Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Pros and Cons of Whey Protein

  Whey protein is known for its high BCAA content, also known as branched chain amino acids. It actually has a higher amount of naturally occurring branched chain amino acids than any food. This makes it very high quality and knowing this goes a long way when determining the pros and the cons.

Function

  • Protein itself is responsible for hundreds of functions in the body. It helps with muscle preservation, weight maintenance, cell regeneration, hair growth, immunity and healthy skin just to name a few things.

Types

  • There are two different types of whey protein. They are called whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate. Of the two, whey isolate is more pure. It is approximately 90 percent pure protein while the concentrate is 75 percent. In supplement form, they come in concentrate, isolate and a blend that contains both varieties.

Features

  • Whey protein is one of the two protein extractions from the milk of cows. It is actually a by-product of cheese when it is going through production. Other than a marginal amount found in milk, there are no actual foods that contain whey protein, but it can be bought in powdered form. Whey protein is assimilated well by the body and it contains all the essential amino acids. Whey protein isolates are very low in fat, carbs and lactose. Whey concentrates are cheaper but they have higher fat and lactose contents. The best bang for your buck is the combination protein powder that has both varieties in it. This powder also has a great amino acid profile.

Identification

  • Hydrolyzed whey protein is a form of whey that is mostly used in baby formulas or for medical purposes. It is broken down into tiny fragments called peptides. This type of whey protein is also less likely to cause allergic reactions.
    Whey protein is also a good choice for vegetarians, but only if they allow dairy in their diets.
    People with lactose intolerance can also take whey protein. But the important thing to do is always get a whey isolate form with less than .1 grams of lactose per tbsp. Whey concentrates should be avoided as they are generally high in lactose and the content tends to vary with different brands.

Effects

  • Eating the right amount of protein can help facilitate weight maintenance or loss, it can boost immunity, strengthen bones and repair damaged muscle cells, especially right after a hard workout. It is also an effective resource for burn victims as protein is lost through wounds and it requires more for the healing process.

Considerations

  • Although whey protein is a great source it should still be used in correct amounts. According to RDA guidelines, the recommended amount of protein a day is .8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Another thing to take into consideration is overdosing on whey protein. The body can only process and digest so much at a time. If an overabundance is taken, it will be excreted from the body, stored as fat or ultimately used for energy. But processing these high amounts of protein can really tax the liver and kidneys which can lead to problems down the road. One more consideration to take is if you have any allergies to dairy proteins, it would be a good idea to consult with your doctor before taking whey protein.

Warning

  • High amounts shouldn't be taken by people with pre-existing kidney problems. In either case, proper hydration is of utmost importance when supplementing with whey protein as it takes the body a lot of water to metabolize. An easy rule of thumb is drink eight, 8 oz. glasses of water a day.


Read more: Pros and Cons of Whey Protein | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_4781473_pros-cons-whey-protein.html#ixzz2RJlKkB2T

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The Balance of Body, Mind and Soul


There are different kinds of activities you can do to nurture your body, mind and soul.
It is important to keep the balance between all three aspects of you, because only then you will achieve a perfectly balanced life.
Some people feel that they are missing something but they do not understand what it is.
They usually make conclusions that they need an ideal partner, bigger house or more money to be happy. But these are all external things.
What they are really missing is the balance of their body, mind and soul. It is easy to achieve a perfect balance of these aspects once you know how to nurture each one of them.
How to nurture your body
To improve the health of your body you can do several things. Firstly, you should eat healthy food. It is true that ‘You are what you eat’ , therefore you should always make sure that you are eating food that is good for you.
Eating meat really damages your body because you absorb all the negative energies of the animal whose meat you eat. You will notice that if you stop eating meat you will become more positive, ‘lighter’ (hard to describe in other words) and you will be more receptive to the clues and signs from the universe which will help you attract good things into your experience.
You will also better understand the nature and animals. You will become closer to who you are because there will be less blockage in connection to your true self.
Fruit and vegetables are the best foods to eat, especially raw ones. They still have good life energy inside them, which is pure positiveness. So if you eat them regularly you will feel a big difference it makes to your health and your mental state.
The more alive the food, the better. The less alive it is (preserved, dried, etc.) the less good energy you can get from it.
Another great activity for you body is exercise. It tones and strengthens your body therefore your body becomes more immune to different weather conditions and diseases.
Exercise not only makes your body more resistible, but it also makes you more patient and increases your focus. The increase in your focus will be obvious from the great results you will get no matter what task you undertake.
You can also nurture your body by taking hot relaxing bath, going to a spa, having a massage or doing other relaxing and pleasurable activities.
How to nurture your mind
Although all the aspects of you are closely interlinked, your mind is interconnected with your body most. Therefore whatever you do for your mind almost always reflects in the body.
For example, if you think negatively, your body suffers from stress. If you think positively, your body relaxes and becomes more immune to diseases.
The quality of your thoughts results in what kind of health and general bodily conditions you have. It is important to watch and change your thoughts into only positive ones because your general well-being depends on it.
Meditation is also good for the mind because it stops its activity at least for 20 or so minutes during the day. That gives your mind a break and prevents it from overworking.
Positive affirmations are extremely useful too because by the constant repetition of a positive phrase you convince your mind (conscious and subconscious) of some good condition that you are experiencing.
Although this is a created condition and you still do not have it, through positive affirmations you convince your mind that it is your current reality. Therefore the evidence of what you affirm starts showing itself in your life.
Good reading and watching positive movies nurture your mind too. But it is far more better to read something positive than watch it. This is because when you watch any kind of programme, your focus shortens (on all subjects) therefore your work will not be of quality. Whereas if you read a positive book you get all the benefits (positive statement introduction to your mind, positive visualisations) without any drawbacks.
If you read many positive books, you should not be surprised that what you read actually manifests sometimes. This is because when you read something and see it in your mind, mix it with a positive emotion and ponder on it for a bit, it will manifest. However if after reading, you lower your vibration by becoming more negative, you will block such manifestation.
You may know people that live in a dream world, as some may describe them, hoping to meet their dream partners and live in amazing conditions. If they retain exactly the same mood in the reality as when they read positive books, their reality must reflect how they feel.
You may have noticed that such people are always getting what they desire, they are considered ‘lucky’ and everything they want comes their way.
This happens because they are closely aligned to who they really are. Such people always achieve what they want because by being positive they allow the universe to bring everything they like into their experience.
How to nurture your soul
You might think that it is almost impossible to nurture your soul because it is so intangible. But there are a few things you can do that will feed your soul.
Souls appreciate beauty and they crave for it constantly. When you are very disconnected from who you really are, you seem not to need to see beauty. People who enjoy violent movies are a perfect example of such disconnection.
They enjoy negative things because they are so away from who they are that they cannot hear the needs of their soul and they only feed their addictive ego.
When you become more in tune to who you really are you start realising that you constantly seek for beauty. This way your soul is telling you that it appreciates beauty.
There are many ways to nurture your soul through beauty. Going to art galleries, looking at nature, drawing, singing, listening to people singing, being very nice to someone, making people happy are all forms of beauty.
When you express or look at beauty you may feel relief inside you. This is the sign that your soul is appreciating the beauty.
When you really appreciate beauty and are immersed in it, you feel like at home. Different people have different beauty preferences. Some feel at home when they listen to the music, some – when they appreciate art.
I personally feel completely at home when looking at historical paintings, archaeological findings and all the aspects of ancient civilisations. They seem to give me such a relief and so much energy. I always feel like at home in such places. I am a frequent visitor of The British Museum for this reason.
You should try to find some form of beauty that makes you feel like at home – completely in tune with who you are. Such feeling will benefit you immensely.
Conclusion
Some people are so involved in their daily struggles and the need to get ahead that they completely disconnect from all the aspects of who they are.
This produces various forms of diseases, unhappiness and complete disempowerment. Their connection to all the aspects of them becomes week and they do not know how to balance it. Therefore it is important to consciously restore the balance between your body, mind and soul.
When you nurture all three aspects of you equally, you get a perfect balance between each of them. This gives you great health, pure positivity and happiness. You feel free and secure, you lose fear and you get into the flow of life – everything you desire comes into your experience easily.
To balance your body, mind and soul equally only requires to pay attention to each of them and not place any particular emphasis on any of them. Nourishing these aspects of you will give you numerous benefits and you will get closely connected to the true you.