Surprisingly, our family doctor said my dad had colon cancer for about 10 years or ever 12 years, but he just didn’t know it.

It’s a long, long story with a lot of lessons.

Click here to listen to the story on this week’s TT Podcast

You see, my Dad made 3 big mistakes.

But I don’t want you to make the same ones.

1) My Dad drank too much.

This was by far the biggest factor in him getting sick. And I don’t mean 1 drink per day. He unfortunately drank himself to an early death. This never had to happen.

2) My Dad didn’t go to the doctor once in the last 25 years of his life.

Obviously, this is NOT a good idea. For anyone from my father’s generation who is listening, stop being “too proud” to go to the doctor and get your butt in there every year. Take the tests they want you to take.

3) My Dad didn’t eat enough fruits and vegetables.

His diet was not so good. Believe it or not, my Dad lived on coffee, toast, an egg, maybe a ham sandwich for lunch, too many beers, a glass of milk, and a lot of candy for the last 20-30 years of his life.

But he did a lot of things right, too.

• He was always busy with projects and stayed mentally active.
• He was physically active everyday, often doing hard manual labor.
• He was never overweight.
• He had good social support.

Those four things helped him survive as long as he did.

So my dad taught us all a lot of powerful lessons, indirectly, on what to do and what NOT to do.

1) If you drink, do a mirror check. Are you drinking too much? Is it affecting your life? Your work? Your family? Look at your kids. Don’t you want to see them grow up and have kids of their own?

2) Are you active? Are you busy with projects and constantly learning or do you just watch TV?

3) Have you been to the doctor this year? Why not? Have you noticed something that just doesn’t feel right and should be checked out? Don’t be scared! Just go. Despite all the hard times that people give the medical industry, technology and medicine is catching cancer early and treating many of them well.

So…

Don’t be a stubborn old fool!

Go to the doctor!

Better you lose a little pride and gain a lot of years.

So there you go…now let’s get you transforming…

Monday – July 20th

Transformation Tip: Do not stop!

A Turbulence Training member emailed me this morning and apologized for falling off the wagon…I told him not to worry, sometimes it takes a couple of cracks at this to get it right.

So don’t quit just because you stumbled once.   This goes for anything in life including giving up booze and cigarettes too.

Over on my facebook page, we recently had a chat about how to give up cigarettes. Almost every single person said they quit cold turkey, but most of them said it required a few tries.

But they didn’t give up trying.

So no matter what you want to do, never give up. Fight fight fight. And get social support from friends and family. And that’s what we are here at TT, friends who become like family to you.

Join me on facebook at www.facebookcraig.com or join us in the members forum at www.ttmembers.com.

We’ll be looking out for you, I promise.

Now let’s train hard!

6-Month Bodyweight Manual – Phase 5: Advanced Upper Body Strength & Lower Body Circuit Conditioning

Workout A

1A) T-Squat (15 reps)
1B) Feet on Ball Pushup (12 reps)
2A) Chin-up (Max-1)
2B) Hands on Bench, Feet on Ball Pushup (15 reps)
3A) Pushups with Hands on Ball  (15 reps)
3B) 1-Leg Deadlift (12 reps)
4A) Inverted Row – Feet on Ball (12 reps)
4B) Spiderman Pushup (8 reps)
5A) Side Plank Leg Lift (10 reps)
5B) Split Squat with Front Foot Elevated (12 reps)
5C) Spiderman Climb (12 reps)
5D) Stability Ball Rollout (10 reps)
5E) Plank with Arms on Ball (30 seconds)
Interval Workout A

Tuesday
Time for your 30 minutes of fun activity…

Well its been a heavy update so far, hasn’t it…so let’s lighten things up.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for your 30 minutes of off-day activity?

My old man used to wrestle my friends in his underwear. Man, you think your dad was embarrassing…so beat that.

But if you aren’t going to wrestle people in your underwear, what else can you do that’s fun and different?

Bedroom activities don’t count.

Do people still skinny dip anymore?

We should all be doing more of that…man its been years…I bet over 10 years since my last skinny dip with some girls. Man, I gotta do something about that…

If you got a pool why don’t you make skinny dipping your 30 minutes of activity of fun activity this week.

Or if your neighbor has a pool, see if you can’t sneak in during off hours! Might be too intense if you get caught and have to sprint out!

Wednesday

Workout B
1A) Prisoner Squat (10 reps)
1B) Prisoner Lunge (8 reps)
1C) Inverted Row (10 reps)
2A) Pull-up (Max-1)
2B) Elbow-to-Instep Lunge (8 reps)
3A) Hands on Ball, Feet on Bench Pushup (15 reps)
3B) 1-Leg RDL (10 reps)
4A) Shoulder Press Pushup (15 reps)
4B) Stability Ball 1-Leg Curl (10 reps)
5A) Jumping Jacks (60 reps)
5B) Chop (15 reps)
5C) Stability Ball Rollout (10 reps)
5D) Chin-up (6 reps)
Interval Workout B

Thursday

30 minutes of fun activity…

And so I bought this blender and now I’m hooked on blender drinks.

It’s crazy. Two a day! Here are some tips to increase the nutritional value.

• Add spinach
• Add 4-5 pieces of fruit (one frozen)
• Add cacao nibs, nuts, seeds, goji berries

Good times!

Friday

Workout C

1A) Y-Squat (10 reps)
1B) Elevated Pushup (12 reps)
2A) Diagonal Lunge (10 reps)
2B) Step-out (8 reps)
3A) 1-Leg Bench Squat (10 reps)
3B) Chin-up (Max-1)
4A) Waiters Bow (12 reps)  video
4B) Spiderman Pushup (10 reps) ==>
5A) Siff Squat (20 reps)
5B) Stability Ball 1-Leg Curl (8 reps)
5C) Stability Ball Jacknife (12 reps)
5D) Pushup (Max-1)
5E) Side Plank (30 seconds)
High-Intensity Cardio

Social Support Saturday!
Have fun with 30 minutes of activity.

And remember, you can never have enough good friends…

• So check in with a few today.
• Hit up some on facebook – and me too
• Go back to your hometown and see an old high school friend

Sunday – Plan, Shop & Prepare
Another 30 minutes of activity.

Plan, shop, & prepare and when you shop, check your labels.

Watch out for added sodium. After all, we only should be getting 1500mg of sodium per day. The worst offenders are:

• Pizza
• Hot dogs and hamburgers
• Processed foods
• Dairy
• Canned soups, beans, and chili

Be careful with those!

Whew, that’s it for this week. Heck of an update, wasn’t it?

Next week!

• Phase 6 of 6 month BW manual – can you believe its over!
• Veggie Meal Plans – July 27th premiere -You can’t miss this…big news. You’ll love these, including my “Lazy Man’s Guide to Vegetarian Eating”

Have a great week,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

“What do you eat everyday?”

“What supplements do you use?”

The answers are:

“No, I’m not a vegetarian. I still eat meat 1-2 times per week, and more when I travel.”

“For supplements, I use Vitamin C, Fish oil, creatine (sometimes), and a Greens-Plus drink”.

And what do I eat everday? Well, “A wide variety of food”. (That’s my first diet secret right there…stolen from Brad Pilon, author of Eat Stop Eat, who says one of the keys to eating for fat loss and health is eating a wide variety of foods. Don’t get too dependent on eating the same food over and over again.)

So let’s take a look at every single meal I eat on a regular day – plus, how things change when I travel or when I take Bally the Dog to visit his “Grandma” out on the farm.

6am - Each day I get up around 6am (give or take 30 minutes), drink a cup of water and swallow a 1000mg vitamin C pill, and head out on a 60-90 minute dog walk with Bally the Dog.

I started taking 2-3 grams of vitamin C per day back in October, and I didn’t get any colds this winter. Usually I get one per year, but nothing so far since August, 2007. I use the Vitamin C for insurance, I guess.

When we get back from the walk (and his “swim” in the river in Toronto’s High Park), I write Turbulence Training workouts for 30 minutes, and by then I’m ready for my unique version of breakfast.

Here’s the recipe…

9am – Breakfast 1

• Take 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter and melt it in microwave.
• Add one layer of raw pecans.
• Sprinkle in some coconut flakes.
• Add 1/2 cup blueberries.
• Add another layer of raw pecans.
• Mix it up and enjoy.

Along with that recipe, I have either a pear or an apple, and I drink 1 cup of Green Tea and 2 cups of water. I like my water as cold as possible, and drink about 3 liters of water per day. Maybe more.

Every meal I eat is based around whole, natural foods. That’s secret #2. Avoid foods from a bag or a box. (Secret #3).

As I mentioned, I do use the sport supplement called “creatine” once in a while. Although it had been years since I last used it, I decided to try it again in March. It can help you gain weight, build muscle, and improve your performance in short, burst activities like sprints and resistance training.

11am – “Brunch”. I make a large 4-egg omelet (have switched over to organic eggs at the recommendation of many people…however, I honestly don’t know if it is necessary or not – and I doubt I’ll ever know). In the omelet, I add:

• broccoli
• spinach
• red onion
• mushrooms
• red pepper
• green pepper
• and sometimes cheddar or feta cheese

I’ve also tried adding asparagus and apple slices with the feta cheese, and it was really good. Try that combo sometime.

Sometimes I’ll wrap up some of the omelet in a whole-wheat tortilla with 1/2 of an avocado and salsa. That’s good eating.

Along with the omelet, I’ll have a Greens-Plus drink. That’s a brand name for one of those “greens” drinks. Do I need this? I don’t know…After all, I eat a LOT of broccoli and other vegetables everyday. More insurance, I suppose.

I’m always trying a new fruit or vegetable (Secret #4). Year’s ago I was a picky eater, but over time anyone can learn to eat better. If I can do it, so can you.

12:30pm – Time to go workout. On M-W-F, I head to the gym for a 45 minute workout. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I head to a local coffee shop and drink a Green Tea. On those days, I don’t have the next “meal”.

Speaking of workout..here’s this week’s 5 minute workout…if you are short on time but want to see how TT can give you results in a short amount of time, simply do this superset

1A) DB Squat – 8 reps
1B) Pushups – As many reps as possible

Repeat as much as you can in 5 minutes. That’s a total body workout right there.

2pm - 2 cups of chocolate milk after my workout. By now, I’m sure you’ve heard me say that I don’t use protein shakes, and that research shows chocolate milk is every bit as good as any higher priced “post-workout supplement” you can buy in a store.

After all, chocolate milk is just carbohydrate (with lots of sugar) and protein. That’s exactly what is in every post-workout drink.

Also,  I should note, that being a connoisseur of chocolate milk and having drank it in Europe and in the USA, nothing beats good ol’ Canadian “lait du chocolat”.

3:00pm – Now here’s where it gets random. Some days I’ll have almond butter sandwiches, other days I’ll have my “infamous” banana tacos, and other days I’ll have Amy’s organic chili with added vegetables. It’s easy to eat more vegetables by adding them to regular foods (Secret #5).

5:00pm – When Bally the Dog gets home from daycamp, I usually have an apple (shared with him of course) and some raw almonds and apricots, or almonds and goji berries. Sometimes I have raw cashews and cacoa nibs. The cacoa nibs and goji berries are an acquired taste, but like many things, I’ve learned to like them.

On a side note, I recently read about “chocolate covered bacon” and a TT member was nice enough to send me some from her candy shop…unfortunately, it wasn’t what I was hoping for. But hey, it was worth a try.

Other nights I’ll have a salad of…

• spinach
• red onion
• red pepper
• walnuts
• feta cheese
• strawberries or pears

For a guy who can’t cook, that’s a pretty good snack. Full of nutrients and appetite-satisfying fiber (Secret #6).

6:00pm - Time for another dog walk down Queen Street West or over to Bloor West Village or down Roncesville Ave.

8:00pm – Dinner. I like to eat a later dinner. Half the time I head out with friends…sushi, roast chicken, sometimes steak. Stick to the meat and vegetables. On Friday nights I’ll have a beer. (In the States, I go with Blue Moon. In Canada, Rickard’s White or Alexander Keiths).

If I’m busy and just eat at home, I’ll make Amy’s Organic Chili and add spinach, onion, and mushrooms.

Or now that summer is here, I’ll start using the BBQ again and making grilled chicken or steak, but frankly, I’m too lazy to do that more than once per week.

So that’s it for a regular day in my diet…

Now what about when I travel?

As you know, I recommend packing raw nuts, apples, and dried fruit for the plane…or you can use Brad Pilon’s Eat-Stop-Eat program…I’ve done that a couple of times while traveling.

So there are no excuses for bad food choices in airports.

But when I travel,  I often eat at restaurants, and I schedule those in my diet to enjoy my dinners there. Most of the time, I order steak. Skip the bread, have a drink, order lots of vegetables, and once in a while I enjoy a chocolate dessert. I’m a big fan of chocolate cake. And who isn’t? Recently I tried Profiteroles for the first time – possibly the perfect dessert.

But most of my travel meals are the same as my home meals. I plan ahead and eat whole, natural foods (mostly fruits, vegetables, and raw nuts) 90% of the time. Enjoy rewards once in a while. It’s that simple – and effective (everything in moderation is secret #7).

And finally…what about when I’m eating with family?

Well, again, I plan that out so its not a big deal to enjoy a hearty meal of meat and potatoes. They know to make extra vegetables when I’m around. Most of us can easily plan around family events to enjoy them.

For example, last weekend I went home and had dinner with my mom where she made steak, grilled vegetables, baked potato, and broccoli. It’s easy to fit that into a diet plan. Just don’t go back for 3rds!

Alright, you’re probably hungry by now, so I’ll stop there.

That’s what I eat. It’s definitely better than the average “Western Diet”, but it’s also “human”. I like to slip a little chocolate into my weekly meal plan, and I like a nice cold beer too.

Personally, I think the biggest thing to keep out of your diet is any high-carbohydrate food that contains trans-fats. So avoid fries, chips, pastries, donuts, and anything deep-fried.

For more nutrition help, I recommend Isabel De Los Rios’ Diet Program.

If you do that, and eat a wide variety of foods with the foundation of your diet coming from fruits, vegetables, and raw nuts, you’ll lose fat without being hungry.

Let me know if you have any nutrition questions,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

PS – Please post your nutrition questions and comments below!

What’s the truth and who can you trust?

Well, the good news is that nutrition is a lot simpler than you think…or at least that’s what my friend Brad Pilon argues in this interview.

What started out as one simple email question from me turned into this extensive Q’n'A of how we can live longer and eat healthy.

CB: Hey Brad, I was reading an article about extreme calorie restriction in humans, and I started thinking,”Is there anything we can really do to live longer? Can we really extend our lifespan through nutrition?” Or is it that we can only shorten our lifespan through bad choices?

BP:
The research on life extension is “iffy” at best.

We know there is a theoretical possibility that by eating very small amounts and maintaining a very low weight for our entire lives we might be able to slightly increase the length of our lives.

However, we know for sure that by overeating (overeating any type of food), and carrying too much weight we can drastically shorten our lives.

We can do lots to improve the quality of our lives, doing our best to make sure every single year is a good year, and we can do lots to shorten our lives, and make every day a tired miserable mess.

Aim for quality, enjoy your foods, but don’t overdo it.

Eat for variety and eat for taste. I would never trade living to 94 for living to 104 if it meant never eating birthday cake, or ice-cream with my daughter.

CB: Well put. So simplify things for us…what are the worst foods we can eat that will shorten our life span?

BP:
Alcohol. In terms of its addictive qualities, toxicity, and availability.

I have no problems with the occasional drink, and the odd social hour, but when you put it all into perspective, it is a diluted poison that we are drinking. Small doses may have health benefits, but large doses can kill you.

Also, Trans-Fats and Sugar – I would say the greater the abuse, the greater the decrease in life (but it’s not like either of them is the equivalent of a cocaine habit or anything).

In the end it always ends up being overeating that is the issue.

Eat less, stress less; move more lift more. For physical health that’s pretty much as good as it gets.

CB: I can do that. I think. Alright, here’s another question I’ve always wondered about…Can a formerly obese person with terrible eating habits completely reverse all of the past damage by losing weight and eating a healthy diet?

BP:
I’m not sure.

Reason being we don’t know conclusively what is and isn’t damage, and really we don’t have a true definition of ‘health’ to work with.

That being said, even if you can never return to “perfect” it’s still worthwhile to attempt to improve your health and your quality of life.

CB: Okay, rapid fire question-and-answer time. I’m going to ask you about controversial nutrition hot topics and you have to tell us the unbiased truth about them…Let’s start with microwave ovens…are they really “bad”?

BP:
It’s dialectic heating it’s not nearly as complicated as people make it out to be. I know ‘radiation’ is a scary word but I’m sure the vast majority of us still listen to the radio when we’re in our car.

Furthermore, to answer this question properly we’d have to define what ‘bad’ really means.

There are many incidences where cooking in a microwave can actually be a healthier option (reduced nitrosamines).

Your food is exposed to heat for shorter periods of time, maintains a higher water activity and develop an even heat.

Any alterations in the nutrients in your food are trivial.  In my mind it doesn’t replace the oven, but I wouldn’t think twice about warming up a cup of Tea in the microwave.

CB: Fish oil supplements.

BP:
In my opinion, fish oil has borderline pharmalogical type activity… while I really like this stuff, I’ve come to believe that no-one should me mega dosing without medical supervision..

There are effects that are large enough that in certain populations their could be negative repercussions.

So try to get more (most of us get less then the institute of medicine recommend), but DO NOT mega dose…

CB: Should we be worried about genetically modified foods?

BP:
Yes. From an Economics point of view.

If GMO’s flood  the market, they could make traditional fruits and vegetables “premium” products and we could actually end up paying fair market value for them.

Fair market value for seasonal produce is not something that many of us can actually afford.

CB: Is organic meat better than regular meat you get at the grocery store?

BP:
I’ve looked all over and talked to dozens of people in the industry and with this one, I still have no clue.

Things to know…

1) The definition of “organic” is very broad and is constantly changing

2) Different countries have very different regulations on the amount of pesticides allowed to be used on farmland.

3) Organic meat regulations in the U.S. are so difficult to comply with that most meat producers can’t manage to get the designation anyway.

Lots of scaremongering on this topic, but it may all be a moot point anyways. For instance if you are BBQ’ing meat, does the organic meat develop less Heterocyclic Amines than the non-organic?

My personal preference is to buy meat locally from farmers I’ve  developed a personal relationship with. If you can find grass fed meats you’re doing great.

If you can actually find real designated organic meat and can afford it by all means go for it. At least you know it has been held to a higher standard of production quality.

CB: What effect will chemicals like Teflon, aspartame, and other environmental exposures have on health and lifespan?

BP:
To be honest, that’s the kind of stuff that scares the s*** out of me, because we have almost zero control

We have to breathe…and we can’t really control what we are breathing…same goes for electrical currents in your home etc….we just can’t control that, so we really can’t worry.

Teflon…my thought is there are other cooking options that are just as good, why not avoid it.

And aspartame?

Well, the idea that it CAUSES weight gain is ridiculous.

That would be very easy to prove in a dose response study… the people saying it causes weight gain are out to lunch.

CB: I agree. Makes no sense.

BP:
It could be correlated with obesity…but so are weight loss pills…as obese people are more likely to drink diet sodas or take diet pills than non-obese people.

As for health and cancer risk…no clue what effect aspartame has…

With cancer, I wish it as as easy as saying “oh it’s aspartame that causes cancer” but that is just foolish and irresponsible.

I try to keep Brier (my daughter) from having artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners, but that’s because she’s still growing and developing.

I make sure I don’t overdo it myself…I’ll have a diet pop or two on the days I’m fasting, so maybe 2-4 per week.

But if I remember correctly there is about 50-100 mg of aspartame in a
diet coke, whereas I think there was 500 mg in the old Myoplex formula, and I used to have 3 of those a day.

The easiest way too look at this is people who almost have to take
artificial sweeteners.

I wonder if the progression of cancer in Diabetics has increased in a manner correlated to their increased use of artificial sweeteners.

Bottom line is your not missing out on anything by avoiding aspartame, so when possible and within reason make non artificial sweetened choices.

CB: Thanks Brad. Last line there pretty much sums up everything…when possible and within reason, make the best choice possible.

The bottom line?

In the end, just remember Brad’s earlier advice:

Eat less, stress less; move more, lift more. For physical health, that’s pretty much as good as it gets.

Q: Do you have any fat loss programs for men and women in their 50′s?

Answer:

Yes, the same workouts I use with every age group.

A workout doesn’t need to be changed based on the age of the person. It needs to be changed based on the individual needs of the person.

For example, I’ve trained some folks who at 51 were fitter than 75% of people I knew under 25. On the other hand, I’ve trained 19 year old guys who had more body fat and health problems than the average 45 year old man.

Look at how fit Martiene is in the photo above…and she’s 74 years young, and still getting fit everyday.

And check out Kerry, getting abs at age 51!

So there really isn’t any difference in what I recommend to people age 50 plus. Of course, the Turbulence Training workouts are flexible, and can be easily modified for every strength and fitness level. Heck, we’ve had folks from 18-81 use Turbulence Training. The same exact programs.

After all, I developed the Turbulence Training system while working hands on during thousands of training hours with everyone from 18 year old “stud” rugby players up to 77 year old cardiac rehabilitation patients.

I’ve also trained 18 year old high school girls and 65 year old women who had never exercised a day in their life. On the internet, one woman used Turbulence Training at 81 years young!

Let’s take a look at the Turbulence Training workouts to see why they can be used at every age group. First, bodyweight exercises are important for everyone. You need to be able to control your bodyweight getting in and out of bed, up and down from the floor, and on one leg at a time.

So in the beginner Turbulence Training program, we start everyone down on the ground and I shock them with how hard a “lying down” workout can be. It doesn’t matter if you are 15 or 50, if you are overweight you are going to be challenged by the planks, 1-leg hip extensions, side planks, ball leg curls, and kneeling push-ups.

Here’s just one of the Introductory workouts from Turbulence Training. What would you possibly make different for someone who overweight at 50 vs. someone is overweight at 35?

But what about the injuries we get as we get older, you might ask? Well, anyone can be injured. You can have knee problems at 13 or 35, and so we adjust the program and work together as a team with physical therapists and chiropractors to make sure you get the best personal care to overcome your injuries.

It’s not age related. It’s individual specific.

I also believe that strength training is the most important aspect of any structured workout program. And I also believe, and this is controversial but I don’t care, that strength is more important for long-term quality of life than cardiovascular endurance.

I think over the years too much emphasis has been placed on cardiovascular endurance as a being a predictor of long term health.

As a result, not enough focus has been on getting men and women (but particularly women) strong. And when you are old and weak, you fall down and break your bones. And for most folks, that is a path they never recover from.

Of course, both are important, but you don’t need to be able to run a marathon to live a long life. (Of course, you don’t need to be able to squat 400 pounds to live a long life either, but in general, strength training needs more emphasis in fitness programs).

Okay, back to fat loss programs for folks over 50.

I can’t let a blog post finish without me repeating myself and saying, “Diet is more important than exercise for fat loss”. 

Hopefully you are getting that by now.

After that, folks over 50 need to focus on strength and burning a few more calories. A total body resistance training program, just like that for any other age group, will work best. If individual modifications are necessary, then we’ll make them, but the population of 50+ folks is so diverse, I can’t say that certain exercises are specific to that age group.

On the flexibility and mobility front, that might be a different story, but again, I’d still be telling you to use the same exercises I give someone at age 25 (stick-ups, etc.).

Frankly, the only “real” difference, in general, between a fat loss workout for someone under 30 and someone over 50 would be the music they listen to while training.

Agree or disagree? Let me know below!

And did I mention, diet is the most important aspect in a successful fat loss program?

Train hard but safe,

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS

Click here to get started with Turbulence Training

And you’re not going to like this, but I’ve borrowed their phrase and now refer to french fries as “edible cancer sticks”. After all, they deserve a similar distinction. Here’s why…

In a recent study done by Polish researchers, they put 14 subjects through every pothead’s dream study and made them eat potato chips every day for 4 weeks. (The potato chip is very close cousin to the french fry, of course.)

Am J Clin Nutr 89: 773-777, 2009. Chronic intake of potato chips in humans increases the production of reactive oxygen radicals by leukocytes and increases plasma C-reactive protein: a pilot study.

Both chips and fries contain relatively high concentrations of acrylamide, which is a potentially carcinogenic compound found in starchy foods that have been heated.

So in this study, which probably wasn’t hard to fill with volunteers, each subject ate 160 grams of chips each day (about 3/4 of a LARGE bag) for 4 weeks (containing 157mg of acrylamide).

At the end of 4 weeks, all subjects had increased levels of oxidized LDL and C-reactive protein (a measure of inflammation). There was also a significant increase in free radicals and a massive immune system response. It was as if the body was being attacked by the chips, or more specifically, the acrylamide (and probably all the other good stuff in the potato chips).

The researchers also did a follow-up test of the subjects four weeks after they stopped eating the edibile cancer sticks, and all that bad stuff was starting to come back to normal, but hadn’t fully returned to healthy levels.

Nasty stuff.

If you eat fries or chips everyday, you are killing yourself softly. Get rid of the junk, eliminate the food from a bag or a box, and get healthy again!

This study shows that not only are you consuming a potentially carcinogenic substance, but you are also increasing your risk of heart disease. Now that’s a two-for-one special you should pass on.

<=== Other chips to avoid!

Of course, you don’t need me to tell you that it will also be killing your fat loss. If you need help improving your diet, just focus on making baby steps. Every day you should try and be a little better than you were yesterday.

Cut back on the junk.

Add a new fruit or vegetable.

Switch to fewer foods from a bag or a box, and add more whole, natural foods to your diet.

You’ll be shocked at the improvements in your mental energy and performance from these nutrition changes. I can’t imagine how bad these folks after a few days of stuffing themselves with chips.

Sure a snack once per month is okay, heck, I even had some pringles at Christmas time…but you need to start passing on the fries a lot more than you should be adding those to your order.

Baby step your way to better eating, faster fat loss, and a healthier life,

Craig Ballantyne

PS – Here’s the diet I recommend…

www.ProvenFatLossDiet.com