Quercetin: Fitness Without The Work?

Is it really possible to get fit without all the work that comes along with it like eating healthy& exercising and just get fit while reading your favorite blog or watching TV?

Recently there was a study that followed people that took large doses(500milligrams 2x/day) of a nutrient called Quercetin for a week and were able to increase endurance on a stationary bike much longer than people who did not take Quercetin nutrient. In lam ens terms their fitness was enhanced without the the work.

Quercetin was thought to possibly help build your mitochondria which are the mini energy factories in your bodies cells that convert your food energy to the energy your body uses(ATP). So it would potentially create more body energy so you wouldn't run out as fast during a workout.

So what is Quercetin made of exactly? It is a plant-derived flavonoid shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. A diet high in fruits and veges has shown to decrease cancer rates and was thought quercetin might be responsible for this. It is found in vegetables and citrus fruit like apples,red onions, green beans and buckwheat. Usually most food sources of this nutrient don't contain a large amount though. A average apple has around 9 milligrams.

As far a it being able to get fit without the work its not likely to happen since exercise does far more for you than increase your mitochondria. It builds bone density, reduce stress, helps you sleep better, and most importantly increase sex drive! It also has been found to help your memory and cognitive functions.

My advice, quit looking for the easy way out, get your butt off the couch and exercise. I'd come get your butt off your couch for you but i gotta get moving.

Get Younger From The Inside Out

The goal: You want to keep your heart and arteries young, like they were when you were a kid. The plan: Eat 13 to 21 walnuts a day for four weeks.

Yep, it could be that simple. When people in one study replaced some of the already good monounsaturated fats (such as olive oil and corn oil) in their diets with eight to 13 walnuts a day (they contain omega-3 fats), their blood vessels expanded after just a few weeks, allowing better blood flow.

That's not all that our favorite nuts can do. In another study, raising the walnut ante to an ounce and a half -- that's about 21 walnut halves -- six days a week reduced lousy LDL cholesterol by nearly 20 percent. That's a big deal that translates into slightly more than an 18 percent decrease in your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Traditional thinking is that it's the omega-3 fatty acids in these nuts that have been credited with these heart and artery benefits (they have brain, eye and joint benefits as well). That's still true, but there may be something extra in walnuts that makes LDL drop even more than expected from its omega-3s alone.

But whatever it is that's doing the magic, the point is the same: To fit the fat from walnuts into your diet, take some of the other fat out. Not hard to do; the flavor and crunch of these nuts adds enough to your foods -- be it a main course, salad or side dish -- that you won't miss the fat that was there before.

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The YOU Docs
Michael Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet Oz, M.D.-- are authors of "YOU: Being Beautiful: The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty". To submit questions and find ways to grow younger and healthier, go to www.RealAge.com, the docs' online home.

Three Health Advantages Of A Vegetarian Diet

While many people in my experience lament the nutritional disadvantages
of a poorly planned vegetarian diet, few stress the
health advantages of adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet.
In this article, I will cover the major three nutritional
advantages of becoming a vegetarian.

The first major advantage of a vegetarian diet is
increased heart health. Vegetarians, on average, consume
more nuts (often as a supplemental form of protein). Nuts
contain "good" fats, such as omega-3 and omega-6. This
promotes good heart health by reducing "bad" cholesterol
and unclogging arteries.

In addition to nuts, vegetarians also consume more soy
milk (often to replace milk), which reduces "bad"
cholesterol and has been linked to good heart health.

The second major advantage vegetarians enjoy is increased
skin health. In addition to consuming larger quantities
of nuts (which contain healthful oils), vegetarians tend
to consume more fruit and vegetables, which are rich in
essential vitamins, including A and E, which are linked
to good skin health.

Fruits and vegetables also contain high amounts of fiber,
which helps flush toxins out of the body, further
contributing to better skin health.

The last health advantage vegetarians enjoy is an increased
natural consumption of antioxidants.

Antioxidants are foods that help prevent cancer by
destroying free radicals. Vitamin C and Vitamin E, two
strong antioxidants, are commonly found in vegetarian
meals.

Vitamin C can be found in berries, tomatoes, citrus fruit,
kale, kiwis, asparagus and peppers.

Vitamin E can be found in wheat germ, seed oils, walnuts,
almonds, and brown rice--all foods that are commonly a
part of a well-balanced vegetarian diet.

So what does this all mean for you as a prospective
vegetarian?

It means the popular mythology about vegetarian diets
is false. Not only can a vegetarian diet be nutritionally
sufficient, but it can also affect better skin
health, prevent cancer, and increase your
heart health.

Starting as a hard-core carnivore and then becoming vegetarian for 2 years and then converting to a vegan for the last year I can honestly say I dont miss meat at all anymore knowing that it will likely enhance my health for a lifetime as well as longevity.

If you are interested in learning how to cook simple, great tasting, quick and low cost vegetarian meals I'd recommend How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food or Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

Supercharge Your Health With This Fruit

A sliced sweet, succulent strawberry is more than a perfect cereal topper, meal-ender, afternoon snack or treat to smother in dark chocolate. These little fruits have more powers than the whole cast of "Twilight" (but they use those powers for good). Here's what a few berries can do for you:

Fill you up without pudging you out. Check it out: Just 50 little calories in a whole cup (if you skip the chocolate).

Help you keep the beat. Strawberries help your heart by shaving down levels of C-reactive protein, an indicator of heart-hampering inflammation. These berries also might smack down the effects of lousy LDL cholesterol to give heart disease an extra boot. And they get a "best supporting actor" award for making oatmeal even healthier. Somehow, the vitamin C in the strawberries has a Chia-Pet-like effect on compounds called phenols in the oats, causing their heart-helping powers to grow.

Stop cancer in its tracks. Certain compounds in strawberries, especially one called ellagic acid, may be able to block cancer at its starting point as well as keep tumors from progressing and spreading. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees here, but if you don't get cancer, you can thank those berries for helping.

Maintain your processing speed. Strawberries -- like most other foods whose name ends in "berries" -- are high in flavonoids, plant compounds that help shield cells from molecular damage, reducing the risk of needless brain aging.

Oh, and there's a whole different type of processing that these berries can boost. With 3 grams of fiber in every cup, they help keep your digestive system running smoother than a Mercedes.

And help the earth as you help your health: Buy local and organic (but still wash well) while these satisfying fruits are in peak season.

The YOU Docs