Butter is back

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/opinion/bittman-butter-is-back.html?referrer=

Do antibiotics make us fat??

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/opinion/sunday/the-fat-drug.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0&referrer=

Pomegranate juice for cleaner arteries?

OK, I'm not sure if I follow this idea 100%, but as long as the sugar content of the juice isn't too high I can't see the harm in trying it...

http://www.undergroundhealth.com/how-to-clean-your-arteries-with-one-simple-fruit/

The scary stuff about cheap chicken

I don't know about you, but I make a point of avoiding cheap chicken whenever I buy it... Anything "cheap" scares me, because there is usually no such thing as a bargain.
That cost must be met somewhere.
I have just added two new books to my reading list, that's for sure...

http://grist.org/food/the-brutal-cost-of-a-cheap-chicken/

Tim Noakes on the Banting diet

Tim Noakes is my hero. There, I said it... Flame all you want.
Not only was the guy brave enough to completely contradict himself when new scientific evidence came to light (in an old book of his, The Lore of Running, he advocated - in fact, insisted - that the only way to achieve peak athletic performance was to optimise your carb intake), but he has also taken it upon himself to tell anyone who'll listen that he was wrong.

For anyone who already "bants", this stuff isn't news, but it's a very interesting and well-written article all the same.

http://m.news24.com/health24/Diet-and-nutrition/Nutrition-basics/Tim-Noakes-on-carbohydrates-20120721

Healthy snacks can make you fat!

One person I have followed for years is Matt Marshall (you can find a general link to his new site at the bottom of the page). He talks a lot of sense, especially around diet and exercise, and has made a big point of staying away from fads and trying to stick to the "classic" way of doing things, when low-fat food didn't exist, and neither did steroids and fat-burning supplements (most of which are dubious anyway).
His whole blog is well worth checking out, but this post in particular was very interesting... and maybe just a little bit scary...

http://www.fitnessunderoath.com/these-healthy-snacks-are-making-you-fat/

Sugar is evil... Like you need ME to tell you...

As if you didn't know already (and if you genuinely didn't, shame on you!) sugar is the root of all evil. OK, maybe that's taking it a bit far, but it's definitely the root of many of society's health problems... Stop poisoning yourself and your family! Chuck this junk in the bin and get some Stevia instead...

http://m.naturalnews.com/news/043659_sugar_immune_system_inflammation.html

Still drinking crappy low-fat milk??

A new Harvard study prompts a professor to warn people off low fat milk... Been doing the same thing for ages!

http://www.undergroundhealth.com/harvard-low-fat-milk/

Trying the 15/15 V02 max kettle bell routine... Day 2

One word... OUCH!

After yesterdays' little jaunt, my hamstrings are more like guitar strings and my biceps feel like someone tried to inflate them with a car-tyre pump!
Oddly, my shoulders don't ache at all, which is surprising since effectively did 225 overhead presses... Oh well, that's the pain out of the way - next week should be a lot less painful, unless I up the weight!

All in all, worth a try, especially if you need a change.

Trying the 15/15 V02 max kettle bell routine... Day 1

So today I decided to try out the kettle bell workout that I posted last week. Following the advice in the article, as a beginner I broke the workout into chunks of 5 with a short rest in between.

I used a Tabata timer to help with working everything out - it's just an app on my phone. If you don't have one (and have an Android phone), check out Tabata Pro in the Play store. There are loads of others, but this is one of the best.

The idea with this workout is to try and do as many swing-snatch-push combinations as possible in 15 seconds; normal range is 6-8 and once you can do 8 easily you up the weight. This was my first attempt, and a long time since I used a kettle bell, so was quite happy with my modest 5 reps per set. The exercise consists of 6-8 reps with one arm, switch, and then 6-8 reps with the other arm. This is one set. Do this 5 times for each arm and take a short rest - 30 seconds should do (if you're a beginner, otherwise just keep going!). The idea is to go like this for a full 25 minutes without stopping... Hmmm, that wasn't gonna happen the first time but maybe eventually!

Number of reps completed: 5 sets x 5 reps each arm x 5 "chunks"... A not-too-shabby 225 reps in one workout! "Normal" weights are allegedly 16kg for women, and 18kg for men. Therefore, I'm not telling you what my weight was, but I AM just getting started!

It was bloody hard work, and my hamstrings are already sore, but let's see how tomorrow feels...

Nanoparticles in food... Do you really want to EAT that??

This is not  surprising news, but frightening all the same. Would you like TiO2 with that?

http://rdd.me/9rpp3ksx

How sugar affects the brain... (Spoiler: it's not good)

Just a little wake up call for all you sugar-hollics out there...

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lEXBxijQREo&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DlEXBxijQREo

Ketogenic diet may help with Epilepsy

This isn't the first I've seen about this, this diet has been used for decades to treat epilepsy in children, but it seems it could be helpful for other neurological disorders, too.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140116085049.htm

GMO linked to gluten disorders

Is there nothing that GMOs don't screw up? Apart from Monsanto's profits, obviously...

http://www.undergroundhealth.com/gmo-linked-to-gluten-disorders-plaguing-18-million-americans-report/

Kettlebell snatch workout

This looks like some serious work... Looking forward to trying it out!!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/kettlebell_snatch_and_diet.htm

How cool is this?? (At least, if you're diabetic)...

This is quite remarkable... A contact lens that measures your glucose levels!

http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/google-s-contact-lens-glucose-monitor-prototype-could-end-finger-pricks-for-diabetics-1.1643562

Jamie Oliver-induced turnaround by McDonald's??

Anyone who knows me knows that i can't stand Jamie Oliver, but if this is true I feel compelled to take my hat off to him.
Of course, it would be easier to avoid McDonald's crappy food altogether, but still...

http://www.undergroundhealth.com/jamie-oliver-campaign-makes-mcdonalds-change-recipe/

How GMO foods alter your DNA

It's frightening how this crap can still be in our food, despite overwhelming evidence that it does more harm that good. Money talks, as always...

http://www.undergroundhealth.com/how-gmo-foods-alter-human-dna/