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Salt in Processed Foods: Is it Truly Necessary? |
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Written by Dave DePew
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Sunday, 13 April 2008 13:32 |
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Category: Diet and Nutrition
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Since Ancient times, salt has been recognized as an important part of the human diet. Not only is it significant to our overall diet, but it also has historically played a large role in preserving foods. Long before the advent of refrigeration, salt was used to cure and store foods in order to delay food spoiling bacteria. Its true that today, we have the modern convenience of refrigeration and freezing for the storage of foods, but the majority of us demand that our foods continue to stay fresher longer and that they remain convenient for our consumption. Therefore for the processed food industry, salt has continued to play what they consider to be a pivotal role in their ability to extend the shelf life of their food products. The industry has consistently resisted calls to reduce salt levels in many of their products citing concerns that too low levels of salt would cause food spoiling bacteria to flourish. It sounds like a reasonable argument on the surface, but is it? |
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Breakdown the Plateau! Step Out of the Norm |
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Written by Dave DePew
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Sunday, 13 April 2008 13:28 |
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Category: Motivation
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Hitting a plateau is a normal part of every program. Basically a plateau is defined as a point when you are no longer seeing progress. Most of the time this can be the result of you not doing all that you should or that it is time to take another approach to your exercise or nutritional routine. As Einstein said, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking that created them.” Einstein was suggesting taking a different approach, trying new exercises, stepping out of your normal routine, attempting to find a solution to the problem, and never giving up. Nutrition is an important element in every training regimen. Every training program should be made up of resistance training, aerobic conditioning, and supportive nutrition. For most people it is easy to make one or two small changes and expect big results, however, big results come from big changes. Making a change that is too big usually causes a great deal of discomfort and that is why most people feel it is easy to only take on one or two new events. As a rule they should address all elements of your program at once, but with very small goals. Even if it is necessary to take a step back in one area, it will be important to create balance and help moving forward again. It is important to remember to see all the benefits of the sacrifices made rather than allow ourselves to feel frustrated by all that we must change. If we are aware of the good that comes from our changes such as more energy, better sleep, less stress, and improved performance, then we have powerful tools to measure the success of our overall program. |
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Avoid Cancer. Avoid Toxins! |
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Written by Dave DePew
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Sunday, 13 April 2008 12:25 |
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Category: Diet and Nutrition
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There are over 200 known diseases that are classified as cancer. Some forms of cancer are caused by internal factors (inherited mutations, mutations occurring from metabolism, hormones, and immune conditions). Simply put, they are factors we have no control over. Other cancers are linked by external factors. Those are things such as chemicals, radiation, infectious organisms and tobacco. To a large degree, we do have control over certain types of external factors.
According to the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Facts & Figures 2007, scientific evidence suggests that approximately one-third of the 559,650 cancer related deaths that would occur in 2007 were related to overweight or obesity, physical activity and nutrition. The underlying message? All are factors that are highly manageable. If you knew that you could reduce your risks of cancer by as much as one-third by managing your weight through proper diet and physical activity, wouldn’t you do so?
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The Impact of Visualization |
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Written by Dave DePew
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Sunday, 13 April 2008 12:23 |
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Category: Motivation
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Visualizations are images we create in our mind. In simple terms, your mind makes mental movies that you will play over and over again. Our brain and the subconscious functions “remember” the things we see. We can recreate these images over and over again in our minds. Creating “movies” of what we want or where we see ourselves does the same thing. It is entered directly into our subconscious as what has actually been seen by us. It is real to our brain. We have actually seen the image we created. Thus, we create the reality we want.
How do you do it? Start by setting aside a time and place for your visualizations.
It’s better if you can do it at the same time every day. Begin by closing your eyes and creating a mental image of what you want. At first this may seem a bit strange and the images unclear. That’s fine. The more you practice, the clearer the images will become. Always try to picture the same images every day, adding more detail as you become more comfortable with the process. Look at the pictures in your mind as a movie with yourself as the lead actor.
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Written by Dave DePew
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Sunday, 13 April 2008 11:45 |
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Category: Diet and Nutrition
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The Importance of Natural Unrefined Salt
Throughout history, salt has played on important and effective role in the existence of mankind, which far extends beyond its vital role as a food seasoning and natural preservative. This may sound like a contradiction given that modern research has for several decades pointed out the negative impact salt has on our health. However, there is an important distinction to be made here. The majority of research regarding salt has been limited to refined white salt (sodium chloride) and not natural unrefined salt. You may be asking yourself is there a difference? My answer, “You bet your blood pressure there is!” The problem is not so much with salt itself, but the type and amount of salt we are ingesting on a daily basis. Our bodies need salt to function properly. Unfortunately, the refined table salt that we are eating in vast quantities is in fact harmful to our health in so many ways. When some people refer to refined salts as a “white poison”, they may not be too far off the mark.
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