If you suffer from acid reflux, diabetes, or high blood pressure...

The chances are pretty high that you or a loved one you care about might be suffering from one or more of either acid reflux, diabetes, or high blood pressure.

Instead of resorting to potentially dangerous drugs ridden with side effects, I think you'll agree that using the power of natural foods, herbs, and spices (combined with lifestyle changes) is a much smarter way to go to reverse these health issues.

The 3 videos below will show you natural remedies based on superfoods, herbs, and spices instead of drugs for each ailment that you or a loved one may suffer from...


How to Lower High Blood Pressure:
4 powerful foods and herbs that normalize high blood pressure


Acid Reflux Remedy:
The 3 minute home remedy for acid reflux (might already be in your fridge)


How to Reverse Diabetes:
1 unique spice that can reverse diabetes naturally

Please share these videos with any friends or family members you know that suffer from any of these 3 health issues.


Important new article you may have missed:

Health warning about salmon -- farmed fish vs wild fish

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

This food additive makes you 3x more likely to be overweight

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist
& Cat Ebeling, RN, BSN
co-authors: The Fat Burning Kitchen

What is this food additive that makes you 3x more likely to be overweight?

There are many chemicals and flavor enhancers in processed foods and those so-called "diet" foods that packaged as "diet" dinners, desserts, snacks, etc., and many of those are addictive. MSG is one good example. People who eat monosodium glutamate, or MSG, as a flavor enhancer in their food are more likely than others to be overweight or obese even though with the same amount of physical activity and caloric intake, according to a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health.

Researchers at UNC and in China studied more than 750 Chinese men and women, aged between 40 and 59, in three rural villages in north and south China. The majority of study participants prepared their meals at home without commercially processed foods. About 82 percent of the participants used MSG in their food. Those users were divided into three groups, based on the amount of MSG they used. The third group who used the most MSG was nearly three times more likely to be overweight than non-users.

Because MSG is used as a flavor enhancer in many processed foods, studying its potential effect on humans has been difficult. Study participants were chosen from rural Chinese villages because they used very little commercially processed food, but many regularly used MSG in food preparation.

The bottom line is that you should avoid MSG as much as possible since it can stimulate cravings and lead to weight gain, among other problems.  The best way to avoid MSG is simply to avoid all processed foods.  For some people, that may sound difficult, but it really becomes simple if the only foods that you buy at the grocery store are 1-ingredient foods – that means fresh whole unprocessed foods that are only 1-ingredient instead of processed into dozens of ingredients.

Among the most common processed ingredients are refined/enriched flour, colors, preservatives (which go by hundreds of different names), and chemical flavorings --which may legally be called "natural flavors" even if they include MSG. (As a side note: most varieties of processed or "textured" soy protein (TSP or TVP) use MSG for flavor and call it "natural flavors.")

Many nutrition experts believe that the more refined a food is, the less satisfying it is to the body. Because the body is unable to extract what it needs from denatured, highly processed junk foods, it craves more nourishment. Cravings are usually a signal your body is not getting the nutrients it needs, however, sugars and starches stimulate appetite and increase cravings for sugar — as do most artificial sweeteners.

Even the best food companies, whose apparent goal is to promote health and wellness, are still in business to make a profit. Corporations selling diet foods and low-cal foods are hardly motivated to make a product that really helps people consume less and lose weight. If they did, their captive audience--people who are overweight--would disappear, taking their money with them.

Weight loss products are highly suspect for their harmful and addictive artificial ingredients, and for the elusive promise of "quick, easy" weight loss they promise but almost never fulfill. The only certain way to lose weight permanently is to focus on healthy nutrition such as organic fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, grass-fed meats, free-range poultry and raw dairy products, an active lifestyle, reducing stress, and creating balance and harmony in our lives.

If you liked today's topic, this is just a sample of the dozens of nutrition topics that we talk about in our program --

The Fat Burning Kitchen: Your 24-Hour Diet Makeover to Turn Your Body into a Fat-Burning Machine!

Remember that this program also contains a special bonus section -- The 23-Day Advanced Fat-Burning Strategies -- the exact step by step blueprint of how I went from 10.2% bodyfat to 6.9% bodyfat in 23 days.  This section gives you all of the advanced techniques -- everything from the exact foods I ate in what combinations and why, as well as the exact spices, teas, herbs, and other natural metabolism boosting nutrients I used, and the exact advanced workout techniques that burn off ab fat faster than usual.

This section is PERFECT for the next time you need to lose body fat fast for a wedding, beach vacation, or other event.

You can read about The 23-Day Advanced Fat-Burning Strategies that comes with The FatBurningKitchen program on this page:

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/fat-burning-kitchen.html

Enjoy!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

Is this "healthy food" making you fat and sick?

Is Corn Healthy or making you sick and overweight?

by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist
and Cat Ebeling, co-author of Fat-Burning Kitchen

Contrary to popular belief, corn is a grain, not a vegetable, and is really not appropriate as a dietary staple for several reasons:

1. The problems with "antinutrients" in corn (and other grains too)
2. The inflammatory aspect of excess omega-6 fats in corn products
3. The blood sugar disrupting nature of corn products.

When civilizations such as the Mayans and Native Americans changed their diet to a corn-based one, rates of anemia, arthritis, rickets, and osteoporosis skyrocketed.

Our bodies were not made to exist on such a high quantity of grain-based foods as is present in the modern western diet.  This evidence shows up in the archeological records of our ancestors. When archaeologists looked at skeletons of native Americans in burial mounds in the Midwest who ate corn as their primary staple, there was a 50% increase in malnutrition, four times as much incidence of iron-deficiency, and three times as much infectious disease, compared to the more hunter-gather ancestors who primarily ate meats and fruits and veggies as opposed to grains.

Keep in mind that we are not just talking about corn-on-the-cob (sweet corn) here... we are also talking about corn cereals, corn chips, and other modern corn-based foods that are promoted by food companies as “healthy”. There are several reasons researchers give for the nutritional problems and the weight gain caused by a corn-dominated diet:

•    Corn contains lots of fast digesting starches and sugar, which raises insulin levels, causes you to be hungrier and causes your body to store calories as fat. Don’t be mistaken, just because corn does not taste obviously sweet, doesn’t mean it isn’t full of sugars. Once eaten, your body quickly turns corn based foods into sugar.  Even the starches in corn products can be broken down very quickly by your body spiking your blood sugar levels, and causing cravings for more carbohydrate-based foods.

•    Corn is also a poor source of protein, usually deficient in 3 of the 8 essential amino acids: lysine, isoleucine, and tryptophan. The essential amino acids are so-named because they must be obtained from the diet, since the body is unable to manufacture them.

•    Corn contains a high amount of phytate, a chemical that binds to iron and inhibits its absorption by the body. So, consequently, a diet high in phytate can make people more likely to have iron-deficiency anemia and fatigue. Phytate is also a nutrient blocker (an antinutrient) and inhibits other vitamins and minerals from being utilized.

•    Corn is a poor source of certain minerals such as calcium and some vitamins such as niacin (B3). Deficiencies of niacin can result in a condition known as Pellagra, which is common in civilizations that eat a lot of corn. It can cause a variety of symptoms such as dermatitis, diarrhea, and depression. Since we are now a nation of corn-eaters, it wouldn’t be surprising that this is more common here than we realize.

•    Corn oils are also used in most processed foods (along with soybean oils).  Both corn oil and soybean oil are excessively high in inflammatory omega-6 fats and low in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats.  This throws the delicate balance of omega-6 to omega-3 in your body out of whack and can cause degenerative diseases and weight gain over time.  In addition, corn oil and soybean oil are highly refined with high heat and solvents, which oxidizes and damages the fragile polyunsaturated oils, and makes them even more inflammatory when you ingest them in processed foods.  Read this article to find out the truth about healthy vs unhealthy cooking oils.

It's not just people who eat too much corn based foods. A large amount of the nation's corn crop ends up feeding commercially raised cattle, which are cheaply fattened on corn and other grains before slaughter.  Beef from corn-fattened cattle also has much higher ratios of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids than healthier grass fed beef which contains more anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.  Most meat in supermarkets comes from grain-fed animals and not healthy grass fed animals.

Because corn and other grains are an unnatural diet and difficult to digest, cattle raised on corn develop higher stomach acidity, which is a breeding ground for the dangerous E. coli O157:H7, the deadly strain of the bacteria. E-coli is rare in healthy grass-fed meat.

While eliminating refined grains such as corn and wheat (yes, it seems they are in everything!) can seem a very daunting task, the reward is a return to wonderful health, sparkling eyes, clear skin, clear thinking, and less body fat as the body is once again able to extract appropriate nutrients from food, reduced inflammation caused by grain based foods, and a resolution of nutritional deficiencies from the lack of absorption. 

Do yourself a favor, and try at least 2 weeks with no grain products at all. I guarantee you will see some drastic improvements in your weight, energy, and general outlook!  This is easier than you may think... For example, instead of having pasta with sauce and meat for dinner, a better alternative would be to have just grass-fed meat, sauce, and veggies, topped with a little parmesan cheese.  It’s delicious and no grains!

Another example would be breakfast... instead of cereals, bagels, or muffins, try to base most of your breakfasts on cage-free organic whole eggs with lots of veggies and perhaps some bison sausage or other nitrate/nitrite-free turkey or chicken sausage. If you're very active and need a little more carbs with your breakfast, instead of grains, a small piece of fruit or some tea with a little bit of raw honey can be great additions to the egg/veggies based breakfast.  This is a delicious and satisfying breakfast that will control your blood sugar, balance your hormones, and eliminate the problems with antinutrients found in most grains.  Those are just a couple examples, but I think you get the point of how easy this can be.

I know it may not be realistic for everybody to give up grains fully, so the most realistic plan for many people is to only eat grain based foods (bread, pasta, cereals, etc) on their one cheat day each week, and save 6 days per week to be grain-free.  Your body with thank you!

Please email this article to any of your friends and family to help them eat healthier and live better.

Check out the special sale we're having on the super popular Fat-Burning-Kitchen book.  This is a MUST-read if you're interested in how to eat to get a permanently lean body and vibrant health for life!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist

New "macro-patterning" food and carb cycling method to boost fat burning

I have an information-packed video article for you today from my good friend Shaun Hadsall, who has dedicated much of his research to losing that last bit of stubborn lower abdomen fat as well as something he calls "food macro-patterning" to trigger a shift in your metabolism.

Shaun's info is always cutting edge and science-based. I really think you'll like this video article...great info!

Food "macro-patterning" to force lower ab fat to be burned for fuel

Enjoy this great new video article!  And thanks to Shaun for putting together such valuable and effective fat loss information.


If you missed it a few weeks ago, Shaun also created a killer new free report called The Stubborn Fat Protocol: Your 14-day Plan to Burn Off Lower Abdominal Fat.

This report is free and without any email opt-in required to download the report.  I think you'll really enjoy it, as it is chock full of really advanced fat-burning strategies.

Enjoy!  To being lean for life,

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

An unusual veggie that can boost Testosterone?

Today's article may be mostly for the men, but even the ladies reading this may want to make sure that they help the man in their lives with this problem.

Have you noticed all of the commercials on TV about helping men with "low t"?

There's a good reason for this...

You see, there's an epidemic of Low Testosterone in our society that your father and grandfather never battled.

In fact, did you know that men as young as in their mid-30's are experiencing symptoms of "andropause"?

In today's society, we are bombarded by pesticides as well as chemicals such as BPA in canned foods that act as xenoestrogens, wreaking havoc on mens T to E ratios.  Worse yet, we're also bombarded with cell phone and wifi radiation all day long which has been shown to decrease T levels.

The bottom line is that this is a different world than our grandfathers lived in, and it's waging a war against our T levels, causing all sorts of scary feminizing issues in men...

For the shocking details, check out this report:

How to fight estrogens and naturally increase testosterone!

Fortunately, there's a lot you can do to FIGHT BACK!

For example, did you know that there are some powerful "superfoods" that can help you boost your "T" levels?

It's true!

In fact, they're not even ones you'd normally think of.

For example, did you know that CELERY can boost testosterone?

Yeah, weird, huh?

When you chew celery, testosterone-triggering hormones androstenone and androstenol are released.

As you munch a stalk of celery - these chemicals send signals from your mouth to your nose and directly stimulate the release of testosterone in your body.

Want maximum effectiveness?

Shove 4-6 stalks of celery into a juicer... take a good strong whiff... and then slam the whole glass for a Superfood Testosterone-Boosting "Shot".

(Note: Due to toxins and xenoestrogens in food that's riddled with pesticides - be sure to use organic celery)

You'll find another one of these powerful "T-boosting super foods" listed at this site:

Tricks to naturally boost testosterone

There you'll find your one-stop access to a ton of incredible, easy, and NATURAL tips to increase testosterone.

PS -- below is something I use every day now to help fight the battle against xenoestrogens and naturally keep optimum T to E ratios... it's 6 rather unusual ingredients that naturally boost testosterone.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

3 Techniques to increase growth hormone

Yesterday, I featured a new article from nutrition expert John Romaniello (aka, Roman) about the topic of intermittent fasting and how this relates to the conventional fitness nutrition method of 5-6 meals/day.  As I said, I like to be open minded and give every viewpoint a fair chance, and Roman made some excellent points in his article.

In fact, over the last 6 months, I've occasionally tested intermittent fasting on myself, although supplemented with BCAA's during fasting times (usually 14-16 hour fasts which included overnight sleep time) to prevent excess muscle breakdown, and I've actually had pretty decent results.

Today, we're back with another great article from Roman on 3 specific methods you can use to increase GH, which is also known as "the fitness hormone", or the "leanness hormone" (as well as the "youth hormone").


3 Techniques that Increase "The Leanness Hormone" in Your Body
By John Romaniello, author of Fat Loss Forever

Yesterday, I told you about Intermittent Fasting, which is quickly becoming one of the hottest and most successful nutritional practices around. Today, I want to focus on one of the (many) reasons why:

Hormones!

We briefly touched on the hormonal benefits of fasting in yesterday's article, including an increase in one of the most powerful hormones around: Growth Hormone, or GH. Also known as "the fitness hormone," GH has a myriad benefits, ranging from increased sleep quality to enhanced metabolism. While a full description of this amazing hormone is beyond this writing, it's enough to say that the more GH your produce, the faster you can lose fat and gain muscle.

And so today, I want to share with you the top three instances when you naturally produce more Growth Hormone, and show you a way that you can combine all three to get the best possible outcome--a synergistic BURST of GH production, all leading towards incinerating fat.

Let's take a look.

Three Instances of Naturally Increased Growth Hormone

1) When you sleep
2) When you are in a fasted state
3) When you train with weights.

That's correct -- you produce the MOST growth hormone when you sleep, when you eat, and when you train intensely.  So, how do we use this knowledge to increase fat loss?

Well, let's look at it.  We know you're producing tons of growth hormone when you're fasting--which means you're NOT producing it when you're eating. We also know you're producing it when you sleep.

So, if you're producing GH when you sleep...why do you STOP producing it when you wake up?  EASY--because, when most people wake up, the first thing they do is EAT...which we just said stops growth hormone production. 

Which means that by doing something as simple as skipping breakfast (when done strategically) you can extend the natural secretion of growth hormone that occurs during your sleep cycle; in addition, staying in a fasted state will actually help you produce MORE growth hormone.

With just that simple change, you've doubled your fat-burning production of GH. And...forgive me for sounding like an infomercial host, but this is the perfect time to use this line...

"But wait, there's more!"

Because, it actually does get even better.

You see, we also know that you produce a ton of growth hormone during and after your weight training session; now if only we could figure out a way to combine that knowledge with the previous points to increase GH further...

Oh, wait: that's exactly what we did!

You see, imagine what would happen if you put your GH producing weight training session at the end of your GH-producing fasting session...which was used to extend the effect of your natural GH-producing sleep?

Exactly: you would create a perfect storm production, sending growth hormone production into overdrive, allowing your body to burn fat at an accelerated rate, while you're already in a calorie deficit.

Here's the abbreviated cheat sheet:

1) Get a good night's sleep
2) Push your breakfast back until after your workout
3) Train with weights any time between 12 and 2pm.

Follow those three simple steps, then follow that with a healthy meal.  Do those things, and you're on your way to losing fat, and keeping it off forever.

Can you imagine that? By simply skipping breakfast and having a workout, you can likely double or triple growth hormone secretion and burn up to three times as much fat.

Incredible results with minor changes -- that's what Fat Loss Forever is all about.

======

Thanks Roman yet again for your fitness wisdom! 

FYI - Roman is having a killer sale ($50 off) on his new FatLossForever program, and he's also throwing in a brand new bonus called "The 10-Day Rapid Meltdown" for the next 2 days only!

Get a discount on FatLossForever + get "The 10-Day Rapid Meltdown" as a bonus.

Want another great article?  Read this article to see 2 specific workout methods to increase both testosterone and growth hormone.

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer

3 big "fat" LIES about fats

I just read this article from famous nutrition author (and a good friend of mine), Jon Benson.  I still can't believe in this day and age how many people out there are confused about dietary fat (especially saturated fat).  Jon sets the record straight with this great article:

3 Big "fat" LIES about fat
by Jon Benson
author - EveryOtherDayDiet
Let me ask you a question:

If saturated fat causes heart disease,
don't you think that cultures that got...
oh, say... 60-70% of their calories from
saturated fat would be dropping dead?

I mean, wouldn't it stand to reason that
the vast majority would suffer clogged
arteries, massive heart attacks, strokes...

Right?

Sure. That would be the only logical
conclusion... IF saturated fat caused
heart disease.

Fortunately for you and me, it doesn't.

In fact, the cultures that eat the MOST
saturated fat (the Inuit, the Masai, the
Rendille, and others) have the LOWEST
incidence of heart disease.

The Masai do not even have a term for
it in their native language, and they
consume over 65% of their calories
from pure saturated fat.

Say whaaaat?

Listen:  The "lower your fat" mantra has
just been a matter of convenience (and
profit) for the powers that be.

The grain industry has profited like a big
dog from the USRDA's ridiculous "food
pyramid" -- and "MyPlate" is not much
better, trust me.

The truth is you should lower your CARBS,
especially refined carbs, wheat, and corn...
and, yes, "healthy grains."

You don't need 'em -- at least you don't need
60-freaking-percent of your calories coming
from them, as the government suggests.

What you need is a healthy BALANCE.

Okay, here's the 3 big "fat" lies:

Lie # 1. "Fat causes heart disease."
If logic isn't enough, how about science?
Volek et al demonstrated how a LOW-fat
dietplan increased harmful fats in the
blood 300% more than a high, saturated
fat dietplan.

High-fat dietplans have consistently out-
performed low-fat dietplans when it comes
to increasing LDL particle size.

The size of your LDL is the key, not the
quantity of your LDL... and this is the one
thing everyone agrees causes plaque to
build in your arteries: Small-particle LDL.

If there is "a" cause of heart disease, it's
glycation. This is where a protein molecule
bonds to a glucose molecule and becomes
something akin to Frankenstein.

Glycated molecules are behind the nasty
accumulation of plaque... and guess what?
Sugar (carbs) is the catalyst for glycation,
NOT fat.

Lie #2. "Fat makes you fat."
This has been refuted in over 200 studies
that I could find at a 'glance', let alone in
real life. My dietary fat intake is well over
30%, and has been as high as 65% while
maintaining single-digit bodyfat.

Caution: With high fat dietplans, you must
lower your carbs to under 50-70 grams a day.

Lie #3. "Low-fat products are better for you."
90% of the time, this is blatantly false. Most
"low-fat" products that are, by nature, high
in fat, have added sugar -- and sugar is
the devil when it comes to health and bodyfat.

Now, naturally low-fat foods, like veggies
and so forth, are, of course, highly recommended
along with foods with naturally occurring fats.

Here's to a prosperous and healthy 2012!

Check this out here to see more LIES you've
been told about your food.

-Jon Dana Benson

---------

Thanks Jon.  Great article!

FYI - Jon's beginner plans (the Primer and the Lifestyle Plans) are relatively carb-friendly, but both he and I suggest that you ween yourself from those plans within six to eight weeks and give the Ultimate Plan a shot.

This plan emphasizes organic foods, grass-fed protein sources (if possible), and lower carbs... and yes, you still get to eat your favorite foods during the week using Jon's "Carb Interval" approach to dietplans. 

This is the best of both worlds. You get plenty of carbos to workout from the sources you enjoy the most, while limiting the radical quantity of unhealthy carb sources (grains, processed foods, etc.) most days of the week.

See all about Jon's unique Carb Interval approach here.


Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer