Optimum Nutrition Protein Bars

Managed to grab two Optimum Nutrition products, 100% Whey Crisp bar and Wholly Oats. Decided to post and blog a bit about these protein bars, as someone bought them for me, how nice and thank you. Well, although Optimum Nutrition is a powerhouse of bodybuilding/sports supplements, I have some comments especially both these so called 'high protein bars'.  I wouldn't say a review on both these protein bars, but just some advises and my honest point of view on protein bars. 

Now, let's start with ON 100% Whey Crisp Bar. First impression, its ON, most people who is in bodybuilding industry, or bodybuilder enthusiasts, would think that this award winning brand, would be an ideal choice of protein product or in this case, protein bar. Besides, it's 100% Whey right? How bad can it be? Let's start off with the protein total content, which is 25g. For a protein bar, 25g is quite high and looks good for a either pre or post workout meal. Next, carbohydrates. This protein bar has a whopping 34g of carbs, in which 6g of it is sugar. Unless you just ran a half marathon or completed a strenuous long endurance exercise, consuming a 34g of carbs by itself, is obviously a lot to ingest.  Moving on, fats, total fat for this protein bar is 4.5g, which 2g is of it saturated fat. A plus point for this protein bar, it does not have hydrogenated vegetable oil, and 0g of trans fat. 

Meanwhile, below are the ingredients of ON 100% Whey Crisp bar. 

-Whey Protein Crisps (Whey Protein Isolate & Concentrate, Tapioca Starch, Calcium Carbonate, Soy Lecithin).

-Maltitol

-Glycerin

-Toasted Oats (Rolled Oats, Sugar. Soybean Oil, Honey, Brown Sugar Molasses)

- Brown Rice Syrup

- Whey Protein Concentrate & Isolate

- Chocolate Liquor

- Cocoa Butter

- Soy Lecithin

- Vanilla Extract

- Natural Flavor

- Salt

- Sucralose

- Almond Meal

- Wheat Germ

- Peanut Flour

Verdict: A part from harmful chemically made artificial sweetener sucralose, soybean oil and high carbs (34g),  this protein bar is not cheap as well unless you are a loyal fan of Optimum Nutrition and primarily rely on protein bars for pre and post workoout meals. A quality protein bar should ideally be organic based and less then preferably 7 total ingredients. 

Next protein bar by ON, is Wholly Oats. This bar has 280 calories, with a slightly higher carbs(35g) content then Whey Crisp bar, and but has a lower protein content of 21g. Comparing both protein bars, I have to say that ON Wholly Oats has some really nasty ingredients, such as high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated rapeseed oil, hydrogenated cottonseed oil as well as sucralose. Two extremely evil artifical sweeteners and two trans fat based oils? Thats insane! Well, most people look at the trans fat content of 0g, and they thought that the product does not contain trans fat. Obviously that is not true, as the food manufacturers DO NOT need to declare trans fat in the food packaging if it is less then 1g? Again, as I've mentioned in my earlier trans fat post, look out for ingredients such as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. 

I just don't bother typing in the ingredients of ON Wholly Oats, go google and find yourself if you are interested. What I can say, is stay away from this protein bar, and for those who has been consuming this particular protein bar thinking it is oats based protein bar, maybe you should think twice before you chew that next bar of yours. 

Verdict : A protein bar which is definitely not an ideal pre or post workout meal, or even meant to be ingested by any of us. Although the sugar content is only 3g (which you think is good), this protein bar is compensated with much stronger and dangerous artificial sweeteners HFCS and sucralose. Wonder why sugar content is low yet taste so delicious and sweet? 

Congress label PIZZA as vegetable???

Well well. Another pathetic, absurd, yet unbelievable labeling/classification of food from the news few days ago. What is happening to our food? Why are these bunch of idiots keep messing up with our foods? The answer is simple. Power, politics, well-planned lobbying, and of course, MONEY. It's ashamed for the nation (America), and one doesn't need a nutrition Degree to realize that pizza is NOT a vegetable. I would say that possibly a retarded kid might figure that out if he was forced to brainstorm and give an answer to that query! When I read the news about this claim, I was cursing and ranting the whole bloody time! Imagine with all this insanity of foods been adulterated by the governments and food industries, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO OUR GROWING KIDS and generations after that? Imagine 10 years from now, its like living in OBESELAND! 

How can Congress claim that pizza is a vegetable, because it has 2 table spoon of tomato?? How on earth would that even be possible? Tomato paste/sauce considered as vegetable? You got to be freakin kidding me!! Besides, french fries is to be part of kids meals at school because potatoes is 'healthy'? Seriously, come on folks! French fries, sweetened drinks and pizza at school? That's a JOKE!  There goes the obesity and chronic degenerative diseases rates. Why would anyone be surprise if we are seeing more and more fat kids, fat people around us?  Read the news and video links below. 

News/Video link:


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/pizza-vegetable-school-lunches-lobbyists_n_1098029.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/034202_pizza_vegetable.html    

Fluoride: The truth is revealed on TV news!

Folks, watch this YouTube clip from Australia news network TODAY TONIGHT which reveals the truth about fluoride. This is a very important warning to everyone from unborn fetus to elderly people. Unless you want retardation, brain damage as well as skeletal related diseases, then this video interview does not matter to you. Watch it, be cautious and stay away from fluoridated substances including water, beverages, toothpaste, and processed foods. 

YouTube video link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TskdiL_YqRw

Biological Rhythms: Universal laws of life

Just got a bit of free time today, thought of writing something which pop up my mind spontaneously. Had a busy week last week, looking forward to this coming week, and today, it will be a topic of our biological rhythms. I had blogged earlier about sleep and circadian rhythm, but I thought of sharing a bit more information to whoever is reading this right now. 

Although it may not be apparent to a layperson, the human body is largely run by biological rhythms. All organs, systems, and cells are controlled by exact cyclic patterns of rest and activity, which we can call, the 'universe laws of live'. Some of you might think "are you serious?" or "yeah right". Well, to believe it or not, it's all up to you, everyone has the freedom to choose what to believe and decide what's right for them. 

Now, the following are a few examples of the biological rhythms that follow these laws. 

• Normal menstrual cycles repeat themselves every 27.5 days.
• The stress hormones cortisol and and adrenaline are naturally released into the bloodstream during early morning hours to promote physical activity.
• Immunity and iron concentrations in the blood reach low levels in women during menstruation and high levels during ovulation.
• The liver is more active during the night than it is during the day.
• Red bone marrow produces more blood cells during the night.
• Most digestive enzymes are secreted during the day.
• Bile secretion peaks during the midday.
• The large bowel is most active and efficient during the early morning hours.
• Different types of cells have different types of lifespans and are turned over at specific intervals.
• The 'happy' producing neurotransmitter seratonin is produced in response to daylight.
• The sleep  inducing hormone melatonin is secreted in response to the darkness. 

It is estimated that over 1000 of these biological rhythms operate in control the human body. Each biological timer dictates a specific rhythm or cyclic behavior to a group of cells, an organ or endocrine gland. The various individual timers or body clocks are intrinsically linked to a common master clock. The master clock coordinates the individual clocks with one another and makes certain that every activity in the body is carried out according to its master plan. This master plan consists of nothing but the body's constant effort to maintain perfect equilibrium or balance. In order words, homeostasis. 

The body's master clock is controlled by nature's most influential cycle, known as circadian rhythm.The circadian rhythm prompts us to become more active in the morning and to wind down in the evening. The sun, is the main giver of life on the planet. Both organic and inorganic life forms require sunlight and sun energy for their existence, and so do all human beings. The movements of the Earth on its axis and around the sun create the precise cycles of day and night, as well as seasonal changes. These rhythmic repetitive patterns of the forces in nature, in turn, program our DNA to conduct all physical activities with precision and ideal accurate timing.

All external events occurring in the natural world are linked with similar events inside the body. A sunrise in nature, for example, triggers a 'sunrise' in your body. It wakes you up and gets you going. The morning light enters your eyes as soon as you open them. First, the light is broken down into its full color spectrum by the lenses of your eyes. Immediately, the individual light rays travel to the body's master gland, the hypothalamus. Then, the hypothalamus, which controls the body's biological clock, dispatches light-coded messages to the pineal gland, which is sometimes referred to as 'the third eye'. These messages contain specific instructions for the pineal gland to secrete hormones.

One of the pineal gland's most powerful hormones is melatonin. The secretion of melatonin follows a regular 24 hr rhythm. Melatonin production reaches peak levels between 1 and 3am and drops to its lowest at midday. The pineal gland secretes this hormone directly into the bloodstream, which makes it instantly available to all the cells in the body and tells them 'what time it is' in nature, meaning, what position on Earth is in related to the sun. It also tells a specific gene in the DNA of every single cell when it is time for it to die and be replaced by a new cell. Without the timely secretion of melatonin, the timeless of normal cell division become extended and cancer cells develop, according to the latest cancer research.

The brain synthesizes another important neurotransmittor, seratonin, which relates to our state of well being. I've previously wrote and discussed about 4 important mood zones or so called 'brain chemicals', I think about a year ago. Please read it if you would want to know more about how to feel good, happy, positive, confident and overcome your depression or perhaps any other mental condition, particularly mood swings in women. Now, back to seratonin, arguably the most critical neurotransmitter for our brain. It has a powerful influence on day and night rhythms, sexual behavior, memory, appetite, impulsiveness, fear, and even suicidal tendencies.

Unlike melatonin, seratonin increases with the light of day, with peak secretions at midday, and also through physical exercise and of course, amino acid L-Tryptophan from primarily animal based foods. It is very interesting to note that over 90% of this extremely important neurotransmittor is actually made in your gut, and not your brain. This gut/brain connection shows how crucial eating the proper good food and healthy digestive functions are for the overall well being of both the mind and the body, and vice versa.

The increasing and decreasing levels of melatonin and seratonin indicate to the cells whether it is dark of light outside and whether they should be more active or slow down their activities. This intricate mechanism ensures that all physical functions are synchronized with the rhythmic changes that occur in the natural environment. That is known as 'entrainment'. The health of each cell in the body depends, therefore, on the degree to which we allow the body to be in harmony with the cycles of day and night.

Any deviation from the circadian rhythm causes abnormal secretions of the hormones melatonin and seratonin. This hormonal imbalance, in turn, leads to erratic biological rhythms, which can subsequently disrupt the harmonious functioning of of the entire organism, including digestion of food, cell metabolism and overall hormonal balance. Suddenly, we may feel 'out of sync' or shaky and become susceptible to developing an illness, which could include a simple cold, headache, depression or even a cancerous tumor. 

The pineal gland controls reproduction, sleep and motor activity, blood pressure, the immune system, the pituitary  and thyroid glands, cellular growth, body temperature, and many other vital functions. All of these depend on the regular melatonin cycle which, yet again, is controlled by our body's ability to be in synchronous with nature's rhythms. The amount of melatonin made available to the body in response to the darkness of the night depends on the concentration of seratonin secreted in response to the amount of natural light we are exposed to during the day. As daylight diminishes, seratonin is automatically 'broken down' into melatonin.

If your body makes a good amount of seratonin from natural light, it will also produces sufficient amounts of melatonin during the nighttime, provided your eyes are closed. The pineal gland starts secreting melatonin between around 9.30 to 10.30pm, depending on your age. Unless you use stimulants such as caffeine or food at that time, melatonin naturally induces sleepiness or drowsiness.

Melatonin may even slow the affects of aging, according to a study by Spanish Aging Research Network. With sufficiently high amount of melatonin in the blood, the body is able to regenerate and rejuvenate itself. This sustain good health, vitality and longevity.

The cycles of melatonin and seratonin totally depending on each other, and are precisely controlled by our changing environment. By disregarding these rhythmic changes in nature and living against these unspoken laws, the body and mind surely move out of sync with one another. This is a leading cause of physical and mental health.

A lot of people might not realize, but one of the greatest secrets of good health lies in the discovery of our intimate relationship with the universe. I'm talking about nature, any sense of separation between nature and us  can  only exist in the mind, not in the body. The body has formed an essential link with external world. Till then, take care.

No time and need a bite? Try this one..

To whoever is super busy and no time to prepare any whatsover real food at all ( yeah yeah..tons of excuses ), instead of commercial candy bars, snickers, Kitkat, why not try this 'healthier' snack. When you are hungry and need a bite, no 'real' food available and to avoid from eating junk, give this one a try.

First of all, it's organic, no preservatives, no artificial coloring or sweeteners, non GMO, and not too high in sugar(8.8g) per serving. Besides, it tastes delicious and affordable. Try it out. 

Time Bomb - In your mouth!

I have it, some of you have it, it's a dangerous neurotoxin, it's given to you by your dentist, and yes, it's in your mouth! What is it? It's mercury, a time bomb. Why is that so? 

First of all, none of us, should allow mercury almagram to be placed in our teeth. Not to mention children, it is even more dangerous. When I was young, I did not know the danger of mercury almagram, but I'm trying to find a good dentist who knows how to perform the surgery for the almagram removal. Still keeping my fingers crossed.

Dental "silver" amalgam fillings, or its also known as mercury fillings, are actually made from about 50 percent mercury and the rest of an amalgam is silver, tin, copper, zinc and other metals. Mercury is a potent toxin that can damage your brain, central nervous system and kidneys. Children and fetuses, whose brains are still developing, are most at risk, but really anyone can be impacted. 

Remember, virtually any kind of stimulation can cause these fillings to release mercury. Eating, drinking, brushing your teeth, grinding your teeth, chewing gum, anything. Mercury vapor from the amalgams passes readily through cell membranes, across the blood-brain barrier, and into your central nervous system, where it causes psychological, neurological, and immunological problems.

If your mouth is currently free of mercury fillings, good for you. Make sure you keep it that way by seeing a biological dentist who can recommend a truly inert material that will not harm your health in the event you do need a filling. For those of you who have mercury fillings, I recommend that you have them removed. Avoid making the mistake I did years ago by having it done by a non biological dentist. When you have these fillings removed you can be exposed to significant amounts of mercury vapors if the dentist doesn't know what he or she is doing.

How about the FDA? Yeah, as expected, they want us to keep buying mercury, especially Americans.  Why is that so? You do the math and figure it out yourself. The FDA even claimed that mercury is harmless!! What on earth are they thinking? Do you know that your dentist does not have to warn you about the dangers of mercury fillings? 

The question is, do you have mercury poisoning? How would you know? Some chronic illnesses might be related to mercury toxicity as it overload the mercury toxic levels especially people who consumed tons of seafood as well as plenty of accumulated vaccine shots throughout your lives. Go test your body for mercury toxic levels! Try urine test or hair analysis.

Top 10 Common Household Toxins

Folks, I decided to share with all of you, the Top 10 most common household toxins, data obtained from TIME magazine. Please avoid these 10 toxins whichever way you can, whenever you can. There you go.

• Bisphenol A (BPA) - This chemical is mainly used in plastic production. 
• Oxybenzone - Another dangerous chemical found in cosmetics.
• Fluoride - A dangerous neurotoxin found in water, toothpaste, etc.
• Parabens - Another dangerous chemical found in cosmetics, primarily a synthetic preservatives.
• Phthalates - Another dangerous chemical use in plastic manufacturing.
• Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) - An additive that preserves fats and oils in food and cosmetics.
• Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) - A component of Teflon nonstick coatings.
• Perchlorate - An oxidant of rocket fuel. I wrote about this before. 
• Decabromodiphenyl Ether (DECA) - Found in electronics, furniture, carpets.
• Asbestos - A naturally occurring fibrous mineral. Found in housing insulation, drywall, artificial fireplace logs, toys. 

Germs : ( Part 4)

It has been a hectic yet busy week for me. Taking a short break here to write some stuff about germs, continuation from last post. Hopefully, I would be able to write couple more posts this week, we'll see how it goes. 

In this post, let's discuss a bit about hygiene hypothesis. A scan of medical history reveals a similar pattern of  increase for the three categories of inflammatory disorders that have become so prominent in the 21st century. They include allergies and asthma, autoimmune diseases such as Diabetes Type 1, multiple sclerosis and lupus, as well as inflammatory bowel conditions such as Crohn's and and ulcerative colitis. All were rare to nonexistent in the ancient medical literature. Heard of Hippocrates? He was hailed as the 'Father of Western Medicine'. Hippocrates describes rare individuals who have bad reactions to certain foods such as milk, but the symptoms, upset stomach gas, sounds more like digestive intolerance than allergy.

By the beginning of the 20th century, respiratory allergies had become so common place across western Europe and North America that many cities had 'hay fever societies'. The hygiene hypothesis that emerged at the end of the twentieth century looked quite different from that first proposed in the 1980's. According to the hypothesis in its later form,  what protected against immune dysregulation was not sickness but early and continual exposure to microbes, especially the kind of bacteria that children regularly inhale and swallow when  they are around other children, animals and unsanitized water. Or more accurately perhaps,  the lack of this exposure appeared to promote immune disorders in people with an underlying predisposition. The idea that exposure to bacteria could provoke anything but a disease fighting inflammation had yet to make into textbooks and remained somewhat controversial, despite a growing literature of published research.

I have a question to all mothers or soon to be mums. Does any of you knows that babies born by cesarean section have double the rate of food allergies as vaginally delivered infants? Research suggests that  the mother's vaginal and anal bacteria deliver benefits that are missed during surgical birth.

Now, let's talk about about farms, bugs and drugs. Over the last 30 years, scores of studies have confirmed that this steady diet of antibiotic breeds highly resistant microflora in an animal's digestive tract and on its skin, as well as in the air, soil and groundwater in and around livestock operations. Analysis of supermarket meat and eggs show that at least some of this drug-resistant microflora also ends up shrink-wrapped with the meat we buy and trapped inside eggs before shells form. From there, even the most meticulous cook will spread a few invisible contaminants around the kitchen and occasionally a few more to reach the dinner table in a less than thoroughly cooked burger, chop or omelet.

Each year, salmonella and campylobacter, the most common causes of bacterial food poisoning, send an estimated of 3 to 4 millions Americans to the doctor or hospital for treatment, though many more suffer a miserable day or two in the toilet before recovering on their own. In the most serious cases, when the bacteria spread beyond the intestines, effective antibiotics can spell the difference between full recovery and serious organ damage or even death. But over the last 2 decades, increasingly multidrug-resistant strains of salmonella and campylobacter have emerged, first in animals and then in people.

Salmonella is bad news. This drug resistant salmonella is really bad news. Mysteriously and dangerously, these superbugs tend to cause more invasive infections, organ damage and fatalities, even when doctors deploy effective antibiotics.

There are larger concerns on the suspicions that the tonnage of antibiotics fed to livestock is fueling a pipeline of resistance genes from their microflora to ours. For every salmonella and campylobacter that sickens someone, we have to assume that hundreds to millions of normally harmless bacteria are continually moving farm to fork. Bare in mind that they don't have to make us sick in order to swap genes with other bacteria in our intestinal tract.

Now, to explore the problems created by our war on germs is to risk suggesting that humanity was better off in the centuries before public sanitation and antibiotics disrupted our 'natural' relationships with microbes. Same goes to today's antivaccine movement that implies as much as its argument that by depriving children once common infections such as measles, chicken pox and mumps, we are leaving these kids to more prone to disease then their 'heartier' ancestors.

Even medical experts have questioned whether in keeping people alive longer, modern medicine has substituted quantity for quality of live. giving us not the 'Golden Years' but sadly the debilitated ones. Sounds familiar to some of you? I'm sure some of you who are reading this right now, are on multiple prescription drugs due to certain medical condition, am i right?

This may be my last post for GERMS discussion. I really don't know what else to add in, I might just squeeze another final post next week. I have a big day coming real soon, have to prepare my stuff, getting ready and we'll see how it goes. I'm just happy to hear that one of my clients lost 6kg and inches off his waist. Till then, stay tuned.