Dietary fat is perhaps the most complex of the three energy nutrients in terms of its diversity and function in human metabolism.  In order to truly understand the role that this essential nutrient plays in health, fitness and performance, it is important to understand the varying types of dietary fat as well as the different biological forms of fat that is stored and used within the body.  To begin our discussion, lets review some of the reasons why fat has received so much bad press over the last decade.  As mentioned earlier, the United States currently has the highest incidence of obesity compared to any other country in the world.  Furthermore, heart disease, diabetes and colon cancer as well as a number of other chronic and degenerative diseases have continued to escalate among the American population.  Due to the prevalence of these alleged preventable diseases, health organizations such as the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society have produced a number of reports to help educate people about the risk factors associated with the excessive consumption of certain types of dietary fats.

Interestingly enough, there is now a considerable amount of controversy among the scientific community as to whether or not problems such as high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes and obesity are truly a direct result of consuming and/or over consuming dietary fat, sugar, or a combination of both.

So, should we eliminate fats completely? 
Aside from the many reasons that we have been told to minimize and/or avoid the use of fats, there are just as many reasons, if not more, to consider re-introducing them into our regular meal plans  For example, not only are lipids (fats) necessary for the absorption of the fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E, & K, they also help to regulate and control blood sugar (by controlling the emptying time of the stomach), and help to prolong a satisfied feeling of fullness after a meal.

You may ask what other benefits do dietary fats provide.   Well, in our next column  we will begin discussing the different types of dietary fats and the characteristics they possess.

In health and honor,
William Smith aka/Thunder

TO REPROGRAM YOUR BODY TO BE FIT AND LEAN FOR LIFE………..visit our website at www.intrafitt.com
Contact me with any questions to gladiator@intrafitt.com

Till next time……………….remember your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and is on loan only.

I have come across a couple of articles that relate to health and diabetes
that I find absolutely fascinating; not because it is good news, but rather
news that we all need to know.  As you read this and think – well I am not
obese or even overweight so it doesn’t apply to me — then think again.  
This is really an indictment of our total food supply and our way of life.

——————————————————————————–

The first is an article carried by (Reuters)- It ran in the LA Times on July 7, 2011.
By Lisa Baertlein.   Some of the excerpts are:

The number of obese US adults rose in 16 states last year, helping to push obesity
rates in a dozen states above 30 %…

While the number of states showing significant year-over-year increases in obesity
has been slowing NO STATE CHALKED UP AN ACTUAL DECLINE.

“Today’s state with the lowest adult obesity rate would have had the highest rate in
1995″ said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health.

Four years ago, only one US state had an adult obesity rate above 30 per cent,
according to the report, which defines adult obesity as having a body mass index
– a weight to height ratio — of 30 or more.

Over the last two decades, people in the US have been eating less nutritious food
and more of it.  At the same time, activity levels have fallen, Levi said.

In the United States — where two-thirds of adults and nearly one-third of children
are obese or overweight — the obesity epidemic is sending healthcare costs higher
and threatening everything from worker productivity to military recruitment.

The report released on Thursday showed that over the past 15 years, seven states
have doubled their rate of obesity and 10 states have doubled their rate of diabetes.

I urge you to check our website at www.intrafitt.com for your personalized nutrition program.  All accessible on line in the comfort of your own home/office.  Email me with any questions at :
info@intrafitt.com

In strength and honor,

William Smith, aka/Thunder of the American Gladiators

From the New York Times

June 8, 2011

 Pfizer Suspends Sales of Chicken Drug With Arsenic

 By GARDINER HARRIS and DENISE GRADY

WASHINGTON — Farmers have for decades fed chickens an arsenic-containing drug that promotes growth, but after a government study found trace amounts of this poisonous carcinogen in chickens, its maker will suspend its sales.

Officials at the Food and Drug Administration said the amounts found were so low that chickens treated with the drug, called 3-Nitro, do not pose a serious health risk and will continue to be sold. Perdue and organic chicken producers do not use the drug.

“The presence of that carcinogenic residue obviously raises concerns, and it’s completely avoidable,” said Michael R. Taylor, F.D.A.’s deputy commissioner for foods. “It needed to be acted on.”

Pfizer, which makes 3-Nitro, also known as roxarsone, will suspend the drug’s sales in 30 days, giving producers time to find alternatives. The drug, first approved in 1944, kills intestinal parasites, promotes growth and makes meat look pinker. And since 3-Nitro contains organic arsenic, which is far less toxic than its inorganic counterpart, producers assumed that it would have no effect on people who ate the animals.

But there has been growing evidence that organic arsenic can change into its more toxic cousin. So F.D.A. researchers developed a way to measure inorganic arsenic in meat. They got 100 chickens, fed roxarsone to about half of them and measured levels of inorganic arsenic in their livers. Chickens fed roxarsone had consistently higher levels of inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen.

Scott Brown, a veterinarian at Pfizer Animal Health, said that Pfizer’s own studies of 3-Nitro had all found it safe, but that the F.D.A.’s trial led the company to suspend sales of the drug while Pfizer did a “full scientific assessment” of the drug. That assessment will also include another smaller-selling arsenic-based feed medicine called Histostat, or nitarsone, that was not studied by the F.D.A. and whose sales have not been suspended.

Consumer advocates cheered the move.

“Inorganic arsenic is cancer-causing, and action on this drug is long overdue,” said Dr. Michael K. Hansen, a senior scientist with Consumers Union.

Each year, the United States produces $45 billion worth of broiler chickens, the kind used for meat — about 37 billion pounds in 2010, according to the Agriculture Department. That equals about 80 pounds a year for each American, according to the National Chicken Council, which represents major companies like Perdue and Tyson. Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama are the biggest producers.

Richard Lobb, a spokesman for the chicken council, said 3-Nitro was used widely “but certainly not universally” by the industry. Mr. Lobb said that questions about roxarsone’s safety had been raised in the past but “we’ve always been able to show that there’s really no reason to be concerned about human health.”

Environmentalists have long been concerned that the waste from chickens treated with roxarsone, when used as fertilizer on crops, causes arsenic to leach into water supplies and estuaries. Even cattle are exposed, since chicken litter is sometimes included in feed.

About 90 percent of roxarsone’s use is in chickens, although the product is also used to a more limited extent in turkeys and swine, said Dr. William Flynn of the F.D.A.’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.

The F.D.A. once routinely conducted its own studies of animal and human drugs, but limited budgets led the agency to eliminate much of its scientific and laboratory capacity over the years. The roxarsone study is a triumph for agency scientists but one unlikely to be repeated very often. The agency asked for $183 million in additional funds for food safety efforts next year, but House Republicans have instead proposed cutting $87 million.

“This is exactly the kind of thing we try to direct research efforts towards,” Dr. Flynn said.

Roxarsone is still approved for use in chickens and swine in Canada, Mexico, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam and in poultry only in Chile, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, Australia, Pakistan and Jordan.

Representative Steve Israel, Democrat of New York, proposed legislation in 2009 banning roxarsone. “I’m relieved the decision was made to make our poultry safer and healthier and hope the F.D.A. will take the final step and ban roxarsone altogether,” Mr. Israel said.

Pfizer has promised not to resume sales of the drug until it has resolved F.D.A. concerns about it.

William Neuman contributed reporting.

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It is important to realize that people choose to follow vegetarian diets for a variety of reasons.  Many individuals today have taken a humane approach to diet and have opted to eliminate any and all animal products from their meal plans.  These individuals are referred to as Strict Vegans and obtain their nutrients from cereals, nuts, seeds, plants, grains and vegetables.  Others to a lesser extent feel that the consumption of animal derived foods such as eggs are an acceptable alternative; these individuals are known as Ovovegetarians.  The Lactovegetarian is one who will consume dairy products such as mild cheese and yogurt on a regular basis.  The Ovolactovegetarian consumes eggs and dairy products as part of their vegetarian approach.

Perhaps the most common approach to a vegetarian lifestyle is the Semivegetarian who for a variety of reasons has decided to eliminate all red meat while maintaining a diet that includes chicken, turkey and fish.  Finally, there are Pescovegetarians who eat fish but not poultry as part of their vegetarian regime.  No matter what the reasons are behind these dietary decisions, it is the responsibility of the nutrition and fitness specialist to understand the benefits and adversities related to these eating regimens, as nutrient deficiencies may occur if the diet is not properly planned.  As is the case with the strict-vegan, vitamin D and B12 may be deficient in the diet since these vitamins are not found in plants and vegetables.  Therefore, the strict vegan will need to consume products such as soy milk or a breakfast cereal that is fortified with vitamin D and B12.  Another alternative would be to use a dietary supplement. 

Mineral deficiencies such as iron, calcium and zinc may also occur in the strict vegan’s diet.  During the digestion of certain plant foods, compounds known as phytates and oxalates may form and bind to these minerals preventing them from being absorbed properly into the body.  As a result, plant foods rich in these particular minerals should be consumed on a regular basis and can be obtained from foods such as nuts, beans, broccoli, cabbage, whole wheat bread, peas and corn.

In strength and honor,
William “Billy” Smith/aka Thunder of the American Gladiators

For your individual nutrition and exercise program, visit us at www.intrafitt.com
What is INTRAFITT?

Unlike all other commercial and independent diet and exercise programs in the world that encourage you to cut calories and increase your daily activity in an effort to promote weight loss (through a negative calorie balance) so that when you eventually gain all of the weight back; you will need to repeat the entire process again and again and again!  INTRAFITT (INTRA-Cellular Fitness) is a comprehensive Individualized Nutrition and Exercise Program designed to teach you exactly How, What, When and Why to Eat, Exercise and Channel your Thoughts in order to achieve stable blood sugar and promote a favorable hormonal response.  This process in of itself directly influences the physchoneuroendocrinoimmunological (Psycho-Neuro-Endocrino-Immunological) system of the body to promote the efficient wasting of excess energy (stored body fat) while simultaneously accelerating the synthesis of new biological proteins and lean body mass which inadvertently increases the metabolic rate thus making it virtually impossible for the body to store fat ever again!

 While this may seem like a mouthful…it is a fact!  “The INTRAFITT Program and Curriculum has NO Equal and is without question a program and curriculum that every living, breathing individual desiring to live life to the fullest should participate in!  There are NO Exceptions to this Rule!

Picking up where we left off on incomplete proteins, consider the conventional vegetarian approach which requires the combining of two or more incomplete proteins in order to acquire the necessary essential amino acids needed to achieve a complete protein, such as rice and beans.  Lets assume that a vegetarian has dietary recommendations consisting of approximately three hundred and fifty calories, twenty grams of complete protein, eight grams of fat and forty-eight grams of carbohydrates at each of four meals throughout the day. Ffirst of all in order to obtain twenty grams of complete protein he/she will have to combine foods such as grains, seeds, nuts, vegetables and legumes.  If rice and beans happened to be his/her choice, what would be the proper ration of rice and beans necessary to provide a biologically acceptable amino acid profile and that would be properly  assimilated within his/her body?  Additionally, how much extra protein would need to be ingested due to the B.V. (biological value) and/or N.P.U. (net protein utilization) associated with these two foods?

1.5 oz rice                 = 150 CALS = 3 g Protein = 33 g Carbs and 0 fat
1.5 oz black beans = 146 CALS = 10g Protein= 26 g Carbs and 0 fat

It appears as though it may be difficult to comply with the above suggested parameters given the fact that in order to obtain twenty grams of complete protein at each meal, the individual would most likely exceed the recommended calorie guidelines.  Additionally a fat rich food source such as olive oil may need to be added in order to achieve the recommended fat intake.  This in itself would significantly increase the total calorie content of the meal well over the recommended guidelines.  The final concern with this dietary approach relates to the carbohydrate ratio of the meal, which appears to be disproportionately high.  As previously discussed, carbohydrates have the most significant effect on blood sugar and the insulin response.  A meal such as this may promote an unfavorable hormonal response due to the inadequacy of dietary fats and available high quality complete protein.

In health and honor,
William “Billy” Smith, Thunder of the American Gladiators

Visit us at www.intrafitt.com for your individual nutrition and exercise program.  Learn how to be fit and lean for life!  Contact me any time at gladiator@intrafitt.com

Although carbohydrates and fats are the body’s primary fuel source during rest and exercise, amino acids such as Leucin, Isoleucine, Valine and Glutamine are also used for energy purposes especially during long bouts of exercise.  In fact, in the later stages of prolonged endurance exercise, protein may contribute up to 15% of the total energy used by the muscles.  Individual metabolic variables, the nutritional status, biological conditions and behavioral factors will ultimately determine the rate and to what extent amino acids are used for energy during rest and exercise in each individual.

Incomplete Proteins (plant and vegetable derived) are quite different from Complete proteins in a variety of ways and are commonly referred to as protein containing foods because they do not contain adequate levels of all of the nine essential amino acids and because they are usually higher in carbohydrates than they are in protein.  For example, the protein contained in a one and a half ounce serving of pasta equated to approximately six grams of incomplete protein, thirty two grams of carbohydrates and 165 calories.    However in a one and a half ounce chicken breast you will get ten grams of complete protein, zero carbohydrates and only 45 calories.

As you can see, the protein yield in the chicken breast is almost twice as high when compared to the pasta, whereas the calorie yield is nearly 70% lower.  It is important to point out that animal meats are approximately 70% water, which contributes to the low-calorie content on a per ounce basis when compared to that of a carbohydrate rich food.  Perhaps this is one reason why popular diet themes today suggest high-protein/low carbohydrate meal plans to promote weight loss.

In strength and honor,
William (Billy) Smith/aka Thunder of the American Gladiators

Visit us at www.intrafitt.com to purchase your individual nutrition program.  Any questions, I am gladiator@intrafitt.com  Hope to hear from you soon.

It is commonly known among health professionals that complete proteins (animal derived) contain all the nine essential amino acids (valine, leucine, isoleucine, tryptophan, lysine, methionine, histidine phenylalanine, and threonine).  These amino acids are termed essential because the human body cannot biosynthesize them, yet relies on their availability to prevent a number of deficiencies associated with the growth, maintenance and repair of the body proteins.  As a result, the essential amino acids must be supplied to the body via diet, and/or supplementation.  Listed below are a number of different biological proteins that the body must constantly biosyntheisze in order to maintain and regulate the normal day-to-day functioning of the organs and organ systems.  As you will see, dietary protein requirements are based on more than just the need to build and maintain the muscles of the body.

Within the human body, biological proteins are typically classified as one of the following:

Regulatory Proteins:  Enzymes such as the fat-burning enzymes in the mitochondria are necessary for the oxidation of fatty acids.  Hormones such as insulin and growth hormone regulate numerous biological processes and chemical reactions associated with the maintenance, growth and repair of the organs and organ systems.

Transportative Proteins:  Hemoglobin transports oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood.

Protective Proteins:  Antibodies are the defense mechanisms that destroy antigens and fight infection within the body.

Contractive Proteins:  Actin and Myosin are the contractile proteins in muscle fiber that allow for muscles to contract and move.

Structural Proteins:  Collagen fibers form the structural framework in many parts of the body including the skin, hair and nails.

In strength and honor,
William (Billy) Smith/aka Thunder of the American Gladiators

Listen to us every Sunday on http://www.wbt.com/  – 10 AM EST.  Call in and ask your questions!

For the most part, dietary proteins can be divided into two categories; Complete Proteins which are those derived from animal sources such as chicken, fish, eggs, beef, turkey, milk, yogurt, and cheese and Incomplete Proteins such as those derived from plant and vegetable sources including nuts, seeds, rice, pasta and beans.  Quantitatively and qualitatively speaking, complete proteins are superior in amino acid content and bioavailable nitrogen per unit weight than incomplete proteins.  This is important to realize because the role of amino acids in human metabolism is to not only build and maintain the tissues of the body but also to transport, regulate, protect and maintain a variety of other metabolic processes.

Please send all questions to info@intrafitt.com  Join me on Sunday mornings at www.wbt.com at 10 AM EST for my new radio show or log onto to www.intrafitt.com and listen to it 24/7 under Media Center.

In strength and honor,
William Smith/aka Thunder

Next time we will discuss the role that amino acids play in the hormonal regulation of lipolysis and beta-oxidation.

In order to achieve optimal levels of health, fitness and performance, a carbohydrate intake of approximately 50 – 60% of an individual’s recommended dietary calories should be maintained.  Although the range of these percentages seems insignificant, the hormonal effects produced when eaten in the proper ratio with dietary protein and fat can be quite influential and have a powerful impact on the regulatory systems that directly affect metabolism.  Keep in mind that, as with all nutrients, the specific amount needed from one person to the next is entirely based on individual metabolic variables, environmental stressors and behavioral factors.

Visit us at www.intrafitt.com so you too, can have your own individualized nutrition and exercise program.  Get fit for life eating whole, natural foods.  No potions, pills or shots!

In health and honor,
William Smith/aka Thunder of the American Gladiators

PS-Join us on Sundays at 10:00 AM (EST) at www.wbt.com for our new radio show.  Give us a call and ask any nutrition question that you have been pondering for decades or since yesterday!

William Smith is the President / CEO and Founder of the INTRAFITT Corporation which was established in California in 1992. Will has won more than twenty-eight bodybuilding championships and is also known for his role as “THUNDER” on television’s American Gladiator between 1990 – 1992. He is a National and International Speaker on Performance Nutrition and Exercise Science.

Friends, if you can, please tune in on Sunday mornings at 10 AM (EST) at http://www.wbt.com/ for INTRAFITT’S new radio talk show. We will be talking about how to eat and exercise to succeed in your life! God Bless and thanks for your support!

Visit us at www.intrafitt.com

In health and honor,
William Smith/aka Thunder of the American Gladiators