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5 Tips On Eating To Build Muscle

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Building muscle is no easy task, as many of us have found. When you think of eating to build muscle, a beginner might just eat everything in sight and end up putting on too much fat. For those that are looking to fine tune their physique and put on some good muscle, there are some specific rules that you need to follow. If you’re one of the many that want to break the cycle of putting on weight without getting the definitely you so sorely desire, here are tips on how to use the kitchen to build muscle.

5. Protein First

It should probably go without saying that the most important thing you need to do in your diet to build muscle is to focus on protein. While the average person needs about 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight to maintain muscle, you’ll need about twice as much if you want to build muscle. 1.2 to 1.7 grams per kilogram of weight is the suggestion for muscle building, focusing on foods such as lean chicken breast and cod more than pretty much any other food.

4. Keep on Eating

While one of the hottest trends in nutrition is intermittent fasting, you should pretend that it doesn’t even exist when trying to build muscle. Instead, you should be eating frequently throughout the day during your program, starting with a balanced breakfast to get your day started. From there, keep eating about every three hours with something small to keep your body working so that you aren’t losing muscle or stretching out your stomach.

3. Don’t Fear Carbs

For many that aren’t well versed in nutrition, carbohydrates may be seen as the ultimate villain for any diet. When we think of carbs we think of instant weight gain via body fat, but your body will need carbs to build muscle. This is because they fuel you during a workout so that your body isn’t cutting into muscle weight first. For muscle builders, aim to get two to three grams of carbs for every pound of body weight (or 0.45 kilograms).

2. Follow the Macros

So now you know how much protein and carbohydrates you need on a daily basis, but how do you fit that all into your calorie budget? It’s suggested that 20 to 30 percent of your calories should come from protein with another 40 to 60 percent coming from carbohydrates. The remaining amount should come from fat, giving you an estimated 20 calories per pound of bodyweight to build muscle. Use a nutrition tracking app to help you make sure you’re getting exactly what you need. 

1. Get Used to Certain Foods

One thing that a lot of people who are building muscle successfully have done throughout the years is to plan their meals well ahead of time. Among the most popular ways to do this is through meal prepping. With that in mind, you should become well acquainted with a handful of foods that you’ll be eating more often than not. This includes chicken breast and rice, which will become staples of any meal prepping plan.

5 Easy Ways To Boost Your Immune System

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In the past couple of years, many of us have become more aware of our immune systems. That tends to happen during a global pandemic, after all. COVID-19 got many of us wondering how we can bolster our immune systems to avoid infectious diseases. It’s something that we should be working on at all times, but if you’re new to the party, it’s not hard to get started. Here are five very easy ways in which you can boost your immune system and stop feeling under the weather a few times every year.

5. Take Your Vitamins

When we think of vitamins that are beneficial for the immune system, the first one that tends to come to mind is vitamin C. When you get sick, you often hear people telling you to take as much vitamin C as possible, typically through the magic of orange juice. While you do want to get vitamin C into your diet (oranges aren’t the only thing with it, either), there are other essential vitamins that help boost your immune system. Some of the more beneficial vitamins include vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin D and folic acid.

4. Stay Hydrated

It seems that more people are becoming aware of their hydration, which is a welcome change from about 10-20 years ago when it felt like all people drank was soda. The list of benefits that you get from staying hydrated on a daily basis is seemingly endless, and you can add an improved immune system to that list. Staying hydrated increases the efficiency of your bloodstream, and blood plasma is almost completely made of water. We think that you can put two and two together there.

3. Exercise

Like staying hydrated, exercise will do you a world of good. While you may feel worn down immediately after exercise, the long term benefits for your immune system are tremendous. Harmful bacteria is flushed out of your airways when you exercise and prevents new growth for this bacteria. Increased circulation is another bonus, as well as the stress reducing hormones that lead to lowered inflammation.

2. Just Say No

It doesn’t matter what it is, if you have to be a certain age to consume something, you probably don’t want it in your body for a better immune system. Drugs, alcohol, energy drinks, you name it. Alcohol especially is something that should be avoided for a better immune system. According to the World Health Organization, alcohol opens you up to both physical and mental illnesses, compromising “the body’s immune system and increases the risk of adverse health outcomes.” So if you’re drinking and smoking, you might want to quit now before serious illness sets in.

1. Keep Sleeping

Like hydration and exercise, every doctor will tell you that you need to be getting enough sleep to help your overall health. While you’re sleeping, your immune system is creating cytokines which help to fight off inflammation or any potential infections. This is why when you’re sick, you tend to sleep a lot more. Studies have shown that people who get less than eight hours of sleep per night have a much higher viral infection rate.

5 Easy Ways To Eat More Vegetables

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Nutritionists suggest that every day you eat two to three cups of vegetables. Unfortunately, not many people hit this goal, and the numbers are alarming. Studies have shown that about 90 percent of those in the United States aren’t hitting those numbers, and it’s causing a lot of health problems throughout the country. But where are we going wrong? For many, they just don’t find vegetables to be easily accessible, tasty or worth the time. If you want to get more veggies in your diet, here are five surefire ways to get the amount you need.

5. Grilled Up

One of the biggest gripes that people have with vegetables is that they’re too bland. If you’re just eating them raw and not putting anything on them, that’s a reasonable take. There’s a way you can make vegetables taste much better without having to douse them in condiments, though, and that’s by using the grill. Grilled vegetables such as corn, peppers, onions and more simply taste better. One fun way of doing this can be making a vegetable kebab either as a side or the main event.

4. Snacking Time

Throughout the day, a lot of us tend to grab a quick and easy snack when we’re starting to feel just a tiny bit hungry. However, this can be a fast way of loading up on unnecessary calories without getting any of the nutrients that your body needs. With that in mind, it’s better to grab something such as baby carrots or celery sticks. Sure, they might not be the tastiest thing in the world, but it helps hit your snack cravings and adds almost no calories to your day.

3. Soup’s On

Most types of soup are deemed to be great for your health, and one of the easiest ways to sneak vegetables into your diet is to add them to your soup. Not only are you saving yourself a lot of calories by eating soup more often (which studies have shown to be true), but you’ll get a great blend of vitamins and minerals. The possibilities are endless when you’re making soup, allowing you to mix things up so that you aren’t bored.

2. Veggies as a Condiment Vessel

At the end of the day, a lot of us are going to want condiments or dips. Whether it be ranch, blue cheese or anything else, we need something to dip into them. Instead of going for the high calorie potato chips, why not try out some vegetables to make them a little bit healthier? Some of the more popular vegetables that are used for dipping include broccoli, celery, carrots and many others. Just try to take it easy on the ranch, though.

1. Will it Blend?

There’s a certain amount of vegetables that you’re recommended to eat during the day, including a specific amount of vitamins and minerals. A lot of people don’t want to eat their vegetables all day, so instead why not get all of that nutrition in one drink. Each morning, make yourself a smoothie that has all of the key vegetables. Getting it all in one glass is so much easier to remember, and in most cases, even tastes better.

5 Easy Ways To Lower Cholesterol

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When you have a cholesterol level that’s at least 200 mg/dL, you’re putting yourself at risk for heart disease or stroke. The rising numbers of those that have high cholesterol are both staggering and alarming, with around 95 million adults and even seven percent of children under the age of 20. We need to start working on our cholesterol levels before it’s too late, as you don’t want to become another statistic. To help lower your cholesterol, follow these five easy steps and you’ll be on the road to a longer and healthier life.

5. Followed to a Tea

Tea is one of the best drinks for your health thanks to a bevy of specific benefits that it brings. Among them is the ability to help lower cholesterol thanks to the high amount of antioxidants, especially when it comes to green tea. One major study showed that those drinking green tea on a consistent basis were able to lower their LDL levels by nearly 2.2 mg/dL. In non-human studies, the LDL rates dropped by up to 30 percent.

4. Drop the Weight

One of the main reasons why the amount of people with high cholesterol levels is on the rise is because of the rise in obesity levels. Carrying a lot of extra weight goes hand in hand with increased cholesterol, though you don’t have to shed every single excess pound to help lengthen your life. Studies have shown that people who lose just 10 pounds saw a significant improvement in their cholesterol levels. Those that shed 5 percent or more of their body weight were the biggest beneficiaries, all while increasing their good cholesterol and lowering their triglycerides.

3. Put Down the Cigarettes

When we think of smoking and its negative effects on health, we tend to first think about what it can do to your lungs, throat, mouth and your blood pressure. Not many people stop to consider what it does to your cholesterol levels. Those that smoke are at risk for heart disease, and cholesterol plays a big part in that. Researchers have found that smokers (which make up around 13 percent of the US population) have higher LDL levels and lower HDL levels, though the specific link is still being studied.

2. Eat the Right Foods

Naturally, you will want to change the way you’re eating to help improve your cholesterol levels. It seems like a no-brainer, but there are specific foods that you should be aiming for when lowering your LDL. Some of the best foods that you can eat include whole grains, beans, nuts, apples, strawberries and fish, just to name a few. Sticking to a diet that’s heavy in vegetables is also good, and you’ll be improving your overall health.

1. Get Moving

The last piece of the puzzle in lowering your cholesterol is to get regular exercise, and it doesn’t take much either. Simply getting a brisk 30 minute walk in your schedule five times per week will improve cholesterol. Once you get started in a walking program you can increase the intensity of your cardio that will only help even more. Jogging, yoga, swimming and cycling are some of the favorites that cardiologists suggest.

5 Easy Ways To Lower Blood Pressure

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Because of the high levels of obesity on a global scale, there have been a lot of adverse health problems that have come along with it. One of these problems is people suffering from high blood pressure, and the numbers are staggering. It’s estimated that around half of American adults have hypertension, with many of these people needing to simply adjust their lifestyle to see healthy numbers. If you find yourself in this category or simply want to avoid being a part of it, here are five easy ways to lower your blood pressure today.

5. Watch Your Weight

When you go to a doctor’s office, one of the first things that they’ll check for is your blood pressure. Either immediately after that or before that, they’ll check for your weight as well. Being overweight and having high blood pressure often go hand in hand, so it’s important to take control of your weight before it poses serious health problems. Try to keep your BMI (body mass index) between 18.5 and 25 to maintain an optimal weight. Obviously not everyone is the same, so your body will vary.

4. Cut the Salt

Since more people aren’t eating foods that are fresh and natural, there’s been a high dependency on sodium. High levels of sodium lead to a bevy of heart problems, with blood pressure being among the top of the list. Instead, you should focus on foods that are high in potassium, including bananas, spinach and yogurt. These foods also contain a lot of fiber and vitamins to give you an added boost.

3. Exercise More

You could probably guess that lowering your blood pressure might be as simple as getting more active. Many people are living more sedentary lives, especially as they’re working longer hours tied to a desk and not having the time or energy to get their regular exercise. It might not be easy at first, but starting off with some light activity four times a week (about 30 minutes each time) will almost instantly lead to reduced blood pressure. Get those steps in, wear a fitness tracker if you have to, and you’ll feel the benefit.

2. Cut the Vices

If you’re already eating fried, fatty and salty foods, you’re only making your blood pressure that much worse by adding a vice such as excessive alcohol consumption or smoking cigarettes. These two are some of the biggest contributors to high blood pressure levels, and you’ll see the benefits within just hours of ditching them. Cigarettes should be cut from your life completely while alcohol should be consumed very sparingly.

1. Destress

Even if you’re exercising every day, eating healthy, have a ‘normal’ BMI and don’t smoke, you can still be at risk for high blood pressure. This is because of the normal stress that we feel daily. If you take some time out of your day to destress through methods such as meditation or simply relaxing on the couch in the middle of a busy time, you’ll be able to lower your blood pressure. Studies have shown that it takes just eight weeks to see major improvements.

5 Foods That Are Healthier Than You Think

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The worst part about trying to get healthy or lose weight is trying to figure out what you actually can eat. It seems that there’s a million different foods that people tell you to avoid, but not all of them in the general consensus list are actually bad. Some foods that have been banned from many diets can actually be healthy in some variants or even as they are. Before you give up on some of your favorite foods, consider the benefits that they might have. Here are five foods that are healthier than you might think.

5. Red Meat

There’s been quite a big stigma when it comes to red meat, especially in the past 20 years or so. These days, people think that red meat is an express ticket to heart disease or cancer without considering that it can be good for your body in smaller portions. Many red meats tend to be lower in calories and contain no carbohydrates. Red meat packs in a lot of protein, as well as valuable nutrients such as iron, vitamin B12, zinc and selenium.

4. Eggs

Just like red meat, eggs belong in that group of foods that were once wildly popular before trends started to say that they were unhealthy. The biggest reason eggs became ostracized is because of the cholesterol content. One egg contains over 200 mg of cholesterol, meaning that two eggs would put you well over the daily recommendation. However, 70 percent of people that eat eggs don’t tend to have higher cholesterol, and this food contains several key nutrients such as selenium, calcium, zinc and more.

3. Chicken Wings

Chicken wings have always been popular, but more and more people are becoming experts on the food and there’s a lot of different ways to make a good wing. However, chicken wings are mostly seen as unhealthy because of the way that most restaurants prepare them. Deep fried wings with a lot of breading can be extremely unhealthy, but you don’t have to sacrifice health for good taste. Try throwing some naked wings with seasoning into an air fryer and you’ll get a lot of protein and vitamins that your body needs.

2. Peanut Butter

When people are trying to lose weight, peanut butter is one of the first things to go. That’s because peanut butter is high in calories and carbohydrates. However, peanut butter also has a solid amount of protein and healthy fats. The nutrition of peanut butter causes you to feel full and can lower your risk of heart disease and cancer. Of course, you don’t want to eat an entire jar all at once, but using a small amount each day goes a long way.

1. Potatoes

Just like peanut butter, potatoes are thought to make you gain weight instantly and will fill your body with carbs. Potatoes, like chicken wings, can be bad for you if you’re frying them and covering them in various high fat sauces. A baked potato on its own though is very beneficial. Potatoes can help control your blood sugar and provide your body with antioxidants and even throw in fiber to help you feel fuller for longer.

How Much Protein Do We Really Need?

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It seems that every few years or so, there’s one nutrient that society starts to avoid like the plague or places on such a high pedestal that we tend to overdo it just a bit. There’s the low fat phase that we all went through, good fats, low carbs, etc. These days, many people have an obsession with protein. Whether you’re trying to put on muscle or lose fat, protein seems to be the most popular answer. Of course, that’s not a bad thing, but do you need as much protein as your average armchair nutritionist is suggesting?

A diet that’s high in protein tends to go hand in hand with a low carb diet. Protein packed foods that first come to mind for people include most types of meat alongside eggs. If your goal is to try and shed fat and build muscle, it’s vital to get these types of foods into your diet, but there could be some negative long term effects. Those that suffer from gout or kidney stones are more apt to see severe symptoms due to an increase in uric acid. For anyone that’s had either of these ailments before, you know how painful that can be.

So how much protein is the right amount for the average person? Naturally, it all depends on your size, so it’s easier to break it down by percentage of your diet and your age. At the very low end, 10 percent of the calories you eat should come from protein. You don’t want to go higher than 35 percent, or else you’re putting yourself at risk for adverse side effects. In fact, too much protein on a daily basis could lead to chronic illness or even death via protein poisoning. This is when your body goes too long without taking in carbohydrates or fats.

For those under the age of 40, nutritionists suggest that you get about 0.4 grams of protein for every pound of body weight (or 0.8 grams per kilogram). If you’re a 200 pound person, this would come out to around 80 grams of protein per day. When you cross the 40 year old barrier, it’s important to increase your protein intake as your body loses muscle naturally as you get older. With that in mind, increasing to 1.2 grams per kilogram is suggested.

It shouldn’t be too hard to find foods that are high in protein, as seemingly every company is touting their protein content right on the label. Just be mindful to not obsess with getting a massive amount of protein on a daily basis, though. “High protein and low carbohydrate diet is one such fad diet that has been claimed by some to help reduce weight and maintain it at healthy levels,” says Dr. Ananya Mandal. “Like other fad diets, high protein diet failed to live up to its expectations.” In one major study, Dr. Mandal found that over the course of six months; those that followed a diet focused around high protein didn’t lead to more weight loss than some of the other controlled “fad” diets.

5 Exciting Curry Dishes You Might Never Have Heard Of

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Everyone has heard of curry, and likely have tried it at least once. However, there are so many types of curry that you’ve likely only tried a handful of them. There are countless different ways to prepare curry, with various parts of the world coming up with their own unique spin. If you’re looking to broaden your curry horizons and find something that might fit into your weekly schedule, you’re in luck. Here are some curry dishes that you likely have never heard of, but are sure to excite your taste buds.

5. Mutton Paya

Mutton paya, or mutton trotters, is typically a breakfast curry that’s served in India and can vary by region. Mutton paya is used with garlic and onions and mutton is added to the recipe to get things going. It just takes a few minutes to mix the ingredients (which also includes whole spices and oil) and all in all is only about a 30 minutes process. For the best results you can slow cook your mutton paya overnight or you can pick a different type of meat.

4. Kori Rotti

A main course that comes from the Tulunadu region of India, Kori Rotti is made when you combine a chicken curry with coconut milk and combine it with red chili, rice and wafers. Just make sure that you prepare your tongue for this dish, though, as it’s incredibly spicy (but tastes amazing). The preparation does take some time (at over an hour for cooking and prep) and will quickly become your new favorite.

3. Lucknowi Nihari Gosht

A curry that’s typically reserved for special occasions like the holiday of Eid, Nihari Gosht was once a royal dish that has caught on with everyone. There are a lot of ingredients that go into a good dish, including cinnamon, bay leaves and nutmeg mixed with yogurt. This dish takes a little bit longer to prepare, taking around an hour and a half from beginning to end. This colorful dish looks appetizing before you even start digging in, and the extra wait is worth it for the taste.

2. Kozhi Ishtew

Kozhi Ishtew is a very versatile curry since it doesn’t require a lot of expensive ingredients, has a short prep time and is able to appeal to a wide range of tastes and spice tolerance. You’ll need chicken as the main part of this curry and can be prepared through baking, steaming or whichever way will be easiest for you. Adding in potatoes, coconut, peppercorns and more, you can get yourself a great bowl of Kozhi Ishtew.

1. Massaman Curry

We finish off the list with a visit to Thailand for the beloved Massaman curry, which is a fusion of several other dishes and uses a slew of interesting ingredients. Among them are sugar, peanuts, onions, coconut milk and much more. The first published recipe actually called for orange juice to give a citrusy taste. The history of Massaman curry is actually quite long, dating back to the 17th century and has become a regional favorite. If given some more time, we may see this dish become one of the most popular in the world. 

5 Reasons To Cook Homemade Food

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As the years go on, fewer and fewer people are eating their meals at home. With the time crunch that we all experience, it’s tempting to grab something quick to eat for our meals. These days, only around 36 percent of people cook at home each day, though the COVID-19 pandemic boosted the numbers. Now, more people are starting to get back into the kitchen, and they’re seeing the benefits. Here’s why you should join those that have fallen in love with cooking all over again:

5. Save Money

Let’s say that you want to feed a family of four but you want to get out of the house for dinner. When you do this, you have some options. You probably don’t want to pay a ton for fine dining, but casual dining (like Applebee’s) costs about $14 per person, while fast casual clocks in at $12 per person and fast food at $6. When you’re dining at home, however, you can knock that cost down tremendously. At stores such as Aldi, you can make a balanced meal for everyone that checks in at about $1.50 per person.

4. Weight Management

When we think of fast food or other forms of dining out, we tend to think of massive portions that lead to weight gain. This has been talked about in reports and studies ad nauseum, but you can fight off the extra pounds by eating at home. You’re able to control your portions much easier, while also avoiding some of the hidden calories that the menus may not tell you about. Those that cook at home regularly consume an average of 1,050 fewer calories per week. That alone would cause you to avoid 15.6 pounds of weight gain in a year.

3. Easier to Control Allergens

Are you one of the many, many people that has to deal with a food allergy on a daily basis? Take lactose intolerance for example. If you can’t have any sort of dairy, you may as well skip places like Taco Bell where it seems everything is smothered in cheese. When you’re cooking at home, though, you’re able to control every bite. Walking quietly through the grocery store is much easier than asking the waiter what all comes on the 32 ingredient salad.

2. Better for Mental Health

One of the many reasons why people tend to eat out so often is due to depression. At times, you feel like you may not be able to muster up the energy to cook for yourself. Studies have shown that cooking meals can be therapeutic and improve mental health, though. “If the activity is defined as personally rewarding or giving a sense of accomplishment or pleasure, or even seeing the pleasure of that pumpkin bread with chocolate chips making someone else happy, then it could improve a sense of well-being,” says professor Jacqueline Gollan of Northwestern University.

1. Quality Time

Another one of the main reasons why people eat out so frequently is due to a lack of time. Studies have shown that people who prepare meals at home, however, are actually saving themselves time. There are no lines at home, you’re not counting on someone else doing the prep work and, most importantly, you’re getting to spend time with your family that you can’t put a price on.

5 Best Kitchen Gadgets To Save Time

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Whether you eat at home every day or not, you’re likely to spend a lot of your time each day in the kitchen. You may be cooking, cleaning, warming up leftovers or anything in between, but it is a lot of time. For those that want to reduce their time spent in the kitchen and get more time elsewhere, there are some gadgets that can save you plenty, and here are five of the best for doing just that.

5. Roomba

While you might think of the Roomba (or any device that automatically cleans your floor) as something that’s more suited for the living room, these are also super handy in the kitchen. When you’re chopping up a ton of different vegetables, there are going to be some that get on the floor. It’s not just veggies, either, as you’re likely to make the floor messy in a million different ways. For that reason, the Roomba is a great tool to help take your mind off of the cleaning aspect of the kitchen and focus on cooking.

4. Good Knives

If you want to make the chef in your family or group of friends cry tears of joy, get them a set of really good knives for their birthday or a holiday. That’s because it’s the most valuable tool that you can have in your kitchen, and it will save you a lot of time when cutting up your ingredients. It’s not just a good set of knives that you’ll be needing, either. You want to make sure you pick up a knife sharpener, and the technology has made these into fun gadgets for your kitchen while also being affordable.

3. Food Scale

Have you ever tried to guesstimate how much you’ll need of a certain ingredient only to have it where you cooked something for too long or not long enough? Instead of using annoying measuring cups for solids like meat, try using a food scale instead. This will allow you to know precisely how much you’re putting into your meals and takes away a lot of the time spent trying to figure out if it’s too much or too little. It’s also a great tool for calorie counting.

2. All-in-One Air Fryer/Instant Pot

When the air fryer trend started to take off, there were many people that brushed it aside saying that it was nothing more than a convection oven. In the years since, though, the air fryer has become one of the most versatile tools that you can use. These days, air fryers are capable of more than just heating up your food. They now can broil, bake, reheat, dehydrate and more. Along with the air fryer is the instant pot, and no matter which way you go (or both), you’ll be getting a lot of use out of both.

1. Food Processor

Not to be confused with the similar blender, a food processor is capable of so many things. On top of making smoothies, you can also grate cheese, knead dough and so much more. These aren’t very expensive, either, costing around $100 these days for a really good one. If you don’t feel much like using a knife to prepare meals, this might be the way to go.