The Goodness Of Cayenne Pepper

Writing this article is for me somehow challenging, at least as challenging as it has been to integrate cayenne pepper in my eating regimen.
Why? Because I’m not a big fan of hot/spicy food. I know, my taste buds have some limitations. I tried to overcome them but it proved to be a very difficult task.
Still, I now make use of cayenne pepper because its health benefits are almost unbelievable.
It can do almost everything from kill cancer cells in the prostate, lungs, and pancreas to immediately stop a heart attack within 30 seconds. Amazing right?
Cayenne’s reputation keeps growing among medical researchers as well as alternative health afficionados.
So let’s explore a little bit more what this is all about...

From Garum To Ketchup

I’m sure that you know what is ketchup, but probably you haven't got the slightest idea of what garum is.
However, garum and ketchup are two different sauces unite by a long history. But today, the latter is viewed as bland, commonplace and a culinary atrocity, while the former is considered an exciting, exotic, and mysterious condiment.
As a matter of fact they represent two different eras: garum represents a bygone one that many historians wish was a culinary reality, and chefs nostalgically try to recreate; while ketchup is the epitome of modern commercial days that many gourmet chefs wish was history and try to get rid from their menu.
But both sauces have something in common: they have been surrounded by wrong myths. Garum, for instance, was neither invented by Romans nor did it disappear when Rome fell; and ketchup was neither invented by Americans nor, was in the beginning sweet, thick or tomato based.

Agata Segafredo | From Party Girl To Half-Marathoner

World acclaimed fashion photographer and stylist Agata Segafredo, has spent most of her life travelling around the world. Being the daughter of an Argentinian mother and an Italian father, since she was a child she never stopped wandering between Europe and South America.
Then, as a grown up woman, she moved to New York to further her education and experience in the fashion industry.
Needless to say it, as almost everybody dealing in the fashion business, Agata has been very active on the social side. I mean, that’s big part of that industry: shows, shootings and - most of all - huge parties.
However, she comes from a family of very sporty people and, having that heritage in her DNA she just need it a little push and make something that, even to her, few months earlier seemed unachievable.
But, let’s start from the beginning...

All On Sweet Potato Diet

Since I’ve posted the article on sweet potatoes, many readers have been asking more information on Glee’s star Matthew Morrison sweet potato diet.

Let’s start by saying that there is no such thing as a sweet potato diet. What Matt Morrison did was to eat only sweet potatoes for three days before the photo shooting in order to get rid of all water weight, thus look super ripped in the pictures.
Let’s not hide it, this guy is not an health rookie.
He follows a rigorous working out routine (even when he’s busy filming all day on the set he still finds at least 30 minutes to exercise core and abs) and sticks to a very strict eating regimen. According to the interview published in Details magazine, he avoids carbs and sugars as much as possible, never eat fruits after dark and so on.
You might have figured it out by now that the sweet potato diet was, for Matt Morrison, just the icing on the cake - that is to say the last trick in order to look as good as possible.

Pre-Race Nutrition

You registered for the race few months ago and finally the “big” day is coming. Just 24 hours and you’ll finally cross the starting line and (hopefully) also the finish line.
Truth is, those final 24 hours before the big race are always filled with nervous anticipation, especially if it’s your first time. Over time, that feeling slowly diminishes, but unfortunately never goes completely away even after years of racing (I can tell you from my experience that it never does!).
All the ‘what ifs’ fill your head. What if I get cramps? What if I feel sick? What if I run out of energy? These things are all part of the excitement of choosing to participate in a sport event versus hiding under the covers on a Sunday morning.
With all these thoughts flooding your head, there’s another critical component to your final countdown to the gun – what do I eat? This is a very easy question to answer, but I won’t be able to give you the answer, actually: you’re the one who has the answer!
Not one menu is a perfect fit for all athletes; but there are some general rules that everyone can use as a guide during the final 24 hours leading into your race.

Book Review: The 4-Hour Body

This is the first time we are reviewing a book on The Iron You but I feel this one is really worth doing it.
Why? Because when my roomie Alex got it she red it in less than a week, and you could tell she was really loving it. Also, when I borrowed it from her I seriously couldn’t stop reading it...so what book are we talking about?
“The 4-Hour Body” by Timothy Ferriss

Pineapple: Nature's Most Powerful Anti-Inflammatory

Athletes have to deal with injures, unfortunately, quite often. The most common include hip bursitis, pulled hamstring, runner’s knee, shin splints,  ankle sprain, achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, arch pain, tennis elbow, wrist injuries, SLAP lesion just to name few.
As far as I’m concerned when I get injured my first reaction is anger followed by a feeling of depression, normally I start to wonder “Why this has to happen to me?”, “I’m always so careful...” and so on.
If the injury is not too severe, and doesn't necessitates the intervention of a doctor, I usually rest for a few days, and maybe pop-up some of the most common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as aspirin).
However, as I don't like taking medications, I tend to resort to the most potent anti-inflammatory that mother nature has given us: pineapple.
Let’s discover why pineapple can be considered the best anti-inflammatory medicament.

Big Breakfast, Small Breakfast or No Breakfast?

The role of breakfast energy in total daily energy intake is a matter of debate. I recently red in the January issue of the Nutritional Journal an article entitled “Impact of breakfast on daily energy intake - an analysis of absolute versus relative breakfast calories”.
According to such research if you’re trying to lose weight than the answer to the question “Do you need breakfast?” is maybe not.
In fact, the study concludes that “reduced breakfast energy intake is associated with lower total daily intake”. Thus, overweight people should consider reducing breakfast calories as a simple option to improve their daily energy balance.
But what about all those studies and researches conducted over the years that have established that breakfast is the only meal you’re not supposed to skip?
Several experiments in the past have demonstrated that an energy-rich breakfast does not induce subsequent under-eating to compensate for the extra calories consumed in comparison to a day that started with a breakfast containing 45% less energy. But, on the other hand, different researches have demonstrated that an increasing percentage of breakfast to overall energy intake is associated with lower daily energy intake.

The results of these studies are apparently contradictory. However, these studies have most of the times a substantially different methodological approach. Their analysis is based either on absolute breakfast calories in relation to total daily intake or on the percentage of breakfast to total calories in relation to total daily intake on people.
So, let’s see more in detail what this ultimate study is about...

Sam Johnson | A Model's Workout

Yesterday I met with my friend Sam Johnson at Equinox in the Meatpacking district for a workout session.
Sam is an actor, a poet but most of all a model for a highly regarded agency in NYC (and, of course, he’s also represented in London, Paris and Milan).
Needless to say it, he always needs to be in perfect shape for his job.
But Sam is a very healthy person and to him training and exercising just represent a way to keep a good balance in his life and, also, improve the quality of it both physically and mentally.
Truth to be told, Sam is an athlete and loves sports. He played (and still plays) basketball, football, golf, volleyball, baseball and hockey just to name a few. He also like winter sports like cross country ski, snowboarding, etc...
So it’s not only about the look, there’s much more to it actually!
There’s no doubt that Sam fits perfectly the profile of the IronYou and that is why I thought it was a good idea to share with you some of his training tips.

Sam in an editorial

Sweet Potato: Hollywood's Stars Favorite Food

Today I’m going to talk about one of my absolute favorite foods: sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are not only delicious, they are one of the best foods on the planet. Lately they got a lot of coverage especially after a bunch of Hollywood stars have confessed to be heavy consumers of this food.
For instance Glee’s star Matthew Morrison claims, in England’s Mirror newspaper, that he accentuated his six-pack abs for a Details magazine photo shoot with a strange diet trick: for three days, he ate only sweet potatoes.  “I had to have a six-pack on the show,” he said. “The potato acts as a sponge and your body literally shrinks and gets ripped and tight.”
Also, singer Usher, confessed that in order to get a six pack, he will throw in his diet a limited amount of carbs only in the form of  sweet potatoes.
Are you curious now? Let’s dig a little bit more into sweet potato and discover what’s the magic about it!