Meal Replacements: The Fast Food of the New Millennium
The pace of life seems to get faster every day. There are so many demands on our time that often there is little time left over for ourselves. This is especially true when it comes to exercising and eating.
Finding the time to eat five or six small meals a day, as the experts suggest,
is virtually impossible!

Since our time is so precious we must find ways to obtain, prepare and eat food
more efficiently.
The food on offer from the local lunch bar or vending machine is usually nutritionally substandard for maintaining a body to be proud of, and if you habitually eat these foods you can rest assured that your ability to maintain good body shape will diminish rapidly.

So how do you balance your busy lifestyle with your need to eat regularly?
The answer lies in a meal that fulfills the criteria of being quick, easy, convenient and healthy: Meal Replacements!

Meal Replacements encompass a group of supplements that are alternatives to whole foods. They include protein powders,
mass gaining powders, meal replacement bars and Ready-to-Drinks.
Each type offers controlled portions of carbohydrates, protein and fat as well as substantial amounts of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

MR’s have pre-determined amounts of macro nutrients. This makes it very easy to monitor your fat, carbohydrate and overall calorie intake for the meal and therefore not eat excessively. It also ensures that you eat the correct proportions of macro nutrients.
MR’s are perfectly suited to those people who are looking to control their food intake but still like to have a tasty meal.
These days, most of the MR’s taste great, especially the ones manufactured by USANA Health Sciences.

USANA’s Macro-Optimizers are a range of convenient, Low-Glycemic food- and meal replacements that provide high quality carbohydrates, protein and fat in the right ratio, which make it easy for busy people to still make good food choices and they are delicious!

USANA’s Macro-Optimizers help people with effective and safe weight loss, maintaining
a healhty physique.
USANA’s 12-Week RESET Weight Management Program is based on the Macro-Optimizers. You can find this RESET Program by visiting: www.nutrobalance2.net

USANA’s Nutrimeal is a low GI formulated meal replacement drink and a quality source of protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber and many micro nutrients. Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol and rich in fruits, vegetables and grain products that contain some types of dietary fiber provide many health benefits.
Each serving of Nutrimeal contains 8 grams of dietary fiber.
They come in three different flavors: Dutch Chocolate, French Vanilla and Wild Strawberry.

USANA’s Nutrition Bars comes in Chocolate Fusion and Peanut Butter Crunch. You can find them by visiting: http://nutrobalance.usana.com

The human body is designed for activity. The coach potato lifestyle of the vast majority of our society during the last century has been an unnatural phenomenon.

Physical activity was a regular feature of our ancestors. However, due to the change in lifestyle from agriculturalists to an industrialized and sedentary lifestyle, there has been
a corresponding shift in our physical make up.

The benefits of physical activity in order to improve our body’s functioning and composition can’t be underestimated.
Regular physical exercise results in the following beneficial effects:

1. It elevates your metabolism,which means: you burn more calories and more body fat.
As a result, you slow down the natural physical decline that normally starts to occur around the age of 30.

2. It increases your aerobic capacity,
your fitness level, and muscular endurance.
This will enable you to have more energy and enthusiasm during the day.You will also achieve more because your body is more ‘fatigue-resistant’.

3. It maintains, tones, and strengthens your muscles.
This prevents muscle atrophy (wasting), which is considered a typical part of aging.
Not only does a strong, toned body look great but it also gives you greater confidence and makes daily physical tasks easier and improves your health.

4. It reduces heart disease risk.
As little as one hour of walking each week  can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease.
The more vigorous the exercises, the smaller the change of heart disease risk. It reduces blood pressure by promoting the production of prostacyclin and nitric oxide.

5. It reduces diabetes risk.
Exercise promotes the uptake of glucose by body cells as well as increases the sensitivity of cell receptors to insulin.
This means the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes is reduced. If you already have Type 2 diabetes, exercise is a great way to control the symptoms and lower the risk of developing serious complications.

6. It improves mental health.
You hear people often say that exercise makes them feel good and there is evidence to suggest that it may even fight clinical depression better than drugs. It has this effect by increasing the production of natural opiates in the body (these are endorphins
– the ‘feel good hormones).

7. It Slows down some effects of aging.
People are constantly searching for the ‘fountain of youth’, and now there is strong evidence to suggest that exercise is part of the answer.

8. It increases the level of HDL ( high-density lipoprotein), ‘the good cholesterol’. Regular exercise increases the level of HDL in the bloodstream, particularly if combined with a sound nutritional plan.

9. It reduces the risk of death from leading causes.
There is an inverse correlation between physical fitness and premature death from leading causes.
Finnish researchers reported that poor physical fitness is as serious a risk factor as other well-known causes, such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.

10. It increases heart efficiency and lowers the heart rate.
Exercise increases stroke volume ( the amount of blood pumped by the heart each beat), making it easier for the heart to send oxygen and nutrients around the body. This is why people who are fit have a low resting heart rate.

11. It reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis.
It appears that weight-bearing exercise is far more important than calcium intake when it comes to reducing osteoporosis risk. Since weight-bearing exercise places stress on bones, it forces them to adapt by increasing their density.

12. It reduces the risk of developing many forms of cancer.
Exercise has been shown in a number of studies to reduce the risk of developing a variety of cancers.

13. It reduces the pain associated with pregnancy.
Pain is often due to additional stress on the muscles and joints of the body weight gain and redistribution.
A well-designed exercise program may reduce these symptoms.

14. It reduces ulcer risk.
Ulcers are often caused by infection with H.pylori bacreria (which dwell in the intestines of half the world’s population), resulting from stress and poor eating habits.
Exercise may reduce ulcer risk by helping the body deal with the tress more effectivily, reducing the production of stomach acid and enhancing immune system function.

15. INcreases the number of red blood cells and their oxygen-carrying capacity.
Exercise causes the body to increase red blood cell numbers as well as haemoglobin concentrations (haemoglobin is the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen).
This makes the transfer of oxygen from the lungs to the body cells much easier.

16. It increases the production of new blood vessels in the heart  and other muscles.
Any stress placed on the body forces it to respond and adapt. Physical stress from resistance training forces the muscles and bones to become thicker and stronger,
whylst physical stress from aerobic exercise forces the heart and lungs
( the cardiorespiratiry system), to become more efficient and to increase in volume.

17. It improves sleep patterns.
People who exercise regularly sleep more soundly and restfully.

18. It increases cartilage thickness.
Exercise increases the mobility of joints. This has a protective effect on the joints by increasing the production of cartilage cells and thereby reducing arthritic pain.

19. It increases blood flow to the skin.
This not only makes the skin look and feel healthier but improves circulation as well. This is certainly beneficial for diabetics, because they tend to have very poor circulation.

20. It increases alertness.
Whenever exercise is performed, hormones called catecholamines are produced by the body.  Catecholamines assist fat loss and stimulate the central nervous system, helping to keep you more alert.

21. It improves pasture.
Weight training improves pasture by strengthening the muscles of the torso, particularly the muscles involved in stabilising the spine.

22. It improves immune system functioning.
Weight training enhances the immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells in the body.

23. It gives relief from mental stress.
The catecholamines produced from mental stress( they are produced in response to both physical and mental stress), are burned up during muscle contractions.

24. It reduces lower back pain and the risk of lower back injury.
This is achieved by increasing abdominal and lower back muscle strength, increasing hamstring flexibility and also lower back muscle flexibility.

25. It maintains good overall function of the body.
Regular physical activity maintains healthy functioning and structure of the body.

Hundreds of thousands artificial chemicals have been unleashed,
of which approx 75,000  are in common use around the world, with
more than 3,500 used in food processing.Every year,
half a billion kg of pesticide are deposited into the environment.

The pesticide contamination is so widespread that DDT residues
are found in penguins at the South Pole, thousands of kilometers
from where the pesticide was applied and its metabolites have
been found in most of the samples of human and animal tissues
ever tested.
Toxic chemicals have been found in wild animals, in the oceans, in
our drinking water, in our homes, in soils and in women’s breast milk.

“It has been almost impossible for governments to control this industrial
bonanza and we are now living in a world without meaningful controls
over toxic chemicals,” according to Eve Hillary, author of “Children of
a toxic harvest.”
Nor do we have much idea about the combined effects (Synergy)
of the different chemicals. In which the combination may be far more
toxic than any of the originals alone.

When we consider that most of these chemicals accumulate in our
fatty tissues and that the brain is high in fat, the potential for harm
from prolonged exposure is very high.

Although nobody can avoid some degree of contamination, a lot
unnecessary use of chemicals can be avoided.
Minimizing exposure to chemicals can make the difference between
health and a nightmare of difficult to explain symptoms.

When we avoid the chemicals that we can avoid, our bodies are
probably be able to cope with the chemicals, we can’t avoid.
We need to exercise as much care as we possibly can to avoid
coming into daily contact with the chemicals that are forced upon us.

Man-made, synthetic or artificial chemicals are technically called
xenobiotic, this means they are foreign to life.
They effect the energy production of every cell in our body and
thereby effecting every system, in particular our immune system.

The consequences may be allergies,chronic fatique syndrome,
multiple chemical sensitivities, infertility, birth defect, artery disease,
stroke, cancer and other conditions.

In general, toxic chemicals produce free radicals, highly destructive
molecules, which cause tissue damage and eventually result in
above mentioned degenerative diseases.

It is no surprise that the increasing number of chemicals cause a
decline in the general health of populations around the world.
One in three Australians get cancer during their lifetime and one
in four die from it.

There is now evidence from a Danish study that the overall
intelligence of school children is decreasing.

According to a 1994 Worksafe Australia study, out of 2,700 death
in Australia each year from work related causes, about 2,200 death
are the results of cancers caused by chemical exposure at work.

The Function of Enzymes

The different kind of food we eat (starches, fats and proteins) are all converted into blood sugar by the chemistry of the body. In the various stages of digestion, these foods undergo different treatment  before being broken down into their simple constituents by the action of enzymes (ferments).
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The different kind of food we eat (starches, fats and proteins) are all converted into blood sugar by the chemistry of the body. In the various stages of digestion, these foods undergo
different treatment before being broken down into their simple constituents by the
action of enzymes (ferments).

For example, the starchy and sugary foods are first acted upon by the salivary juices
in the mouth, which contain a ferment called ptyalin, whereas the fats are first dealt with
in the stomach, where they are acted upon by pepsin and converted into peptone,
the next step in a complicated digestive process.

The proteins, in the early stages of digestion, are dealt with similarly to fats, but the
gastric juice contains hydrochloric acid and various enzymes that are essential for
the digestion of proteins. In its late stages, the digestion of protein foods differs widely
from that of fatty foods.

The major portion of the digestive process does not occur in the stomach at all,but in the small intestine, where secretions from the liver, pancreas and intestinal mucosa ensure
the splitting of foods into substances that can readily be absorbed by the bloodstream.

The Role of Vitamins in Digestion
When there is a lack of vitamin B1 in the diet, there are less vigorous contractions
of the stomach, which in turn causes food to be improperly mixed with the gastric juice.
Moreover, hydrochloric acid is secreted in smaller amounts then are required for the
digestion of protein foods, or may be entirely absent. As a result, the partly-digested
food leads to the formation of gas, which gives rise to gas pains, flatulence, belching
and other unpleasant symptoms of indigestion.

Thorough mastication of foods is essential to good digestion,and also aids the
enjoyment of food flavors.

Experiments conducted at the well-known Mayo Foundation, U.S.A., as related in
Vitality through Planned Nutrition by Adelle Davis, revealed that four young women
who lived on diets almost lacking in vitamin B1 for 21 weeks developed digestive disturbances, gas pains and constipation.
IN addition, they became anaemic, were nervous, irritable, and unable to sleep well.

The need for an adequate intake of vitamin B1 to guard against digestive upsets, etc.,
should require no emphases.

The danger of sodium bicarbonate and alkalinizers is that they neutralize
the normal secretion of hydrochloric acid and also destroy vitamins B1, B2 and C, with
perhaps other vitamins in the B group in addition.

When there is a reason to suspect an abnormal secretion of hydrochloric acid, which
can of course give rise to stomach ulcer, steps must be taken to adopt a diet that consists
of  80% alkaline foods. Theses are diluted fruit juices, fruits, both fresh and cooked,
salad vegetables and cooked vegetables, milk and dried fruits.
Meat should be entirely omitted from the diet for a time and such foods as eggs, cheese,
fish, bread and concentrated starches and sugars reduced to no more than 20% of
the daily  diet.

When we talk about aging, getting sick and getting disease, usually we don’t realize that we don’t, but actually our cells do. The health of our body depends on how healthy our cells are. The human body is made up of about 80 trillion cells.
Those cells continually replicate themselves.
Consequently, to slow down our aging process and limit our change of getting sick we have to protect and feed our cells properly.

Our cells are made up of atoms. If these cells are healthy, they consist of paired electrons. Healthy cells replicate and keep our body young and disease free. But if atoms are missing electrons, they destroy surrounding atoms by “stealing” their electrons. Atoms that are missing an electron are called “free radicals”. Free radicals alter or  destroy cells and
are the cause of premature aging, sickness and disease, like cancer, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis and many others.

Pollution in our environment, pesticides and insecticides used on our land, water treated with chlorine and smoking are sources of free radicals.

So what’s the solution? Fortunately, there are antioxidants who have extra electrons to give away to free radicals, which eliminates their harmful effect and are our body’s defense against the harmful effect of free radicals, causing aging, sickness and disease.

What causes heart disease?
There are several forms of heart disease but they primarily come from the buildup of fat on the inner tracks of our arteries. Eventually, these fat deposits block blood flow, leading to heart attack and stroke.
But scientists now believe that it’s not just the eating of fat that causes the buildup in our arteries, but those fats that have been damaged by free radicals, called “oxidized fat”. These free radicals cause the fat to be more sticky, so that it sticks on the artery walls more easily.  This explains why smoking, stress and high fat consumption are risk factors for heart disease.

How antioxidants reduce the risk of heart disease.
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, reducing the damaging effect of oxidizing the fat in our arteries. The threat that free radicals pose on our health is significant and can’t be ignored. Scientists now believe that free radicals are the cause of every known disease, from heart attack, osteoporosis to arthritis.In fact, free radicals are a major culprit in the aging process itself. Controlling free radicals can make the difference between life and death as well as how fast and how well we age.

What is cancer?
Each of the cells in our body has a set of genetic instructions in its center, called DNA. The DNA controls cell growth, development and replication. When the DNA gets damaged by free radicals, it can replicate a damaged cell.
Many scientist believe that the damaging effect of free radicals on the DNA is the beginning of many forms of cancer.

How antioxidants reduce the risk of cancer.
The most important role antioxidants play in our body is the protection of the DNA against free radical damage.
Particular antioxidants can actually repair damaged DNA before it replicates.
Consequently, it is important to maintain decent levels of antioxidants.

Not long ago diseases where accepted as unfortunate but inevitable facts of life.
We now know that diseases are caused by what we eat and don’t eat.

How can we get antioxidants?
Antioxidants are present in fruits and vegetables.They are also found in nuts, oils and beans etc.Organic foods usually have a higher level of antioxidants than foods treated with pesticides.

Because most people don’t eat the right food in order to properly feed our cells, supplementation is recommended with high quality vitamins, minerals and antioxidant supplements,which are bio available, balanced, and potency guarantied.
You can find those by visiting: http://nutrobalance.usana.com

For the truth about vitamins, look to experts whose status and salary does not depend on
continuing disease. The evidence has now convinced thousands of the leading scientists in America. And, despite of the risks to their university careers and federal research grants, those with enough guts and integrity are saying so in the public media.

Let’s look at a view of their comments.
Jerome Cohen MD, Professor of Internal Medicine at St Louis University School of Medicine used to be against vitamin supplements. Now he will tell you he takes 400 IU of vitamin E daily to help protect his heart.

Dr. Simin Meydani of the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Turfts University,
Boston: “We used to think of vitamins strictly in terms of what you needed to prevent
short-term deficiencies. Now we are starting to think what is the optimal level of vitamins
for lifelong health and to prevent age-associated diseases.

To demonstrate the effects of vitamin C, Dr. Gladys Block, formerly of the National Cancer Institute, now at the University of California, Berkeley, reviewed the 15 top studies on
vitamin C and cancer rates. People in the top 25% regarding vitamin C intake, had only
one-half to one-third the rate of cancers of the eshophages and stomach of those in the
bottom 25%.

Dr. Daniel Menzel of the University of California at Irvine:
“Priming children with antioxidants could protect them against lung disease as adults…”

Eminent researcher Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard:
“Untill quite recently, it was taught that everyone in this country gets enough vitamins
through their diet and that taking supplements just creates expensive urine.
I think we now have proof that this isn’t true. I think the scientific community has realized
this is a very important area for research.”

Those I have quoted are representative, though they only scratch the surface of the huge
vitamin revolution now happening in America. It gladdens my heart to see that this vital
health information is finally getting out to the public.

Sixty percent of all Washington State dieticians now take multi-vitamins for example.
And a new poll shows that 78% of Americans now believe that taking supplements
will help to maintain their health. The prestigious Kellogg Report estimates that
dissemination of new nutritional information will save $20.5 billion in health care costs.

After having watched the evidence in favor of vitamins grow for years and recorded
the guarded but gradually changing public statements of the top researchers at the premier government nutrition research organization, the USDA Human Nutrition
Research Center, on 4 March 1994, their Director of Antioxidant Research, Dr. Jeffrey Blumberg, as conservative and careful a scientist as I’ve ever known, finally said it straight.
Talking about supplements of vitamin C and E and beta-carotene, he said:
“We have the confidence that these things really do work.”

“Our current health-care crisis is the culmination of public despair at the inability of
our medical priesthood and it’s high technology religion to perform miracles with
bodies that are already in death’s boat and halfway across the Styx.” – Michael Colgan
Medical Lectures ,1994.

The virtue of foods rich in cellulose is that, once they have parted with their nutrients,
the cellulose remains and , as it is capable of holding water like a sponge, it encourages
peristaltic action and also prevent the drying out of food debris which causes
constipation.

A moment’s consideration of the dietary adopted in most civilized countries, reveals
that it is excessively constipating because of it’s relative lack of cellulose.
These foods are meat, fish, eggs, boiled potatoes, white bread, biscuits, cake,
confectionery, processed breakfast cereals, jams, sandwiches , etc.

Vitamin B1, which helps to stimulate the peristaltic action of the intestines,
is notoriously lacking in the diet of constipated people.

The foods containing cellulose are the fruits, both fresh and dried, and vegetables –
particularly such salad vegetables as lettuce and celery.
Potatoes do not contain much cellulose , a mere 3.1% against 18% by cabbage and
25% by pears. At the other extreme is white flour, with less than a half per cent
of cellulose.

Prunes are rich in cellulose and those subject to constipation are advised to soak
six to eight good quality prunes in a cup of water overnight, and eat them on rising,
then drink two glasses of water.
Wheatgerm promotes muscular tone and regular bowel activity, and this food
should be eaten as breakfast instead of processed cereals, and plenty of fluid
should be taken during the day.

Exercises to Prevent Constipation
The following simple exercises are helpful for those who suffer from constipation.
1. Squat down, knees bent, back held straight, then arise to an erect posture again.
Do this a few times each day.
2. Hold both arms straight out at right angles to the body and walk on tiptoes.
This pulls in the abdominal muscles.
3. This exercise can be done before rising.
Lie flat on the back and bring the thighs back against the chest as far as possible.
4. Place hands on hips, with the body erect, to circle from the hips six times
in each direction.

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It is a simple fact that a majority of athletes use nutritional supplements
to optimize performance.
Yet today, this use is tempered by substandard product:
supplements that contain banned ingredients not disclosed on the label.
The strict liability standards of organizational bodies leave the athlete
personally responsible for substances contained in their bodies,
however introduced; whatever the source.
As the International Olympic Committee’s Medical Committee sadly discovered
in testing over 400 different supplements, the contents and dosage levels
reported on the labels of many supplements can not be relied upon.

Athletes, coaches and trainers are faced with difficult choices.
Inadvertent introduction of banned substances destroys careers.
Unreliable product undermines carefully balanced dietary regimens.
As supplements are not subject to the rigorous tests required of
pharmaceutical drugs, the supplement manufacturer’s reputation
is key to the sports community.
One company has an unblemished record: USANA Health Sciences.
Pharmaceutical grade and quality assured, USANA products are
the Gold Standard for the sports community.