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Nutrition: Saving Money, Fish Oils, Green Tea and Supplements

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 05:00 AM PST

Here is an interview between 2 Ontario Canadian weight loss & fitness gurus. One is a circuit training fat loss expert and the other a Ph.D. nutrition guy. They both have their own companies which you can check out at the end of the article along with their free ebooks giveaway (no sign up required, just download the PDF)

A brief introduction. Craig Ballantyne is the owner of Turbulence Training and TT Boot Camp, and John Berardi is the owner of Precision Nutrition and the author of the best selling book Scrawny to Brawny: The Complete Guide to Building Muscle the Natural Way. The original interview can be found here on Craig's website.

Craig Ballantyne: How can the average guy and gal eat as healthy as possible without breaking the bank? When should they buy food in bulk? And where?

John Berardi: Healthy eating really isn't all that expensive. In fact, my colleague Amanda Graydon of Healthy Kitchens Makeover (www.healthykitchensmakeover.com) has done detailed studies of her clients' "before" and "after" grocery bills showing huge savings once they start eating the Precision Nutrition way – as long as they make smart decisions.

For example, did you know that of each food category, the most expensive items are located to the left of the relevant section and at a level between eye-level and stomach level? Therefore, when looking for peanut butter, for example, the most expensive ones are placed in the best visual position.

So, to save money, you just have to look down and to the right and voila, you'll find the cheaper items – no name brands, which are often of similar quality. Another great tip is to check out bulk food stores for healthy grains like quinoa or oats. A natural nut butters, mixed nuts, green tea, and other similar bulk items.

And another great tip is to frequent Farmers' Markets or ethic food stores (like the produce markets in China-Town) for produce. I started saving 75% on my produce bills when I started shopping at such places. And the quality is often better.

Craig Ballantyne: Let's talk about fish oils for a minute. First off, what are your daily recommendations in terms of quantity and quality (specific brand recommendations)? And second, do you think fish oil helps people lose fat? If so, how do fish oils help accomplish this?

John Berardi: Studies I've been involved in at the University of Western Ontario have shown that sedentary folks taking between 1-3 grams of fish oil per day can speed up metabolic rate (+300-400kcal/day) and can help these same individuals drop 3 lbs of fat and gain 3 lbs of lean in just 3 weeks.

So yes, I'd say fish oil helps people lose fat! In terms of recommendations, I recommend anywhere from 6-10grams of total fish oil per day (that's 6-10 fish oil capsules or 2-4 tsp of liquid fish oil per day). For some clients, I recommend more (especially those with inflammatory problems, triglyceride elevations in the blood, and those with insulin insensitivity).

And in terms of quality, I think most fish oils are just fine. Although many companies insist that "regular" fish oils are contaminated and low quality, this is more of a concern for fresh fish than supplements. Farmed salmon tends to be very high in polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and tuna is high in mercury.

Independent studies at Harvard Medical School, Consumer Reports, and the watchdog group ConsumerLab.com has shown commercially available fish oil supplements to be free of toxins such as mercury, dioxins and PCBs. I recommend that people visit www.nutrasource.ca for a list of supplements, which have been independently tested.

Craig Ballantyne: What other general supplement advice do you have for men and women who want to lose fat? From multi-vitamin use to post-workout drinks, etc.

John Berardi: In Precision Nutrition, I list the "big 5?:

Protein supplements
Greens supplements
Fish Oil
Creatine
Workout Drinks (Jimson's note: see Sports and Energy Drinks: The Complete Guide – Part 4 )

And further, when metabolic decline is a big concern, I recommend Acetyl-L-Carnitine and rAlpha Lipoic Acid. I think most people will do great with a good nutrition plan, smart training plan, and these basic supplements – if needed.

Craig Ballantyne: I'm a big fan of Green Tea. Is the instant Green Tea I get at the grocery store going to be just as healthy as getting Green Tea leaves from a specialty shop?

John Berardi: Studies have shown that Matcha green tea can be between 3 and 100x more potent than most commercially available green teas. So yes, some teas are better than others. However, if you're not drinking any green tea and want to start reaping the benefits, start drinking whatever brand you can find right away.

My best recommendation is this: since Matcha is much more expensive, have 1 cup of Matcha tea per day and then use regular old green tea bags through the rest of the day.

Craig Ballantyne: John, finally, can you give us a summary of Precision Nutrition?

John Berardi: When someone purchases Precision Nutrition, not only do they get the 5 manuals, the 2 DVDs, the 2 CDs, and the cookbook, they also get an amazing online resource in our private membership forum, they get our technologically advanced online results tracker, and they get our amazing online exercise database with over 460 exercises demonstrated in three different ways and categorized in a host of very practical ways.

More Information

>> Click here to download the Precision Nutrition Strategies For Success.

This ebook provides a nice and simple overview of some critical Precision Nutrition strategies including: the rules of good nutrition, protein intake, balancing dietary acids, altering your eating schedule to make it more Precision Nutrition friendly, preparing foods, eating on the road, revving your metabolism, and more.

No registration or email required.

>> Click here to download the Gourmet Nutrition Desserts.

A 44 page dessert cookbook complete with delicious "Precision Nutrition approved" dessert recipes, beautiful photography, and hints on how to eat the foods you love without the gaining the fat you hate.

No registration or email required.

>> Click here to download the Turbulence Training 4-week ebook

Here is the complete mini version ebook of his Turbulence Training system. If you love circuit training or training with your own bodyweight and perhaps a few dumbbells, then this kind of program will fit your needs. Beginners who hate doing cardio aerobic exercise will benefit from this kind of training.

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Friday, 21 January 2011