Creatine powder is a popular supplement amongst bodybuilders and athletes. It is used to help in building strength and muscle, which is usually taken as a “protein drink or shake” after any strenuous physical exertion or workout to help speed up recovery rates and minimize protein breakdown.

Is it any good?

Taste: One of the first things many look for in a creatine supplement is that it has no taste.  Having gone through a number of creatine supplements I found that some taste so bad that you won’t able to finish what you purchased and it will quickly go to waste, if not the garbage pail. Fortunately, Optimum Nutrition’s Unflavoured Micronized Creatine Powder is different and is absolutely tasteless and easy to drink.

Quality: Ingredients and manufacturing quality is one major thing to look for.  Cheap supplements may seem appealing due to price but frequently contain harmful chemicals.  Thankfully, this is not the case with Optimum Nutrition’s Unflavoured Micronized Creatine Powder.  They require all their vendors to provide a Certificate of Analysis for their raw materials and then perform further random in house checks on these raw materials to verify quality. They are also registered under NSF International’s (The Public Health and Safety Company) Good Manufacturing Practices Program.  This is a really big plus since you don’t want to be putting your health at risk with inferior products that could be dangerous.

Price: As mentioned previously, cheaper supplements often contain hazardous chemicals.  So while Optimum Nutrition’s Unflavoured Micronized Creatine Powder may not be the cheapest or most competitively priced creatine out there, when you consider the quality of the ingredients included, it is very reasonably priced.  Personally, I would rather pay a slightly higher price if I can ensure that the product going into my body is safe and of high quality. To do otherwise is risky.

What’s bad about it…

Doesn’t Mix Easily: Optimum Nutrition’s Unflavoured Micronized Creatine Powder has a tendency not to mix easily or well with fluids.  When you put it in any fluid it tends to sink to the bottom after a while. You can get around this problem by shaking it well and then drinking it quickly, but many may expect a micronized supplement to dissolve a lot better and quicker.

Final thoughts…

Optimum Nutrition’s Unflavoured Micronized Creatine Powder is a high quality, reasonably priced creatine supplement that many recommend and use. However, there are a number of creatine supplements available that outperform Optimum Nutrition’s mixing capabilities.  If you can deal with having to shake your creatine drinks vigorously and quickly drinking it, then this may be the product for you.  When all is said and done, it’s simply a matter of preference and what best suits your needs and likes.

Let’s start with protein. Protein powder is a great way to supplement protein in your diet without consuming high amounts of calories or fat normally found in found in foods, especially red meat. Protein is broken down by the body into amino acids, which are essential nutrients vital to muscle health and also aid in triggering certain fat burning hormones. Protein powder supplements can safely be added into your diet regimen up to about two times a day. It is suggested that a fast absorbing protein source be ingested within 30-45 minutes after a workout to ensure immediate recovery response and trigger certain metabolic functions.  Try to avoid supplements with added calories, fat, and sugars as these can lead to unwanted weight gain.  Many flavored powders are high in these ingredients. Be sure to read the label!

Fiber is not only great for digestion, but great for digestion and weight loss. Natural sources are preferable, but it is certainly something that can be supplemented to ensure consumption of proper daily requirements.  Some good fiber rich foods are things like; beans, peas, fruit, berries, and whole grain foods.  Fiber is very filling while only possessing minimal to no calories. It can be classified as one of those food groups that have a strong effect on the body’s thermal effect on fat.

Finally, let’s talk about Omega 3 fish oil and its several beneficial properties which include increased fat burn. For starters, fish oil is a great aid in healthy circulation and cardiac health. Research also shows that this nutrient can also help increase overall even eye and skin health. More importantly when it comes to weight loss, scientific research shows that fish oil actually helps prevent pre-fat cells from actually becoming fat cells. Not only does fish oil prevent fat cells from developing, but it helps your body maintain proper hormone levels for an increased and efficient metabolism. The benefits of Omega 3 rich fish oil are numerous and one I highly recommend can be found by clicking here.

The addition of these 3 things to a healthy diet, will close the gaps you may have nutritionally, help in your weight loss goals and increase your overall physical fitness. If you have any concerns, your doctor or a competent nutritionist can help you create a healthy diet and supplement regimen.

These  two highly recommended sites may also help you in your research for quality products.

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As with most things, everyone has their own opinion. If you ask 100 people you’d probably get about 100 different answers. The fact is that most people will get some help with their weight loss efforts by using Hoodia, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to do anything, which is the mistake that many people make. No matter how great a supplement is you will still need to get plenty of exercise and eat properly.

There are three main things that Hoodia can do to help you lose weight:

1. Hoodia has a compound that sends a signal to your brain telling it that you are full and don’t need any more food. That trigger can help you eat far less without feeling like you are being deprived. A recent study took a group of obese people, half who were given Hoodia and the other half were given a placebo, to monitor the effectiveness of the Hoodia supplement.

The patients were told they could eat as much as they wanted and they weren’t exercising, just eating and relaxing. After about 2 weeks the patients who were taking the Hoodia supplement were taking in an average of 1000 calories less per day and had lost weight compared to those who were only taking the placebo

2. The second benefit of Hoodia is that it has been reported to stop food cravings altogether. Many people will say that any supplement that helps control hunger really won’t work for them since they eat because they are bored, feeling down, or something just looks good… in other words they eat even when they’re not hungry. If that describes you than you’ll be pleased to know that Hoodia can help lessen your desire to eat all the time and not just control your hunger. Of course, this effect hasn’t happened to everyone so you would have to try Hoodia first to see if it will work for you too.

3. If Hoodia can help you stop ‘binge eating’ or just grabbing the closest thing because you are either hungry or bored, than it will be easier for you to limit your food intake to just those things that are healthy. That is the one component that can make a big difference in your weight loss goals.

If you want to lose weight you might as well get all the help you can to make permanent, healthy changes. So if you’re asking: “Hoodia – does it work?”, the answer would be yes, for most people it works very well and it could very likely work for you too.

*Please Note: You should always consult your personal health care provider, prior to taking any weight loss supplement.

Red Bull, Jolt, Amp and Hype are four of the more commonly known energy drinks. Energy drinks themselves are classified as “functional beverages” which means that they do not form part of the bigger nutraceutical food or dietary supplement industry. So because energy drinks are not classified as either a food or a dietary supplement, they are not regulated nor monitored by the Food and Drug Administration.

The aim of energy drinks is to boost your energy for physical activity and to improve your ability to concentrate on a specific task. Many believe these drinks can provide the energy they need to perform their exercise routine. But whatever you do, you should not confuse energy drinks with sports drinks. Sports drinks are specially formulated to help provide energy to tired muscles and to help the body absorb water and glucose (sugar) – energy drinks are not designed to do this.

While sports drinks are at their most beneficial if your workout is going to exceed an hour or so, plain water is generally a preferred option for quenching your thirst and replenishing your body fluid. Energy drinks, on the other hand, dehydrate rather than hydrate so this is why they are not designed for assistance with sports, but rather just to give you that quick energy-based pick me up.

While many people might claim that energy drinks are good for you if you are playing sports, the truth is that they are good for short bursts of activity and mental alertness only. It is vital that if you are consuming energy drinks that you know what you are drinking. Energy drinks are not necessarily bad for you, but they shouldn’t be seen as natural substitutes for health supplements either. Some of the marketing for energy drinks claim that they “improve performance” and can be misleading because essentially all you are doing is over stimulating your body with caffeine.

There is not very much that is currently known about energy drinks and the effects that their consumption can have on a person’s overall health and well-being. The creators, manufacturers and marketers of energy drinks will tell you about the numerous health effects of their products. Their messages will tell you that these products can increase your physical endurance, improve your reaction times, boost your mental alertness and concentration, increase your overall wellbeing, stimulate and even speed up your metabolism, improve your stamina and help eliminate waste from your body.

Ideally, energy drinks should not be used by someone exercising for a sustained period of time because the combination of fluid loss from sweating and the diuretic quality of the caffeine can leave the drinker feeling severely dehydrated at a time when their body needs to be replenished with fluids.

So, what is the deal with energy drinks and why are they so popular? Well quite simply, if you manage your consumption at only one or two a day, then energy drinks won’t harm you and in fact can help you improve your day-to-day activities. Their super-concentrated stimulating ingredients will indeed wake you up and help you to improve the way that you conduct and perform simple mental tasks. There is plenty of sugar and caffeine in energy drinks though, so you should be sure that you minimize your consumption to one or two drinks a day at the most. Any more and you could well experience side effects.

Recently a new product has come to light that may help people trying to lose weight stay on the healthy end of the spectrum: Resveratrol Select, which is unlike many diet supplements in that it uses a combination of natural and herbal ingredients designed to help the body stay healthy while losing weight. How? By mimicking certain aspects of the Mediterranean diet.

Studies have shown that part of America’s war with weight lies in the uniquely modern American combination of stressful lifestyle and fast-food consumption, and that the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle seem to be more conducive to healthier weight levels and longevity. In fact, much as been made on the news in recent months of the purported “French Paradox,” (how the French eat a high-fat diet, enjoy rich desserts, drink wine and still have better cardiovascular health than the rest of us). One of the biggest differences between the American and French diet seems to be the wine consumption, and red wine (a staple on most Mediterranean tables) contains one of nature’s most powerful antioxidants, resveratrol, which is a key ingredient in Resveratrol Select.

In addition to wine, resveratrol is also found in grape skins, blueberries, cranberries and other plants, and recent animal and in vitro studies indicate that it can have a positive effect on helping to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, supporting insulin health and optimizing metabolic and immune pathways that protect cells and improve mitochondrial function.

• One capsule of Resveratrol Select includes as much resveratrol as 200 glasses of wine—without the added calories that alcohol can add to the waistline. But consuming resveratrol alone isn’t enough to help with weight loss—so the manufacturers of Resveratrol Select also added a different type of antioxidant, Green Tea Extract (EGCG), which could make a big difference. Over time, green tea consumption helps increase metabolism, burn fat and reduce fat storage due to its caffeine and L-theanin content, which can be pivotal in helping to maintain energy for exercise.
• Resveratrol Select combines these two powerful antioxidants with yet another energy boosting ingredient, Chromium, a niacin-based mineral that plays an important role in how the body uses insulin to burn sugars, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for energy.
• Although relatively new to the market, Resveratrol Select seems to be making a big splash, and many people are taking advantage of the free trial offer to see how well the product works for them. The trial offer also includes two bonus tools to help with weight loss: an e-book with over 70 weight loss tips, and a weight loss visualization audio.

Of course, consuming fewer calories while burning more is the most efficient form of weight loss, and it’s always a good idea to inform your doctor before taking a weight loss supplement, but this new combination herbal supplement is worth a look for those concerned about maintaining good health while losing weight.

CLICK HERE for more information on Resveratrol Select’s free trial offer and bonus materials, or visit their product site http://www.resveratrolselect.com

Green tea health benefits are almost a given. But as always when you are about to start a special diet with a supplement of any kind; you should always check with your doctor. When you do this you will know you are not endangering your health.

A great many people who are overweight are prone to developing high blood pressure and other related cardiovascular diseases. If you fall into this category you may not be able to use other diet supplements due to the increased danger of kicking your heart rate up higher. However, green tea will not increase your heart rate.

Recent studies have shown that green tea can help you lose weight by increasing your energy levels and speed up the conversion of fat into energy. As you gain this increase in your energy levels you will be able to safely step up your exercise program. The increased exercise will stimulate your metabolic rate which in turn will burn your calorie intake more efficiently.

One of the ingredients found in green tea is called catechin. A good number of scientists have theorized the large amount of catechin is what enables the green tea to have a dramatic impact on your energy levels. Some believe it increases the output of energy by as much as four percent.

Another of the green tea health benefits is its amazing ability to help the body eliminate toxic body waste. When it acts as an antioxidant it is believed it helps improve your body’s immunity system. And the end result of this action is you have less chance of becoming ill.

One thing you will notice with the green tea is the quick burning of calories. This may tend to increase your craving for certain foods to replace the calories you have already burned. It’s important for you to remember to control your calorie intake. If you should increase the calorie intake you are decreasing the chances of you losing any weight.

Green tea and a controlled calorie intake should allow you to have a gradual loss of weight over a extended period of time. However, if you should want to increase the weight loss more quickly, you reduce your calorie intake even further. In the mean while you would want to increase the amount of exercise which will also help speed up the weight loss.

There is one little drawback to green tea. You may be put off by the taste, however as you continue to drink it you will get used to it. If you just can’t stomach it you can always try the green tea extract.

By sticking with your controlled diet, exercise and the green tea, you stand an excellent chance of losing all those extra pounds and keeping them off. Clearly the green tea health benefits far out weigh the one little drawback of a different taste.

The diet-suppressant effects of Hoodia are well known by most people. In fact, Hoodia has been used by the San Bushmen as a way to suppress their appetites and provide energy during long treks and hunts in the Kalahari Desert for thousands of years. Dayslim uses the very same extract from the Hoodia Gordonii plant that this indigenous culture has used so successfully. Hoodia has no known side effects and unlike most diet pills or suppressants, it is not a stimulant. This simple fact makes Hoodia a great choice for anyone searching for a safe and effective way to suppress their diet without a loss of energy.

Hoodia was discovered by a Dutch anthropologist in 1937 and studies since then have shown that those who take the certified South African Hoodia that is found in Dayslim are less apt to show any signs of hunger, even if they reduce their dietary intake to 1,000 calories or less! All of this information has led to Hoodia becoming one of the most popular diet suppressants in the world. With Dayslim, HoodiaMax takes weight loss to the next level by combining 100 mg of energy-boosting Ginseng with the Hoodia extract.

Ginseng is well known for its memory enhancing and energy boosting effects on the human mind and body. In fact, Ginseng has become so popular that many athletes use it to enhance their performance in their respective sports. Many of today’s studies are showing that the depletion of our energy reserves causes stress on our body’s ability to produce new energy. Obviously, this can become a vicious cycle and without some way to help the body revitalize and rejuvenate, you could spend much of your time feeling tired and over-stressed. However, if you add Dayslim with Ginseng to your daily routine, you’ll notice increased energy and awareness and also benefit from Hoodia’s natural diet suppressing function.

Dayslim, by HoodiaMax, is an excellent choice for anyone who is having problems maintaining their diet due to an overwhelming sense of fatigue and stress. Stay on top of your game with Dayslim.

There are different mechanisms used by the various weight loss medicines available.  Some are designed to increase the body’s metabolism so that it burns more calories at rest, while others are geared toward suppressing the appetite or preventing the body from absorbing fat.  Be careful when taking weight loss medicine as some of them have been shown to cause problems in patients with previous heart or blood pressure issues.  Always tell your doctor about any pre-existing health conditions such as these or any medications you are taking, either over-the-counter or prescription.

Because of the risks of prescription medication, weight loss medicine has only been approved for treatment of those with a body mass index (BMI) higher than 30.  People with obesity-related medical conditions are eligible for a prescription if they have a BMI over 27.  Of course, consult your doctor to find out if this is an option for you.  If weight loss medicine is prescribed, your physician will generally require periodic montoring to make sure there are no side effects and that you are getting the desired results.  A medication that reduces appetite may not be effective if the problem is that your body’s metabolism is not high enough to burn off existing fat.

Some of the more common appetite suppressant weight loss medicines include Adipex, Bontril, and phentermine.  Phentermine is well-known as the ingredient in Phen-Fen, the popular diet pill that was removed from the market due to the increase risk of heart failure.  Didrex, or benzphetamine hydrochloride, is similar to amphetamine in the way it decreases appetite while also boosting metabolism.  Phendimetrazine and Tenuate also increase your metabolism by boosting heart rate and blood pressure.  Xenical is one of the few medications that target the absorption of fat within the digestive system.  By preventing the release of a specific enzyme required for the breakdown of fat, the medication makes it so that fats in food cannot be digested and turned into fat in the body.

Meridia, which is the newest of the appetite suppressant medications, operates in a very different manner and is giving hope to people who were unable to take standard amphetamine-based diet medications.  Instead of physically speeding up the body, it inhibits the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain.  This is similar to the effect of today’s anti-depressants and serves to give the patient a feeling of being satisfied and content.  This promising new type of weight loss medicine may be able to help those people who eat out of an emotional need rather than a physical compulsion or food craving.

There are certain guidelines concerning who may be prescribed weight loss medications.  A patient must have a body mass index that is over 30, unless they have other obesity-related health conditions such as heart problems, diabetes, or high blood pressure.  These severe medical conditions lower the body mass index requirement to 27.  Whether or not a medical condition is obesity-related and grounds for prescribing medication can depend on the doctor, so get a second opinion if you disagree with your doctor’s assessment.  These health problems can become severe if left unchecked and prescription weight loss medications may be the answer you have been looking for.

The most common weight loss medications work by suppressing the appetite.  These types of diet aids have been around for decades, with amphetamines and Dexedrine being used even back in the 1950s.  A new type of appetite suppressant drugs use a slightly different mechanism to achieve the same result, reducing their appeal for abuse.  For example, the popular drug Meridia inhibits the release of a certain type of brain chemical that is responsible for signaling hunger.  This way, the patient never even gets hungry, so there is no feeling of depriving themselves of something they want.  Unfortunately, Meridia is known to increase blood pressure and heart rate, making it unsafe for many people with cardiovascular issues.

Besides the weight loss medications that suppress appetite, there is another class of drugs designed to interfere with the body’s ability to absorb fat from food.  Xenical was the first of these lipase inhibitor medications to be approved, hitting the market in 1999.  These drugs work by inhibiting the body’s production of lipase, which is a necessary part of the fat absoprtion process.  Without this enzyme, fat molecules cannot be broken down and will pass harmlessly through the digestive system.  The side effects of Xenical show the drawback to letting fat leave the body in its unprocessed state, with cramps, flatulence, diarrhea, and anal leakage being the most common.

Testing is always being performed on new drugs for the commercial markets, so it is only a matter of time before there are better options for people wishing to lose weight.  Some developmental medicines have received short-term FDA approval, but they have shown too many side effects to be approved for mainstream use at this time.  With some more refining by the pharmaceutical companies’ research and development departments, they should be available as part of the next wave of prescription weight loss medications.

Actually, there?s really no such thing as the ?best? weight loss vitamins. Your body is like a very complicated machine. Like most complicated pieces of machinery, it takes more than any one thing to keep it running well. Vitamins work together with each other to produce all kinds of great results for your body. Different vitamins can work together to raise your metabolism, control your appetite, and help you burn more calories, all of which can contribute to increased weight loss.
Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, is one of the most important weight loss vitamins. Sources for B2 include dairy products like milk, eggs, and hard cheeses, and it can also be found in leafy green vegetables and wheat germ. B2 helps keep your thyroid function intact. The thyroid is a gland in the body that can control metabolism and the way your body grows. B2 can help the thyroid function, keeping your metabolic rate up, which means you?ll burn fat faster.

Vitamin B5, also called panthothenic acid, is a vitamin that helps our body use fat. The body burns fat to create energy, and if you have a deficiency of B5, your body might have trouble doing this. You?ll retain more fat, and that?s not something anyone wants! You can find B5 in all kinds of meat and poultry, as well as nuts, wheat products, eggs, beans, bread and green vegetables.
Another important vitamin in the list of weight loss vitamins is choline, which is part of the vitamin B complex family. Choline is not technically a vitamin, it?s actually something your own body makes in the liver. However, without the proper foods, the liver can?t make choline. This can cause to get trapped in the liver. Choline comes from some types of beef, egg yolks, and vegetables such as cauliflower and cucumbers.

Although there are other important weight loss vitamins, the last once covered here is vitamin C. Vitamin C has a wide range of health benefits, but in terms of weight loss, it helps your body to convert glucose into energy. Most famously found in oranges, you can also get the vitamin C you need from broccoli, kiwi, lemons, and strawberries as well as some veggies like Brussels sprouts and cabbage.

Vitamins are a key factor in how our bodies work, and if you think you can lose weight without getting the right vitamins, you?re making a big mistake. As you prepare your diet, keep in mind these weight loss vitamins ? they?ll help you along the way.