Is Health Food Really Junk Food in Disguise?

Walk into any health food store, grocery store, or mass merchandiser store and you'll surely find a vast assortment of healthy nutritional bars somewhere in the store. They claim to pack a nutritional punch and give you the necessary nutrition and nutrients you need when you are on the go. But is it really that good for you? I say 'NO!' Especially if you stop to read the ingredients in some of these.
Now let's look at one of the more popular bars. A bar that is aimed mostly at women who are trying to eat healthy and trying to lose weight. The Slim Fast Bar. You don't have to go very far in the ingredients list to see that this bar is junk! The first ingredient is High Fructose Corn Syrup! Next was a special syrup, which is just a way to cover up that they put more sugar in it. Add in some partially hydrogenated oils which equals one thing-Trans Fats, and then just a bunch of artificial flavoring and sweeteners. Seriously, I would rather you ate a Snickers Bar. At least then you'll be getting peanuts, skim milk, and egg whites as well as the junk. And it will taste a lot better.
Then, of course, are the bogus claims by the manufacturers: 'The Slim Fast Plan cuts your calories and helps provide the nutrition you need to stay healthy while you lose weight and keep it off...' I'm sorry, nobody needs High Fructose Corn Syrup, Trans Fats, and Artificial Sweeteners in their diet. Period!
And this is just one company. I'm telling you right now, read the nutrition labels and ingredients list. Even if you think it is healthy, or it says it is healthy. 95% of Food and Supplement Companies have one thing in mind-To make more money! They will cut costs however they can, even if it means deceiving you and putting crap in their products.
So how do you tell what nutritional bars are good for you? Well here are some general guidelines to follow if you are looking for a Meal Replacement Bar or one for weight loss:
- Needs to have at least 175 calories. Anything less won't be enough calories to get you to your next meal.
- Should offer 4 grams of protein or more. Protein mixed with carbs and fat are better at filling you up and giving the satisfied feeling. Plus protein should be eaten every 2-4 hours regardless.
- Minimum of 3 grams of fiber. Fiber also has the tendency to make you feel full longer. You should be shooting for 24-36 grams daily. -Stay away from ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup, added sugar, partially hydrogenated oils (Trans Fats), and added artificial sweeteners.
- Limit saturated fats. No more than 4 grams per bar.
Hope this helps. Organic ingredients are also a big plus in a bar. Health food stores like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods offer some excellent choices. Some good bars out there are Lara bars, Prograde Cravers, Perfect 10, and Organic Food Bars.

Hugh Jackman Workout - Discover How to Get Ripped Using the Hugh Jackman Workout

Hugh Jackman is back bigger than ever for his role as Wolverine... in X-Men Origins Wolverine . In this article you will discover the secrets of how to put on some serious muscle size while getting ripped at the same time using the Hugh Jackman workout. If you have seen the trailer for the movie then you know that he has put on some serious muscle size! And you may be wondering what was the Hugh Jackman diet and training program like. Continue reading this article and get all the details.

In this the latest film X-Men Origins Wolverine, (the first chapter in the X-Men saga,) in this film Wolverine unites with several other legends of the X-Men universe. The stunts on this film are amazing and you can easily see why Jackman needed to be in incredible physical condition to put up with the rigors of the filming. (Jackman also is one of the producers and was paid as an actor... approximately $20 million for the film.)

The Hugh Jackman Wolverine Workout

For this workout his personal trainer, Michael Ryan, focused on bulking up and so the work out was a high intensity weight training program. He woke up each morning at 4 AM to eat one of several small high-protein meals, that he would eat during the day. (Six meals a day and they used a whey protein isolate as a supplement)

His workouts started at 6 AM and he stayed in Australia during the entire period. Liev Schreiber, who plays the role of Victor Creed/Sabertooth... (Logan's half-brother) also followed an intense training program putting on almost 40 pounds of muscle for his part. The program that Ryan used applied the principle of muscle confusion, constantly mixing the Jackman's program to continuously shock the muscles into growing. Medium levels of cardio were used to ensure that he would also have six pack abs.

Although Jackman is almost 40 now, he certainly proves the point that age has no bearing on bodybuilding success. Try the Hugh Jackman workout and perhaps you'll have a body you will be proud to show off.