump and full. Water can also give definition to muscles.

If drinking water seems too bland, water can be mixed with low calorie and low sugar mixes, as well as whey protein. For those who want to drop some pounds, hoodia extract can be mixed with water to suppress the appetite.

Choosing the right foods to snack on is very important, especially for eating properly after a workout. It is important to building lean muscle mass and quickly repair muscles. While working out, the body depletes its source of glycogen. Not replenishing your body of this will likely cause fatigue and poor performance during future workouts.

Eating snacks that are a combination of carbohydrates and protein is the ideal post workout snack.  To achieve optimum benefits from a post work out snack, the snack should be consumed 30 minutes post workout and another meal should be eaten about 2 hours after the snack. Choosing snacks that are low in sugar is also important.

As mentioned before, the ideal post work out snack is a low sugar combination of protein and carbohydrates. Some of the following snacks are not only great to help lose weight, but are also great for post workout.

1. Protein shake with fruit: Mixing up a whey protein shake with some frozen fruit after a workout may seem like a decadent treat, but this is on of many weight loss tips. As bodybuilders know, whey protein is quickly digested and absorbed into the body providing quick energy and recovery.
2. Energy drinks: Finding the best energy drink and weight pills is very important to maintain weight loss. Be careful when choosing an energy drink as most of these drinks are saturated with sugar! It is very crucial to find a drink that will send you into an energy crash after consumption, or disrupt sleep patterns at night.
3. Lean meat with cheese: You can skip the bread this time around. Enjoying a slice of lunch meat and cheese will provide essential protein and calcium post work out. Enjoying a few slices of fruit along side will also provide adequate carbohydrates and fiber to keep you feeling fuller for the rest of the day.

It is important to eat small meals throughout the day to help keep hunger cravings under control. If you are tired of the same old snack options and are looking for something new and exciting to much on this New Year consider the following food options.

1.       Fruit: More than just the common apples, oranges, and bananas, there are plenty of other fruit options available to consumers these days. Most grocery stores offer very exotic fruits. Trying something new can help keep snack time fresh, new and exciting. Be daring and try a fruit that you have not tried before such as papaya, star fruit, or anything else that sparks some interest. These fruits can also be blended with whey protein powder to create a delicious and nutritious snack.

2.       Hummus: Even those most people only eat this at Mediterranean restaurants, this is a quick and easy snack that can be made by blending together heart healthy olive oil, protein packed chick peas, and a combination of any of the following: cilantro, red pepper, garlic, lemon juice, eggplant and cayenne pepper. This can be spread on pita bread or wraps. It is also great when accompanied by freshly cut up pepper, cucumbers, carrots, celery sticks and other vegetables.

3.       Flavored teas: Brewing up a fresh cup of tea is a great way to indulge in a variety of flavors without adding calories. There are great and wide selections of teas available, some of which also include chocolate and caramel flavorings. These drinks will take your taste buds on an adventure without ruining the diet. Some teas, such as hoodia tea, are also great options for weight loss.

Additionally, some teas serve as great herbal remedies in that they help to promote sleep and clear minds, as well as alleviate headaches. These teas often contain peppermint, and chamomile.

Keeping a workout fun, fresh, and new are sure ways to be sure that your New Year’s resolution is kept throughout 2009. If going to the gym and running on the treadmill or using the elliptical seem like an activity that you can not handle one more time, try these new and fun activities in the New Year.  

Group exercises: Sometimes the motivation to workout is lacking when it comes to flying solo. Participating in a group activity will surely be a fun change of pace when it comes to getting fit. Some creative activities for the New Year include dance based routines such as Zumba, and military regimented boot-camp styled courses.

1. Yoga: Yoga is a great way to relax and stretch. Even though this is a group based class, there is no competition between participants. Yoga is strictly about you. However, participating in group classes is a great way to share a positive experience with others.
2. Group Sports: It doesn’t matter if you were the starting quarterback in high school or the water boy, participating in a group activity such as tennis, basketball or racquetball is a great way to work up a sweat as well as make some new friends. Team sports are a great way to make use of the competitive spirit as well as get fit. Just remember bowling with the guys on Wednesday nights while drinking beer and smoking cigars does not count as working out and will not help you to lose weight.
3. Get Back to Nature: Getting fresh air outside is another great way to get in all the fitness and exercise that one needs. With so much time spent indoors these days, taking a long hike through the woods or along the beach will provide a great opportunity to get fit as well as get back to nature.  Be sure to pack some healthy snacks while out on a hike. Some great choices include whey protein bars as well as energy drinks.
4. Hi-Tech Fitness: From the way we listen to tunes to the specialty socks on our feet. Technology and fitness have merged together to bring getting fit into the 21^st century.  From MP3 players that we wear in our shoes to the moisture wicking properties of clothing, technology has given us the opportunity to take our workout to a whole new level.  This is proven with Wii Fit and other interactive video games.

Stevia is making news lately as the two leading soft-drink manufacturers; Coca Cola and Pepsi have plans to introduce this sugar substitute in their drinks. As early as this month Coca Cola, who has more than 28 billion dollars in sales annually, plans on introducing Sprite Green in two unnamed test markets. While this is good news for cola lovers who want to lose weight, it still has not been officially approved by the FDA.

So what is Stevia and how does it differ from other sugar substitutes already on the market? Stevia is derived from a shrub that is native to South America. Stevia has been used for centuries by South Americans to sweeten beverages and is classified by the FDA as being generally accepted as safe for consumption.

Stevia has not yet been approved in the United States, Europe or Canada, but has however been used for over thirty years in the Japanese market as a sugar substitute. While the FDA has not yet given the official green light to Stevia, it has been sold at farmers markets and health food stores in the United States for decades.  There are many energy drinks and diet pills that can be found that contain Stevia in the ingredients. Despite the fact that they have been prohibited from using the official label of sweetener, they have still been used as such for decades.

Further research on the plant will be conducted; however studies that have been conducted so far show that using the stem of the Stevia plant shows no adverse side effects on cardiovascular, reproductive or digestive systems.  Studies have also shown that fluctuations on blood sugar for people with diabetes have been noted. Since Stevia is all natural, it should not have harsh side-effects. This is similar to hoodia gordonii, a native plant to the African Kalahari that is proven to suppress the appetite with no adverse side effects.

When these products hit the market, Truevia and PrueVia are the brand names that Coke and Pepsi products use, respectively, and promise to provide a new generation of products and options to people who want to lose weight but still be able to enjoy a soft drink now and then.

Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR as it is referred to is the amount of calories that the body needs to consume to maintain existence. This value is usually determined when the body is at rest, usually in the morning when you first wake up and are still. Those who seek weight loss tips often are guided to this number as a first step in losing weight.

Studies show that approximately 70 percent of the calories that are burned in a day are devoted to BMR.  Ten percent of calories consumed are needed to digest food and the remaining twenty percent of calories are assigned to other activities such as exercising and going about daily routines.

In general the formula for BMR is pretty good estimate of needed caloric intake, however there are other contributing factors that influence a person’s BMR. These factors include lean muscle mass, physical state, and overall health. As is well known, strength training is an essential factor for weight loss and for increasing the number of calories burned.  This gives way to the fact that people who have more lean muscle mass than those who do not, may have a higher BMR, since they are constantly burning more calories.

There are other factors that can affect the BMR of an individual and that is the stage in life in which they are in. For example, women who are in menopause may notice changes in weight due to changes in metabolic rate. How this does in fact affect an individual is dependent on the individual make up of every unique person. Some people may find that their BMR increases while in others it decreases.

Using a BMR calculator is a good way to decide how to adjust the diet in order to lose weight. BMR calculators use factors such as age, gender and height to figure the caloric intake that should be consumed. This is a great tool, however it is important to never go below 1200 calories a day in order to maintain proper nutrition.

Did you know that about 20 percent of the calories an individual consumes in a day are derived from drinks?  It is often over looked that the beverages that we consume in a day also contain calories, but truth is they do, and they are partly to blame for the added weight we carry around.

Starting with breakfast, most people drink coffee, juice or milk. These are all culprits of high hidden calories. For example, while plain black coffee has less than 5 calories, adding cream, and sugar can greatly spike the caloric value to an otherwise nonexistent calorie count. Just by switching from whole milk or cream to skim milk in your coffee, many calories can be cut.  Similarly, juice is often loaded with sugar and one glass can have upwards of 200 calories a glass! This is an important wake up call for those who are trying to lose weight.

Moving on in the day, caffeinated sodas are a diet disaster. Loaded with sugar these drinks can contain about 200 calories per serving. Many people realize this and have made the switch to diet soda. While diet soda may be the lesser of two evils, research shows that diet soda drinkers are 34% more likely than those who don’t drink it to develop a metabolic disorder. Also, it has been studied that diet soda drinkers are likely to have a high craving for sweets and eat more than those who do not. For most people, a diet drink and a bag of chips constitutes a lunch, however a whey protein shake is a much better alternative, as it send signals of fullness to the brain and is relatively low in calories with lots of nutrition.

Finishing out the beverage intake for the day, some people like to finish off the day with a drink. No matter if the drink is hard liquor, beer or wine, these beverages contain anywhere from 90 to approximately 200 calories per serving. This is another sneaky source of extra calories which lead to weight gain.

The best way to lose weight and cut out calorie intake from beverages is to drink water. Water can be flavored with many items such as citrus and herbs to add some flavor and depth without adding calories. Even hoodia extract can be added to water to help suppress the appetite.

Eating a healthy and well balanced diet is the key to lose weight fast as well as longevity. Eating a diet full of sugar and fried foods invites many health problems such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes to name a few. However, fully depriving oneself of a treat now and again can make dieting feel like a drag. There are some great ways to replace high calorie desserts with healthier alternatives. Remember, cutting calories doesn’t mean cutting flavor or taste.

Cut oils and fats from baking: A healthier alternative is to substitute oil and fat with applesauce. This is a great way to add texture to baked goods without adding bad trans fats. Since applesauce is already sweet, this is a great way to cut back on using sugar too.

Pick up some 100 calorie packs. Almost every major manufacturer of snacks now has 100 calorie packs on the market. This is a great way to have a snack without going overboard.  Keeping portions in check will help prevent unwanted weight gain and satisfy cravings.

Get exercise: The best way to offset eating unhealthy snacks is to get some exercise. Boosting metabolism will get the body burning fat.

Lift weights: Lifting weight and building lean muscle mass will help increase fat being burned. This will also help build those sexy curves, and give you the body you want. After lifting weights, treat yourself to a whey protein shake. These are available in many flavors like chocolate and vanilla as well as strawberry. Adding ice and frozen fruit create a decadent frozen treat.

Eat often: Eat often through out the day. Make sure that what you eat is healthy though. Vegetables and fruits as well as almonds and cheeses are great snacking options. If you work where often snacking is not an option, try drinking a hoodia tea to curb cravings.

Time and time again it is reported that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Starting your day with the proper nutrition is necessary to follow good eating habits as the day continues. Studies show that more than half of people who are trying to lose weight regularly skip this main source of energy. It is recommended that 400 calories be consumed to rev up metabolism for the rest of the day. Eating breakfast will turn your body into a fat burning machine and help keep weight off.

If you think you are too busy to eat anything but what comes in a bag out a window, think again. Quick, easy and nutritious meals can be made in a matter of minutes. Next time you are at the store pick up these versatile and nutritious ingredients.

Frozen fruit: Frozen fruit is a great way to add flavor and texture to protein shakes. To really feel like you are indulging in a treat add strawberries, blueberries or even mango to regular whey protein powder and water and mix in a blender for a few seconds. In no time you will be indulging in a delicious treat and one of the best tasting energy drinks.

Frozen fruit is also a convenient topping to yogurt and cereal.

Eggs: Eggs are a great and inexpensive source of hunger satisfying protein. Eating protein at every meal will help a dieter lose weight. It is especially important to eat protein at breakfast.

Multigrain bread: Whether you like toast or a plain bagel, eating a multigrain item for breakfast will give your body the energy it needs to start the day. Adding a fat such as cheese or peanut butter will also keep hunger away.

Which ever foods you choose to start your day doesn’t really matter just as long as you eat something. Eating, especially if you want to lose weight is important to burning fat and boosting metabolism. If the temptation of eating unhealthy snacks is too much, or if you are afraid of overeating, people have found hoodia weight loss pills a good option.