“What’s the best protein bar to eat?” This is undoubtedly one of the most common questions I am asked. Protein bars serve one purpose of filling the gap in nutrition when whole foods cannot be implemented. Opinions will differ of “what’s best”, but science tells us what is of high quality, and what is not. The number one thing I pay attention to when searching for a protein bar, is sugar. You want to get as LOW as possible on the sugar chart without loading your body with unneeded artificial sweeteners. Some sweeteners are better than others, but pick the wrong one and you have a gastrointestinal disaster waiting to happen. The number two most important ingredient to look for in protein bars, is the carbohydrates. Where are they sourced from? Are they from wheat? Corn? Oats? Ideally you should be looking for a source that is 100% gluten free and preferably paleo. Many individuals are allergic to gluten without knowing it, which will cause inflammation in your gut and lead to a whole host of issues mental and physical issues. A majority of wheat and corn are also genetically modified, which may be harmful if ingested regularly. Why am I not mentioning to look at protein as a buying point? Because most protein bars are equipped with enough protein. It isn’t too common you will find a protein bar with less than 20grams per bar. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t check the grams, but it’s the LEAST of your concerns. “But the guy at the vitamin store told me I should only look at calories.” Well the vitamin guy doesn’t know your goals, and unfortunately doesn’t have the education needed to have your best interest at heart. But I do. Below are my top 10 protein bars which will lead you closer to your goals, as well as keep your blood sugar levels steady, and sugar cravings at bay. #10 Quest Bars You have to be living under a rock to not know what a quest bar is in the fitness world. They are arguably one of the best tasting, most protein dense bars on the market. As far as quality goes, the bars are NOT made with grass-fed whey (Primal Body Protein IS made with grass-fed whey) and a majority of the bars are filled with artificial sweeteners other than stevia. A large advantage to Quest Bars is the low carbohydrate and high fiber content which will keep you full for hours. Is this bar better than 90% of the bars at the grocery store? Yes. But I still rank it higher on the list. These bars can be purchased pretty much everywhere now, even your local 711. www.questnutrition.com #9 B-UP Bars UP bars took a spin on Quest Bars, but only use natural sweetener’s such as Xylitol, Stevia, and Monk Fruit Extract. The texture of these bars have more of a Laffy Taffy consistency, which is perfect for those who do not like the Quest Bar texture. UP bars are also high in fiber and lower in carbohydrates, which is great for those who do not want an insulin spike or a blood sugar crash after eating. www.yupbrands.com #8 Jay Robb Protein Bars Jay Robb uses all natural sweetener’s in his products which makes these bars higher quality in terms of ingredients. This bar is perfect for pre or post work out since it contains a sufficient amount of carbohydrates for energy. The carbs from the Jay Robb bars are derived from organic agave syrup, whey isolate crisps, and tapioca starch. When choosing protein bars, it’s best to opt for the bars closest to the paleo lifestyle. This would mean opting for bars that do not contain gluten (wheat), oats, rice, or other grains. www.jayrobb.com #7 Manbake Protein Bars Another high fiber, lower carb protein bar packed with taste. These bars are only currently available online, but will soon be available at local stores. They are 100% paleo friendly, and will kill any type of sugar craving you have. They also carry beefcakes which are perfect for a post workout meal. Once you try Manbake, you may never go back. www.manbake.us #6 Oatmega Grass-Fed Whey Bars The appeal to these bars are they are derived from grass-fed whey. Grass-fed whey is hormone and antibiotic free, which is the highest quality protein on the market. They are relatively low in carbs and calories, which are perfect for a snack or eaten as a dessert. The downside to these bars is the small amount of oats included in the ingredients. However, a plus is that the “mega” in Oatmega refers to Omega 3 fatty acids that were added to these bars as an extra anti-inflammatory kick. With only 5 grams of sugar per bar, you can eat these free of guilt. #5 Julian Bakery Paleo Protein Bars The name Paleo Protein Bars says it all. Julian Bakery somehow found a way to incorporate egg white protein into protein bars and actually taste GOOD. These bars are 100% Paleo, Gluten-free, GMO-free, Grain-free, High-fiber, Dairy-free, Whey-free, No Sugar Alcohols, and High-protein. The prebiotic fiber used is made with tapioca, which is another grain-free ingredient. www.julianbakery.com #4 Tanka Bars Sweet tasting protein bars are fun, but what about when you crave Chipotle but don’t have time for lunch? This is where Tanka Bars come into play. Think healthiest and best tasting beef jerky you have ever had. The meat used in these bars are made from Buffalo meat , and are hormone, MSG, gluten, and nitrate free. They also have a sweet kick as they contain small amounts of raspberries. www.tankabar.com #3 Epic Bars Buffalo meat doesn’t sound appealing to you? Queue Epic Bars. With the same high quality ingredients as Tanka Bars, but Epic offers chicken, turkey, bison, and bacon options. These bars are as close to a complete meal as they contain a perfect amount of fats, protein, and carbs. The grass-fed meat in these bars contain high
, wanted to know what they could replace soy with. So, my goal with this post, along with the video below, is to merely provide you with honest fitness information that will enable you to uncover previously unknown truths about soy that will enhance your life. As always, you are encouraged to do your own research on the subject after reading this. Now, it’s time to uncover the cold, hard truths regarding soy. The Truth about Soy Soy contains trypsin inhibitors, which inhibit protein digestion and impair pancreatic function. This leads to digestive distress. Soy increases the amount of Vitamin D required by your body, a vitamin that many are already deficient in. Soy increases levels of phytic acid, thereby reducing the assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and zinc. Soy causes phytoestrogens to disrupt endocrine function, potentially leading to infertility and an increased likelihood of breast cancer in adult women. Soy and Commercialism Before I discovered the truth about soy, I used to consume tons of soy. I used to have soy milk in my coffee. I used to eat products that contained soy. And if you go to the grocery store and grab something off the shelf, chances are it has soy and corn in it. That’s why it is important to remain mindful of soy ingredients when grocery shopping. A large majority of items in grocery stores contain soy, as well as corn, since both are cheap to produce. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the average food manufacturer or company’s main priority is not you. Rather, it is the amount of profit they are making off of you. Consequently, the cheapest, which also happen to be the unhealthiest, soy and other unhealthy ingredients are thrown into their products and sold at a higher price in order to maximize profit. That’s the hard truth about soy. It is what it is. So what are better choices and alternatives to soy milk, tofu, or other soy products? Alternative Sources of Protein If you follow my work often, you are aware that I advocate the consumption of “whole foods” that are derived from as close to nature as possible. So, try to get proteins from sources such as turkey, chicken, beef, and high-quality lean meats. If you are going to consume whey protein, opt for a “Whey Protein Isolate” or a grass-fed whey product in order to avoid consumption of the harmful and toxic chemicals found in regular whey products. And, if you are drinking soy milk regularly, you can switch to almond or coconut milk instead. You also can even drink a conservative amount or little bit of whole milk…as in whole, organic (from pasture-raised cows) whole milk. Those are some alternatives to soy. I hope you found it useful. And, I love hearing from, getting your feedback, and answering your questions. So, please share your comments or ask questions below. Tweet 2 Share 25 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
The question I get asked every single day from people all across the world is “how do I spot reduce or target fat?” In other words, they want to know how to get rid of flab, specifically in one area of the body such as the thighs, stomach area, or arms. So, if you are wondering how to target that last bit of fat you just cannot seem to get rid of, the short answer is you simply cannot “target” and reduce fat in one specific area. While it is true that you can tighten muscles in a specific region, you cannot spot reduce fat. To reach your goal, you are going to have to burn fat and calories via a well-rounded, full-body workout routine. That’s what this post and the video below is all about. So, what is the absolute best way to burn fat and burn calories? Fat Burning with Weights The first and best thing to burn fat is weight training. If you are not hitting the weights, you are doing yourself a disservice. To burn fat you must do some weight training. Simply running, no matter how often or how far, will most likely fail to provide you with the results you desire. And, if you are already running on the treadmill morning, noon, and night, chances are you are not getting the results that you want, or you are going to hit a fat-burning plateau. You must implement weights to get over this fat-burning plateau. Try using free weights before your run. Or, make a schedule where you do aerobic exercise every other day, and weight training on the days in between. Using Machines Instead If weights of any kind are foreign and unappealing to you, I recommend hitting the gym to use their exercise machines. What I recommend is upper-body/lower-body workout protocol. Go from an upper-body machine to a lower-body machine with a little bit of rest in between and continue to do that. Pick a total of eight exercises and continue to go back and forth for 40 to 50 minutes. Doing so proves far more beneficial when it comes to fat-burning than an hour of cardio. Then to finish it off your weight training (or machines resistance training); do some HIIT training, High-Intensity Interval Training, for short bursts followed by some rest. High-Intensity Interval Training High-intensity interval training (HIIT) consists of short bursts of intense exercise with brief breaks in between to rest. HIIT burns fat and calories exceptionally well and at an accelerated rate. Weight train (or machines) for forty minutes, followed by twenty minutes of some form of HIIT.This right here is an amazing training session protocol to reduce fat and burn calories. It doesn’t get any better than this. Burning Fat with HIIT Max For those interested in really burning fat, I recently launched HIIT Max (insanefitnessanywhere.com). It’s a full-fledged High-Intensity Interval Training program. Hundreds of people downloaded it within the first forty-eight hours of its release. And I have received numerous emails from individuals reporting success from using the program. HIIT Max is an inexpensive way to efficiently engage in HIIT. It is far less expensive than a personal trainer, and can be done from the comfort of your own home. I recommend trying it out. It may or may not be right for you. Either way, be sure to implement some sort of high-intensity interval training into your exercise routine. In conclusion, there is no short cut to reduce fat in one specific area. However, following the above methods will help you reduce fat in the area you are targeting as well as in any other areas where excess fat is lingering. Implement this. Let me know below in the comments how this is working for you. Stay in touch with me. And until next time, take care. Tweet 3 Share 6 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
You’ve been lied to… Milk is a staple of the American home. For 50 years, we’ve been told that it’s healthy and should be part of a balanced diet. But, if you knew what’s really floating in that glass, you would never drink another drop of this toxic beverage as long as you live. Milk has become the staple American drink of choice at meal time. We are told to eat our cereal with it, have a glass with dinner and to eat yogurt and cheese if we want to get our daily amount of calcium. We have been told since we were children to drink our milk if we want to “grow big and strong”. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Milk is loaded with chemicals Milk is a toxic concoction of the following: Hormones, rBGH, pus, blood cells, gastrointestinal peptides, and antibiotics. Does this sound like anything you should be consuming on a daily basis, let alone EVER? Let me explain these further for you. One glass of milk contains 59 different bioactive hormones, according to endocrinologist Clark Grosvenor in the Journal of Endocrine Reviews in 1992. Would you want you and your family taking estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin pills on a regular basis? If you drink cow’s milk, and eat dairy products like cheese and ice cream, you are consuming these dangerous substances. Cows are pumped with cancer related hormones In case you didn’t know, rBGH, which is Recombinant Bovine Growth hormone, is a genetically engineered hormone that is directly linked to breast, prostate and colon cancer. It is said that roughly half of the herds of cows in America are infected with this virus. In American dairies, the average lifespan of a cow has decreased from a natural lifespan of 25 years to just 5 years. During those years the cow spends its time in a constant cycle of providing milk from painfully engorged udders. The pus from a cow that has developed mastitis ends up in its milk, which then requires an increase of antibiotics. Mastitis is a persistent, inflammatory reaction of the udder tissue that can be fatal to the cow. Diseased cow fluids found in milk National averages show that at least 322 million cell-counts of pus are in each glass of cow’s milk. This is well above the human limit for pus-intake, and has been directly linked to para-tuberculosis bacteria, as well as Crohn’s disease. What it comes down to is that you are literally drinking body fluids from a diseased animal when you drink milk. If you are eating cheese, you are eating a concentrated amount of milk in a small serving! You’ve got thousands of studies published in scientific journals, plenty of evidence that tells us that milk does not do the body good. Try healthy milk alternatives With that said, try going dairy-free for a week or two and let us know what changes you notice in your body and the way you feel. There are great options for substitutions of milk; try coconut, almond, flax or hemp milk. Try coconut and almond yogurt. Instead of using butter, use coconut or palm oil. We encourage all of our readers to do their own research to find out the scary reality of the dairy industry and the products they push on us every day. Be smart and be well. Tweet 0 Share 0 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
Looking to shape up your diet plan? If you’ve been reading about nutrition, you’ve likely heard the term ‘macro’, along with the words proteins, carbohydrates, and dietary fats tossed around over and over again. You have a good idea of what these mean, but when it comes to setting these up in your diet, you’re confused as ever. Some sources say you should be eating 30% protein in your diet while others say 1 gram per pound is the right number to hit. And when it comes to carbohydrates, the advice is all over the map. Don’t feel confused by this. In terms of structuring your macronutrient intake, it’s never a black and white picture. Not only do you need to consider what your goals are – be it fat loss, muscle building, aerobic improvement, and so on, but you also need to consider the workouts you are doing. An intense weight lifting program is going to require far different types of macros in a day than an easier going cardio workout will. Customization is key This said, let’s back up a moment. The Real Secret To Beginner Fat Loss Success Before you let all this confusion regarding macros overwhelm you, it’s time to forget about it. That’s right. The biggest mistake I see beginners who are looking for fat loss making is getting too wrapped up in the details. It isn’t going to matter if you are consuming 100 grams of carbs or 150 grams of carbs per day if those carbs are coming from white bread, sugary cereals, and processed foods. In either scenario, you will not be seeing results. Until you get the basics down first – that is, sound nutrition coming from wholesome foods, your macros simply don’t matter. As a beginner, you can see dramatic success – a major transformation even – if you just focus on eating the right foods. Only once you’ve done this for 60 days and feel confident you can make wise food choices wherever you go, should you begin worrying about macros. Perfecting Step 1 So I challenge you, for 60 days, to eat a completely clean and natural diet. This means choosing lean protein sources, plenty of vegetables, small doses of nuts and seeds, along with moderate amounts of fruit. Opt for berries for the best results as these are rich in antioxidants and lowest on the GI scale. Add small doses of complex carbohydrates from white rice, quinoa, and sweet potato around your workout periods to fuel your muscles and you will be all set. This also means cutting out any forms of sugar and processed carbs, staying away from all deep fried foods or those high in unhealthy saturated fat, as well as forgoing all alcohol for this 60 day time frame. Once you have achieved this, then we’ll talk about macros. But for now, this is the bigger priority and should be your only focus as it pertains to nutrition. If you need help knowing which foods are allowed and which aren’t, pick up one of my programs and follow the macro list & grocery guide included. If you eat all the foods on this list and that’s all you worry about, I promise you, you’ll be loving how you look and feel in no time. As always thanks for following me, and giving me the opportunity to do what I love. ~ Michael Tweet 0 Share 1 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
This question and answer session is with our Morellifit Coach Chris. Todays topics cover supplements. Is Whey Isolate Good? Absolutely, in terms of supplemental proteins, isolate is King. It has the highest bioavailability. It had a bioavailability of 159. Bioavailability is how well our body absorbs and utilizes protein. We can use this term for anything, but right now we are in the context of protein. The egg is the set point at 100. The egg is considered to be 100 in bioavailability. Whey isolate is at 159, meaning it is way up there. That means your body utilizes whey protein isolate better than any other protein that you can take in. What are your views on Casein? Is it good? Milk contains proteins. You might see on the back of ingredient labels milk protein isolate, milk protein concentrate, and calcium casein. Casein is a main protein found in milk. So milk protein is the whey and the casein together. When we take something like the whey protein isolate, what we are doing is pulling the whey away from everything else and isolating it. Casein digests a little slower, and it’s a different kind of protein. Whey isolate digests just a little faster. Most people are not allergic to whey protein, but a lot of people have allergies to casein. Michael has had severe allergies to casein, and that’s not uncommon. Casein is a protein that can agitate the intestines, and you may or may not have this issue, but I would tell you to stay away from it if you can. It is not considered a high quality protein. It’s bioavailability isn’t near a great as whey protein isolate. Pre-workout Supplements in a nutshell? Pre-workouts, if your someone who’s taken them for a long period of time, you’ll know what that crash is like when you come off of them. You crash hard. The reason is that they are pounding your central nervous system, and they are pounding your adrenal glands to release epinephrine. And caffeine does the same thing, but to a lesser degree, and it’s a lot healthier for you. What I would recommend to you is coffee. And if your going with coffee, which I recommend, go with an organic coffee like Grind. It’s really difficult to find a high quality coffee without a lot of extra junk like pesticides thrown in. That’s why Michael came up with Morelli’s Coffee because it is a pure organic coffee from a small farm in Costa Rica. If you order it right now you can get free shipping. You can go to Morelliscoffee.com and enter FREESHIP and you’ll get free shipping on your order. Grind Coffee has become one of my favorite pre workouts. I do a shot or two of espresso before I go to the gym. It perks me up, gets me going and I have enough energy to where I can really push through a hard workout and I don’t crash. That’s the best part. If you take a pre-workout like you get in the stores, eventually you need it just to be normal. Your body becomes so adaptive to it, used to it, that you have to have it to feel normal. What I would recommend to you is that if you don’t like coffee or you don’t like espresso, just try it. Just start drinking it. I didn’t like it either. The last thing I wanted to do was grab a shot of espresso or a cup of coffee. It wasn’t my thing. I used to be hooked on pre-workouts. And I can tell you that my overall quality of life is much better, I’m not near as tired, not near as run down, not near as dependent on a harsh stimulus to work out. Coffee is awesome. Benefits of BCAA? When to take them? Branch Chain Amino Acids is what BCAA stands for. Branch chain amino acids are specific to skeletal muscle. Protein is made up of Amino Acids, and you take them in, you chew it up, its sits with some acids and enzymes and it gets broken up. They can take a long time time break down. Then those amino acids go to the liver and your body does what it wants with them. You take amino acid supplements like Primal Body Amino Acids which, we are coming out with, and these amino acids are specific to skeletal muscle. You want to take them intra-workout, that way they are in your blood while you are training. What that will allow you to do is go that extra mile, and push yourself a little bit harder. Your body is already taking and using them to start repairing damage that is created during exercise. And it is creating an anabolic environment. That is an environment where we build up muscle tissue. Where as exercise in itself is a catabolic in nature, so your breaking muscle down. What are your views on fat burners? Fat burners are a lot like pre-workouts. They beat the crap out of your central nervous system and your adrenal glands. It can actually create more damage in the long run then the gain or benefit your going to have doing them. Just don’t do them. We all want that quick fix, but what is going to happen when you stop taking those fat burners and then don’t change anything else in your life. You are going to go right back to where you were and maybe even worse because your adrenal glands are shut down. Now, you could screw up your thyroid, and a lot of different things that can screw your metabolism up. Just stay away from them. I know there is a great selling point, which is if I just take this pill, I don’t have to change anything else, I don’t have to work any harder and I’m going lose fat. But I want you to think long term. What’s going to happen when you
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Welcome Morellifit Family to a workout nutrition Q + A with Michael. Today we focus on nutrition that has to do specifically with your workout routines. Q – Can you eat protein prior to your workout? Michael – You can. For me it’s not right up into your work out. Q – What is more important to eat before your workout? Michael – Fuel for sure! But a couple things you need to take into consideration. When was your last meal? If you ate two hours ago, and you had lots of carbs you potentially don’t need to eat before you work out. Its all predicated on you. Your body, your goals, and what your training looks like. If you’re going on a treadmill for 45 minutes you don’t need carbs for that; sweet potato, white rice or any carbs for that. It all depends on your training. But you definitely want to have some fuel before and after a work out. Q – What’s HIIT? Michael – High Intensity Interval Training. It’s my number one selling program bar no one. And I think we just passed 100,000 students world wide. Hittmax.com is essentially my version of high intensity interval training. I basically took plyometrics and strength and married them together to give you HIIT MAX. In a nut shell it is high intensity exercise followed by either low intensity exercises or a short period of rest. Q – What is the best way to bulk? Michael – Eat. If your really lean, like skin and bones and a hard gainer, and your goal is to bulk I hate to say it, but it’s milk and peanut butter. Almond butter if you want to go a little healthier and whole milk, pasture raised and the more organic the better. If you are lean hard gainer, that is highly recommended. Me and D are the opposite of that. We look at a cheese burger and gain weight. The moral is that you have to eat above your TDEE. You need to figure out your TDEE and you can go to morellifit.com and click on the blog. There is a BMR calculator so you can figure out your TDEE. Now in order to gain weight you have to eat above your total daily energy expenditure. If you don’t you won’t gain weight. If 3500 calories is a pound, then eat 500 above your TDEE for 7 days. In a week, you know that you’ve gained a 1 lb. You always have to remember, the cleaner you eat, the cleaner the gains. Know that I’m thankful for your support, and I’ll always have your back. Be patient. Stay the course. And let’s get fit, together. Tweet 0 Share 0 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
Welcome Morellifit Family to a workout nutrition Q + A with Michael. Today we focus on nutrition that has to do specifically with your workout routines. Q – Can you eat protein prior to your workout? Michael – You can. For me it’s not right up into your work out. Q – What is more important to eat before your workout? Michael – Fuel for sure! But a couple things you need to take into consideration. When was your last meal? If you ate two hours ago, and you had lots of carbs you potentially don’t need to eat before you work out. Its all predicated on you. Your body, your goals, and what your training looks like. If you’re going on a treadmill for 45 minutes you don’t need carbs for that; sweet potato, white rice or any carbs for that. It all depends on your training. But you definitely want to have some fuel before and after a work out. Q – What’s HIIT? Michael – High Intensity Interval Training. It’s my number one selling program bar no one. And I think we just passed 100,000 students world wide. Hittmax.com is essentially my version of high intensity interval training. I basically took plyometrics and strength and married them together to give you HIIT MAX. In a nut shell it is high intensity exercise followed by either low intensity exercises or a short period of rest. Q – What is the best way to bulk? Michael – Eat. If your really lean, like skin and bones and a hard gainer, and your goal is to bulk I hate to say it, but it’s milk and peanut butter. Almond butter if you want to go a little healthier and whole milk, pasture raised and the more organic the better. If you are lean hard gainer, that is highly recommended. Me and D are the opposite of that. We look at a cheese burger and gain weight. The moral is that you have to eat above your TDEE. You need to figure out your TDEE and you can go to morellifit.com and click on the blog. There is a BMR calculator so you can figure out your TDEE. Now in order to gain weight you have to eat above your total daily energy expenditure. If you don’t you won’t gain weight. If 3500 calories is a pound, then eat 500 above your TDEE for 7 days. In a week, you know that you’ve gained a 1 lb. You always have to remember, the cleaner you eat, the cleaner the gains. Know that I’m thankful for your support, and I’ll always have your back. Be patient. Stay the course. And let’s get fit, together. Tweet 0 Share 0 +1 0 Reddit Pocket Pinterest LinkedIn 0
