Muscle & Fittness: Resents The

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The key takeaways are that exercising can dramatically change one's physique and confidence, and developing healthy habits like exercising regularly can improve one's health and quality of life. The book also discusses common myths about diet and exercise.

The book demonstrates the power of exercising and staying fit through bodybuilding. It provides a two month workout program for beginners as well as exercises, diet tips, and other guidance.

Some tips for motivating oneself to exercise include setting goals, starting slowly, becoming educated about exercise, keeping a training log, making exercise a daily habit, and rewarding oneself for hard work.

Presents the

MUSCLE & FITTNESS


Beginning Bodybuilding Guide
“This book is written by a young man who had started exercising at the age of 16. Till the

age of 30 he had guided many how to develop body to a certain extend.”

As he wanted everyone to adapt few normal daily schedules which will form a highly

developed body, so he decided to write a book. In this book he demonstrates the power

of exercising and staying fit. Body building is a power that can change you dramatically

into an entirely new person – one who is stronger, more confident, better balanced, more

energetic, more capable of coping with the ever-increasing complexity of modern living.

In young days this man used to be too thin. He was up to this extend that no jeans were

available in market of his waist, so he had to buy ladies jeans. But one day he decided to

grow and change the way he was. From that day till now he is growing and making his

ambitions come true.

He really feels pity for person’s who face the same problem and are going through the

same phase of life where some day he was struck. This book is specially written for them,

to go through it deeply and dedicate 15 minutes of their life to exercising. Might be

slowly but surely they will achieve what they are looking for.

Though the actual experiences of all the men and women are different in terms of

exercising, this book shows how you can raise the inner self, gain potential, and develop

body. As it is the starting of him writing book, somehow few details might be missing in

this issue which will be covered in the next. May God give grace and help all the readers

of this book to gain what they are looking for.

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MUSCLE
&
FITNESS

MANISH KUMAR SAHDEV

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Bodybuilding:

INDEX: Page No.

1. Motivation 4

2. Need 5

3. Basics 6

4. Beginner Workout: Month One 9

5. Beginner Workout: Month Two 11

6. Home Exercises 12

7. Beginner’s Guide to Cardio 18

8. Sample Meal 23

9. Rich Sources of Protein 24

10. Myths about diet Rich 27

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1
Motivation

What to do to motivate yourself for exercising?

⇒ Set goals for progress in exercise

⇒ Start slowly

⇒ Become a student and read more about exercising habits

⇒ Make a training log and stick to it.

⇒ Exercise daily and make a habit

⇒ Reward yourself for the hard work done.

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2
Need

Gear up before starting exercising, and make you have arranged for the
following:

⇒ Have cotton clothes

⇒ Proper sport shoes

⇒ Gloves

⇒ Towel to wipe out sweat

⇒ Water bottle

⇒ Music which makes to happy

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3
Baiscs
All the following points should be read and taken care of before starting
the 2 month muscle building program:

⇒ Warm up by performing the same activity at a lower level of


intensity: i.e. walking on a treadmill before jogging, and cool down
by doing the same.

⇒ For maximum fat-burning, you must raise your heart rate. It may
take 10 minutes to get it up there, but once you do, keep it in that
range for the duration of your session.

⇒ Don’t overdo: Beginners should start off with low-intensity training


and work to improve over time. You know you’re overdoing it when
you feel dizzy or faint, you’re sweating profusely, or if you
experience pain. If you experience any of these symptoms, slow
down and stop. Take in fluids and walk to drop your heart rate
safely. If any of the above symptoms persist, see your doctor.

⇒ Set realistic short and long-term goals. Keep a training log to


monitor your progress.

⇒ The muscles grow after you workout. So sleep and give proper rest
to your body in this duration.

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⇒ Do not workout more than twice, for the same body part in a week
and give it time to grow.

⇒ Try cooling your body faster after workouts.

Before you train: Warming Up and Stretch your body

⇒ A general warm-up consists of 5 – 10 minutes of low intensity


cardiovascular activities, which should cause you to break a light
sweat. Always warm up before you stretch.

⇒ Move slowly and don’t bounce while you stretch, and never hold
your breath. Exhale as you stretch.

⇒ Stretching after your training session helps bring you back to resting
state and prevent muscles soreness and stiffness

⇒ Don’t work a muscle group if it’s still sore from the previous workout.

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4
Beginner Workout: Month One

First set in your mind that you have to exercise for 15 minutes on daily
basis. Divide the total workout as per the days.

Day Body Part 1 Body Part 2


Monday: Wrist Biceps
Tuesday: Triceps Chest
Wednesday: Abs Shoulders
Thursday: Wrist Biceps
Friday: Triceps Chest
Saturday: Abs Shoulders
Sunday: Chest Biceps

Start your routine workout with larger muscles group. i.e. Legs,
Chest, Back, biceps, triceps, and so on.

Make sure that you take the sets as slowly as possible and if
required take rest in them. Do not push your body more than resistance
power. Make sure that you do not hurt yourself in this process. The rest
time between the sets should not be more than 30-60 seconds.

Instead of moving more weight, select a lighter resistance, feel the


muscles contract and relax on every repetition, and move through a
complete range of motion with the correct form.

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Bodypart Exercise Sets Repetitions
Biceps standing curls 2 10 -15
Triceps Dumbbell overhead extension 2 10 -15
Chest Pec Deck Flye 2 10 -15
Abs Crunch 2 10 -15
Legs Lying leg curl 2 10 -15
Calves Stadning Dumbbell calf raise 2 10 -15
Wrist Up and Down movement 2 10 -15
Shoulders Rod above head Flye 2 10 -15

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5
Beginner Workout: Month Two
Remember workout is a stimulus for muscles growth, but muscle actually
grows at rest, not which you are in the gym. Practice correct form of
exercising the very starting. Learning it right the first time is easier than
adjusting poor form after months of training.

Day Body Part 1 Body Part 2


Monday: Wrist Biceps
Tuesday: Triceps Chest
Wednesday: Abs Shoulders
Thursday: Wrist Biceps
Friday: Triceps Chest
Saturday: Abs Shoulders
Sunday: Chest Biceps
Sunday: Legs Calves

Bodypart Exercise Sets Repetitions


Biceps standing curls 3 15 - 20
Triceps Dumbbell overhead extension 3 15 - 20
Chest Pec Deck Flye 3 15 - 20
Abs Crunch 3 15 - 20
Legs Lying leg curl 2 15 - 20
Calves Stadning Dumbbell calf raise 2 15 - 20
Wrist Up and Down movement 3 15 - 20
Shoulders Rod above head Flye 2 15 - 20

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6
Home Exercises
Alternate Dumbbell Curl
With your upper arms by your sides,
palms facing in, flex your biceps on
one arm to bring the dumbbell
towards your shoulders, twist your
wrist as you lift so that at the top,
your palm face up. Reverse the
movement, twisting your wrist back
to the starting position at the
bottom. Then complete a repetition
with other arm. Completing the move
for both arms constitutes one full
repetition.

Mistake to avoid: Bringing your


elbow forward as the dumbbell
reaches the top, your upper arm
should remain almost stationary,
only the forearm should be in
motion.

Standing EZ-Bar Curl

Grasp rod with and


underhand, shoulder-
width grip, lock your
upper arms by your
sides and, without
swinging from your
lower back, curl the bar
toward your shoulders.
Squeeze your biceps
before lowering the
weight and repeat.

Mistake to Avoid:
Letting your elbows
flare from your sides for
leverage.

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Crunch

Lie faceup, keep your legs bent and your feet on the bench.
Support, but don’t pull or push, your head with your hands while
you contract your abs to lift your shoulder blades just a few inches
off the bench.
Exhale, squeeze your abs and lower your shoulders. This
exercise can also be done on the floor.

Mistake to Avoid: Locking your feet under a bench, which


increases pain and reduces muscle growth.

Reverse Crunch

Lie faceup on a flat bench with your hips and knees bent. Grasp
the bench behind your head with both hands. Keeping the angles
in your hips and knees fixed, contract your abs to pull your hips
upward until your lower back is a few inches off the bench. Hold
for a moment, then lower and repeat.

Mistake to Avoid: Pulling with your arms to initiate the


movement instead of flexing your abs to lift your body.

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Back

Pull-Down to front

Adjust the seat so your thighs fit


snugly under the kneepad, feet flat
on the floor. Grasp the bar with a
wide overhead grip. Form an arms-
fully extended position, pull the bar
toward the tip of your chest, elbows
coming down and back. Squeeze
your shoulder together before
slowly returning to the starting
position.

Mistake to Avoid: Not keeping


your lower back slightly arched
throughout.

Bent-Over barbell Row

Keep a slight bend on your knees at a


30-45 degree angle to the floor, while
maintaining the natural arch in your
lower back by holding your head up.
Grasp the bar with a shoulder-width,
overhead grip and lift the bar into your
lower midsection, moving your
shoulder back on the ascent. Then
reverse the movement, controlling the
bar on the descent.

Mistake to Avoid: For the back


muscles to work, the shoulders must
move, if you’re using too much
weight, you won’t be able to flex your
shoulder blades back. If this is the
case, drop the weight and do it right,
again.

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Calves
Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise

Stand holding a dumbbell at


your side and holding wall, raise
your heel up and down slowly.
Complete all reps for one leg
before switching other leg.

Mistakes to Avoid: Repeating


too quickly, Go slow and
squeeze. It’s not the amount of
weight you lift but the number of
times you do. Remember the
growth comes from the burn.

Chest

Flat-Bench Dumbbell Press

Lie faceup on a flat bench, feet planted on the floor, with a dumbbell in
each hand above your chest, arms extended. Bring the dumbbells down
and out slightly to mid-chest level, pause and press them back up
toward each other, straightening the arms, but not locking your elbows
at the top.

Mistake to Avoid: Not keeping your elbows out to the sides. Bringing
the elbows closer in to the sides gets your triceps more involved in the
movement than you want them to be.

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Seated Barbell Press

Sit down at a military press station and plant your feet, thighs parallel
to the floor. Reach up, lift the bar from the supports and lower it
straight down and directly in front of your face (slowly), touching you
clavicles. Your elbows should point straight down. Pause briefly before
reversing the motion, stopping just short of elbow lockout at the top.

Mistake to Avoid: Stopping the motion short of the bottom position.

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Stand and hold a pair of


dumbbells in front of your
thighs, (low weight) palms
facing each other. With your
elbows slightly bent and
locked in this position, lift
the weights up and out to
your sides until your hands
and elbows are about
shoulder height.

Mistake to Avoid:
Leaning backward as you lift
to generate momentum.

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Triceps

Dumbbell Overhead Extension

Sit on a flat bench or a low-back chair. Lift a dumbbell overhead (low


weight), cupping the inside edge of the top of the weight with both
hands with a tight grip. From an elbows-extended position, slowly
lower the dumbbell down behind your head, stopping just short of
allowing the weight to touch your neck then reverse, squeezing your
triceps when extending your elbows fully at the top.

Mistakes to Avoid: Letting your elbows flare out to your sides too
much, try to keep them facing forward.

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7
Beginner’s Guide to Cardio

Benefits of Aerobic Exercise

Cardio (aerobic) exercise is a vital part of any training program. Cardio


helps the body burn fat as fuel, improves cardio respiratory health,
reduces stress, helps reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and
increases bone density and energy. Activities to choose from include
cycling.

NUTRITION GUIDELINES

Week 1: Assess Yourself

Make a note of all you eat, what you eat, the number of times you eat,
how much you eat and how hungry you are when you eat it. Take note of
how our schedule affects your diet. When do you get hungry?

As per above write down three goals for yourself. Is there a bad habit
you'd like to break. Do you go eight hours without eating? Is there a
single fresh vegetable in that three-day food dairy?

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Week 2: Eat More Frequently

Divide what you’re currently eating into pieces and spread them
thoughout the day. Instead of thinking only three as breakfast, lunch and
dinner, start thinking meal 1, meal 2, meal 3, meal 4, and if possible meal
5.

Going 5-7 hours between meals makes you less likely to lose fat, as body
tends to store fat and less likely to gain muscle.

Depending on your goals, these meals should range between about 400-
700 calories, but do not get too hung up on calories yet. For now, just
concentrate on getting in the habit of eating every 3-4 hours.

Week 3: Increase Your Protein Intake

Without enough protein, you can tender the growth of your muscle. If
you’re working out intensely most days of the week, you need 0.8 grams
of protein per pound of your weight.

The following are some good Non-Vegetarian Protein sources:

Food Grams of Protein


½ cup tuna 26
3½ oz. chicken breast 30
4 oz. lean ground beef 28
4 oz. salmon 25
1 whole egg/ 1 egg white 6.3/3.5
½ cup low-fat cottage cheese 16
1 28-gram scoop protein powder 22
(Values may vary depending on brand)

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To get enough protein in a given day, a 150 pound person diet might
include:

To get enough protein in a given day, a


150-pound person’s diet might include:

Breakfast – 2 egg 20gms


Mid-morning meal-protein shake 22gms
Lunch-tuna (on sandwich) 26gms
Dinner – chicken burrito w/beans 35gms

Week 4: Change Your Carbs

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Week 5: Change Your Portions

Portion size is the simplest method of weight control and much easier than
counting calories. If you want to lose weight, stick with portions that fit in
your palm, as following:

One serving meat or fish Deck or cards


One serving rice or pasta Tight fist
A baked potato Computer mouse
One serving of Cheese Four dice
One serving of butter or other fat Thumb tip

Week 6: Limit Saturated Fat

Some dietary fats are far more desirable than others. Here’s a sheet to
get you started:

Good for You FAT Sources Use only when no option

Nuts Butter

Olive Oil Sour cream

Canola Oil Partially hydrogenated Oil

Peanut Butter Coconut Oil

Avocado Whole milk and cheese

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Week 7: Drink like a Fish

More than half of your body is made up of good old H2O, which lubricates
your cells, regulates body temperature and affects your exercise
performance, among many other functions. The easiest way to monitor
your fluid intake is urine color and volume. The lighter and the more of it,
the better. If it’s dark and concentrated, you need to drink more. For
optimal performance and recovery, drink 2 cups of water before, during
and after exercise.

Week 8: Eat Good food

Eating clean staple foods is a good habit and has to be maintained for a
good body. Few of them are as below:

⇒ Egg whites
⇒ Lean ground beef/chicken breast
⇒ Salmon/Tuna of other fish
⇒ Potatoes/yams
⇒ Whole-grain bread of pasta
⇒ Low fat of fat free milk, cheese, yogurt
⇒ Fresh vegetables and fruit
⇒ High fiber cereals

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8
Sample Meal

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9
Rich Sources of Proteins

1) NUTS: - Nuts (such as almonds, cashews, ground nuts and peanuts)


are all very rich in protein and available from the majority of food stores.
Plus, they are suitable for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

2) SOYA PRODUCTS: - These include soy milk, soy yoghurt, tofu and
even soy protein supplements. Soy products (particularly tofu) are
increasingly becoming available in the major food stores and can also be
purchased online. Although most soy products are aimed at vegetarians,
they are suitable for non-vegetarians also.

3) DAIRY PRODUCTS: - Dairy products include eggs, milk, cheese and


yoghurt. They are one of the best sources of protein available with eggs
and milk having a very high biological value (a value that measures how
well the body can absorb the protein). Plus, dairy products are a fantastic
option for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Furthermore, they are
available in a wide variety of locations including your local store.

4) LEAN FISH AND MEATS: - Lean fish (such as cod, salmon and tuna)
and meat (such as beef, chicken and lamb) are very rich in protein.
Although they are not suitable for vegetarians, non-vegetarians should
definitely consider adding more meat to their diet if they feel they are not
consuming enough protein. Leans fish and meats can be purchased from
most grocery stores and specialist butcher shops.

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5) PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS: - Protein supplements come in many forms
including bars, drinks, powders and shakes. There are also many types of
protein supplement including; whey, miscellar casein, egg and soy, with
whey being the most popular. Although, protein supplements are not as
readily available as the foods listed above, they are highly convenient.
Protein supplements can be purchased from specialist health shops and
from multiple online stores.

The Importance or Protein

Protein is essential to human health. Our bodies—hair, muscles,


fingernails, and so on—are made up mostly of protein. As suggested by
the differences between our muscles and our fingernails, not all proteins
are alike. This is because differing combinations of any number of 20
amino acids may constitute a protein. In much the same way that the 26
letters of our alphabet serve to form millions of different words, the 20
amino acids serve to form different proteins.

Amino acids are a fundamental part of our diet. While half of the 20 can
be manufactured by the human body, the other 10 cannot. These
"essential amino acids" can easily be provided by a balanced vegan diet.

How Much Protein?

As babies, our mothers' milk provided the protein we needed to grow


healthy and strong. Once we start eating solid foods, non-animal sources
can easily provide us with all the protein we need. Only 10 percent of the
total calories consumed by the average human being need be in the form
of protein. The Recommended Dietary Daily Allowance for both men and

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women is 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body
weight.3 People with special needs (such as pregnant women) are advised

to get a little more.

Vegans should not worry about getting enough protein; if you eat a
reasonably varied diet and ingest sufficient calories, you will undoubtedly
get enough protein. Protein deficiency, or "kwashiorkor," is very rare in
the U.S. and is usually diagnosed in people living in countries suffering
from famine.4

By contrast, eating too much animal protein has been directly linked to
the formation of kidney stones and has been associated with cancer of the
colon and liver.5,6 By replacing animal protein with vegetable protein, you
can improve your health while enjoying a wide variety of delicious foods.

Here are some examples of vegetarian foods with high sources of


plant protein:

PROTEIN IN LEGUMES: Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima


beans, Navy beans, Soybeans, Split peas

PROTEIN IN GRAINS: Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Millet, Oatmeal,


Wheat germ, Wheat, hard red, Wild rice

VEGETABLE PROTEIN: Artichokes, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts,


Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Green peas, Green pepper,
Kale, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Mustard green, Onions, Potatoes, Spinach,
Tomatoes, Turnip greens, Watercress, Yams, Zucchini

PROTEIN IN FRUITS: Apple, Banana, Cantaloupe, Grape, Grapefruit,


Honeydew melon, Orange, Papaya, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Strawberry,
Tangerine, Watermelon

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10
13 Myths about Diet
Some myths originated in our childhood, others were started by
magazines and TV programs decades ago. So here are the top 13 myths
about your diet.

1. There is little good in frozen or canned fruit and vegetables. It is


astonishing, but frozen and canned fruit and vegetables can sometimes
turn out to be better for you than the fresh ones since they are frozen or
canned right off the field. As we all know, an immediate freezing is one of
the best ways to preserve vitamins. And fresh produce has to travel a long
way before it makes it to the store. In order for the vitamins to survive till
the moment they get into your body we should unfreeze the produce as
soon as we possibly can and cook it in water only. Canned corn, apricots
and gooseberries contain no less vitamin C than their freshest version.
The trick is to pick out not the ones that are canned in marinade or syrup,
but rather the ones that are canned in water or their own juice without
any added sugar or artificial colouring agents.

2. Drinking wine every day is a sure way to become an alcoholic! As a


matter of fact, quality wine can protect your body from bacteria, stimulate
the digestive gland's function and the production of hydrochloric acid
which balances the acidity level. For example, the popular tradition to
follow oysters with wine has emerged because of the fact that this
delicacy is often contaminated with colibacillus, and there is no other

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method to neutralize these bacteria that would be more pleasurable. Also
when you are travelling to tropical countries, adding a little bit of wine to
your drinking water will help you prevent problems with your stomach or
intestines. Wines are classified according to their effects: white dry wines
are recommended if you have atherosclerosis, red table wines are great at
toning you up, and muscat wines act like sedatives. Hence, we should
make it a rule to drink half a glass of wine at dinner (you can dilute it with
water) in order to combine business with pleasure.

3. Eating right before going to bed is unhealthy. The work day of a


modern person has a tendency to end later in the evening when
seemingly dinner is strongly not recommended. However, the dieticians
have recently discovered something that is good news for those of us who
like to have late dinners. There has been a survey done involving
thousands of men and women: half of them were eating as late at night
as they wanted to, and the other half was not allowed to eat anything
after 6pm. It turned out that after two years of this experiment the
participants of the first group did not gain an ounce of extra weight. In
other words, as the result of this research it has been proven that the
time of your meals does not have any effect on the process of losing
weight! Thereby, night raids on the fridge are no longer forbidden,
although there is still one condition: instead of reaching for doughnuts and
fried chicken in the middle of the night, go for low-calorie yogurts, fruit
and vegetables. It is even permissible to drink white wine. In other words,
the quality and quantity of the food you choose for your dinner is more
important than whether you eat it at 6pm or at midnight. Furthermore,
the doctors assert that we should eat before going to sleep since the acid
required to digest food is produced by our body at night and it should not

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irritate the mucous membrane of our stomach. The same doctors strongly
advise to give preference to dairy products right before sleep.

4. It is good to chew gum after you eat. In spite of the mass advertising,
the dentists are not too excited about gum. Although it does indeed
refresh your breath, it is hardly a means of hygiene of the oral cavity.
Scientific data about positive effects of gum on the teeth's condition is
true only for a limited range of gum containing fluoride. Gum containing
sugar is equal to candy when it comes to the calorific value and
destructive impact on enamel. As far as the rest of types of gum, you
should know how to chew gum correctly, when and how long in order to
avoid damaging the periodontium tissues. It is recommended to chew
gum no more than 3 times a day for no longer than 3 minutes. Note that
chewing gum for a long time causes an excess amount of gastric juice and
since there is no food that actually goes into the stomach it can harm its
mucous membrane.

5. Eggs contain a lot of cholesterol. Our grandfathers and grandmothers,


who used to be big fans of eggs when they were young, restrict
themselves from having this dish for breakfast as they get older fearing
that their cholesterol level will increase. Similar threats have been all over
newspapers and magazines devoted to health topics in the last decade.
However, scientists today say that it's not the eggs that are to blame but
the saturated fat that is practically lacking from them. Therefore one egg
a day is permissible to anyone, especially since eggs are a source of
protein and if meat and fish are not very frequent in your daily diet then
you should definitely give eggs more importance. Besides an egg has a
very low amount of calories - on average about 60 kcal. It also has a ton
of nutrients: vitamins C, B, D, and E, iron, phosphorus, iodine, and even
zinc. And if you are so concerned about the cholesterol level in your blood,

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then you can control its balance independently by consuming a large
amount of foods rich in starch such as rice, pasta, fruit and vegetables.

6. Pasta is the main enemy of a thin waist. Over the last several decades
this myth has been depriving the ladies who were trying to stay slim like a
pencil of one of the biggest delicacies - pasta. They wouldn't even believe
the graceful Sophia Loren who has been urging the ladies to go ahead and
fearlessly devour the Italian delicacy. Today dietitians all over the world
repeat what the actress has been saying and recommend including whole
wheat pasta into our daily diets. Pasta does a great job filling you up and
even a pretty big portion of it has a low amount of calories. On top of that
100 grams of good quality pasta contains 13 grams of protein and only 1
gram of fat. And of course there is a variety of nutrients in this overseas
delicacy: B vitamins, which lower the fatigue, vitamin E, cellulose, which
contributes to getting rid of toxins.

7. The fat contained in nuts leads to excess weight. Most of us are


convinced that fat foods are of no benefit. Unfortunately, quite often we
can find nuts, including almonds, on the black list. However dietitians
assure us that almonds have more benefits than harmful effects. If you
regularly consume unsalted nuts then by nourishing our bodies with
vitamin E we can slow down the body's aging. Besides almonds, similar to
olive oil, contain monounsaturated fat as well as magnesium, which
makes arteries healthy, and potassium, which lowers the blood pressure.
American scientists have discovered that eating almonds decreases the
risk of heart diseases. As far as the main reason of doubts - the stoutness
almonds supposedly cause, strangely enough you can actually lose weight
if you substitute other fat foods in your daily diet with almonds and
maintain a low-calorie fruit or vegetable diet overall.

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8. Sweeteners are way less harmful than sugar. The reality actually turned
out to be different. If used for a long time some components of
sweeteners have a negative effect on our health: acesulfame provokes a
crisis if you suffer from heart failure, and cyclamate - if you have any
kidney problems. Besides almost all artificial sweeteners have a bile-
expelling effect and therefore people who suffer from illnesses of biliary
routes, for example cholecystitis, can experience a worsening of their
condition. As far as natural sugar replacements (fructose, xylose, sorbitol)
when it comes to their calorie content they are equal to the original.
Fructose is considered the most innocent, since it has the least negative
side effects compared to the rest of sweeteners.

9. Snacking right before a big meal is bad. Since early childhood we


remember as our mom would scold at us for sneaking a bite shortly before
an actual meal. However if it's still a long time before dinner but you are
already starving, you can allow yourself a couple of snacks that you do not
have to cook, all you need are the proper products on hand. The first ideal
method to take an edge off your hunger is to have some grapes or a
couple slices of cheese. They contain calcium and useful acids. The second
sure choice is ham with carrots and celery. You can stock up on bags of
raisins or other dried fruit that should be followed by a glass of orange
juice, which contains a lot of vitamin C that will help your body digest the
iron that grape is so rich in.

10. Chocolate can only cause trouble. Those of us who love chocolate do
not have it easy with all the stories about how unbelievably fast you gain
weight after even one chocolate bar and how much acne you get on your
face after just a couple of candies. In reality chocolate is very beneficial.
First of all, cocoa beans contain a special substance that improves the
function of heart and vessels. Thanks to this substance your blood

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pressure goes down, the blood's coagulation improves, and any
inflammation processes stop. Secondly, chocolate contains an anti-
infective agent that suppresses the development of bacteria that cause
dental cavities. Thirdly, the amino acid contained by chocolate contributes
to serotonin's production, which is also known as the hormone of
happiness. The only thing that all the specialists emphasize is that we
should give preference exclusively to dark bitter chocolate, which contains
minimum 75% of cocoa.

11. Ice cream only leads to sore throat, extra pounds and bad teeth. Ice
cream has always been taboo because of its consequences such as
toothache, sore throat and so on. However, it is ice cream that is referred
to by the doctors as the sweet psychologist. Ice cream takes us back to
the serene childhood. And the natural tranquilizer called tryptophan found
in cream calms down the nervous system. We shouldn't be scared of a
toothache: the unpleasant sensations, which are caused by eating ice
cream, are just a reaction to its low temperature. And even the sore
throat is only a myth from childhood - adults are actually advised to eat
ice cream as a preventative means against sore throats.

12. Eating raw food is a great way to lose excess weight and improve your
health. Eating raw food does have a lot of benefits: there are more
vitamins that the body receives, our body cleanses itself faster, and the
weight goes down. However, the flip side of eating raw foods is not so
bright. In order to become a raw food eater you need to be absolutely
healthy - if you have any deviations from perfect health such as allergies
or colitis, eating raw food is strictly prohibited. The cellulose of raw fruit
and vegetables negatively affects the mucous coat of esophagus (an
organ, through which food passes to the stomach) and the acids they
contain destroy the enamel of the teeth. And although a certain portion of

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nutrients dies in the process of cooking, our body digests the vitamins
that remain after thermal processing ten times better, for example
carotene from carrots. Such vegetables as eggplants and beans contain
poisonous elements, which become harmless only after being processed in
high temperatures. Dietitians recommend practicing eating raw foods as a
preventative technique - on average it should last no more than 1-2
weeks.

13. Beer leads to gaining weight. Choosing between wine and beer we
often give preference to the first due to one simple reason - fear of beer
belly. However, as strange as it is, beer is not that high in calories: 40-50
kcal for 100 ml is not the highest ratio out there (for example, soda pops
have the same calories ratio). Plus good quality beer practically does not
have any sugar or fructose, which negatively affect our body compared to
soda pops that are abundant in it. Beer, if consumed in moderation, can
actually be a beneficial product. If you limit yourself to one glass of beer a
day, you can stimulate the gastrointestinal tract's function (the system by
which ingested food is acted upon by physical and chemical means to
provide the body with nutrients it can absorb and to excrete waste
products), slow down the body's aging and lower the risk of cardio-
vascular illnesses. And by the way, doctors in middle Ages used to cure
toothache with beer, you just had to rinse your mouth with a slightly
heated up liquid.

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