Beware of Counterfeits!

I was at the grocery store yesterday and had to shake my head at all of the deceptive labels with everything claiming all sorts of things that are supposedly "healthy", but aren't really.

One of the things that really disturbed me was that I saw several examples of healthy foods in their natural state, but I saw counterfeit versions of these foods claiming that they were healthier than the original...

Yet in reality, all of these counterfeit versions were actually MUCH worse for you than the original... and they still have the balls to claim that their overly processed "junkified" versions are better.

This is food marketing deception at it's worst!

**Example #1: Product claiming "Better than peanut butter"

This product is ludicrous! I can't believe anyone would ever believe that this junk is better for them than natural peanut butter.

First of all, if you buy a good simple peanut butter (organic is best), it is usually nothing but 2 ingredients... peanuts and salt. And they don't add much salt so it's not high in sodium.

However, this counterfeit peanut butter which claimed it was "better than peanut butter" (trying to seem healthier than peanut butter based on it's label claims) had a list of junk in it you wouldn't believe. First of all, they strip all of the healthy fats out of the peanuts so that it is a "low fat" product. Ok, now you've just taken away one of the healthiest parts of the product...the appetite satisfying healthy fats that you need to control cravings and manage more stable blood sugar levels.

To make things worse, the healthy fats were replaced with 2 different types of sugary syrups as well as additional dehydrated cane juice (aka SUGAR), in addition to added refined starches.

This product has taken something as simple and natural as peanut butter, and turned it into what should really be called some sort of processed candy. Yet, they claim that it's healthier than peanut butter. And somehow they get away with deceiving people like this. Don't be their fool!

**Example #2: Product claiming to be "better than eggs".

I won't get as detailed on this one because I recently talked about this entire topic in another newsletter.

But basically, this product was just egg whites with a bunch of added chemical colorings, flavorings, and other nonsense, including fake added vitamins.

Again, this product has essentially ruined a good thing by removing the healthiest part... the YOLKS! And yes, the yolks ARE the healthiest part of the egg. Anybody that tells you different doesn't understand much about true nutrition. The important thing to look for in quality whole eggs are cage-free and organic.

**Example #3: A product claiming to be "better than butter".

This was essentially crappy margarine loaded with highly processed and deadly trans fats, yet it had the nerve to claim it was "better than butter".

Heck NO!

Even low quality butter is healthier than any margarine. One problem with butter is pesticides and hormones from improperly raised cows.

For this reason, you always want to choose organic butter, and if you can find "grass-fed" butter, then I would even say it can be healthy for you. In fact, adding a little butter to your steamed vegetables helps your body to absorb more of the vitamins and minerals in the veggies.

Also, due to the content of stable saturated fats in butter, this makes butter one of the best oils to cook with. Oils high in polyunsaturated oils are the worst to cook with due to their highly unstable nature.

And no, the saturated fat in butter is NOT bad for you!

If you found the topics in today's newsletter interesting, do your friends, family, and co-workers a favor and fwd this email to them.

For more information go to TruthAboutAbs.com

Til next time... Don't be lazy... be lean.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - Truth about Abs

Healthy Snack Options

Did you ever have one of those days when you’re running nonstop and don’t get to a chance to eat?

You don’t have the time to stop. You didn’t think to wrap a handful of nuts in a napkin and throw it in bottomless pit you call your purse. And the last time you grabbed an apple on the run you almost choked on it while you where driving and dropped the core under the seat of your car where it’s still fermenting!

This was my day today and pretty much everyday! Being a busy mom of two teenagers, a Personal Trainer and the chief cook and bottle washer of my castle keeps me busy just about all of the time. I barely have time to make breakfast lunch and dinner never the less worry about the snacks in between. And let’s be honest, sometimes an apple just doesn’t cut it. You want something more, more than a fruit!

That’s how I was today. Call it hormonal cravings, whatever? But if my shoelaces where dipped in chocolate I probably would’ve eaten them. I was not only hungry for good healthy food and unable to take the time to stop and eat but I wanted the old hormonal chocolate fix! I was stuck! Nothing in the bottom of my purse, nothing in the glove compartment, absolutely dry, bare to the bone!

Now, my diet does NOT include those chocolaty, nutty, gooey candy bars that are supposedly “nutritious” and “good for you”. I really don’t believe in eating a product with ingredients I can’t pronounce. So grabbing one of “those” was out of the question. What to do?

I’ll tell you what I should’ve done, what I’m going to do next time and what you all should do!

Next time I’m going to grab a CRAVER! Yep, it’s called a CRAVER and take it from me, a person that must watch what she eats all of the time, Cravers are a healthy alternative to eating junk! One craver is 180 calories and made with 100% organic dark chocolate!

So why do they call them CRAVERS? Try them and you’ll know immediately! They come in three flavors that speak for themselves; Peanut butter, Almond Butter and Spirlina. 180 healthy calories that you can take with you, anytime, anywhere!

Seriously, this isn't your ordinary "tastes like chemicals or cardboard' nutritional bar.”

Don’t believe me? Do yourself a favor and go to GetPrograde/Cravers and read the ingredients. 100% Organic Dark Chocolate, 100% Organic cocoa, Organic Agave, Organic Brown Rice, need I say more?

Also, check out their meal replacement shake at GetPrograde/Lean. It’s a fast 35 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Just what you need to keep your energy up, fat down and metabolizing all day long!

Prograde.com <===== CLICK HERE to check out the best line of nutritional supplements on the market.

To Your Health

Rachel and Linda

http://losefatlivehealthy.com/

Two Flat Stomach Secrets

By Holly Rigsby
Creator of FitYummyMummy.com

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 is 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.com to get your FREE copy of her special report: "The Five Ways To Boost Your Metabolism."

P.S. For additional workouts, nutrition information and numerous ways to burn that fat, check out Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training