A couple days ago I was lucky enough to listen in on a conference call that Charles Staley did with Frank Zane. Frank is a class act and one of my favorite bodybuilders of all time. Here's a great video of classic frank.
There is a great Asian Market just down the street from where I live. I regularly go there to buy green tea (it is sooo much cheaper than at the regular grocery store) and moshi (rice and bean cakes that my wife enjoys). While I was there a couple days ago I decided to venture around and see what else I might like to buy.
I turned the corner came across pumpkin seeds coated in green tea. What a great idea! Okay, my first thought was "What the heck! Who thought that up?".
But it really is a great idea. You get the healthy fats and benefits of seeds plus the added boost of green tea. The above picture is the actual brand that I purchased. These green tea pumpkin seeds are a great snack and a nice change of pace from cashews, almonds, and walnuts.
Find a local Asian market in your area and try these out.
Dr. Mike (of Protein Power fame) had a great (and hilarious post today)
Check it out by clicking the link below.
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/?p=466
One of my favorite nutrition/food magazines is called Eating Well. This magazine is full of great nutritional information and killer meals. Below is a short article I just received in their eNewsletter about beta-glucan. Beta-glucan is a fiber found in oats. It is responsible for making your oatmeal really sticky and gooey. It also helps reduced the rate of the absorption of the carbohydrates when you eat oatmeal (which is a good thing). It is probably my favorite source/type of fiber but unfortunately you can't get it from a lot of foods. So eat your oats!
For a great oatmeal recipe check out this overnight oatmeal recipe.
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Love that creamy oatmeal, savor your mushroom-barley soup: these cold-weather comfort foods are full of beta-glucan. Beta-glucan may sound like something out of Star Trek, but it’s really the name of the soluble fiber that has earned oats and—more recently, barley—the right to bear a heart-health claim.
Heart healthy—how? Beta-glucan helps lower “bad” LDL cholesterol in two ways. “It forms a gel in the digestive tract that traps dietary cholesterol, making it less available for absorption, so some gets ushered out of the body as waste,” says Julie Jones, Ph.D., professor of nutrition and a fiber researcher at the College of St. Catherine in Minnesota. Also, as fiber moves farther along in the digestive process, “good” bacteria in the colon digest it, producing short-chain fatty acids that get reabsorbed into the bloodstream. These are then picked up by the liver where they “inhibit enzymes that synthesize blood cholesterol—much in the same way statin drugs do,” says Jones.
Stick-to-your-ribs factor: Oatmeal may indeed be a superiorly satisfying breakfast—because its beta-glucan (with other kinds of fiber and resistant starches) slows digestion, helping to regulate blood-sugar levels. A 2006 study in Diabetes Care found that beta-glucan improved glucose control in normal and overweight people.
Immunity enhancer? An Internet search on “beta-glucan” turns up loads of references to its cancer-fighting, immune-boosting benefits. Unfortunately, these claims aren’t yet supported by conclusive science. “Some animal studies and cell-culture data suggest a possible immune-system response in humans, but this is still very preliminary,” says Jones.
Daily dose: Currently, there isn’t an established recommended daily intake level for beta-glucan, but 1 cup of oatmeal and a side serving (3⁄4 cup cooked) of barley (see eatingwell.com for recipes) together supply 3 grams of beta-glucan, the daily intake that research has linked with cardiovascular benefits.
—Sylvia Geiger, M.S., R.D.
The new Max-Out Radio has been published. This episode features strength training expert Eric Cressey. Eric and I discuss several topics including the most common shoulder injury that he see with clients and how to fix it, how to plan your training cycles, his Ultimate Off-Season Manual and much more.
The show also includes a summary of recent weight loss news from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the top food trends for 2007 and how to apply them to your nutrition, and a great herbed salmon recipe.
Check it out at that Max-Out Nutrition & Fitness podcast page
