by: Dennys Passeto

For years, the media has come to vilify saturated fats in all of its forms. These  include butter, red meat, cheese, and the most talked about culprit - coconut oil. While some research would suggest that saturated fats are associated with a host of serious diseases, is it possible that saturated fats can also have some major health benefits?

The short answer is yes! There is a form of fat called CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), which is a natural form of healthy fat that occurs in meat and in the dairy from grass-fed animals such as cattle, bison, deer, goats, etc. CLA has been shown to provide many health benefits, including lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol and increased levels of HDL
(good) cholesterol.

While CLA has been proven to be beneficial to your overall health, keep in mind that not all saturated fats are created equal when it comes to their CLA content. Only meats and dairy products that come from grass-fed meats contain the most natural form of CLA. Typical grain-fed meats that are typically found at your local supermarket only contain about 20% of the CLA content that is found in the meat from ruminant animals.

Coconut oils have also been one of the most criticized forms of saturated fat by the media. Yet, study after study has been conducted, only to discover that coconut oils can actually lower your cholesterol, boost your metabolism, and decrease your waist size. Unlike other fatty acids that have been publicly accepted as healthy, coconut oil is rich in medium-chain triglycerides.

For all intensive purposes, medium-chain triglycerides are small enough to enter the mitochondria of your cells directly. This enables your cells to use these fatty acids for energy immediately. Otherwise, fat would be stored for later use. When fat is being used for energy instantly, it won’t have a negative effect on your body composition.

Overall, many saturated fats perform a critical role in allowing our body to absorb certain fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E and K. They also play vital roles in the health of our bones, joints, and immune system functions. Probably the most powerful function of saturated fats for the general public is the fact that they actually slow down absorption from our foods, allowing us to go longer without feeling hungry. This sounds like a critical piece to the weight loss equation if you ask me! However, keep in mind that fat is the most calorie-dense macro-nutrient, so should be consumed in moderation when trying to support weight loss efforts.

The fact is, saturated fats provide a concentrated source of energy in the body and help provide the building blocks for a variety of key hormones. Without these building blocks, your body would not be able to perform everyday functions that are essential to life.

A great example of this is that the media encourages us to replace butter with lower-fat, “healthier” substitutes like margarine or other artificial spreads. These alternatives that are marketed as healthy replacements contain hydrogenated oils that are produced artificially (man-made) and their altered form has been linked to a host of
life-threatening illnesses. Yet, these products continue to be promoted as health foods.

The popularity of these replacements over otherwise healthy saturated fats represents a triumph of advertising duplicity over common sense!

It all comes back to eating a healthy, balanced diet that is comprised of natural foods. And yes, saturated fats occur in natural foods!

These nutrition tips combined with a sound exercise program will get you on the road to achieving ANY fitness objective. If you feel like you’re already on the road to success - great!  But if you know someone that needs a little extra help, we’d like to let you know that we offer Gift Certificates for all of our personal training services.

If you’re looking to get an early jump on your holiday shopping, simply pick a package that you would like to give to a friend, co-worker, or loved one and we will send you a very nice certificate to give as a gift.

And since we hardly ever think about ourselves during the upcoming holiday season, I’ve got something special FOR YOU!

Sign up for a package of 12 sessions or more by Nov. 30th and we’ll give you a 3 session Jump Start Gift Certificate Absolutely Free to give to anyone of your choice.  This is a $300 value!  You can see it on our website for yourself: Jump Start Personal Training Package. The only requirement is that the individual reside in the Maryland, DC, Northern Virginia Metro area.  So go ahead, get your metabolism ready for the holiday debauchery starting now and cross a gift off of your list for a friend or family member.  They will BOTH thank YOU for it.

Call Mike to take advantage of this great offer at 888-872-7961 ext. 1.  Don’t miss this opportunity to get yourself and your loved ones back into shape for 2010!

There’s a nasty word out there in the weight loss world, and it’s “fat.”  Everyone is trying to lose weight, to lose “fat.” All the diet foods are labeled “fat free” to be appealing to dieters, even if they are laden with sugar. When people see an overweight person they say, “Oh man, look at that fat person.”

But fat is not just a bad word. In fact, there is an entire family of fat that is beloved by healthcare professionals, dieticians and is healthy for you.  In fact, these fats are not only healthy they are essential for your body and can aid in weight loss efforts. They are known as Omega, or the Omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3s are the good-for-you unsaturated fatty acids comprised of the polyunsaturated trio of a-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

While the Omega-3 fatty acids are the big buzz word of today where healthy living and weight loss are concerned, they were discovered way back in the 1930s. During that decade it was found that these polyunsaturated fats were actually necessary for normal human growth to occur.

In the 1970s researchers studied the diets of the Eskimos of Greenland and it was discovered that two of the 3 Omegas (DHA and EPA) were essential to heart health. These fatty acids were eaten in large doses via the Eskimos’ seafood-rich diet. Moreover, they showed almost no cardiovascular disease as these Omega-3 fatty acids naturally reduce triglycerides and arterial plaque while reducing heart rate and maintaining healthy blood pressure. What an amazing family of fats!

Now where most supplements have to add the tag line “these claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration,” two of the three Omegas HAVE been evaluated. In fact, EPA and DHA have both been awarded “qualified health claim” status by the FDA.

Here’s the statement from the FDA: “Supportive but not conclusive research shows that consumption of EPA and DHA [n-3] fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.”

The Canadian Government has done additional research and has publicly stated: “DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, supports the normal development of the brain, eyes and nerves.”

As one might guess, with the rise in popularity of the Omega-3 fatty acids, advertisers are producing supplements and adding it to foods or just prominently labeling those foods that already have these good fats in them. A diet high in fish is all that is needed. But for those of you who either don’t enjoy fish or who want more Omega-3 in their diet, the places to get the highest dose are in fish oil and flax oil supplements.

No matter how you look at these Omega fats, they are good for you and essential for health. Who said all fat was bad?

While having my morning cup of coffee one day last week, I had the morning news on in the background and heard a story that just outraged me.

It was a story about a local marathon runner and Redskins cheerleader named Desiree Jennings who back in August had the flu shot.  She has experienced some horrific side effects to this barely tested vaccine.

Someone was kind enough to post the clip I watched on You Tube.  check it out…

I thought long and hard about keeping my mouth shut this year as when I wrote about the dangers of the general flu
vaccine last year, I was torched by some who disagreed.

Then this past Sunday morning I’m watching CNN and saw a story about NY State Health workers being mandated to get the vaccine if they wanted to keep their jobs.  I found a snipet of that story as well here…

Is that crazy or what that you can lose your job by refusing to be injected with a virus!?!?

After writing about it last year, I did find comfort in some of the people who responded positively to what I had written. You can see that article here: Dangers Of The Flu Vaccine (Article will open in new window)

I thought about writing an updated article for this year given the new H1N1 hype and pressure from the media to get the shot.  When I finally saw Desiree’s story, I finally decided that I was going to.

That’s when I came across an excellently written article about a doctor who says he wouldn’t give the shot to his own children due to the lack of research involved with it.  Not only that the article that was so good, I felt there was no need to write my own.  Check it out here on their website…
Why You Should Not Vaccinate Your Children Against The Flu This Season (Link will open new window)

The best way to avoid the flu is to get plenty of exercise, eat whole/clean/natural foods(preferably Organic Fruits and Vegetables) with plenty of vitamins/minerals, and get a solid 8 hours of sleep per night.  Those 3 things alone will build up and keep you immune system working at its absolute best.

People are always looking for a quick fix in a pill or vaccine.  Whether it be for weight loss or flu prevention.  Whatever happened to just doing the necessary fundamental things to achieve good health?  There’s no easy way around it.  There’s no magic pill.

If you’ve been slacking off in making those lifestyle changes, let us help.  Remember that through the end of October, you can get started working with one of our personal trainers at our ridiculously low current rates.  On November 1st, the prices will be increasing by 9 - 13% for the first time in 5 years.  You can see the new prices here:Personal Training Packages

Signing up before 10/31/09 will get you grandfathered in at the current rate for as long as you train with us.  Even if you only train once per week with one of our trainers to help keep you accountable to these lifestyle changes you’ve been struggling to make.  Remember commitment is the key to accountability.

Dedicated to your health and wellness,

Dennys Passeto, CPT
Achieve Fitness Personal Training, LLC

Last week I mentioned 5 of the top 10 superfoods that I feel you must have in your diet for optimal nutrition and the reasons why.

Today I want to share with you 5 more which are just as important as the first 5 if not more. They pack different benefits than the first 5 and you can check them out below…

Beans - Beans are one of the only foods out there that can almost count as a balanced meal just on their own.  They contain protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber and omega-6 fatty acids.  They are a wonder food for vegetarians who struggle to get enough protein in their diet.  Protein is made up of amino acids and If you combine those of beans with those of certain grains like Barley or oats, you now have a complete protein.

The Carbohydrates contained herein are low on the glycemic index, making them ideal for diabetics, dieters and anyone looking for sustained long duration fuel for their body.  The high amount of soluble fiber, also aids in slowing down the break down of other foods you ingest as well as how quickly the nutrients enter your blood stream.  There really aren?t any beans you can go wrong with.  The only one that stands out from the bunch is soybeans which in addition to the nutrients above, also contains Omega-3 fatty acids.

Nuts and Seeds - Nuts contain such a power punch of nutrition that they just cannot be excluded from your diet.  They contain lots of heart healthy protein, fats, vitamins and minerals.  They are great for reducing your risk of high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and helping reduce skin wrinkles(Vitamin E).  Of course, we’ve modernized nuts and seeds and stripped away some of their benefits by trying to further flavor them.

Always opt for whole, raw, unsalted nuts and seeds.  When they are processed and chopped, the outer skin is removed which contains lots of antioxidant rich phytochemicals.  Like anything, it’s best to use in moderation because they do pack a good bit of overall calories.  Be sure to measure your portion and set it aside instead of grabbing the whole jar and going to sit on the couch or desk with it.  Nuts make for a great snack in a balanced diet in between meals.

Spinach - Looking at the massive long list of benefits in spinach, you can see why a cartoon was even invented to make the vegetable look appealing to kids(Popeye).  Just one serving of spinach contains roughly 1000% RDA of Vitamin K which fights off bone attacking radicals, promoting excellent bone health, warding off arthritis, osteoporosis and the like.  The high concentrations of magnesium and calcium also aid in this process.  Spinach is rich in flavonoid compounds which act as antioxidants and cancer fighting agents.  Primarily prostate and ovarian cancer.  Spinach is also a great source of Iron.  It’s a great low calorie alternative source of Iron in comparison to red meat and even beans.

Yogurt - Yogurt is packed with vitamins and nutrients.  One of the often overlooked benefits of it is immune system response.  Yogurt is full of live active bacteria.  Which is what gives it its tangy flavor.  Increased yogurt consumption has shown to increase resistance to immune related diseases.  Especially in populations where the immune system is compromised and weakened such as the elderly.  It is also rich in Vitamin D and Calcium, making it a food of choice for promoting healthy bones.  Yogurt makes for a great low calorie snack(low fat version) in a balanced diet.

Hot Peppers - Last but not least, hot peppers pack some significant benefits as well.  Hot peppers act as a phenomenal fat burner, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, head-ache fighting, anti-cancer, and healthy heart food.  The main reason for this is the compound called capsaicinoids.  Capsaicinoids helps combat substance P which is the key transmitter of pain to the brain.  People who suffer from headaches and arthritis have a high level of substance P.  Capsaicinoids also act as a sinus reliever(analgesic) and an anti-inflammatory agent(at the cellular level).  Another great attribute of Capsaicinoids is that it is a thermogenic agent(fat burner).  It is commom listed as an ingredient in many of the fat burning pills out there.  Especially since the ban on Ephedra.

So there you have it… The 10 foods that I think need to be a part of your diet.  Take a look at these 10 foods and ask yourself when was the last time I had each one of them?  Was it in the last 3 days? Week? Month? YEAR!!!??? If these foods are not a part of your diet, they need to be.  You can take vitamins and pills until you’re blue in the face and you won’t get all the nutrients packed in these foods.  Nothing can replace eating whole clean foods such as fruits, vegetables, seeds, meats, etc…  I hope you found this informative.  If you have any questions, please post them as a comment below and I’d be glad to answer them.  If you need lots of help with your fitness and nutrition, and are not already doing so, consider working with one of our trainers to get you on the right track to a healthy lifestyle involving proper nutrition and exercise.

Always looking out for your health,

Dennys Passeto
Achieve Fitness Personal Training, LLC
www.achieve-fitness.com
1-888-872-7961

Part I of II

Did you know that many foods are powerful enough to stoke your metabolism, improve your mood, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure(hypertension) and reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer?

When we think of the food, we normally think of what its going to taste like and what it’s impact is going to be to our waistline.  We spend so much time worrying about this that we often overlook many other benefits that certain very rich, powerful foods possess.

The one thing these foods all have in commom is that they are all natural, unprocessed foods, or as I like to tell my clients, hunted, plucked, or picked.

Here are the top 10 foods that I feel need to be a part of your diet…

1. Bananas - Bananas are one of the most popular fruits in the world. They are one of the easiest snacks to take with you for where ever your day may lead you, and is also available year round. They are a great source of instant energy whether you are watching your diet(since they only have roughly 100 calories) or just trying to eat healthy(contain no fat, sodium, or cholesterol.  All qualities that reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer

Bananas are rich in vitamin B6 and they are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium. Lack of B6 in a diet can cause fatigue, weakness, and irritability. The potassium found in bananas helps to regulate blood pressure and may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. Potassium is also essential for helping prevent muscle cramps during exercise.  They also pack 4 grams of fiber making it an easily digestable food and one that improves overall digestion.

They also help improve your mood.  Research shows that the serotonin and norepinephrine in bananas may naturally help sufferers overcome depression.

2. Omega 3 Rich Fish - The Omega-3 fatty acid found in fatty, cold waterfish like salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel lower heart disease risk, reduces depression, help arthritis sufferers, and help with memory loss and Alzheimer’s.  Look for wild caught vs farmed.  Aim for 2 -3 servings per week of these type of fish.  If you don’t like fish, other sources of Omega 3’s are flax seeds and walnuts.  They are also high in monounsaturated fats, which can lower cholesterol

3. Berries - Berries are packed with antioxidants, they are are also high in potassium and vitamin C. One of the things not often mentioned about berries is their Anti-inflammatory properties.  Inflammation is at the root of pain and chronic disease for many people.  Adding about 1/2 cup a day to your diet can give you all
the benefits you need.  As a general rule of thumb, the darker the berry, the more antioxidant rich it will be.  Blueberries, Blackberries and Acai are all excellent sources.

4. Oatmeal - Oatmeal is a great source of both soluble and insoluble fiber.  Insoluble fiber is indigestible by your body.  Therefore, making stools heavier and speeds their passage through your intestinal tract and
relieving constipation. Soluble fiber CAN be broken down by your body as it passes through the digestive tract, forming a gel that traps some substances related to high cholesterol, thus reducing the absorption of
cholesterol into the bloodstream.

According to the American Cancer Society, Insoluble fiber has cancer fighting properties due to the fact that it attacks certain bile acids, reducing their toxicity.  Soluble fiber may reduce LDL cholesterol without
lowering HDL cholesterol. LDL is bad; HDL is good.  Soluble fiber also slows down the digestion of starch which is beneficial to diabetics because, when you slow down the digestion of starch, you avoid the sharp rises in your blood sugar level that usually occur following a meal.

Oats are also a good source of many nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium.

5. Garlic - Garlic contains nearly 100 powerful nutrients.  It is very rich in sulfur containing compounds.  The amino acid Allicin is the most prevalent and potent among many other compounds like, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, selenium, polyphenols, and arginine. In addition, garlic is a good source of vitamin B6 and also of vitamin C. As with most whole foods, garlic’s antioxidant, disease preventing and anti-inflammatory properties are probably due to the combined effect of all the compounds working together rather than any single agent.  Garlic has also been linked to slowing down cerebral aging, and cataract formation.  Taking an oral garlic supplement does not have nearly the same punch though. It needs to be chewed fresh or cooked to deliver all of its nutrients.  Many of which can not be had from the oral capsule version.   Just careful on the quantity since you won’t find anyone to talk to if you over do it :-).

If these 5 foods are not in your diet, be sure to add them.  Stay tuned for part II next week when I uncover the 5 other superfoods that can have the biggest impact on the way you feel and overall health.

To Be Continued…

To Your Health and Wellness,

Dennys Passeto
Achieve Fitness Personal Training, LLC
www.achieve-fitness.com
1-888-872-7961

The election is just around the corner.   By this time next week, we are going to know who our next president is going to be.

I just received my sample ballot in the mail.   Among our choice of voting for a new president, there are also many other offices, judicial positions and legislature that we are supposed to vote for.

It’s overwhelming, really.  Those other votes are important but they really require you to do some research on your own
to learn more about those candidates since the presidential race trumps them in size and magnitude.

We are living in an interesting time.   In the middle of a global economic crisis.   These things happen about every 20 years or so and we always bounce back from them.   We did so in the 30’s, 50’s, 80’s, and will today.   This one is no different and it too will pass.

Financial and government leaders are doing what they can to resuscitate it.  The market will adjust and correct itself back to normal.   You and I have no control over it.  The only thing we can control is how we let it affect us.   We must continue to be consumers and not rattle the system by being fearful and losing confidence in it.

So who am I voting for?

ME!

Me, Myself, and I.  Me, Me, Me, Me, Me!

No, this is not some arrogant ploy to say I could do things better.  No way!  Those guys are warriors.  They go into office for 4 years but come out looking 10 years older.  No thanks!

I’m voting to concern myself with improving the things I can control.

Last time I checked, those were my health, my fitness, my mindset and my education.

Watching the financial news takes me on a roller coaster ride that makes me feel helpless.  Therefore, I’ve limited my exposure to it.  I won’t give the news media the satisfaction of letting myself fear and worry.   I will not be their puppet.

Therefore, I’m investing in me - because that’s all any of us ever really ‘have’.

Your health is our wealth.

Put it first.

I’m sure you’ve heard the quote…

“You spend your health acquiring your wealth, only to spend your wealth later in life in an attempt to re-acquire your health”

One thing is true: No matter what happens this November, I’ll still have my mind and body to deal with - so that’s where I’m putting all my focus.

What about you?

Are you voting for everyone else but forgetting yourself?  If so, there’s still time to adjust your vote so that you include YOURSELF in the process.

‘write in’ and check off YOURSELF today.

Take control of your body, mind and soul.  Stay sharp, stay focused, stay healthy.

Please, do not let the MOST precious thing you own slide under the crisis bandwagon of the financial times.  You may not have much control over these trying times, but you have a ton of control over how you regard yourself.  Your health. Your mind. Your internal peace. Your state of gratitude.

Use this time to take control of you.  And be thankful for the health you have.  It’s your real treasure here on earth.  The other stuff just makes it that much more fun to be healthy.

If you’ve been voting for others before voting for yourself, let us match you up with one of our personal trainers to re-align your focus on the things you can control and get you back on track.  Being fit and being healthy is extremely gratifying.

We live in a beautiful country with lots of freedoms and you have the freedom to put yourself first.  Exercise that freedom.

Be true to yourself,

Dennys Passeto, CPT
Achieve Fitness Personal Training, LLC
www.achieve-fitness.com
1-888-872-7961

They are at it again…Trying to poison you and I while covering it up!

Have you seen the commercials lately by the High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) industry?

The one I saw was pretty clever.  It was a couple sitting at a park having a picnic.  When the girl was about to have a
swig of a typical artificially colored fruit flavored drink, the guy said “Don’t drink that, it has High Fructose Corn
Syrup!”.  She the asked “What’s bad about that?”.  He just starred blankly back at her with a stumped and puzzled look
on his face and said “I don’t know?!?!”

This is big business’ clever way calling us dumb.  They know that many people have heard from someone or somebody that
HFCS is bad for you but don’t know why.  So the industry logic is to try and play to that ignorance by saying if you don’t know why its bad, why would you stop consuming it.   This is clever reverse psychology and I’m sure it works on many people.  What this does is make me mad and want to inform as many people as I can of the dangers of HFCS.

As my own personal training clients know, I’ve advised for a long time to stay away from HFCS.  Here today, I’m going
to tell you why.  Let’s begin with what is HFCS…

HFCS is an essentially corn syrup(extracted from corn) turned into fructose(sugar) through a pretty complicated process involving fermentation, addition of fungus, genetically altered enzymes and altering its chemical structure.  I don’t know about you but I love a little fungus in my beverage.  Yuck

The reason HFCS is so appealing is that it is cheaper to produce than to grow sugar cane process it and transport it.  HFCS also has a longer shelf life than regular traditionally sweetned products.  It also has given government subsidised corn industry a new use for corn which had lost its appeal as the process of hydrogenation became more popular and the use for corn greatly diminished.  Hydrogenated Oils is something else that I’ll be covering in an upcoming post.

Why do you need to avoid it as a consumer?  There are several reasons.  First, the very corn in which they use for this process is different than the everyday corn you and I eat.  It’s genetically modified.  Some experts say as far as 80% of the foods we eat have been genetically modified so this isn’t surprising.  Why put something into your body that has undergone such a radical chemical alteration?  Furthermore, the very enzymes that are used to break down the corn starch are genetically modified to make them more stable.

Diabetic complications are increased due to the composition of the modified fructose in HFCS.  The pancreas have to work much harder to produce the necessary insulin to break down this altered form of Fructose.

The liver is also impacted greatly by ingestion of HFCS.  The rate at which your liver breaks down this sweetener is much faster than if it were in its natural form.  Because it’s broken down so much faster and society continues to be less and less active, it makes a very ood case as to why the general population continues to get fatter.

Many people are misguided because the word fructose is part of the name and listed in the ingredients. Fructose is the natural sugar found in fruit.  However, the two being compared here are hardly the same. The one in fruits is stored in the fiber and takes up to 40% longer or your liver to break down.  This allows it to slowly enter the bloodstream as opposed to a flood of HFCS which forces your liver work much harder and can cause damage, not unlike the type experienced by alcoholics.

Its scary to see so many parents buying soft drinks and juices for their kids lunches and snacks unknowingly feeding poison to their children.   Gatorade is an extremely popular sports drink among athletes and trainees that is produced with HFCS.  I recommend drinking Vitamin Water instead.

So how do you avoid it?  Read labels and stay away from processed foods.  Everything from Canned soup, to juice, to ketchup, pasta sauces, etc… all contain HFCS.  Buy ll-natural organic foods at places like Trader Joes and Whole Foods.  Even Giant Food has begun dedicating an isle to organic and natural foods Since doing their recent renovations.  Most other stores also carry an organic version of just about anything on their shelves.

As I’ve always said, everything you eat should have been hunted, plucked, or picked.  Whole clean foods is the objective here.  Is it more work, you betcha.  But wouldn’t you rather know you are giving your family the best possible cleanest food you possibly can?

So buyer beware, don’t let the industry fool you through heir advertising campaigns that this product is natural and safe.  It’s far from it.  They just know that this is a cash cow for them and they aren’t willing to give that up at the expense of your health.

Dennys Passeto, CPT
Work with the Top Personal Trainers in MD, DC, VA
www.achieve-fitness.com
1-888-872-7961