Nutrition

Former pro wrestler Dwayne Johnson currently stars in the movie The Tooth Fairy. Yes, he plays a Tooth Fairy in the movie. Prior to the Tooth Fairy role, he starred in the movie Return to Witch Mountain.

I thought he was great in Witch Mountain as a taxi cab driver who helps two teenage aliens save the world. Tooth Fairy seems a little hard for me to swallow. I haven’t seen it yet and the reviews are moderate.

Check out this video of Dwayne Johnson becoming an honorary player for the L.A. Kings hockey team. You will also see some footage from his movie The Tooth Fairy.

Before Johnson was a movie star he was known as The Rock in Wrestling World Entertainment. He holds second place for the most reigns as WWF/E Champion. He held the title seven times before he left the business in 2004.

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My chiropractor swears by eating raw food. He says it keeps him happy and healthy. He does look healthy and seems happy.

I personally like to eat cooked food every now and then. I can’t image eating only raw food. I’d miss out on holiday meals and trips to the frozen yogurt shop.

Raw Foodie

I came across an interview with raw food bodybuilder Stephen Arlin at Living and Raw Food. Arlin’s perspective on natural bodybuilding is worth considering.

He also wrote a book entitled Raw Power! It is the only book about building strength and muscles naturally the raw way. I like that idea.

Raw Power! is about bodybuilding naturally with a 100% natural diet. The idea in the book is that your body can stay fit, strong, healthy and energetic the raw way.

Arlin argues that gorillas have the strength equivalent to bench pressing 4,000 pounds — that’s 40 times stronger than the average man.

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I gave up soda at the start of my first pregnancy seven years ago, a habit that — unlike sweets — was easy to kick. Aside from the occasional urge for a sip, I’m happy with plain water 99 percent of the time.

But, I know how hard it is to give up a habit, especially when there’s sugar involved (see above!) However, like sugary snacks, soda adds an excess of empty calories to your daily intake, an excess that can actually harm your health.

I recently read a statistic which said the average American drinks a six pack of soda per day. I know I’m not drinking a six pack a day, nor is anyone in my family. So, that means someone out there is drinking the soda for me. Since I can’t find that statistic, I can’t verify it. But, soda drinking has long been targeted as a risk factor for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay.

If you’ve been thinking about giving up soda (aside: we call it pop where I live), then good for

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When you “get cracking” in the morning with an egg breakfast, you are likely to stave off hunger, therefore reducing your calorie intake by as much as 18 percent.

This, according to a study in the journal Nutrition Research.

21 male subjects, each ate two different test breakfasts. On one test day the participants ate an egg-based, protein-rich breakfast including three scrambled eggs and one-and-a-half pieces of white toast. On another test day they ate a bagel-based, carbohydrate-rich breakfast including one plain bagel, one half tablespoon of low-fat cream cheese and six ounces of low-fat yogurt. The two breakfasts contained identical calories.

The macronutrient breakdown was as follows:

• Eggs: 22:55:23 (carbohydrate, fat, protein)
• Bagel: 72:12:16 (carbohydrate, fat, protein)

Results

• The men ate roughly 112 fewer calories at a buffet lunch three hours following the egg breakfast, compared to the bagel breakfast.

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A new study finds that eating fruits and vegetables daily didn’t have the expected benefits against cancer. But researchers caution that doesn’t mean you should skip such healthy foods.

They’re still the hallmarks of a healthy diet, but fruits and vegetables do less to prevent cancer than previously thought, according to a major new study published this week.

A team of researchers at New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine followed the diets of 478,000 Europeans living in 10 countries, from 1992 to 2000. At an eight-year follow-up, 30,000 of the participants had developed cancer.

When the researchers analyzed the diets of the participants and factored in the cancer rates, they concluded that for every two portions of fruits and vegetables eaten a day, an individual’s risk of cancer fell by an average of only 3 percent.

The results are “very weak,” the report states, especially compared with previous studies, which have given fruits and vegetables credit for as much as a 50 percent reduction in cancer rates.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, which help prevent cellular damage that is

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Below are eight important bodybuilding nutrients, the best food sources of each, and supplement tips to enhance your recovery and support your quest for greater mass and size.

VITAMIN C
Your body needs this antioxidant to make collagen, the glue that supports joint health. If you’re sticking to the heavy basics — squats, bent rows, deadlifts and bench presses — you know these exercises can take a toll on your joints. Vitamin C can also help lower cortisol, the stress hormone associated with gut-busting training sessions that can cause the body to enter a catabolic (muscle-burning) state.

Good sources: peppers, broccoli, oranges, tomatoes, cantaloupe, strawberries and cauliflower.
As a supplement: Taking 500-1,000 milligrams (mg) with your postworkout meal can offset cortisol levels.

VITAMIN E
Vitamin E can decrease the amount of creatine kinase (CK) activity — CK is an enzyme that indicates muscle damage. It’s believed a high intake of E can help reduce damage, leading to better recovery and muscle repair. One study showed that a very high dose (900 international units [IU]) could also potentially help in the storage of glycogen.

Good sources: wheat germ, soybeans, eggs, nuts, sweet potatoes, spinach and molasses.
As a supplement: Take 200-800 IU with your postworkout meal.

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Nine sure bets for packing in mass while staying lean

1 LOAD UP ON LOW-FAT CARBS We all know we need to increase protein and carb intake for muscle growth and recovery to occur. The daily parameters are 1-1.25 grams (g) of complete protein per pound of bodyweight and 2.5-3.5 g of carbs per pound of bodyweight. When pushing the carb envelope into the 3.5 g neighborhood, switch to fat-free sources of protein, such as fish, egg whites, protein powders, skinless chicken breasts, nonfat cheese and nonfat cottage cheese.

2 DUMP CARBS AS FAT INCREASES To build trainloads of muscle, add red meat to your diet. Muscle-building red meat is high in B vitamins and iron. The need for omega-3 fatty acids — responsible for enhancing glycogen formation, retarding muscle breakdown and promoting hormone production — mandates eating salmon, steak or flaxseed oil four days per week. During those steak and salmon days, lower carb intake to 2.5 g per pound of bodyweight to prevent an increase in bodyfat.

3 OPT FOR SLOW-BURNING CARBS IF YOU’RE A HEAVYWEIGHT If you tend to be on the heavy side of the bodyweight equation, stick with natural slow-burning carbs. Yams, oats, rye bread, Cream of Rye cereal, peaches and apples all yield smaller insulin bursts, thereby helping to discourage the accumulation of bodyfat.

4 CHOOSE ANY CARB IF YOU’RE LEAN If your percentage of bodyfat tends to be low, you can chow down any type of carb. Leaner athletes release less net insulin than their heavier brothers and sisters. Less insulin means lower bodyfat. Bagels, rice, pasta, fruit and low-fat cookies are all legit.

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If you’re a serious bodybuilder who wants to gain and maintain size, you should consume a variety of fruits and vegetables. While we often push protein because it’s the most critical macronutrient category for bodybuilders, regardless of the type of diet, we also emphasize the value of mixed meals based around whole high-protein foods. Powders are great and can make it easier and more convenient to consume large amounts of protein (without extra fat and carbs), and thus achieve your maximal potential, but they are not essential for developing a massive and monstrously strong physique. Remember, food forms the basis of your nutrition plan and supplements enhance a balanced diet. Fruits and veggies are typically promoted because of their content of fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals, as well as their direct and indirect influence on metabolism and overall health. The benefits are many and potentially quite significant, especially in the long run. Fiber has significant “gut building” (as in the lining of the intestines, not your waistline) effects that, among other things, help process and utilize protein more efficiently. One very important but little-publicized reason for bodybuilders to hit fruits and veggies hard is the potential anticatabolic effect of these foods–their ability to help maintain muscle and bone.

PROTEIN AND METABOLIC ACIDOSIS

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