National Blueberry Month: 5 Reasons to Celebrate

National Blueberry Month: 5 Reasons to Celebrate

There are dozens of reasons we love summer between cookouts, beach vacations, and all of the fresh fruits and veggies in season, but one little fruit is getting extra attention this month.  Refusing to be overlooked, the small-but-mighty North American fruit is taking over July with National Blueberry Month! Keep reading to find out why these little fruits pack a huge punch:

Blueberries are a classic summer food.  The blueberry season itself runs from May until October, but peaks in July just in time for summer salads, smoothies, and farmer’s markets! If the sweetness wasn’t enough to make you fall in love with one of America’s favorite superfoods, here’s a peek at the long list of benefits that make them more than deserving of their month of recognition:

They’re great for your bones

Can you guess how many vitamins the blueberry has that assist bone health? Most would stop at two or three. After all, they’re tiny! In fact, they contain seven: iron, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and vitamin K.  While iron and zinc help to maintain the elasticity of bones and joints, vitamin K has been shown to prevent bone fractures over time.

They help with weight loss & digestion

Blueberries have a surprisingly high fiber content within the jewel blue skin. In fact, adding one cup of fresh blueberries can add up to 4.2 grams of fiber to your diet with only 80 calories!  Getting enough fiber not only helps with regulating digestion and maintaining a healthy digestive tract, but it also helps you feel full and satisfied for longer which can help support a healthy weight and lifestyle.

They support your skin’s health

Your skin’s support system, collagen, relies on vitamin C to help prevent damage.  This damage comes from many things we come in contact with every day.  These including smoke, air pollution, and smoke (firsthand and secondhand), so they can be hard to get away from. Thankfully, the vitamin C found in blueberries can help assist collagen in smoothing out wrinkles and improving overall skin texture so that your skin looks as healthy as it feels!

They’re packed with antioxidants

Antioxidants are important. They help protect your cells against free radicals! In case you’ve never heard of them, they are molecules produced when your body breaks down food or is exposed to tobacco smoke or radiation.  They can start a chain of harmful chemical reactions that hurt the cells in your body.  Not to worry, blueberries are actually believed to be the highest antioxidant-containing food of all commonly eaten fruits!

Blueberry boosts your brain

As we age, our memory tends to decline and conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia become more common.  In recent studies, however, blueberries have been found to boost cognitive function and reduce the likelihood of these diseases.  We can thank the dense concentration of flavonoids, a group of plant chemicals that give fruits and vegetables their vibrant colors.  This chemical has been shown to increase brain activity and blood flow to the brain which makes it a powerful weapon in the fight to treat Alzheimer’s.

This is just a handful of the amazing list of health benefits offered by this power-packed fruit.  Check out your local farmer’s market, grocery store, or even your own garden to stock up while they’re ripe! Since washing the fruit actually softens it and makes it overripen more quickly, try opting for an organic option as their thin skin allows for chemicals and pesticides to seep into the fruit.  Add them to your smoothies, oatmeals, and yogurts this month and enjoy a healthy, fresh July!

Posted On July 13, 2017 from Unfranchise Blog

Doubling Daily Intake of Protein Promotes Weight Loss while Saving Muscle- Its a Win Win!

Typically when people think of weight loss, they think of restricting calories or food groups, such as carbs. And many may think that adding more protein to their diet will pack on muscle, which may lead to weight gain. But in addition to be satiating, increasing your protein intake may help you lose weight while maintaining fat-burning muscle, according to new research. 

The latest research, published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, finds that doubling one’s daily intake of protein will prevent the loss of muscle mass while promoting fat loss during short-term weight loss.

According to researchers at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, who conducted the study, the 31-day regimen followed three groups: Those who took the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of protein, those who doubled that amount, and those who tripled their protein intake.

What is the RDA of Protein?

Protein RDAs are calculated using 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. A 175-pound man should, according to this calculation, take in approximately 63.5 grams of protein each day.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has simplified the equation into basic requirements.  According to the CDC, the average adult man should take in 56 grams of protein a day, while the recommendation for the average adult woman is 46 grams of protein a day.

The Protein Study

After observing all groups and controlling their diet and exercise regimens, they concluded that the group that doubled their RDA saw increased muscle mass and fat-burning benefits compared to the group following the U.S.-recommended protein intake.

The group whose protein intake was tripled did not see added benefit beyond the group that doubled their RDA, researchers concluded. According to lead researcher Dr. Stefan Pasiakos:

We believe that the RDA for protein should be based on a level to optimize health, as well as prevent deficiencies, and our data demonstrate a potential inadequacy of the current RDA for sparing muscle mass during weight loss, which may affect a significant portion of the population. 

"The average male and female should be consuming approx 120 grams of protein per day"

Finding it difficult to get your optimal amount of protein?  Try a quality shake or bar.

     Protein is an integral part of any healthy diet and it should be considered just a diet food we all need protein to give our body the energy to get through the day and it plays an important role in regulating body weight

Protein keeps you full for little longer and keeps your metabolism in high gear.

One other nutrient most people aren't getting enough of is fiber.  Fiber goes far beyond digestion and regularity - fiber rich complex carbohydrates such as fruits vegetables and whole grains keeps us feeling full for longer.

Fiber stabilizes your blood sugar and gives you longer-lasting energy but not only that but fiber can help maintain healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels those are just some the reason is important to get enough protein and fiber throughout the day.  Unfortunately that's not happening for most of us because we are eating convenience foods that are sorely lacking in protein and fiber.

GLUTEN FREE

Many people are gluten sensitive and many others who can benefit from reducing the amount of gluten they consume.  Gluten is the sticky substance in wheat and other products responsible for the elastics texture of dough that can draw water out of the intestines and feed bacteria in the intestines that can cause gas, bloating and indigestion.

Gluten even a mild sensitivity to it has been shown to spark systemic inflammation.  Even the smallest amount of gluten can have a prolonged inflammatory effect in the body if you're sensitive.  Traditionally eating gluten-free means cutting back on fiber intake from whole grains or missing out on vitamins you normally get from fortified foods

Choice Protein Bars

That's what's so great about Choice Bars.

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it's absolutely a win-win

Get your protein and lose the weight while saving your muscles.

Calcium and Vitamin D Boost Body Fat Loss

Calcium and Vitamin D Boost Body Fat Loss
by Olivia Mungal

If you, like millions of other people, recently just started a new diet for your New Year’s Resolution, you may be in luck. A recent study shows adding calcium and vitamin D supplements to a calorie-restricted diet may boost the loss of body fat more than the diet alone.

The Study 
Chinese researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Health Sciences in China tested 52 obese or overweight adults. All participants were asked to follow an calorie-restricted diet (-500 kcal/daily), but half were randomly selected to take a Calcium and Vitamin D supplement, and the other half were given placebos.

"The calcium and vitamin D group achieved 55.6% augmentation of fat mass loss compared with the control, despite the face that there was no significant difference in body weight change between groups,” researchers noted in the Nutrition Journal.

About a quarter of the US adult population is obese, and even more are considered overweight. Over 300,000,000 adults are considered obese worldwide, according to statistics from the WHO and the International Obesity Task Force.

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Isotonix® Calcium Plus

What Makes Isotonix® Calcium Plus Unique?

Calcium is essential for building and maintaining strong bones. Isotonix® Calcium Plus provides the body with an optimal blend of calcium, vitamin D3, magnesium, vitamin C and boron in an efficient isotonic solution that is readily absorbed by the body. Isotonix dietary supplements are a replica of the body's own fluids, such as tears, plasma and breast milk. All fluids in the human body have a certain concentration, which is called the osmotic pressure. The body's common osmotic pressure, which is isotonic, allows a consistent maintenance of all body tissues. In order for a substance to be used in the body's metabolism, it must be changed to the isotonic state.*

The efficiency of absorption is also affected by the digestive system. All substances that are used in the stomach go through a degradation process (breakdown) before they can be passed through the opening from the stomach to the small intestine to allow absorption. The digestive process can cause substances to lose some nutritive value, and this whole process takes time!

The secret of the isotonic process is probably now becoming clear! When an isotonic substance enters the body, it will be absorbed into the bloodstream rapidly. With isotonic fluids, little nutritive value is lost making the absorption of nutrients highly efficient. There is nothing artificial about it. An isotonic fluid is nature's own nutrient delivery system.

Isotonix Calcium Plus paves the way for powerful results since it is in an isotonic form rather than a tablet. Calcium in tablet form is difficult for your body to absorb. People may fail to absorb tablet calcium supplements because the calcium supplement is not blended with vitamin D and magnesium; these are necessary to aid in the absorption and use of calcium. 

Even if the calcium tablet is blended correctly, it may be difficult for the body to utilize or break down the calcium. One explanation may be that many calcium brands use calcium from eggshell or oyster shell. These may not be well absorbed by the body. Another reason calcium may not be absorbed from a tablet is because of DCP, which is a binding agent used to hold the tablet together. DCP does not break down in the body.

  

In addition to binders, some calcium supplements may have additives such as chlorine and other chemicals. Even assuming no binders are used in the calcium tablet, the body must still break down a hard-press 
ed tablet into a usable form. If the tablet cannot be broken down sufficiently in the stomach, then the calcium will not be absorbed. If you can't break down the calcium, your body is robbed of the calcium needed to support bodily functions.

Ordinary calcium tablets require stomach acid to dissolve their compounds, but Isotonix Calcium Plus has no need of stomach acid to be utilized. It delivers an efficient calcium solution that is more readily absorbed by the intestine. Its natural lemon-lime flavor is preferable to the chalky taste of typical chewable calcium wafers or tablets. 

Many calcium supplements exist in the marketplace, but only Market America's Isotonix Calcium Plus delivers a potent package of calcium and complementary nutrients through an isotonic system of delivery. This translates into a lower cost overall when compared to calcium supplements in pill form by making more of the active ingredients available to the body. Don't be misled by ingredient amounts. What really counts is the amount of active ingredients that your body can ultimately use. 

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