Chia Seeds, The Aztec Superfood

I discovered Chia seeds through my friend Alex. He became a vegan almost two years ago, and since then he's always on the hunt for new foods that can help him maintain a balanced diet. He told me a lot about chia seeds (the so-called “Aztec superfood”) as being a good source of protein, fiber and an array of precious nutrients.
I got curious, went to Whole Foods, bought a pack, got back home and throw a handful in my green protein smoothie. And guess what: I loveeeed it. It thickens up nicely and adds a certain je ne sais quoi!
I wanted to know more about it, so I did my fair share of research and discovered the following...

Robbie Williams, Lady Gaga and Ashton Kutcher: Three Bikram Yoga Devotees!

What Robbie Williams, Lady Gaga and Ashton Kutcher have in common?
Ok, yes, they’re famous people, we know that, but they also share one passion: Bikram yoga!
I just picked three VIPs but there are a lot of other personalities that are devotees of this practice; for instance Carmen Electra, Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy are also raving about it.
But wait, the aim of this post is not to do name dropping. I mean, if I can convince you to give Bikram yoga a shot just by mentioning the like of Gaga I’m more than happy.
But actually what’s interesting is how practicing Bikram yoga has helped those three personalities in different ways.
Let’s explore a little bit more about it...

Is There Anything Like Too Much Green Tea?

I’m big time addicted to green tea. I drink at least two “Venti” green tea first thing with my breakfast; then one during the morning, one after lunch, another one at mid-afternoon and after dinner I usually have decaffeinated green tea.
"Pouring" all this green tea into my body (besides forcing me to make numerous stops at the restrooms during the day) got me thinking: “Is it possible that I'm abusing it?"

The Best Protein Brownies

When you train/workout a lot, in order to get the necessary daily protein intake we have sometimes to resort to protein bars. There’s nothing wrong with it. Your body needs readily available amino-acids and these snacks do the trick.
However, most of the protein bars you can buy at the health store contain a bunch of stuff with unpronounceable names. In addition, the taste is often off-putting (personally, I still have to find one that I really like).
The solution? Make your own, simple as that. Maybe even in the form of brownies.
What about that?
I tried several recipes over the last couple years and perfected this one, which is has become a staple of my diet.
These are truly amazing brownies, loaded with protein!

Is Whole Milk Really Fattening?

You’re at the supermarket about to grab the milk’s carton for the week or at Starbucks looking at the pitchers deciding what kind of milk to put in your coffee. What's going on in your mind? Probably this: should I choose the skim milk and keep the pounds off or go for the taste and have reduced-fat milk?
If you were to follow the USDA recommendations (and probably your trainer) you should go for skim. Actually the idea that skim is better has become so popular that in some coffee houses you can't even find reduced-fat milk not to mention whole.
But is it really true? Let’s dig into this question a little bit more.

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.