PETER'S PRINCIPLES - Feb 18-22, 2008
Carol recently read that a microwave oven can cook vital nutrients right out of vegetables. She emails for more information!
JCarol, you're probably talking about a recent study on cooking broccoli in microwaves. Researchers cooked two cups of broccoli along with ten tablespoons of water using various methods. They included steaming, pressure cooking, boiling and of course the microwave. They then compared the flavenoid content in the cooked broccoli. Flavenoids are anti-oxidants that are proven disease fighters! The final results were pretty amazing, steamed broccoli lost eleven percent of it's flavenoids. Pressure cooked lost fifty three percent. Boiled lost eighty one percent. The microwaved broccoli lost an incredible ninety seven percent of it's flavenoid content! They found that water exposure is a key factor. The less exposure the broccoli had, the more flavenoids remained. Frozen broccoli usually requires little or no added water and retains high levels of most nutrients.
Mike from Harper Woods emails that progress with his bench press workout has stalled.
Mlke, the answer to your problem maybe taking a dip and i don't mean in a pool! Try adding parallel bar dips to your workout. The dips can build deltoids, triceps and forearm muscle, all areas that are critical for a successfull bench press workout. Begin the exercise ln the upright'position on the bars, supporting your weight with arms fully extended. Lower yourself to mid chest level, then push back up to the starting position. The exercise is even more effective when you hang weights from your workout belt for maximum resistense. You'll get a boost in your bench press if you do three sets of five to eight reps per day using as much weight as you can. As always don't over do it. Start with a little weight and work your way up!
Jill from Livonia emails asking which are better for you, fruits or vegetables.
Jill, both are vital parts of a healthy diet, it just depends what you're after! Eating a variety of both fruit and veggies is by far the best approach for getting the most out of your nutritional dollar. Fruit usually provides the most soluble fiber which will help lower your cholesterol levels. Both food groups pack a wide variety of both vitamins and minerals. Vegetables supply more vitamins, calcium and phytochemicals. Various studies have linked both fruit and vegetables to a reduced risk of high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. But it looks like vegetables pack the most protection against cancer. It really depends on what health benefit your after, but with fruit and vegetables you really can't go wrong!
Jim from Lake Orion emails for tips on getting maximum muscle gain out of his workout program!
Jim, working out is one of the few areas where a negative equals a positive! When lifting weights, most people think of the pushing phase as the active part of the workout, but successful athletes have known for years that negatives are the real muscle builders! Negatives are when you lower the weight in anticipation of the next push. Muscles exert more force when they lengthen under tension when lowering, than when they shorten while pushing. Some good examples: one good way to build muscle mass is to lower the weight slowly to the chest when bench pressing. When dead lifting, lower the weight slowly to the floor. Using a spotter can help you use heavier weights during negative weight reps. But be careful, if you do your first negative workout right, you could be sore for days!
Hal from Taylor emails for nutritional advice! He recently started a workout program and wants to know if it's alright to eat more to help feed the machine.
Hal, the answer is probably not! The old stereotype of a lumberjack wolfing down a stack of pancakes along with sausage and eggs makes the average person think exercise increases appetite. In fact, the opposite is true! Exercise actually depresses the appetite. When you exercise you divert blood away from your stomach to working muscle.s that slows food digestion and the drive to eat. Folks who exercise moderately have lighter appetites than those who work out. Many people use exercise programs as an excuse to. Eat more, but here's some information to chew on. Recreational exercise programs only burn about 300 calories per session and if you take in too many calories you could actually gain weight!
