One of the things some of us don’t often realise is that in order to lose weight and gain muscle. We need to make sure that we are eating sufficient protein in our diets. If we don’t have the correct balance or eat enough of it, then we may either stay the same weight, or we may go the other way and gain weight.

One of the reason’s protein is so important is its the building block of building muscle and tissue repair. So for some people, taking a supplement maybe an easier route to get the adequate amount of protein. They need in order to help with losing fat and gain muscle.

A new one has come out on the market, recently called Bio Care Body Balance which this review is based upon in order to try this particular supplement.  All I did was mix one sachet with some water in a blender.

This is one of those supplements that you need to do this with other than using a shaker cup. Otherwise it won’t mix properly I can’t really comment on how it would affect me from a performance point of view because I only have a few samples to try, but overall it did taste quite nice the flavour I had to try was vanilla.

I did  some exercise throughout the day, but as I say, it would be harder to gauge any kind of performance gains without taking it for any length of time. Here is some information about this particular brand of supplement. Body Balance has these ingredients in it i order to maximise your performance from your workout.

• L Carnatine this is used for speeding up the cellular metabolism of fat.
• It contains high-quality whey protein, which is used to supplement your diet and to curb your appetite, so you don’t overeat.
• Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) what this does is help your body to convert muscle to fat food, exercise
• Chromium, this is an essential ingredient for keeping your blood sugar imbalance, which helps to prevent you snacking on foods, which are high in sugar and fat

Here are the ingredients which are based on a 30g scoop.

Whey protein concentrate 21.3g

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) 1.48 g

L-Carnitine                                    190mg

Chromium                                      220ug

For more details and information please see there website, which is at www.biocare.co.uk  

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Every so often I am sent products to review by various people, and this review is based around something called the fridge friend. The idea behind this is that you can record small memos up to a maximum of 15 lasting approximately 80 seconds each.

It has two buttons on the front of it below the screen. The left-hand button has a power sign next to it as well is a play sign the button next to it is the record button, so in order to record a video message which could be to remind yourself to do some exercise or some particular diet tip, once you switch the device on , you will see yourself in the camera.

Then it’s just a matter of pressing the right-hand button and this will start the video recording process. Once you have finished, it’s just a matter of pressing the record button. Once again, when you do this your recording will be played back to you straight away.

If you want to look at your messages. All you need to do is keep pressing the play button and you will see the number of each recording that you have made the thing to remember is, you can record up to 15 lasting up to 80 seconds each. If you want to delete any of your messages.

All you need to do is be playing each one, and when you come across one that you don’t want to keep any longer. Press the right-hand button and this will give you an option to delete it or save it as the case may be. The video quality that you get from it is reasonable.

The only thing I would say that lets it down a bit is the audio quality is a bit poor. It sounds a bit muffled, but you can make out what you are saying. Apart from that it does do everything that it should do so in summing up this would be an ideal gift. Or purchase was somebody who wanted to keep small reminders in video format on their fridge. For things like exercise reminders or to eat something healthy or anything you like really there are endless possibilities.

If you would like more information of similar products, please visit their website, which is http://www.ideasbynet.com/. You can also view a PDF with a description at this link http://www.ideasbynet.com/images/fridge-friend.pdf

Disclosure statement: I did receive this item in order to do a review of it as well as keep it.

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Image by Chris Duffin

This is a guest post by Samantha Harvey on behalf of Tasty Bingo

It is important for families, especially kids, to get their 5 a day but it can be difficult to get them to eat their fruit and veg. Taking things slowly is the best way to gradually get them eating their greens, and you might even eventually convince them to even eat brussel sprouts. Here, we will look at easy ways to give your family their 5 a day.

Why Fruit and Veg?

Fruit and veg are important to stay healthy. Here are some other reasons why you should eat your 5 a day:

* They taste great

* They help reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease and some cancers

* They are a great source of fibre and antioxidants

* They are loaded with vitamins and minerals

* They are essential for maintaining a healthy weight

Plan the Day

Perhaps the easiest way to get your family to eat their 5 a day is by planning the day’s menu. Think about how you can include fruit and veg in meals ahead of time, and you should be able to easily sneak in healthy foods without them even noticing.

* Breakfast

A cooked breakfast can give you several portions of fruit and veg if you have grilled mushrooms, baked beans, grilled tomatoes and a glass of unsweetened orange juice. If you give your kids cereal for breakfast, add some sliced bananas or strawberries.

* Morning Break

Take some fruit or a piece of veg (bite-sized celery or carrots are ideal) to work for your mid-morning snack. Don’t be tempted to snack on an unhealthy pastry or chocolate.

Remember that all children between four and six at Local Education maintained primary schools are entitled to one free piece of fruit or vegetable, usually given out in the morning break. When they are older, include a piece of fruit with their lunchbox. School Food Regulations require that fruit and/or vegetables are provided at all school food outlets, including breakfast clubs and vending machines.

* Lunchtime

Avoid junk food and try something healthier. A packed lunch with fruit and vegetables will help you avoid feeling lethargic and give you enough energy to make it through the afternoon. Think of creative ways to get your 5 a day, too.

A school lunch will give your son or daughter a piece of fruit and a portion of vegetables. Include dried fruits such as sultanas or apricots in their lunchbox (they count as a portion) and put tomatoes, lettuce or cucumber in their sandwiches. Remember that kids love to swap food, so talk to other parents and get ideas about how to give everyone their 5 a day.

* When they come back

Kids are usually famished when they leave school. Give them some fruit to help recharge until it’s time for dinner. When they’re so hungry, they’ll be more inclined to eat almost anything, so now is your chance to give them another of their 5 a day.

When you or your partner come back from work, eat a banana to get some energy for the rest of the evening. If you’ve had a stressful day, something sweet like grapes or raisins can help settle your mood.

* Dinner

Remember that vegetables in stews and other dishes count as a portion of your 5 a day, so try and include as many as possible. Avoid adding any extra fats or sugars, and use lean cuts of meat. Try to include at least two types of vegetable at dinner but don’t force your kids to eat them. Sometimes, just watching parents eating them might be enough to convince them.

Start Early

If you have young children, now is the time to get them involved. I often bring my 2-year-old son along on weekly shops to introduce fruits and vegetables, encouraging him to pick out something he’d like to try for dinner. He doesn’t always like them but being adventurous is a good step.

Pizza and other treats

You don’t have to give up pizza or other favourite foods. Simply add veggie toppings to give them a portion of veg. Here’s a recipe for red and yellow pizza fingers that the whole family can enjoy:

Ingredients:

for the finger bases

150g (5oz) of strong flour

3g (1/8oz) dried yeast

100ml (3 1/2floz) warm water

1/2tsp salt

1/4tsp sugar

2-3 drops of olive oil, to blend

For the topping

1/4 jar of ready-made tomato pasta sauce

1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced

1/2 yellow pepper, de-seeded and sliced

1/2 red pepper, deseeded and sliced

55-85g (2-3oz) cheddar or redLeicestercheese, grated

A few basil leaves, shredded

Method

1. First preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Make a pizza dough by combining the flour, yeast, salt and sugar into a mixing bowl, and stir in the warm water.

2. Remove the dough and knead for 5 mins. Place it on a floured surface and roll it out to form a long rectangle, pressing down with the palm of your hand to flatten.

3. Place the pizza base onto a greased, non-stick baking sheet. Spread a little tomato sauce onto the base. Scatter the red onion and pepper slices over. Sprinkle the grated cheese over and scatter the shredded basil leaves over the top.

4. Bake in the oven for 10-12 mins, or until the dough is crispy and the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, cut into fingers and serve.

Make it Fun

Kids like being messy, so let your kids help you make fun meals with fruit and veg.

* Make fun picnics (have them indoors when it’s cold) with lots of raisins, sliced carrots, veggie packed sandwiches and sweet grapes.  Add tasty treats like mini sausage rolls and low-fat crisps.

* Use cookie cutters to make sandwiches in shapes they love.

* Make funny faces out of pizzas and other dishes.

* Use a cookie cutter to make craters in mashed potato and add a vegetable moon lander. A flag made from dried spaghetti is the final touch.

* Grow your own veg and let your family pick them.

* Make tasty smoothies with your kids.

Finally, here’s a delicious recipe for smoothie jellies with ice cream. It’s a great alternative to traditional jellies and is perfect for parties, too.

Smoothie jellies with ice cream

Ingredients: (makes 12 small pots)

6 sheets leaf gelatine

1l bottle orange, mango and passion fruit smoothie

Ice cream

Method:

1. Put the leaf gelatine into a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave for a few minutes until soft and floppy. Gently heat the smoothie in a saucepan. Take off the heat. Lift the gelatine out of the water, squeeze out any excess water, then add it to the pan. Stir until smooth, then pour into 12 moulds, pots or glasses. Chill for at least 1 hour or until set.

2.Dip a tablespoon measuring spoon into a cup of hot water, then shake off the excess. Scoop the ice cream, dipping the spoon in the hot water each time. Serve each jelly topped with ice cream.

Post contributed by Samantha Harvey on behalf of Tasty Bingo the place to find great recipes and play bingo.

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Carbohydrates are in such a lot of food these days. We probably don’t even realise half the time how many we should or shouldn’t be eating. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with carbohydrates. We do need a certain amount in order to provide us with energy, but realistically, how many do we actually need?

The underlying problem with eating too many carbohydrates is when your body has enough of them, which is used to provide reserve and for your liver. Any that isn’t used results in spillage, which means your liver will take what it needs, and stores the rest, as fat, which is something, you don’t need.

If you are somebody who is very active and using lots of energy throughout the day. Then you may not notice, especially if you’re an athlete or something similar. However, a lot of us don’t fit into that particular category. So we’re going to need to watch how many we are consuming because we do not want to gain weight.

Here are some guidelines that I found on a blog called Mark’s Daily Apple. If you are eating more than 300g per day, then this is what he considered to be the danger zone. In other words, you are consuming far too many carbs, which is very easy to do in today’s society.

When you consider what we are consuming most of the time, carbohydrates are in quite a lot of food these days. They are in cereals, pasta, pancakes and so on. If you are consuming this amount of carbohydrate in your diet, then you are at risk of diabetes and inflammation, and he recommends that at this level, you need a sharp reduction in the amount of carbohydrates that you are consuming.

Next is 150–300 g per day at this level of consumption, you should expect the following, steady weight gain. If you have continued insulin dumps, which happen every time you eat food and even more so when you’re eating too many carbohydrates. The reason being is insulin interferes with the fat-burning  mechanism. When you are in this range, it can lead to an average a 1.5 pounds of fat gain per annum for a period of 40 years.

A more acceptable range is between 100 –150g per day, and tends to be based on your body weight and the amount of activity that you do each day. It allows for optimal fat burning and will help with muscle development.

Between 50 – 100g per day. This is supposedly the ultimate amount for promotion of fat burning and keeping insulin levels to a minimum, which is what you need to aim for. If you want to lose weight effectively eating this amount really ramps up fat metabolism. If you eat the average daily requirement of protein, which is based on the .7-1gram per lean body weight formula.

And by eating nutritionally rich vegetables and fruits. You will find it easy to stay in the range of 50 – 100 grams per day even if you eat quite large portions of food. If you do keep in this range y will range, it very easy to lose one or two pounds of body fat per week and keep it off as long as you stay within the above stated range.

Between 0-50g a day, this is okay for the odd day of intermittent fasting. Just make sure that you intake adequate amounts of protein, fat, and what other supplements, you may need. This would possibly be a good route for diabetics, but not recommended for a long time, practice.

Source material: Marks Daily Apple

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I watched a video presentation recently on You Tube and there was a weight loss tip which I hadn’t come across before, and it revolves around having 35g of protein upon waking. So here are seven breakfasts that you can eat and will give you 35g of protein, each morning.

1. Boiled Eggs, with Bread, four soft boiled eggs/hard-boiled, with two slices of wholemeal bread. Roughly, you will get 24 g of protein from the eggs and the wholemeal bread has 4 g of protein per slice which adds up to 32 g of protein, which is near enough.

2. Baked Beans Wholemeal Bread and an Egg, one large tin of baked beans, which is 22.8g of protein, and two slices of wholemeal bread, which will give you 8g of protein and one poached or soft or hard boiled egg , which will give you roughly 6g of protein.

3. Egg, Ham, and Cheese Whole Wheat English Muffin and Grapes, scramble two thirds of a cup of egg substitute and put on top of a whole wheat toasted English muffin top it with 1 ounce of extra lean ham and some American cheese and have it with a side of grapes. This will provide you with 35g of protein.

4. Six, Egg Omelette with Mushrooms, the eggs will give you 36g of protein. The mushrooms are there just to add a bit more variety to it.

5. Mexican Egg and Shrimp Pita with Peach, scramble, one third cup of egg substitute mix in 2 ounces of prepaid shrimp and put this in a wholemeal pitta bread topped with 2 ounces of low-fat shredded cheese, two tablespoon each of salsa with low-fat sour cream and serve with a large peach. This will provide you with 39g of protein.

6. Sausage and Rice Scramble with Greek Yogurt and Kiwi, scramble two thirds of a cup of egg substitute. Combine this with half a cup of brown rice and a ounce of pork sausage. Serve this with some plain Greek yoghurt and some fresh kiwifruit. This will provide you with 37g of protein.

7. Vegetarian Sausages with Beans and Egg, have two vegetarian sausages with one small tin of beans and one poached egg. This will provide you with 38g of protein.

If there are any ideas you have for high-protein breakfasts, then please feel free to add your input in the relevant section below.

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