If you missed part 1, please click here.

Natural sweeteners have been used for thousands of years – dating back from the Aztec Indians of Mexico to the ancient Egyptians.  These natural compounds are used for a variety of purposes and not just for adding sweetness to foods.  Their applications range from providing moisture to baked items, slowing food spoilage and providing nutritional benefits as well.  The three natural sweeteners we will explore are honey, maple syrup and agave nectar.  In this second report, I will discuss the nutritional benefits associated with these sweeteners and how they can help you add value to your diet.

Raw Honey – (50 calories per tablespoon)

This sweet substance has been used in a wide variety of applications for thousands of years back to 2,100 B.C. where it was praised for its anti-viral, anti-microbial properties. 
Honey has been found to raise levels of antioxidant compounds in the human body.  At the University of California, Davis, 25 study participants were fed four tablespoons of honey for 29 consecutive days in addition to their regular diets.  Blood samples were drawn during given intervals after eating the honey – the result: a direct link between the consumption of honey and an increase in the test subjects antioxidant levels. 

Fit Chef Tip:  Try adding a tablespoon of honey to your Greek yogurt and toss in a handful of blueberries.  This food combination provides excellent protein sources, naturally increasing your energy levels and strengthens your body’s defenses against free radicals.  An all around guilt free mini meal! 

Maple Syrup – (52 calories per tablespoon)

This sweetener is not only great on protein pancakes, but also packs a powerful nutritional punch.  Maple syrup contains both manganese and zinc, two compounds that boost your body’s health. 
Manganese is a trace mineral essential for converting food to useable energy and for increasing natural antioxidant defenses.  This means that in addition to providing a great sweet taste, maple syrup can help your body repair free radical damage, which has been shown to naturally slow the aging process. 
Maple syrup also contains zinc, a compound that not only acts as an antioxidant but helps keep inflammation in check by supporting the body’s natural healing properties.  This sweet substance also acts as nutritional insurance for your immune system, working together with manganese to help keep you healthy. 

Fit Chef Tip: Mix 1 Tbs. of maple syrup into your oatmeal together with 1 ounce of walnuts.  The combination of complex carbohydrates and heart healthy fats is just what you need to start to the day.  Adding a quick shot of maple syrup into the gives you a bowl full of goodness that will help your body function at its best.  

Agave nectar - (60 calories per tablespoon)

Agave nectar, the product of the Blue agave cactus plant, which thrives in the volcanic soil of southern Mexico, has been used for thousands of years as a sweetener dating as far back as the Aztec culture.  Agave nectar is made by extracting the sap, filtering the impurities then heating it at a low temperature.  This process breaks the carbohydrates down into sugars.  The taste is comparable to honey, and in fact, this sweetener is beginning to gain popularity for its clean taste and variety of uses. 
This compound boasts a host of nutritional benefits as well, from having a low Glycemic Index load, making it a great natural sweetener for diabetics to providing anti-microbial protection against harmful bacteria.  The low GI level means that there is a much lower insulin spike after consuming Agave nectar as opposed to raw sugar or honey.  For those who are sensitive to the “sugar rush” or dreaded “sugar crash”, agave nectar looks to be a great choice for getting your sweet fix without the side effects.

Fit Chef Tip:  Try this quick, high protein smoothie!  Combine 1 cup skim milk, 1 Tbs. Agave nectar, 1 scoop vanilla ProV60 protein powder and a handful of frozen strawberries.  Blend for 1 minute or until smooth and enjoy!

While natural sweeteners do provide health benefits, they still contain calories.  Please keep this in mind and be sure to make adjustments in your diet should you choose to include these sweeteners on a daily basis.

One of my favorite winter sports is skiing. I just love getting out into the great outdoors. I especially love being on mountains and breathing in the cold, clean air while working my body thoroughly as I ski down the slopes. Because skiing requires mental concentration, it is, what I call, an effective “mind flush”.

In other words, it doesn’t allow me to think about anything else. I find that participating in skiing takes my mind off things for a while, which charges my batteries for when I get back to Labrada Nutrition. I put a lot of energy into helping others get into the best shape of their lives!

Hey everyone, here is pillar #2 on how to get big arms fast!  If you missed pillar #1, check it out here: pillar #1 to getting big arms fast!

This was orignially posted on my Martha Stewart Whole Living page.  I know most on this site are much more advanced in thier fitness routines.  I thought it would be not only fun to re-post but a reminder that for many this is a time of new beginnings.  I remember Frank Zane once saying that even though he hasn’t competed in years that he was still peaking in Sept as if he was doing the Olympia.  If you aren’t ready to peak maybe it is time to reignite your fitness plan.

If you are an athlete, it is only a matter of time until you experience some type of foot pain.  Every year at the Arnold, out of the over 20,000 competitors, the number one injury we attend to is related to the foot and ankle.  Most of these are chronic problems that exacerbate during competition and training.  There are some simple steps that any athlete can take to remove foot pain.  I encourage you to stop walking or limping around on the problem, stop taking drugs to just mask the pain, make an attempt to learn about the foot and what you can do to fix it.

Anybody who has been bodybuilding for a while knows the importance that joints have in ones ability to keep training hard. If joints are not operating at their peak, the ability to lift heavy weights and perform certain bodybuilding exercises becomes limited. For instance, for an exercise like the bench press you need healthy shoulders, elbows and wrists. If any of these becomes badly damaged, then there goes your ability to bench press and the quality of your upper body workouts suffers as well. 

Why Do Joint Injuries Occur?

Who says that you have to eat the same thing over and over again or cannot break your diet for a meal while trying to lose weight?

That is right, you can have a cheat meal once a week and still get the weight loss results that you deserve.  You may be wondering how and think that this goes against the traditional mindset that the media or experts have told you, but I do it all the time and still stay in great shape.

If you’re looking to lose belly fat, one of the most important things that you must learn how to get under control is your food cravings. While maintaining a good exercise program will definitely help to firm and tone the body, nothing will help you shed belly fat faster than making sure your diet is on track.

One of the biggest problems people have with their diet though is when cravings set in. It’s quite normal to expect yourself to struggle with cravings whenever you go off restricting many of the foods that you really enjoy so by seeking out methods to control these cravings, you really help to boost your overall chances of success.

Let’s take a look at some of the top tricks that you must know to stop cravings dead so that you can lose belly fat effectively.

Artificial sweeteners have been quite the subject of debate within the last couple of years.  With the obesity epidemic in the United States reaching all time highs - these food compounds, which at one point were praised as newfound “diet saviors”, have now found themselves in the hot seat.  This article will provide you with information on three of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners namely sucralose, aspartame and saccharine. 

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Best!

Lee Labrada