The Bottom Line on Why Dairy is Upsetting Your Body

I love dairy.  LOVE DAIRY!  I am to dairy what Buddy the elf is to sugar in "Elf" (candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup!).  Cookies need milk, crackers need cheese, and lattes need whipped cream.  In times of economic uncertainty, I believe ice cream might trump gold as a backup currency.

(BIG TIME DAIRY BUZZ KILL COMING IN THREE, TWO, ONE....)

The truth about dairy is this: our bodies are not made to consume dairy.

Why Dairy Is Upsetting Your Body: We Are Not Cows

Guess what people?  We are people.  The milk we were designed to consume is human breast milk.  The function of cow's milk to to take a 90 lb. baby calf and grow it to 300 lbs over the course of 12 months.  Cow's milk was never intended for human consumption.

In fact, the average human loses their ability to effectively digest cow's milk at age 4.  As our bodies progressively develop the digestive enzymes required for a human diet, we lose our ability to digest milk of any kind....human or otherwise.  It should be no surprise that many people struggle to digest dairy.  We were never intended to ingest it.

In fact, I will go as far to say that digesting dairy stresses our body quite a bit.  Bloating, extra mucus, sluggishness, acne, allergies, asthma, acidity in the body, and even bone density problems can result from consuming dairy. That's right....I just implied that dairy is actually bad for bone density.  Think I'm crazy? Go to www.notmilk.com and see what they say.  Do a little study on dairy if you really want to know what it does to you.

Bottom line on your dairy error: we are not cows and were not designed to consume cow's milk.

Why Dairy is Upsetting Your Body: Dairy, What Are You, Dense?

I drank 2% milk for a long time.  It's only 2% fat, right.  Wrong.  It's 2% fat by volume, but 35% of the calories in 2% milk are from fat. So...2% milk is really 35% milk with some twisted, marketing-based math.  Every glass of milk is a rush of fat to the body.  Brilliant!

While that is bad, it gets worse.  Consider cheese.  It takes 10 lbs. of milk to make 1 lb. of cheese.  Yikes!  Cheese is a super dense fatty food.  Did that ruin your day?  It ruined my day when I found out.  Remember, I love dairy.

We're not done yet.  Ice cream is super fatty, and butter is 100% fat.  I can't believe I'm not fatter!  Dairy products are dense with fat.

Why Dairy is Upsetting Your Body: Are You Buying a Bowel?

What dairy does to our #2 is not my #1 concern.  Did you know that cow's milk is allowed to have feces in it?  Yuck!  We already know it is full of bacteria.  But we are supposed to be okay with the bacteria in it because all that yucky stuff is pasterrized out, right?  Well...

Milk is typically pasteurized at 162 degree (F) at 15-second intervals.  To kill bacteria in water, it needs to be boiled at 212 degrees (F).  Considering that the amount of bacteria in a glass of milk DOUBLES every 20 minutes when at room temperature, I'm not convinced that the 162 degree pasteurization process does enough.  Just an opinion of mine...

The #1 conclusion is that milk has crazy bacteria in it (oh, but it's the GOOD bacteria, right?) and feces in it to give it that fine after-taste.  Just like dirty water can wreak havoc on the human body, it is tough to imagine that milk is clean enough for our consumption.

Do you see your dairy consumption in a different light now?  The evidence against dairy is pretty overwhelming if you take a look at it.  Dairy causes lots of problems in our body when we consume it.

My challenge to you is this: eliminate dairy consumption for seven days and then consume dairy on the eighth day.  If you do this, I believe you will clearly recognize the errors in your body that dairy causes.

Are you willing to look at your body's dairy error?  The acne, mucus, allergies, bone density, cancer likelihood, arthritis, Alzheimers, depression, and diabetes likelihood inside of you begs you to take a look look at your body's dairy error.

Adam Erwin is a nutrition and fitness coach, based in chilly Minneapolis, MN. (where the lakes are outnumbered only by the taxes).  Adam helps people across the United States to attack the lifestyle problems that are negatively affecting health.  In 2009, his 28-day Virtual Boot Camp program has helped people lose an average of 13 lbs.  To learn more about Adam and how he can help you have the best food and fitness month of your life, send him an email at adam@rapidresultsfitnessmn.com and also peep www.rapidresultsfitnessmn.com.

Wellness Tip of the Day:  Worried About Putting on Fat? Choose Snickers over Watermelon!

Watermelon makes us fat.  True story.  The amount of natural sugars in watermelon overwhelm our body, creating an excess.  The body then stores the excess sugar as fat.  Snickers, in contrast, does not have the amount of sugars to overwhelm the body and is less likely to be stored as fat.  I hear you asking, "Why isn't Snickers a part of the boot camp?"

When I work with clients on food choices, I pay a lot of attention to the glycemic index.  The glycemic index tells us how our body is likely to handle the sugars in a given food.  Watermelon is full of natural sugars.  Bagels are full of sugars.  Pretzels are full of sugars!

Grapefruit, grapes, and oranges are some of the best fruits for low sugar content (and therefore low fat storage capability).  Part of boot camp is learning how to feed your body the right way over the long haul.  If you would like me to email you a copy of my glycemic index list, send me an email saying such.  I'd be glad to help!

Adam Erwin is a nutrition-based personal trainer who helps overweight people build and execute the best food and fitness month of their life.  To learn more about Adam's work, click here!

Adam the In-Home Personal Trainer is Tired of Soda Killing Metabolism, Making People Fat, and De-railing Body Composition Progress

2009 UPDATE!!!Before you read this blog, there are two things you need to know:1) Open enrollment has begun for the Virtual Boot Camp: Total Body Makeover!   Get 28 days of perfect nutrition and exercise (complete with a grocery list, access to videos, and more!) for only $100 (NOTE: This is the very package I charge thousands for...the only thing you are missing is my physical presence!).  Enrollment ends on January 10th, so click to http://keepyourbetterhalf.com/virtualbootcamp.html now!2) If you would like the free report "The 27 Factors Affecting Fat Loss and Weight Loss", send me an email and I'll get the report to you!Now, back to the blog...

Minneapolis is not the place to be right now if you are a soda drinker.  Adam the in-home personal trainer is going to war with weight-conscious folks who are drinking soda.  Here is another run-through and what soda does to you and why we must cut it out of the game plan when weight loss and fat loss are the goal!

Two quick things before we get to the main course:

1)  If you like today’s blog, pass it on to your weight-loss minded friend, family member, or colleague.

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2) If you like today’s blog, email Adam (adam@keepyourbetterhalf.com) and ask about his “Little Ebook on Fat Loss and Weight Loss” that will hit cyberspace next week.

Stop Drinking Soda Now! Reason #1: Diet Soda Kills Your Metabolism

I've blogged on this before, but it is worth restating: the artificial sweeteners in diet soda confuse your metabolic response to real sugars.  Artificial sweeteners teach your body to not respond metabolically to sweet tastes (be it artificial or real sugar).  So when you consume real sugar, your body learns to simply store it as fat instead of burning it off like it is originally trained to do.  If you can't metabolize sugar effectively, it is virtualy impossible to lose fat and lose weight for the long haul.

Stop Drinking Soda Now! Reason #2: The Amount of Sugars in Non-Diet Soda Is Fat in Waiting

Have you ever drank a 12 oz. can of lard before?  Soda is very close to that.  Pepsi, Coke, and others have 39 grams of sugar per can or more.  It is like putting 9 full tablespoons of sugar into a can of soda.  Yikes!  Your body cannot possibly burn off all that sugar when you consume it, so it gets stored as fat.  You are drinking lard!

Stop Drinking Soda Now! Reason #3: Soda Dehydrates, and Fat Cells Need Hydration

Dehydrated fat cells do not burn well.  Well-hydrated fat cells burn much more effectively!  Anytime you drink coffee or soda or something with caffeine in it, you are doing two things worth re-considering:  1) wasting a chance to hydrate yourself and provide nutrients your body needs.  2) dehyrating your body and robbing fat cells from water they need to effectively be burned off.

Stop Drinking Soda Now! Reason #4: The Toxins in Soda Attack Your Body

We all know that artificial sweeteners attack the nervous system.  What about all the coloring, flavoring, and carbonation in a soda?  Those ingredients attack your body as well.  Your blood stream turns more acidic by drinking soda (and don't get me started on that!), carbonation eats away at lung capacity, and the extra toxins like coloring have no good use in your body.  Every single time we consume soda, we are placing our body under extreme attack!!!  Let the madness cease!

Stop Drinking Soda Now! Summary

We are 70% water, and drinking soda instead of water is like stealing mass amounts of water out of a lake instead of putting water in.  There are few things that are worse to drink than soda (maybe alchohol).  Every single time we consume a beverage, we have an opportunity to improve or deteriorate our health.  Soda has no nutritional value at all, and plays a significant role in worsening our health.  One of the best things we can do to improve our fat loss and weight loss potential is to eliminate soda from the mix!

Adam Erwin is an in-home personal trainer who travels the world to work with people who are ready to put excuses aside and work hard to change their body.  Visit www.keepyourbetterhalf.com to learn more about what Adam does, who he works with, and how you can have him come and work with you!  A Minneapolis resident, Adam will work close to home (Eden Prairie, Wayzata, Minnetonka, Edina) or will travel to your location (San Diego, Miami, Phoenx, Sidney Australia) to work with you.

What Restaurants Hope You Don't Do Before Your Next Meal

I am working with a couple on my 30-Day Boot Camp program (view the program at www.keepyourbetterhalf.com), which means we kick their butt twice a day and carefully manage every morsel that goes into their body.  Last week my client couple wanted to go out on a date night.  With two youngs kids at home, a short time at the corner sit-down restaurant chain (Applebees, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays, Houlihans, etc.) was the best that could be arranged for the night.

Before sending them off to the restaurant, we went online to check out the nutritional data from their menu...

Chicken Caesar Salad: 1020 calories, 98g fat, 786mg sodium

Lettuce Wraps: 586 calories, 71g carbs, 1865mg sodium

Prime 5 oz Sirloin Steak (with green beans and baked potato): 1054 calories,  53g fat, 93g carbs, 2516mg sodium

And so it went for everything on the menu.  Lots of calories, too much fat, terrible amounts of sodium.  If one person ordered an appetizer and entree or entree and dessert, it would be easy to clear 2000 calories...and all after 7pm.  Yikes!

Here are the weight loss reality checks that restaurants are hoping you don't make before dine with them.

Weight Loss Reality Check #1: Check the Nutritional Data for Your Intended Meal Beforehand

Don't be a casualty of the calorie.  Many restaurant foods will kill you in at least one category (calories, fat, carbs, sodium, cholesterol), if not more!  Go online and find the nutritional information for the restaurant's menu.  Deciding what to eat and how much of it is easy when you are looking at their awful nutritional data!

Weight Loss Reality Check #2: Budget Calorie Consumption by the Clock

In America, we tend to eat the most calories when our body is least equipped to handle them: dinner! Talk about a recipe for a weight gain!  If you want to give your body a fighting chance to handle your out-to-eat calories, be sure to eat lighter the later you eat.  If your out-to-eat meal is a 12pm lunch, you can go a little heavier than if your out-to-eat meal is an 8pm dinner.  In America, we would all be better off if we swapped lunch and dinner.  It is crucial to eat lighter at a restaurant, and very light if it's late.

Weight Loss Reality Check #3: Be Wary of Sodium the Day Before and Day After Eating Out

Most restaurants douse their foods in sodium.   They are shameless in their use of sodium.  With this in mind, prep your body the day before eating out by having a super low sodium day.  Also, give your body a light sodium day the day after eating out to allow it to recover!  In the US the RDA for sodium is 2400mg per day (which is a ton compared to the UK's 1600mg).  If you are interesting in keeping off of blood pressure medication, pay attention to sodium!

Wrapping It Up

Getting fit and losing weight are tough things to do on a restaurant diet, and almost impossible to do on an unorganized restaurant diet.  To increase your odds of fat loss and weight loss, check restaurant information online before you order, budget your caloric intake based on the clock, and go easy on the sodium before and after a restaurant visit.

Adam Erwin is a personal trainer (with a nutrition background) who travels the world working with people who want to experience fat loss and weight loss in record-time. He currently resides in Minneapolis, MN and loves to train with people whose health does not match their lifestyle. Adam works closely in the Eden Prairie, Wayzata, Excelsior, Minnetonka, and Edina communities.  Visit www.keepyourbetterhalf.com to learn more about his work.

Top Ten Signs You Need a Personal Trainer

Number Ten: Your warm up by walking into the gym.

Warming up properly and stretching significantly contribute to a great workout.  Most people don't warm up before a workout, and the few that do typically do not warm up properly.

Number Nine: You run away from carbs.

There is still a fallout from the Atkins diet fad from 5 years ago.  Carbs are good and your body needs them, especially after a workout.  Which carbs, though, is the question (hint: not watermelon, but grapes).

Number Eight: Cardio is 60 minutes in length at the same pace, while watching tv!

If you are bored by your workout, guess what?  So is your metabolism!  If weight loss is not your goal, go ahead and keep the treadmill on a level 3.5 for an hour!

Number Seven: Jiggling your butt out the door is what you consider a post-workout shake.

Protein powder is HUGE after a workout.  And not just whey protein...it's more specific than that!  If you don't know what type of shake will help optimize the hour you just spent in the gym, contact me today (adam@keepyourbetterhalf.com).

Number Six:  You leg/shoulder/knee/back is always bugging you.

Old injuries and recurring injuries are a sign of poor rehab or poor development of surrounding and compensatory muscles.  Various injuries require stringent work...the body is amazing at repairing itself when you have a plan that stimulates its recovery.

Number Five:  Your can't lose that gut!

How hard to you work?  How much progress is showing from that work?  If you thought, "Weight loss can't be this hard," you are right.  Contact me (adam@keepyourbetterhalf.com) to re-introduce your body to progress.

Number Four:  You workout long and hard in the gym.

You can either workout long or you can workout hard, but you can't do both.  If you don't have a plan that helps you to work swiftly and also challenges you, you need a new personal trainer.

Number Three:  When you do exercises for your back you actually feel it in your shoulders.

Most people do not perform back exercises in a way to maximize the use of back muscles.  There is one major trick to getting the back muscles involved to the max, and you'll have to email me to find out what it is!

Number Two:  Your current personal trainer is also overweight.

If your personal trainer's gut screams, "Do what I say, not what I do!"...it's time for a new personal trainer that can walk the talk!

Number One:  You are sick and tired of not losing weight, looking and feeling your best, and wearing clothes that help you feel confident and attractive!

Is today the day you decide to stop wasting your time, money, and energy for a plan that is not working for you?  I hope so.  If you are ready to get in the best shape of your life, have the best month of foods and exercise you have ever had with total accountability, then we need to talk.  Go to my website (www.keepyourbetterhalf.com) today and fill out the contact information.  I only work with people who are serious about making the most dramatic and unbelievable body change.

Adam Erwin is a personal trainer who travels the world working with people who want to experience fat loss and weight loss in record-time. He currently resides in Minneapolis, MN and loves to train the great folks in the Lake Minnetonka area. Visit www.keepyourbetterhalf.com to learn more about his work.