Introduction

There's no doubt that America's fascination for peanut butter as a sandwich spread is well-documented, apart from being a popular choice in the Netherlands as well. And if this isn't enough, you'll agree with me when I say that January 24 every year is celebrated as the National Peanut Butter Day. Obviously, the United States (along with China – surprise surprise!!!) are the largest exporters of peanut butter.

And for those of you who are positively hooked, you have the 'cereal man', John H. Kellogg to thank, for his patent 'Process of preparing Nutmeal'  which details the method he invented for preparing 'nut-butter'.

However, one might wonder if there is more to what makes peanut butter so appealing other than the taste itself?

Peanut Butter – Nutritional Value & Benefits

Peanut butter comes in two forms such as the regular and natural of which the former is prepared with hydrogenated vegetable oil, salt and sweeteners to enhance the flavor which is either of the smooth or crunchy variety, while the latter is made of peanuts and oil.

But apart from its convenience of helping most people to grab a quick bite, it is nutritious and thus beneficial to our health as well.

Peanut Butter contains protein, monounsaturated fats, resveratrol, dietary fiber, arginine, vitamins B3 and E, the antioxidant p-coumaric acid, folate, potassium, copper, iron, phosphorous, calcium and magnesium. Interestingly, there is no alcohol, sodium or caffeine which makes it healthier as compared to most other processed foods.

Even though peanut butter is high in calories, the common misconception is that one will gain weight, however, this is false as the fats present in peanut butter are monounsaturated in nature.

Protection from cardiovascular disease and cancers (colo-rectal cancer, to be precise), regulating blood sugar and cholesterol levels,  reduces the risk of hypertension, muscle spasms while intriguingly enabling the proper secretion of sexual hormones.

And despite commercial peanut butter being healthy enough, the natural version has also caught on as well, and there are very few differences between the two.

Natural Vs. Regular Peanut Butter

Right off the bat, the difference between the two is minimal except for the fact that in the natural version, the contents are only made of salt and peanuts, and in some cases of natural peanut butter, even the salt is taken away. One thing to remember here is that natural peanut butter has to be refrigerated as there are no preservatives added.

Truth be told, the health benefits are almost the same with the exception of the healthy fat (which is in liquid form during room temperature in natural peanut butter) is converted to its unhealthy form when produced commercially.

One very big reason why people prefer homemade to natural peanut butter is due to the salmonella outbreak that occurred in 2007 and off late in 2009 when peanut butter-based products such as crackers, cookies and dog treats when these products were recalled.

In Closing

There's no doubt that peanut butter is a nutritious food that has several benefits right from athletes to dieters as well as the common man. And the best part of it all is that all you need is two tablespoons of it… and you're satisfied!

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After posting her pics here on FitBuff for the last few weeks, Alley decided to start her own website, so her progress pics and stats on now on her new health and fitness blog here:

Athletic Alley

Here are this week's progress pictures and measurements for me…

Weight: 189.4 pounds (+1.4lb from last week)
Waist: 33 inches (-0.1" from last week)

As you may or may not have noticed, the house of FitBuff is in a bit of disarray this week, and these progress pics and measurements are actually exact duplicates of last week.

There have been some electrical problems that have cut power to parts of the house, so we're sorting those out, and will be back to our regularly scheduled progress updates next week…

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Introduction

Seafood has been a favorite food of mine for a while now. As far as I can recall, prawns were always my favorite yet I would have to stay away because of the hives (the merciless itching as well !!) that broke out due a strong allergy that one observant chap said was due to the fact that most places which serve seafood do not remove its tail.

And somehow, my fear of the allergy has overridden my desire for prawns to the point of paranoia where in ordering a 'chicken fried rice', I still ask them not to add any prawn additives, come to think of it is like giving them ideas!

And one can only think that I've gone nuts…

Speaking of nuts though, there is a growing number of cases where people have found themselves allergic to these little delightful snacks.

Nut Allergies

And no, we don't mean an allergy to peanuts which is actually a legume as opposed to the allergies to tree nuts that kids and some adults have. Obviously, the reaction to these nuts can anywhere from mild to severe in their degree.

Some tree nuts that you might have heard of and perhaps enjoy regularly are almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pistachios, pecans, and cashews and so on and so forth.

So when you eat any of these nuts, your immune system considers it to be harmful for the body, even though it is quite the opposite, resulting in the release of antibodies known as immunoglobulin (IgE) that fight off the invading proteins from the food.

This is what happens during any allergic reaction, however, the symptoms might be the only the difference from allergy to allergy.

Symptoms

Even though these symptoms last for a day, they affect any or a combination of these four organs of the body.

a. Gastrointestinal System

Digestive issues like cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are common symptoms of this allergy

b. Skin

Most allergies (not only to tree nuts) exhibit symptoms such as itchy, red, bumpy rashes (known as hives), redness and swelling around the mouth or face as well as eczema. Actually, this will be one of the first symptoms that you will notice.

c. Cardiovascular system

In severe cases, one can also feel dizzy, which is another symptoms that points to nuts.

d. Respiratory system

Symptoms include breathlessness, a running or watery nose, sneezing and in some cases, it can trigger asthma which includes coughing and wheezing.

Since most of the time these allergies may be mild, there are time when this condition can be life-threatening also known as 'anaphylaxis', where all the four aforementioned body systems mentioned above are under attack leading to symptoms like breathlessness, itchy skin, tightness in the throat with the inability to speak, abdominal pain, vomiting, nasal stuffiness and so on and so forth.

For immediate relief from these symptoms before you can get yourself to a hospital, one should epinephrine with them at all times. It is effective as it works to decrease any swelling as well as increases blood pressure as well. For other milder cases, one can only avoid all forms of nuts either directly, used as embellishment in foods or the oils that they use to prepare food with.

In closing

Paranoia or not… sometimes allergies are bets dealt with when these foods are avoided, for many a time I've watched members from my family unable to deal with their overwhelming desire for prawns, succumb to the "Oh, just take an allergy tablet" routine with disastrous results.

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Introduction

There was this article which outlined the relationship between obesity (more accurately, an enlarged waistline) with an increasing risk of cardiovascular disease. And with heart disease being the number one killer around the world, the medical community is exhorting their patients to switch to a healthier lifestyle, most importantly in regards to what they eat.

But after all this research, the fact that your diet is one of the biggest contributors to increased levels of bad cholesterol is common knowledge these days, leaving people to really watch (and eliminate) foods that lift those cholesterol levels substantially.

To be honest, some of the food out there is heart-rending…

So, how does the food we eat affect our 'bad' cholesterol levels?

Our Diet and bad cholesterol levels

Now for those who think that cholesterol is bad, think again. Cholesterol is a vital nutrient that is required for our body tissues, and is carried to and fro between the liver and body tissue by lipoproteins, known as LDLs (low density lipoproteins) and HDLs (high density lipoproteins).

As soon as our LDL levels increase, thanks to the food we eat which contains high cholesterol, this makes us more susceptible to heart disease. Not only that, if the HDL levels drop, that leaves us just as vulnerable to heart disease as the former.

Finally, one should also watch the triglyceride levels in the bloodstream that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

So, apart from maintaining a healthy diet…  exercise, weight loss, smoking cessation and avoiding alcohol abuse are all important pieces to the puzzle when it comes to heart care.

So your next question could be, what kind of nutrients will help maintain the right LDL, HDL, triglyceride levels?

Maintaining HDL, LDL and triglyceride levels through a healthy diet

Since all these factors are related to each other in one way or another, here are some broad guidelines that one can follow to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Experts says that a lacto-vegetarian diet is ideal consisting of whole grains, seeds, fruits and vegetable with a serious reduction of the amount of sugar and salt in your food. Another focus is that on foods that contain soluble fiber, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids (good fats) while one should drop foods from the list that are high in carbohydrates and cholesterol (obviously!!).

Now, half the battle is won when you know which foods are the worst for your heart, and since prevention is better than cure, let's look at a list of foods that you must avoid in order to have a healthy heart.

Foods that are high in cholesterol

In looking at a list of high cholesterol foods, one realizes that there are so many, and sadly they're the tastiest of the lot. However, there are two nutrients (if I might call it that!) that lead to high cholesterol such as saturated fats (which increase both triglyceride and LDL levels) and cholesterol from animals. But it's the ones that are loaded with bad fats are the ones that should be watched for, as opposed to those with moderate cholesterol content (which is required for the body!).

And from this, one can infer that most foods which have high levels of saturated fat are animal-based foods such as eggs, meat, fish, poultry, milk with higher fat content while processed foods which contain trans fats like pastries, muffins and so on and so forth are also on that list.

So, the key to a heart-healthy diet is to watch out for foods that are high in saturated fats and trans fats!

In closing

One cannot discount the importance of physical activity apart from watching what you eat. Exercise, by itself, can bring positive changes to your cholesterol levels… so one should keep this also in mind, which not only makes you feel better but helps you reduce obesity levels (that have a distinct connection with heart disease).

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Introduction

With cardiovascular disease being the largest cause of death and disability (killing one person every 34 seconds, actually!) in the United States and Europe, reducing cholesterol levels by maintaining a healthy diet, has been cited as one of the ways by one can reduce the risk of heart disease and therefore increase the lifespan of an individual.

However, if uninformed, one will naturally assume that cholesterol is bad for your heart. And that is definitely not true, so let us understand what cholesterol is before we get into looking at the options available for a low cholesterol diet.

'Good' and 'Bad' Cholesterol

Contrary to popular opinion, cholesterol is important for our body, that is produced in the liver and is used as an ingredient to generate bile, hormones and nerve tissue as well as Vitamin D.

So why all the fuss, anxiety and panic with cholesterol?

Cholesterol travel through the bloodstream from the liver to other tissues while being carried by lipoproteins, and these lipoproteins are further divided into two types, low density lipoproteins (LDLs) which carry cholesterol from the liver to the cells of the body and high density lipoproteins (HDLs) that carry cholesterol from the cells of the body back to the liver, while LDL-receptors regulate the amount of cholesterol in the body.

Of the two, LDLs are known as 'bad cholesterol' meaning that one should keep these levels as low as possible, while HDLs are known as 'good cholesterol' which means that these levels have to be increased.

If an increase in LDL levels or the reduction of HDL levels occurs, the risk of heart disease increases as in the case of the former, too much cholesterol accumulates in the arteries that cannot be removed by the HDLs despite being at healthy levels, while in the case of the latter, there are too few HDLs to remove the cholesterol from the arteries even though the right levels of LDLs are present in the blood.

And how do we maintain this balance?

A careful attention to diet will go a long way in maintaing a balance of HDL & LDL levels in the body.

Lowering Cholesterol Foods

Since it has been proven medically that a healthy diet will assist in dropping 'bad cholesterol' levels, here are a list of ten foods that can get you started:

Soups, meats such as beef, veal and lamb, fish, poultry, egg whites, non-fat or skim milk, cottage cheese, vegetables, fruits, salads and salad dressing, cereal, white and whole wheat bread and beverages such as tea, coffee and its substitutes, egg white eggnogs and non-fat milk cocoa.

Among these food groups, there are some foods that cut your bad cholesterol levels substantially, and some of them are apples, beans, brown rice, cinnamon, garlic, grapes, oats, salmon, soy and walnuts.

In Closing

One must understand that in order to avoid the risk of heart disease, not only should you watch what you eat but maintain an overall healthy lifestyle that includes exercise as well, and not only do they ensure that a happier life but a healthier one too. And from this list, there's no doubt that your choices aren't limited at all.

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Introduction
It’s interesting to note that what we considered to be useless only a quarter of a century ago, a prominent example being whey, a by-product of cheese, has been toted by almost every fitness expert and organization in the business to be the best source of protein (and essential amino acids) available to man, even better than the white of an egg. This only goes to show how much we knew a few decades ago, and despite all our advances in research and development, we will still have to change preconceived notions about ideas, thoughts and principles that seem infallible.

An Overview of Whey Protein

Time and time again, athletes have found high-quality whey to be an excellent source of protein, and so it seems that ‘whey’ has indeed reinvented itself into the superfood that it is regarded today. Ironically, this is true of nature for a long time as everything is recycled, a lesson that we’re beginning to take very seriously off late.

Very simply, whey protein is merely the collection of globular proteins from whey such as beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, and serum albumin, and comes in three forms, namely the isolate, concentrate and hydrolysate.

Whey Protein Isolate: Uses and Benefits

Since its primary use is for health purposes, whey protein isolate is produced in two ways known as the Cross-flow Microfiltration and the Ion Exchange method, with the former focusing on the producing the highest quality of protein available for whey protein isolate, whereas the latter focuses on the latter.

Currently, the weight loss drinks that they use whey protein in are either a blend of the whey concentrate and isolate, or consists entirely of either of these products thus varying in the quality and quantity available in whey protein isolate used accordingly.

And of the two, its isolate form is the purest of the lot regardless of the method used while not necessarily giving you more bang for your buck as most people think that it's ok to spend less on whey protein drinks that are a combination of both instead of just being made of pure whey protein isolate.

However, what makes this form of whey protein great is that it removes the fat, lactose and bioactive compounds, resulting in almost 90 plus % in weight making it the best protein food available for those who are in bodybuilding in order to gain muscle mass safely, along with maintaining a milky taste that can be used with one of your favorite recipes as well.

Apart from just building muscle, whey protein isolate has several other health benefits as has been researched by the medical community over the past few years such as:

- Has the highest concentration of branched chain amino-acids

- Boosts immune support by producing the antioxidant Glutathione

- Contains quadrapeptides that decreases muscle soreness during training

- Has a very high Biological Value, the measure of absorbed protein in a food that will become a part of the protein tissue in the body.

- Helps in reducing LDL cholesterol production

In Closing

While whey protein isolate is discovered to be the best protein source around, this is one source of protein that should not missed out especially if the aforementioned benefits need to be taken advantage of. It is indeed in exploring Nature that we find most of our solutions, even though it can be as simple and presumably insignificant just like whey has been for health and fitness.

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Introduction
As most fitness enthusiasts and most folks who got through school know, proteins are responsible for growth as they comprise 75% of body solids, therefore building more muscle while reducing the amount of fat in your body. And we all know how important that is, especially for those who consider working out much more than a routine and much closer to a passion.

However, if one digs a little deeper, one will find that the reason why protein is so important for the body is because of the essential amino acids (which the body cannot produce) that are produced when it comes into contact with enzymes during digestion. Now, it is imperative that the body obtains these nine essential amino acids from nutrition as it cannot be produced by the body itself.

And this brings us to dietary sources of protein that should be a combination of animal and plant protein to really make a difference, such as eggs, nuts, legumes, grains, meats and dairy products as well. As studies have shown that sufficient protein intake occurs in maintaining a diet that comprises these foods.

Interestingly, a method known as the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) helps us determine protein quality based both on the amino acid requirements as well as their ability to digest it. On a scale of 1 being the highest and 0 being the lowest, milk, eggs, beef and soybeans rank the highest on this list, and since we’ve already discussed the first three protein sources, let’s look at soy protein.

Soy Protein – Source and Preparation
Just as the name indicates, soy protein comes from the oilseed, popularly known as soybean in the United States. Due to its high nutrition value in protein, soybeans (which are unhealthy, if eaten raw) are processed into its most common products such as soy meal, soy milk, soy flour, Tofu, tempeh, soy meat and soy oil while also used in foods such as salad dressing, cheese, breakfast cereal, pasta, bread and so on and so forth.

However, soy protein (in its purest form) is produced in three ways: soy isolate (with almost 90% protein content), soy concentrate (70% protein content) and soy flour (50 % protein content) and is used in the aforementioned products above.

How is it different from regular protein?

Apart from the fact that protein is protein regardless of its source, the most significant scientific discovery made recently is that soy protein is a source of ‘complete protein’ because it provides all the essential amino acids that the body requires. This works very well for those who follow a strict vegetarian diet, as they are forbidden for whatever reason to avoid meat which is a source of animal protein.

So, when you come to think of it, there is no difference except for the fact that it is one of the highest sources of protein known to man.

In Closing
For all its benefits, soy protein can also effect our body in negative ways if too much is consumed on a daily basis, so one should be cognizant of these side effects before making extreme changes.

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After posting her pics here on FitBuff for the last few weeks, Alley decided to start her own website, so her progress pics and stats on now on her new health and fitness blog here:

Athletic Alley

Here are this week's progress pictures and measurements for me…

Weight: 189.4 pounds (+1.4lb from last week)
Waist: 33 inches (-0.1" from last week)

This week was still far from perfect, but at least our measurements didn't suffer much.

Maybe, it was because most of our dietary excursions were at relatively healthy places, like Pizza Fusion and Jason's Deli.

Pizza Fusion was awesome, and Alley has a great picture-filled post of it here, so check it out to see the people and pizza there and us enjoying it!

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