Eating processed meat is also linked to a 19 percent higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, said the study, which appeared in the journal Circulation.

However researchers found no higher risk of heart disease or diabetes among people that ate unprocessed red meat such as from beef, pork, or lamb.

Most healthy eating guidelines already recommended limited meat consumption, but until now “studies have shown mixed results for relationships between meat consumption and cardiovascular diseases and diabetes,” said Renata Micha, the lead author of the study.

“Most prior studies also did not separately consider the health effects of eating unprocessed red versus processed meats,” said Micha, a research fellow in the department of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

The team reached their conclusions by studying information from 1,600 reports from around the world involving some 1.2 million people.

On average, each 50 gram (1.8 ounce) daily serving of processed meat (about one to two slices of deli meats, or one hot dog) was associated with the higher heart disease and diabetes risk, the researchers said.

Lifestyle factors associated with eating unprocessed red meats and processed meats “were similar, but only processed meats were linked to higher risk,” said report co-author Dariush Mozaffarian, assistant professor in the department of epidemiology at HSPH.

While unprocessed red and processed meats eaten in the United States contained similar average amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol, researches found that processed meats “contained, on average, four times more sodium and 50 percent more nitrate preservatives,” said Micha.

“This suggests that differences in salt and preservatives, rather than fats, might explain the higher risk of heart disease and diabetes seen with processed meats, but not with unprocessed red meats,” she said.

In order to decrease heart attack and diabetes risk, it would be best to avoid processed meats such as bacon, salami, sausages, hot dogs and processed deli meats.

“Based on our findings, eating one serving per week or less would be associated with relatively small risk,” said Micha.

But most men eat animal products. And we really do become what we eat. Our skin, bones, hair, and nails are composed mostly of protein. Plus, animal products fuel the muscle-growing process called protein synthesis. That’s why Rocky chugged eggs before his a.m. runs. Since those days, nutrition scientists have done plenty of research. Read up before you chow down.


You Need More
Think big. Most adults would benefit from eating more than the recommended daily intake of 56 grams, says Donald Layman, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of nutrition at the University of Illinois. The benefit goes beyond muscles, he says: Protein dulls hunger and can help prevent obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

How much do you need? Step on a scale and be honest with yourself about your workout regimen. According to Mark Tarnopolsky, M.D., Ph.D., who studies exercise and nutrition at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, highly trained athletes thrive on 0.77 gram of daily protein per pound of body weight. That’s 139 grams for a 180-pound man.

Men who work out 5 or more days a week for an hour or longer need 0.55 gram per pound. And men who work out 3 to 5 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour need 0.45 gram per pound. So a 180-pound guy who works out regularly needs about 80 grams of protein a day.

Now, if you’re trying to lose weight, protein is still crucial. The fewer calories you consume, the more calories should come from protein, says Layman. You need to boost your protein intake to between 0.45 and 0.68 gram per pound to preserve calorie-burning muscle mass.

And no, that extra protein won’t wreck your kidneys: “Taking in more than the recommended dose won’t confer more benefit. It won’t hurt you, but you’ll just burn it off as extra energy,” Dr. Tarnopolsky says.

It’s Not All the Same
Many foods, including nuts and beans, can provide a good dose of protein. But the best sources are dairy products, eggs, meat, and fish, Layman says. Animal protein is complete—it contains the right proportions of the essential amino acids your body can’t synthesize on its own.

It’s possible to build complete protein from plant-based foods by combining legumes, nuts, and grains at one meal or over the course of a day. But you’ll need to consume 20 to 25 percent more plant-based protein to reap the benefits that animal-derived sources provide, says Dr. Tarnopolsky. And beans and legumes have carbs that make it harder to lose weight.

So if protein can help keep weight off, is a chicken wing dipped in blue-cheese dressing a diet secret? Not quite: Total calories still count. Scale down your fat and carbohydrate intake to make room for lean protein: eggs, low-fat milk, yogurt, lean meat, and fish.

But remember, if you’re struggling with your weight, fat itself is not the culprit; carbs are the likely problem. Fat will help keep you full, while carbs can put you on a blood-sugar roller coaster that leaves you hungry later.

Timing is Everything
“At any given moment, even at rest, your body is breaking down and building protein,” says Jeffrey Volek, Ph.D., R.D., a nutrition and exercise researcher at the University of Connecticut. Every time you eat at least 30 grams of protein, Layman says, you trigger a burst of protein synthesis that lasts about 3 hours.

But think about it: When do you eat most of your protein? At dinner, right? That means you could be fueling muscle growth for only a few hours a day, and breaking down muscle the rest of the time, Layman says. Instead, you should spread out your protein intake.

Your body can process only so much protein in a single sitting. A recent study from the University of Texas found that consuming 90 grams of protein at one meal provides the same benefit as eating 30 grams. It’s like a gas tank, says study author Douglas Paddon-Jones, Ph.D.: “There’s only so much you can put in to maximize performance; the rest is spillover.”

Eating protein at all three meals—plus snacking two or three times a day on proteins such as cheese, jerky, and milk—will help you eat less overall. People who start the day with a protein-rich breakfast consume 200 fewer calories a day than those who chow down on a carb-heavy breakfast, like a jam-smeared bagel. Ending the day with a steak dinner doesn’t have the same appetite-quenching effect, Layman says.

Workouts Require Fuel
Every guy in the gym knows he should consume some protein after a workout. But how much, and when? “When you work out, your muscles are primed to respond to protein,” Volek says, “and you have a window of opportunity to promote muscle growth.”

Volek recommends splitting your dose of protein, eating half 30 minutes before the workout and the other half 30 minutes after. A total of 10 to 20 grams of protein is ideal, he says. And wrap a piece of bread around that turkey, because carbs can raise insulin; this slows protein breakdown, which speeds muscle growth after your workout. Moreover, you won’t use your stored protein for energy; you’ll rely instead on the carbs to replenish you.

One study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, pinpointed 20 grams as the best amount of postworkout protein to maximize muscle growth.

You’re doing this because resistance exercise breaks down muscle. This requires a fresh infusion of amino acids to repair and build it. “If you’re lifting weights and you don’t consume protein, it’s almost counterproductive,” says Volek. Protein also helps build enzymes that allow your body to adapt to endurance sports like running and biking.

Powders are for Everyone
Everyone—not just muscleheads—can benefit from the quick hit of amino acids provided by a protein supplement, bar, or shake. Your best bet is a fast-absorbing, high-quality kind like whey protein powder (derived from milk): “It appears in your bloodstream 15 minutes after you consume it,” Volek says.

Whey protein is also the best source of leucine, an amino acid that behaves more like a hormone in your body: “It’s more than a building block of protein—it actually activates protein synthesis,” Volek says. Whey contains 10 percent leucine while other animal-based proteins have as little as 5 percent.

Casein, another milk protein sold in supplement form, provides a slower-absorbing but more sustained source of amino acids, making it a great choice for a snack before you hit the sack. “Casein should help you maintain a positive protein balance during the night,” says Volek. Building muscle while you sleep?

Thanks to protein, anything’s possible.

In his new book, “Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance,” Matt Fitzgerald, a sports nutritionist, writes about an amazing running experience. He worked out on a special sort of anti-gravity treadmill, the AlterG, which uses a cushion of air to lift the body, allowing you to effectively decrease your body weight as you run.

Mr. Fitzgerald started out on the treadmill by running without the machine’s assistance. Then he ran with it adjusted to lift him just enough so that he was 10 percent lighter.

“I felt as if I had become 10 percent fitter,” he writes. Running at his usual pace was suddenly “utterly effortless,” he notes, adding that “it felt like normal running, only so much better.”

Exercise physiologists agree that if your sport is particularly affected by the tug of gravity — running, cross-country skiing, cycling up hills — you are penalized for excess weight. But that leaves some questions: What is the ideal weight for your sport? And how much difference will it make if you actually achieve it?

There have been few direct tests of the body-weight effect, said Hirofumi Tanaka, an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas at Austin. Most of them were done in the 1970s and involved subjects who were asked to run with weights on their backs or ankles. Sure enough, the heavier the people were, the tests showed, the harder they had to work to run at a given speed.

But the runners’ forms were not affected by the extra weight, Dr. Tanaka said. That means that you would probably run the same way if you were heavier. But it would be a lot harder to run at your usual pace, and you’d end up running more slowly.

How much is less clear. Beth Parker, the director of exercise physiology research at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, said that, for runners, the general rule is that a 1 percent reduction in weight leads to a 1 percent increase in performance.

So, why not just be as thin as you can be?

The problem is that everyone has a point at which further weight loss actually makes their performance worse, said Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a muscle metabolism researcher and physiologist at McMaster University in Ontario. Dr. Tarnopolsky, who is a nationally ranked athlete in winter triathlons, adventure racing and ski orienteering, said that people vary so much that there is no formula to figure out the perfect weight.

When Dr. Tarnopolsky was in graduate school, he saw the delicate balance between losing just enough and too much. He and his friends would experiment, losing or gaining a few pounds and testing their VO2 maxes, a measure of the body’s ability to get oxygen to muscles during exercise. In theory, the less you weigh, the higher your VO2 max should be, relative to body weight.

Dr. Tarnopolsky said that he got his best VO2 max — 86 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight — when he weighed 156 pounds. “Like everyone else, I said, ‘Maybe if I drop some body fat, it will go higher,’ ” Dr. Tarnopolsky said. So he got his weight down to 152 pounds. But to his surprise, his VO2 max decreased, to 82.

The likely reason, he said, was that he had reached a point where his body began burning its own muscle protein for fuel. He was weaker, and his performance was worse, even though he weighed less.

“You could see on the VO2 machine what your body knew was right,” Dr. Tarnopolsky said. “You’d feel tired, stale, lethargic when you tried to drive your weight down.”

Often the only way to know your best weight is by trial and error.

My running coach, Tom Fleming, a former elite runner who won the New York City Marathon twice, in 1973 and 1975, said that he always tells his competitive athletes “that the perfect weight is the weight you are the day you P.B. in your event,” referring to the time you achieve your personal best — or fastest — finish.

“Your body will tell you” your perfect weight, he said, and when you are there, “you will feel fast, race fast.”

Dathan Ritzenhein, an American who is one of the world’s top runners, used a similar system. Mr. Ritzenhein, who broke the national record last year in a 5,000-meter-race and who, at ninth place, was the top American finisher in the marathon at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, said that it took him about 12 years of trial and error to learn his best racing weight. He discovered it last year, his best racing year ever: 121 or 122 pounds (he is 5 feet 8).

That weight is not a natural one for him, he said. If he were to stop training, he would weight about 127 or 128 pounds, and when he is training but not trying to control his weight, he is about 124 or 125. His goal is to try to be at his perfect racing weight a couple of weeks before a big event, losing about a pound a week in the preceding weeks to get there.

He has learned, he said, that if he tries to lose weight too fast or if he continues to lose weight up until his race day, he does not have the energy he needs for his best performance. And if he tries to lose weight too fast, his training suffers.

“It’s a hard line” between losing just enough at the right rate and losing too much too fast, he said.

Other athletes say that they learned through similar experiments.

Andre Agassi, the tennis star, and his longtime trainer, Gil Reyes, discovered through experience that Mr. Agassi’s best weight was between 178 and 182 pounds (Mr. Agassi is 5 feet 11 1/2.)

“We came up with a number, but we did not seek a number,” Mr. Reyes explained in a recent telephone interview. “It was all about him feeling strong and fit.”

Tennis is different from distance running, Mr. Reyes noted. Athletes like Mr. Agassi never know if they will be playing for one or five hours, and they have to be ready for every possibility.

Before he retired from tennis, Mr. Agassi would sometimes gain weight and then stop eating, trying to shed the pounds fast. Mr. Reyes discouraged this. “I said to him, ‘Why do you feel like you have to stop eating to lose that weight?,’ ” he recalled. “ ‘What if you were to eat 10 to 15 percent more, but train 40 percent more?’ ”

Bicyclists in grueling races like the Tour de France also have the problem of maintaining their strength, but for them a little extra weight can make the difference between winning and performing dismally on days when the race has steep hills or mountains.

“I knew from experience and results that I had an ideal weight — or what I thought was ideal,” said Andy Hampsten, a former Tour de France rider and the only American ever to win the Giro D’Italia, in 1988. “If I set too low of a weight goal, I would be weak and stressed,” he said. “If I weighed 4 or 5 pounds more than ideal, I could see I was slower than my competitors.”

Mr. Hampsten, who is 5 feet 9, said that he aimed for a race weight of about 137 pounds, deliberately reducing his intake in the two months before racing season. In the off season he would let his weight drift up to a more comfortable 145 pounds.

The lesson is that, even if the laws of physics and an experience on an AlterG may seem to prove the benefits of a lower weight, exercise science is nowhere near making good predictions for specific athletes, Dr. Tarnopolsky said.

“I know an individual who is one of the fittest ultra-sport athletes,” he said. “She competes in 100 milers, and her body fat is close to 20 percent.”

Yet, he said, “she is one of the most talented athletes I have ever seen.”

Mr. Reyes said that he and Mr. Agassi learned not to let the scale rule your life. “We had a little bit of a phrase,” he said. “The weight scale to most human beings can be like a Ouija board. It can start messing with your head.”

The trick is not to let it.

Truth or marketing from supplement companies? Fact is that many weight lifters have used milk as a post workout drink for years. After reading this post you’ll know why it’s the ultimate post workout food for many people.

Milk Content. 1 cup (250ml) whole milk contains 8g protein, 13g carbs & 8g fat for a total of 150kcal. 1 cup also has 290mg calcium & 107g sodium. This combo makes milk perfect for lean body mass gains & recovery. Full content:

• Casein. Slow digesting protein. Milk consists for 80% of casein, a dairy protein that keeps you full longer and helps fat loss & muscle repair.
• Whey. Fast digesting protein. Milk consists for 20% of whey which helps muscle repair. This is the same kind of whey you find in protein shakes.
• BCAA. Milk is rich in branched chain amino acids : leucine, isoleucine and valine. A diet rich in protein, especially dairy protein like milk, will get you plenty of BCAAs. No need to waste your money on supplements.
• Carbs. Milk contains lactose. Your body uses this sugar to replenish your energy stores. Some can’t digest lactose. Check the tips at the bottom.
• Fat. Unless you go fat-free, milk contains 1 to 3g fat per 100ml. Fats digest slowly and keep you full longer, thus decreasing hunger.
• Calcium. Dairy calcium increases fat loss & improves bone health. The latter is especially important if you’re a woman (osteoporosis).
• Water. Milk is about 87% water. Proper hydration improves muscle recovery and can increase strength by preventing fatigue & stalling.
• Electrolytes. Milk contains sodium & potassium. These minerals improve re-hydration by retaining the fluids you consume post workout.
• Nutrients. Biotin, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin B-12, vitamin D, vitamin K, riboflavin and many others (naturally or through fortification).

5 Reasons You Should Drink Milk Post Workout.

1. Muscle Gains. Research shows a mix of slow and fast digesting protein is superior for lean body mass gains. Milk is 80% casein, 20% whey.
2. Fat Loss. Dairy calcium increases fat loss. The fat in milk keeps you full longer which decreases hunger and thus helps you to lose fat.
3. Recovery. Milk is a fluid and has electrolytes. Research shows milk is superior to water and sport drinks for rehydration post workout.
4. Cheap. When you consider the protein (whey/casein/BCAA) and calorie content of milk, it’s one of the cheapest foods available.
5. Easy. Milk requires zero preparation. 1 quarter (1 liter) milk can be a perfect post workout meal depending on your daily caloric needs.

Milk vs Whey. Some people still believe you need whey post workout. Probably because supplement companies keep pushing it. But studies show slow protein OR a mix of slow & fast protein is superior for lean body mass gains.

Whey is a fast protein. While milk is a combination of slow & fast protein (casein & whey). That’s why milk post workout is superior to whey but also to soy milk for lean body mass gains: whey & soy milk are fast digesting proteins.

If you don’t drink milk, the point is that a slow OR mix of slow & fast protein is better post workout. So even meat, poultry or fish is better than whey. Turns out many people have used solid meals post workout with success.

I haven’t used whey since a long time. I have milk post workout and/or a solid meal that consists of meat, grains & some fats. Exodus shared in this post that he got ripped using a similar kind of post workout meal.

Milk vs Sports Drinks. Strength training causes water loss through sweating. Rehydration is crucial for muscle recovery since dehydration can cause stalling. Signs of dehydration: fatigue & headaches (think hangovers).

Studies show milk is superior to water and sport drinks for rehydration. Here’s why: milk is rich in sodium & potassium which retain fluid, but also in protein & fat which slow digestion. Less hunger, longer hydration.

I don’t recommend sport drinks if you do strength training. Their sugar content will make you fat. Have a solid meal and/or milk and drink plenty of water post workout. Sport drinks are for endurance athletes, not weight lifters.
Whole Milk vs Fat Free Milk. Studies show whole milk causes more lean body mass gains than fat free milk. Since slower protein is better post workout, this could be why whole milk is superior: its fat content could slow absorption.

The fat in whole milk makes it tastier than fat free milk & keeps you full longer. So you’ll tend to eat less with whole milk and be less hungry. Although the fat content in whole milk can be an issue since it’s more caloric dense.

• Whole milk: 30g protein, 40g carbs, 35g fat, 600kcal.
• Low fat milk: 30g protein, 40g carbs, 10g fat, 370kcal.
• Non fat milk: 30g protein, 40g carbs, 0g fat, 280kcal.
• Low fat choco milk: 30g protein, 115g carbs, 10g fat, 670kcal.

Nutritional values are for 1 quart (1 liter) milk.

Milk Recommendations for Fat Loss. To lose fat, you need to eat less calories and/or burn more calories. Milk won’t make you fat. Neither will the fat content in fatty milk make you fat. Only excess calories cause fat gains.

Smoothing is possible when introducing milk in your diet (read below). But this isn’t fat gain. No food can make you fat if you have a caloric deficit. Just like any food, including protein, can cause fat gains when you have a caloric excess.

Research clearly shows that whole milk causes more lean body mass gains than non fat milk. Which proves fat doesn’t make you fat. Excess calories do. As long as you have a caloric deficit, it doesn’t matter if you drink non fat or whole milk.

So which milk you should drink post workout depends on your caloric needs for fat loss, which depend on your body-weight most. Example:

• If you’re 220lbs, you need about 2800kcal/day to lose fat. 1 quart whole milk post workout leaves room for 2200kcal the rest of the day.
• But if you’re 160lbs, you need about 1900kcal/day for fat loss. 1 quart whole milk only leaves 1300kcal. Or only 325kcal/meal if you eat 4x/day. Smaller meals don’t fill your stomach and could cause hunger.

So if you’re on the lighter side and need to lose fat, you have 2 options:

1. Drink smaller quantities whole milk: 1 cup has 150kcal, 2 cups 300kcal.
2. Drink low fat milk: 1 quart has 370kcal, 2 cups 185kcal.

Everything depends on your caloric needs for fat loss. Rule of thumb: 13kcal/lb of body-weight (or 11kcal/lb if you’re a woman). Do the math and make the milk fit within your caloric needs.

I recommend low fat milk over non fat milk because the difference in calories is insignificant. Low fat milk has only 90kcal more when you drink 1 quart and only 45kcal more when you drink 2 cups. Not a big deal.

On top of that, research shows that fattier milk causes more lean body mass. So drink low fat milk if you can’t make whole milk fit in your diet. Remember to drink milk post workout only if you follow the 8 nutrition rules, milk has carbs.

Milk Recommendations for Weight Gain. To gain weight, you need to have a caloric excess: eat more calories and/or burn less calories. Since burning less calories is hard to do, this means you have to eat more.

So it makes sense to drink 1 quart whole milk post workout: more calories and according to research more lean body mass gains. A more extreme version of this is obviously GOMAD: gallon of whole milk a day.

Chocolate milk could work too calorie wise. But it could be less effective than whole milk since it has less fat. Chocolate milk also seems to constipate.

Quick Tips. Some people can’t digest lactose. And many people experience smoothing from milk which they always mistake for fat gains. Tips:

• Lactose Intolerance. Take lactase pills with your milk if you get gas or diarrhea. Avoid lactaid-free milk: it’s convenient but more expensive.
• Smoothing. Milk is rich in sodium. Going from low to high sodium intakes causes water retention. Solution: increase your sodium intake. Eat more dairy products, eat pickles, supplement with real sea salt.

I’m feeling guilty right now. I’ve gained almost 20 pounds, and not the weight I want to gain.

No matter what time I work, I’ll be waking up early and doing 30 minutes of cardio, and my regular workouts during the day.

I was thinking of doing Rippetoe’s 3×5 for 2 months, but I’m doing a push/pull with mostly compound moves.

I had my last bad meal today, no cheating for the next 4 months.

If not Doritos and double bock, then what? With the help of Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., an exercise and nutrition researcher at the University of Connecticut, and a really big magnifying glass, we found it. Eight foods are on the list: eggs, almonds, olive oil, salmon, steak, yogurt, water, and coffee. Add these ingredients to your stomach and faithfully follow the directions on the package—”Lift heavy weights”—and you can whip up a batch of biceps in no time.

The secret to eating better? Fill your diet with healthy fare that tastes good.

Full-Fat Cheese
This dairy product is an excellent source of casein protein—one of best muscle-building nutrients you can eat. What’s more, Danish researchers found that even when men ate 10 ounces of full-fat cheese daily for 3 weeks, their LDL (“bad”) cholesterol didn’t budge.

Red-Pepper Flakes
A Dutch study found that consuming a gram of red pepper flakes—about half a teaspoon—30 minutes prior to a meal reduced calorie intake by 16 percent. Plus, new research suggests its active ingredient, capsaicin, may help kill cancer cells.

Vinegar
Scientists in Sweden discovered that when people consumed 2 tablespoons of vinegar with a high-carb meal, their blood sugar was 23 percent lower than when they skipped the antioxidant-loaded liquid. They also felt fuller.

Mushrooms
This fungi’s metabolites—by-products created when mushrooms are broken down during digestion—have been shown to boost immunity and prevent cancer growth, report researchers in the Netherlands.

Iceberg Lettuce
Conventional wisdom suggests this salad staple is nutritionally bankrupt. But as it turns out, half a head of iceberg lettuce has significantly more alpha-carotene, a powerful disease-fighting antioxidant, than either romaine lettuce or spinach.

Pork Chops
Per gram of protein, pork chops contain almost five times the selenium—an essential mineral that’s linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer—of beef, and twice that of chicken. And Purdue researchers found that a 6-ounce serving daily helped people preserve their muscle while losing weight.

Vitamins

A vitamin is any group of organic substances – other than proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, and organic salts – which are essential for normal metabolism, growth, and development. Vitamins regulate metabolic processes, control cellular functions, and prevent diseases, such as scurvy and rickets.

Let’s examine what each vitamin does for us, what happens if there is a deficiency, and from what foods we can get them.

Vitamin A:
Essential for normal growth, integrity of the skin, and bone development. Lack of Vitamin A can lead to infection of the cornea, conjunctiva (the red part of the eye), trachea (windpipe), hair follicles, and renal system. Deficiency can also cause night blindness. Vitamin A is found in butter, butterfat in milk, egg yolk, some fruits (prunes, pineapples, oranges, limes, and cantaloupe), green leafy vegetables and carrots.

Vitamin B Complexes:

* Vitamin B1 (thiamine) affects growth, appetite, and carbohydrate metabolism. Alcoholics can be especially deficient. B1 is found in whole grains, nuts, egg yolk, fruits, and most vegetables.

* Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) affects growth and cellular metabolism (the ability of the cell to take in food, make energy and discard waste). Found in liver, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and green vegetables.
* A deficiency in Vitamin B6 (niacin) will cause pellagra, which is associated with the “four D’s”: dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and death. Found in liver, meat, poultry, and green vegetables.

* Vitamin B12 (biotin, folic acid, and cyanocobalamin) is found in leafy green vegetables, organ meats, lean beef and veal, and wheat cereals. A deficiency will result in pernicious anemia and neurological problems, including numbness and weakness.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid):
Necessary for the formation of connective tissue between cells as well as maintenance of the “cement” that secures cells to membranes. A deficiency will lead to scurvy (shallow complexion, loss of energy, pain in legs and joints, bleeding gums, and muscle pain). Vitamin C is found in raw cabbage, carrots, orange juice, lettuce, celery, onions, tomatoes, and all citrus fruits.

Vitamin D:
Necessary for the development of bones and teeth, a deficiency can lead to rickets and tooth decay. It is essential in the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus, two of the most important constituents of bone and teeth. Vitamin D is manufactured in the skin with exposure to sunlight, and is also found in milk, cod liver oil, salmon, egg yolk, and butter fat.

Vitamin E:
Although the exact function of this vitamin is not clearly understood, it is essential to humans and has been related to the healing of scars. A deficiency is extremely rare, as Vitamin E is found in many foods.

Vitamin K:
Essential for blood clotting, Vitamin K is found in fats, oats, wheat, rye, and alfalfa.

Minerals

If you think minerals aren’t important in the diet, think again. Minerals are essential, acting as “co-factors of enzymes” (enzymes would not exist or function without minerals), and as organizers of the molecular structure of the cell and its membrane. There are fourteen trace minerals necessary for survival, a few of which are discussed below.

Chromium:
Necessary for the maintenance of normal blood sugar levels. Chromium works with insulin in assisting cells to take in glucose and release energy. Some good sources include meats, unrefined foods, fats, and vegetable oils. Chromium Picolinate has not been shown to cause weight loss and its effectiveness at improving insulin’s ability to break down glucose is being questioned.

Copper:
Needed for the production of red blood cells and the formation of connective tissues. Also plays a major role in the defense against free radicals. Some sources include meat, seafood, nuts, and seeds.

Fluorine:
Maintains the structure of teeth. Taken regularly, Flourine will help protect teeth from acidic decay. Sources include water (in some areas), seafood, kidney, liver, and other meats.

Manganese:
Activator of many enzymes. Manganese is very closely related to the synthesis of DNA, RNA, and protein. Sources include whole grains and cereals, fruits, and vegetables.

Selenium:
Important in protecting lipids of cell membranes (cell walls are made up of a lipid (fat) layer), proteins, and nucleic acids against oxidant damage. Sources include broccoli, chicken, cucumbers, egg yolk, garlic, liver, milk, mushrooms, onions, seafood, and tuna.

Zinc:
Zinc represents only 0.003 percent of the human body, but is essential for synthesis of protein, DNA and RNA. It is required for growth in all stages of life. Sources include meats, oysters and other seafood, milk, and egg yolk.

Performing endless abdominal crunches isn’t the only — or even the best — way to sculpt a rock-solid core. Multimuscle exercises, such as the braced squat, build a stronger foundation for your body and more muscular legs, says Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S.

The Benefit
The braced squat looks like a lower-body exercise, doesn’t it? But the primary goal is to overload your core, says Cosgrove. The movement helps you develop a stronger midsection, which improves stability, performance, and strength. A strong core will pay off on the court or in the field.

How to Do It
1. With your feet shoulder-width apart, hold a 25-pound plate in front of your body at shoulder height with your arms outstretched.

2. Keeping your arms straight, squat as low as possible. Hold the position for 4 seconds.

3. Return to the starting position by pressing through your heels. Make sure that the only changes in your center of gravity come from the lowering and raising of your body, not any backward or forward movement. Aim for 1 to 2 sets of 10 to 12 slow reps, with 60 seconds of rest between sets.

Expert’s Tip
Work your arms by doing a curl at the top of each rep: Stand with arms outstretched and curl the plate toward your upper shoulders. Extend your arms as you lower your body.