Know the answer or want to hear more about it? Go to the club page and leave a comment.

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Firstly, I love eating good quality bread and my intention is not to bring you bad news. My goal is to give you the latest info on how to be healthy.

The answer seems to be yes, bread does make us fat.  I know that’s bad news for many of us for many reasons.

There is an article in Newsweek this week that’s talks about obesity and some of the governments effort to fight it, and how it’s failing.  We are fatter than ever, regardless of the governments campaign to tell us to eat less fat and salt while eating more grains (carbs).

My firm is fortunate in that we do corporate wellness programs some of the largest companies in the world. Some have very large budgets to spend on wellness, and have been for years, with little to show for it too often.  One reason is they don’t focus on the motivational component, which is the niche of my wellness firm. Another reason for lack of success, is the conflicting information that’s out there.

Here’s my professional opinion on one of the best and most effective ways obtain a healthy weight and maximize your health. It has do with the fact that we eat too much sugar in the form of grains, particularly bread and pasta, as well as the obvious refined sugars.  Warning; it may be extreme for some:

• Replace all sugary drinks, candy and sweets with water, fruit and nuts.
• If you eat bread, limit it to 2-4 times per week. (Even if it’s whole grain) Start with eating grains once per day and go from there. Replace with more vegetables and lean meat if you eat it, and the other suggestions below.
• If you do eat grains, these seem to be healthiest: brown rice, quinoa, barley.
• Some sources say don’t eat potatoes, even sweet potatoes. I don’t agree. I believe  potatoes in moderation can have a health benefit.

I say, “seem to be” often because the information we receive from studies and the government changes almost daily.

Our Goal: Every day lets use common sense, eat foods in as natural a state as possible, and replace all harmful food items with vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, the grains above,  lean meat, eggs, and wild fish where possible.

Of course, try to eat organic, free range, hormone & antibiotic free, wild and sustainable foods.  Good luck!

You can also go the Club Page, look under “Downloads” to the right and click on “Articles”. You’ll see it there with some other great resources like, “Grocery Shopping” and “What to Eat Before and After Workouts”. Enjoy and let us know what your favorite healthy carbs are.

The Best Carbs

Club members watch this video to see how excess sugar can make us fat and sick >

Not a club member? Join us here and watch the video >

Back to Texas; I spent time talking with many people who lost weight and changed the quality of their lives. Randall lost 65lbs, Sue lost 44lbs and Justin lost 50lbs and started a healthy challenge within his organization!  Again, more importantly they improved their health and have affected the people they love the most.  They used many of the techniques that I share with you in my club. If you’re a club member please reach out to me and let me know how I can assist you.  That’s what the club is all about.

The answer from yesterdays quiz question; Which is more important when exercising, burning calories or building muscle is……building muscles.  The more muscle you have the more calories you burn throughout the day.  Well done to Dave, Elizabeth, Mary Ann, Jay and others who answered correctly.   Doing my 5 Minutes to Fitness+ workout 5 times per week will make sure you build muscle.  Club members try these advanced workouts >

Todays Quiz

I ran a nutrition and fitness class in Texas this morning and asked everyone, “What happens to excess sugar in the body before it gets stored as fat?”

If you know the answer leave a comment or reply to this email.  See you tomorrow.

Sugar is essential for providing energy to our muscles and brain.  But watch as Peter describes what happens when we eat too much, on 5 Minutes to FItness+ TV.

Excess sugar in the diet causes inflammation that can lead to obesity, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s.  I don’t think the pictures below need any explanation. Each sugar cube = 1 teaspoon.  Click below to download all 13 pages and share this with the children in your life.

]]> http://peterkfitness.com/2011/04/21/shocking-sugar-sources-seriously/feed/ 0 http://peterkfitness.com/2011/02/04/if-you-want-to-be-healthy-dont-watch-tv-but-not-for-the-obvious-reason-youre-thinking/ http://peterkfitness.com/2011/02/04/if-you-want-to-be-healthy-dont-watch-tv-but-not-for-the-obvious-reason-youre-thinking/#comments Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:00:45 +0000 Peter K http://peterkfitness.com/?p=4318 Join the Fit Friends’ Revolution and get your FREE Resistance Bands, workout DVD and Nutrition Book >

I’ve been working with a physical therapy client for about 2 years, on and off, for various ailments, and she’s always telling me about the latest greatest weight loss miracles.  I swear she doesn’t recognize what I do for a living.  She also doesn’t realize the majority of health info you see on TV is there for one main reason- Ratings.  Truth be told this client is the one who inspired me to shoot my “Saddlebags” video for 5 Minutes to Fitness+ TV.  She continues to try fad diets and cleanses and has gained 15 pounds since I first met her.

Here’s the latest. She saw a nutritionist advise not to eat more than 15 grams of sugar per day on a morning show.  This is extremely difficult to adhere to.  The example below should be sufficient proof.  These are the 3 healthiest foods human beings can eat:

• 1 serving blueberries = 15 grams sugar
• 1 serving sweet potato = 12 grams of sugar
• 1 serving broccoli = 3 grams sugar

I think it’s more realistic to remember this; Choose foods with less than 5 grams of sugar per serving when they’re processed.  If they’re whole foods like fruit and vegetables than go ahead and enjoy them while making sure you are doing at least 20 minutes of physical activity daily,  including resistance exercise 5 times per week to make sure you burn any extra sugar up and build more muscle.

You must know by now that white rice is not a great choice, right?  Well, a recent study brought to my attention by Maria, (PKF client), confirms what we already knew; white rice can raise your risk of diabetes. The great news; brown rice does the exact opposite and lowers the risk of diabetes.  If you haven’t already, please make the shift to brown rice for yourself and the kids in your life.

Read more about this topic below:

http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/2/Diabetes/could_brown_rice_protect_against_type_2_diabetes_1506100752.html