Flax seeds

Most of us know the health benefits of flax seeds, but do we know how to eat them? The human body cannot digest the whole seed, so to ensure proper absorbtion, I recommend adding freshly-ground flax seeds to your meal right before consumption. Make sure to store your flax seeds in the fridge or freezer to ensure freshness and avoid rancidity. Email us for more info...fitness@gforcetraining.com

Why You Should Consider a Meal Delivery Service

What are the four things you should consider when choosing a delivery service? Vanessa Agosta outlines the good and bad of these programs.Chances are you could eat better than you do now. You could probably eat smaller portions, more vegetables, better proteins and you could avoid skipping meals. If only you could have someone else cook healthy, delicious meals for you and prepare them in the exact portion sizes you need, right? Sure, you think, but not everyone can afford a personal chef. Well, don’t fret. You can have the luxury of having food prepared just for you and delivered to your door. And it’s not as expensive as you think.

How They Work
Diet delivery service companies vary in terms of the number of meals, types of foods and prices that they offer. You can choose:

* A service that offers low carb meals, low fat meals, vegetarian or even diabetic friendly meals.
* Foods based on your likes, dislikes and allergies.
* Meal programs that are designed for weight loss or weight maintenance.
* Deliveries as frequent as seven days a week or as few as three days per week.
* Two or three meals per day plus snacks.
* Whether to have the meals delivered to your home or office.

The more flexible the options that a service company offers, the better off you are. This is because ultimately to get the results you want, you have to like what you eat and it has to work with your lifestyle. Otherwise you won’t stick with it.

Helping You Lose Weight
Yes, this type of service can help you lose weight, as long as you follow the program and eat well on the days you don’t have your food delivered. Most diet delivery services state that their clients lose between 2 to 5 pounds per week, depending on the client’s age, gender, level of activity, etc. Of course, the accuracy of these numbers may be biased, as weight loss depends on the level of adherence as well as your body’s propensity for weight loss. Some people lose weight quickly and some lose it more slowly.

The bottom line is that by having your meals already prepared, eating well becomes something you don’t have to think about. The reason why a lot of people try to lose weight and can’t seem to keep it off is because life has many factors that influence their food choices and eating behaviours. Take away those factors (like lack of time for meal preparation, skipping meals, etc.) and you have a relatively fail-safe solution.

What It Costs
According to Statistics Canada, the average Canadian household spends about $7,000 on food a year. When you compare the costs of meal delivery services, which range from $20 to $40 per day, you may think that diet meal delivery is too expensive, but if you calculate how much the average person spends on weight loss products like supplements, diet pills and exercise equipment that only gathers dust, suddenly that original bill grows substantially.

Also, if you are the kind of person who believes time is money, then the time you save from shopping, preparing meals, researching healthy foods and recipes, and counting calories is worth it.

Key Factors When Choosing a Diet Delivery Service
There are many things to consider when choosing a diet delivery service. As with all investments in your health, take the time to do your homework and figure out which service is best for you based on price, taste and your specific needs.

Price
Price variety usually depends on the quality of food and its preparation. Higher priced plans are usually gourmet meals, freshly prepared (not frozen) or highly specialized in some way (for example, diabetic friendly).

Prices also vary based on whether or not you want a full plan (breakfast, lunch and dinner) or just lunch and dinner; and how many days of delivery you want (for example, five or seven days). Some delivery services give you price per week or price per month. Ordering in larger amounts may save you money if a diet delivery company offers discounts for buying in bulk.

It is cheaper to choose fewer days to have your food delivered to you, but keep in mind that the burden of responsibility falls more on your shoulders on the days that you have to prepare your own meals.

Types of Diet Meals
Many diet delivery services are based on a popular diet, like the Zone Diet. Others are based on broad diet types like low carb or diabetic friendly. Some services let you choose among different diet plans like low carb, low fat or vegetarian. Regardless of diet type, most services are based on low-calorie, portion-controlled meals and snacks.

Menu variety is also important. Although it's hard to get bored on diet delivery programs, there are some services that offer better menu variety than others. For example, a program may offer a 4-week rotating menu.

Support
If you think you may need some extra help, choose a company that offers support mechanisms like message boards, chat rooms, diet and weight loss trackers, informative articles, progress snapshots and more.

Commitment Level
Some diet delivery plans do require you to sign a contract for a certain length of time. The most popular time commitment is one month. If you are required to purchase more than that, make sure you’re getting a discount for it.

Some companies also offer a trial period of a week to 10 days. I am an advocate of the “try before you buy” strategy, so take advantage of it if you can.

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recommended

I rarely condone weight loss programs or products, because most of them do not offer long-term weight loss solutions. They also often do not offer you the opportunity to develop healthy lifestyle habits. Diet delivery services are the one exception to my rule because they are consistent, provide you with nutritious food and make weight loss an afterthought instead of an obsession.

Why You Should Worry About Chronic Inflammation

Let me be the first to admit that fear-mongering in the health and fitness industry is common, but often irresponsible and overblown. Without having all the facts, people can get overly preoccupied by concerns about their well-being. So I am going to pre-empt this by stating that inflammation is generally not something that you should worry about. When you stub a toe and it swells up to the size of a golf ball, your body will eventually repair the damaged tissue and your toe will return to normal. However, inflammation that is not a result of an acute injury such as this is a more threatening condition. First, let’s find out what inflammation is.

What is Inflammation?

Inflammation is a localized bodily reaction to tissue irritation, injury, or infection. Inflammation is often painful, accompanied by swelling, red coloration, and sometimes loss of movement. Most often, inflammation is acute—it is caused by a known source (e.g. an injury) and it will go away once the area has healed.

Chronic inflammation is a condition of the body where tissue is constantly being destroyed and repaired. This can be caused by a bacterial infection, prolonged exposure to chemical agents such as tobacco smoke, or autoimmune reactions such as rheumatoid arthritis. It is also a component of chronic diseases such as heart disease and strokes. In elderly people, the immune system can be over-stimulated and create chronic inflammation in the body.

Why is Chronic Inflammation so Bad?

Chronic inflammation has been linked to a number of age-related diseases, such as hardening of the arteries, cancer, heart valve dysfunction, obesity, diabetes, congestive heart failure, digestive system diseases, and Alzheimer's disease.

How Can I Prevent Inflammation?

Common ways to treat chronic inflammation include rest, light exercise, weight maintenance, stretching, and anti-inflammatory medications such as Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). Numerous studies have supported the theory that Alzheimer’s is linked to chronic inflammation through findings that suggest that regular use of NSAIDs like ibuprofen (Advil) or naproxen (Aleve) reduce the risk of developing the diesease.

For the most part NSAIDs are safe to use, although they can irritate the stomach and lead to ulcers. In some instances, long term use can lead to kidney problems.

Avoid Foods that Cause Inflammation

Now we have one more reason to stop eating junk food: high-fat meats, sugar and fast foods will increase inflammation in your body. This is partially due the use of trans fats and saturated fats in prepared foods. Nirates, which are found in processed meats such as lunch meats, hot dogs and sausages, are associated with increased inflammation and chronic disease as well. Be sure to choose low fat milk and cheese and lean cuts of meat, which will not promote inflammation. Avoid too much red meat, as it also has been linked to increased inflammation. When you do eat red meat, choose lean cuts of bison, venison and other game meats, or the lowest-fat cuts of beef, preferably grass-fed beef.

Diets high in sugar have also been associated with inflammation, obesity and chronic disease such as diabetes. Eliminate high sugar foods such as sodas, soft drinks, pastries, pre-sweetened cereals and candy.

Choose Anti-inflammatory Foods

Some foods have been linked to reducing inflammation in the body. In particular, fish oils, which contain Omega-3 essential fatty acids, are very powerful anti-inflammatory agents. Other sources of Omaga-3’s are walnuts, flax seeds, canola oil and pumpkin seeds. Although adding omega-3 fatty acid supplements from flax oil or fish oil may help reduce inflammation, always be sure to speak with a doctor or nutritionist before taking any supplement.

Although compounds in olive oil have been shown to reduce inflammation, you would need to consume a full cup of it to reap any benefits. But it never hurts to keep healthy oils such as this in your diet; other healthy oils include rice bran oil, grape seed oil, and walnut oil.

Berries are also a great food choice, especially blueberries and strawberries. These gems are packed with anti-inflammatory phytochemicals and anti-oxidants. The pigments in brightly colored fruits, vegetables and berries contain many phytochemicals that have anti-inflammatory properties. One example is quercetin, which is found in apple and red onion skins and has strong anti-inflammatory properties.

You may not ever feel the painful effects of chronic inflammation, however, it is something worth paying attention to. It is always easier to prevent illness than to deal with its consequences. Making the right choices for your body now can make all the difference when you are older.