Is Tara Reid Too Skinny... Still?

Over the years we've seen American Pie actress Tara Reid's body in a bikini, but is she still just a tad bit too skinny to be healthy? Tara, 39 vacationed on the beaches of Mexico with a huge smile on her tanned face. Just check out some pictures from her Instagram

Tara Reid is just a big swingin' kid at 39

Oh goodness! Whale Shark fishing?

'Biggest Loser' Winner Lost Too Much Weight?

I don't know if you guys have seen this story floating around lately, but it seems to be attracting chatter among the weight loss community. 'Biggest Loser' winner Rachel Frederickson lost 155 pounds in 7 months -- from a heavy 260 to a super slim 105 all within 7 months. Did she lose too much weight with her height of 5'4"? Probably. Yes.

EXTRA TV:

Frederickson, 24, sat down with People magazine just days after the win, revealing she was on a 1,600-calorie diet and rigorous 6-hour per day work out regimen leading up to the final episode.

"Maybe I was a little too enthusiastic in my training to get to the finale," she said.

 When asked if she had an eating disorder, Rachel said, “I am very, very healthy.”

Her trainer, Dolvett Quince, admitted he was “shocked” by her appearance. "The first thing that went through my mind was, 'That's just too much,'" he told the mag.

An insider at In Touch has also revealed that Rachel used an infrared sauna, which is known for burning calories and boosting metabolism. 

“She came in almost every day for two-and-a-half weeks before the finale,” the source at Firm Body Evolution in LA told the mag. “You can burn up to 600 calories in a half-hour session, although everyone is different."

Previously, trainer Bob Harper, who did not work directly with Frederickson, said he was also shocked by her weight loss. Past winners have been supportive of Rachel, saying she probably did it for the $250,000 prize.

In my opinion, she did lose too much weight, but time will tell. If Rachel was a bit too zealous in winning the competition, she can still easily add 5-10 pounds by cutting down on all the infrared sauna appointments. If she gets up to 110+ she will be seen as more healthy at her height of 5'4". Even myself at 5'3.5" my lowest weight ever was 109lbs.

Either way, she accomplished something that many struggle with everyday, losing weight. Even that first pound might have felt like a world away but perhaps Rachel got super excited when she saw the major changes in her body. Either way, she definitely shouldn't lose any more weight, just maybe add a few pounds.

Fast Food Chains: Ban Azodicarbonamide From Bread!

So you still want to eat processed foods? Subway just announced the chemical Azodicarbonamide is being dropped from their breads after an expose by Food Babe. Now upon further investigation, the chemical is also found in other fast food chain breads, including the supermarket staple Wonder Bread. This is so disgusting because this same chemical is used in yoga mats and the bottom of our shoes!! And we are wondering why people are so sick and disease infested?!?!?! Azodicarbonamide is banned in Europe so why not in the beautiful United States of America? Americans unite, demand this cruelty to the human race to stop!

The Daily Mail:

Subway is not the only company found to have products containing a chemical used to make shoes and yoga mats. 

It has been revealed that Arby’s, Burger King, Chik-fil-A, Dunkin’Dounts, Jack in the Box, Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s also use azodicarbonamide in rolls and baked goods – Subway announced this week it will drop the ingredient from its bread. 

MailOnline can further reveal that many popular store-bought baked goods, breads and toaster streudels also contain the potentially unhealthy chemical.

Eat fresh? YEAH RIGHT OK  Subway!!!!!!! Obviously eating the same chemical people use to do yoga positions on are OK to put in our mouth??!?! I won't be eating at Subway. Believe that!

Are you eating this banned ingredient?????

It's hazardous and banned around the world!!!!!! So how is it safe to eat? It's a very hazardous substance that's related to lung problems to workers exposed to it. AND WE ARE EATING IT.  You get fined and jailed in Singapore for using this!!!!! But it's legal here in the USA... yes the red white and blue!!!!

So do you eat yoga mat? 

 

What Blender Is Best For Smoothies?

So you're interested in making smoothies but you don't know what blender to buy? This can be a challenging, but with a little research we can be on our way to having Banana/strawberry/green smoothies for breakfast. Well let's take a look at some popular brands and see what these testers found.  In the above video we have the industrial strength Vitamix 5200 vs the Hamilton Beach kitchen blender. 

 

Personally I have a Hamilton Beach now (was  gift), but I want the Vitamix for the durability and power.

NutriBullet vs Vitamix Review

So how can we compare the NutriBullet against the Vitamix? In this super informative review  by John Kohler he demonstrates the pros and cons. The Nutribullet, really just a blender is priced at around $100+ with a year warranty while the Vitamix is $450+ with a 7 year warranty.

The USA made Vitamix is very powerful at 1380 watts with 37,000 rpm while the NutriBullet is only 600 watts with 10,000 rpm. Just s you know rpm is how fast it spins and is a time saver in the kitchen. In addition less blending = less oxidation. The NutriBullet has one speed while the Vitamix has variable/infinite speeds.

Here's a great Banana smoothie by Dan The Life Regenerator

Do Microwaves Destroy Nutrition?

My first taste into the world of microwave safety began back in 6th grade with my Home Economics teacher -- a quirky lady with wild hair like Ralphie's mother from  A Christmas Story.  She demonstrated in front of the class  that microwaves were perfectly save by sitting up close next to the device while running it on HIGH. She quipped:  "See... nothing happened. I'm still OK." But what really are the long term effects of microwaves? And do they really "zap" the nutrients out of our food?

 

There seems to be some debate on whether or not microwaves are harmful and if they actually diminish the nutrients in our food. According to Bob Barnett, a health journalist, if you cook your food right, the microwave is actually one of the best ways to retain the minerals and vitamins. Say what? So, if you use your microwave with a tiny amount of water to steam food, you’ll retain more nutritional value than with almost any other cooking method.

But what does registered dietician and certified food scientist Catherine Adams Hutt, RD, Ph.D, have to say about this?

“Whenever you cook food, you’ll have some loss of nutrients. The best cooking method for retaining nutrients is one that cooks quickly, exposes food to heat for the smallest amount of time and uses only a minimal amount of liquid."

For optimal success she added:  “When you cook food in a microwave, cover it tightly, creating an efficient steam environment.”
 
But be careful not to OVERCOOK because that will deplete the nutrients anyway like a zap machine.

So here's where it gets tricky. In this one study,  steamed broccoli cooked over the stove retained more of its cancer-fighting sulforaphane than broccoli microwaved. Also, another study showed that microwaved broccoli lost 97% of flavonoids, while only losing 11% steamed.

 But spinach seems to do the opposite. When boiled on the stove it lost 70% of its folic acid, but retained nearly most of its folic acid in the microwave cooked with a little water. And with bacon, cooking in the microwave created less nitrosamines -cancer-causing chemicals- than cooking in a griddle.
 
But overall as long as you use tightly covered microwave-safe containers with minimal water, you might even be able to enhance the nutritional value. For example, making the carotenoids in carrots and tomatoes more easily available to our bodies or allowing the biotin in eggs to be more digestible. And of course heat kills bad bacteria in food such as chicken. Nobody wants to eat raw chicken and get sick!

Amana Radarange microwave oven introduced in 1967

Now what does the Health Physics Society - a non-profit organization promoting radiation safety say about microwaves?

 "Microwaves are produced inside a microwave oven by an electron tube called a magnetron. The microwaves bounce back and forth within the interior until they are absorbed by food. Microwaves cause the water molecules in food to vibrate, producing heat that cooks the food-that's why foods high in water content, like fresh vegetables, can be cooked more quickly than other foods. The microwave energy is changed to heat as soon as it is absorbed by food."

 "Microwave cooking can be more energy efficient than conventional cooking because foods cook faster and the energy heats only the food, not the oven compartment. Microwave cooking does not reduce the nutritional value of foods any more than conventional cooking. In fact, foods cooked in a microwave oven may keep more of their vitamins and minerals because microwave ovens can cook more quickly and without added water."

"There is little cause for concern about excess microwaves leaking from ovens unless the door hinges, latch, or seals are damaged or if the oven was made before 1971. In FDA's experience, most ovens tested show little or no detectable microwave leakage."

Apparently, microwaves are a non-ionizing form of electromagnetic radiation with a frequency so low there isn't enough energy to damage the DNA within our cells. The computer screen you might be reading this on also is a form of non-ionizing radiation. Other examples include infrared food warming lamps, radios, and televisions.

 

 Hmmm, quite interesting indeed. In my opinion, eating as many raw fruits and vegetables is still the best bet. Everything in moderation! Also, if you are using the microwave to cook up a high fat processed meal such as a TV dinner that by itself isn't healthy. Maybe instead of blaming the microwave, we need to shape up our diets with colorful highly nutritious rainbow foods straight from Mother Nature's backyard into our bellies.



 Sources: [1]: Bob Barnett's article:  Do Microwaves Zap Nutrition? [2]:  Jane Lear's article: Everything You Know About Microwaves Is Wrong [3]: Health Physics Society's article by Kelly Classic: Microwave Ovens

Before and After Weight Loss With Juicing

Meet Emma Tolliday, a 37-year-old woman who finally achieved weight loss success with a juicing diet after over 20 years of yo-yo dieting. Emma, weighing at 294 pounds finally had enough and checked into a 7 day detox retreat. 

When Emma was 13 she began dieting after a school crush called her fat, but no fad diet ever kept the weight off permanently. Struggling with pre-diabetes and anxiety, Emma went to Spain in July 2012 with a friend to start her juice detox. Once there Tolliday made the transition from McDonalds, pizza, chocolate to juice and lost 14 pounds in that first week. In the next nine months she cut out dairy, caffeine, and sugar. She incorporated dinner meals such as steamed chicken and vegetables but stuck to the 2 juices a day habit. In total, Emma lost 126 pounds and loves her new lifestyle.

Emma revealed: "I had all this energy and felt better than I had in years. And the best bit was the juices were so filling I wasn’t hungry at all. When I lost a whole stone (14lbs) by the end of the week I knew that it actually worked. I got home and threw out all the junk food around the house and stocked my fridge full of fruit and veg. I bought a juicer and started juicing for meals."

Emma went from a size 26 to a size 12 and lost 126lbs.

Emma's Before Diet

Breakfast: banana and toast

Lunch: McDonalds veggie burger and chips

Snack: crisps

Dinner: pizza

Snack: chocolate

Emma's After Diet

Breakfast: super juice (apples, pineapple, celery, cucumber, spinach, wheatgrass)

Lunch: turbo juice (apples, pineapple, greens, broccoli, lime, carrots)

Dinner: detox juice (including apples, carrots, broccoli, spinach, beets, cucumber) OR steamed chicken and vegetables

Arnold Schwarzenegger Works At Gold's Gym

In an effort to promote fitness and health, action movie star and former bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger dressed as a physical fitness instructor.  The former Governor of California put on a long dark wig and a moustache to play Howard in order to trick unsuspecting patrons at a Gold's Gym in Venice, CA. Some people recognize him, while others have no clue.

Arnold Schwarzenegger reveals the Secret to Success:   

Life's 6 Rules

 

1. Trust yourself
2. Break some rules, but not the law
3. Don't be afraid to fail
4. Ignore the naysayers
5. Work your butt off
6. Give something back