reasons to use fish oils to get lean

New Exercise and Fitness Review

reasons to use fish oils to get lean

This is an excerpt from coach Poliquin’s and Dr. Houston’s upcoming book on fat loss.

Serious trainers want to find a supplement that will give them an edge. For those of us interested in positively and optimally altering body composition and maximizing our training efforts, fish oils offer thirteen possible advantages:

1. Cell membrane health: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), insure that cell membranes remain healthy. The membranes are flexible and contain larger numbers of insulin receptors that are more receptive and responsive to circulating insulin. This results in decreased fat storage in the adipocytes (fat cells)

2. Fish oils turn on the lipolytic genes (fat burning genes)

3. Fish oils turn off the lipogenic genes (fat storage genes)

4.Fish oils diminish C-reactive proteins, a newly identified risk factor associated with various inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure and diabetes. The D.H.A. fraction of the fish oil seems to be one most responsible for that protective effect. DHA also has best ability to reduce blood pressure.

5. Increase utilization of fat stores from the adipocytes.

6. Preferential utilization for energy production once stored in the Adipocytes.

7. Reduced inflammation from physical training.

8. Pain management from the reduced inflammation.

9. EPA regulates blood supply to the brain that is essential in maintaining focus in weight training sessions. DHA is important in brain membranes, memory and cognitive function.

10. Fish oils increase serotonin levels (the happy neurotransmitter). Therefore, fish oils will decrease incidence of depression, anxiety, panic attack and reduce carbohydrate cravings.

11. Fish oils will improve your cardio-vascular risk profile by lowering VLDL, triglycerides, homocysteine, fibrinogen and increasing HDL levels. Combining fish oils with plant sterols will improve lipid levels even more than either alone.

12. Fish oils can also decrease blood pressure by several mechanisms.
These include increases in the vasodilatory compound, nitric oxide, reducing vascular inflammation, blocking the constrictive elements in the vascular wall such as the calcium channels reducing blood viscosity, and inhibiting a blood vessel constrictor (thromboxane). Lipoprotein (a) is another CVD predictor that can be lowered by fish oils (a 19% reduction was seen with natural, stable fish oils and just 4% with a highly purified fish oil).

13. Fish oils are a great stress fighter. Supplementation with n-3 fatty acids inhibits the adrenal activation of steroids, aldosterone, epinephrine and norepinephrine (catecholamines) elicited by a mental stress, apparently through effects exerted at the level of the central nervous system.
Therefore, for the same amount of stress, one will produce fewer stress hormones if consuming fish oils on a regular basis.

Any of these reasons make the case for fish oils in your supplementary diet. Take some today!

By Charles Poliquin and Dr. Mark Houston M.D

World Class Bodybuilding Forum

reasons to use fish oils to get lean

3 Healthy Fat-Loss Recipes That Will Help You Get Lean And Mean

New Exercise and Fitness Review

Vital Stats

Name: Justin Woltering
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 220 lbs
Occupation: Entrepreneur, artist, fitness expert, Dymatize athlete
Websites: justinwoltering.com/
biggerbetterfasternow.com

Summer is in full swing, and that means most of us meatheads are dieting hard! Hopefully you spent the fall and winter eating up and gaining quality mass, but even the cleanest bulk results in a little unwanted weight. Now it’s time to cut the fat. Unless you have god-like genetics, you’re going to have to cut calories.

Don’t run away yet. Cutting diets don’t have to be dry, bland, or boring. You may not be able to enjoy the tasty treats you allow yourself during a bulk, but there are more than enough ways to spice up your lower-carb and lower-fat meals.

Here are three of my favorite recipes for getting lean and mean!

1 Mexican Frittata

If you’ve never had frittata, your life is about to get a lot better. It’s kind of like a cross between an omelet and a quiche. It comes out in the shape of a pie, and you can slice it like a pie, but there’s no crust—just eggs, egg whites, veggies, and maybe a little cheese if your macros allow. It’s one of the perfect cutting foods for a low-carb diet!

While the name frittata is Italian, this version has a Mexican twist. Most dieters avoid Mexican food altogether since so many restaurant dishes contain chips, tortillas, tons of oil, and lots and lots of cheese. But, with this recipe, you can enjoy your favorite Mexican flavors without screwing up your diet.

• 4 Whole Eggs


• 1 8-oz. carton of Liquid Egg Whites


• 1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced


• 1/2 White Onion, sliced


• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil


• 1 Tomato, diced


• Cumin, Oregano, Salt, Chili Powder to taste (you can also just use a packet of Taco Seasoning)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


2. Heat a large, non-stick, oven-safe saute pan on high.


3. Saute bell pepper and onion in olive oil until soft. Gradually add spices.


4. Remove from heat.


5. In a separate bowl, mix eggs and egg whites and then pour on top of pepper and onion mixture.


6. Sprinkle diced tomatoes.


7. Put pan into preheated oven.


8. Cook for 10-12 minutes.


9. If your diet allows for some extra fats, you can top the frittata with some guacamole, jack cheese, or both. You can also top with your favorite hot sauce or salsa.

Nutrition Facts
Recipe Makes: 2 servings

Amount per serving

Calories 302

Total Fat16.3g

Total Carbs14g

Protein26.5g

Mexican Frittata PDF (239 KB)

2 Ginger Basil Chicken and Rice

This easy recipe is perfect for a post-workout meal. Chicken and rice is one of the most common bodybuilding diet meals, but most guys make it boring and bland as hell. Fortunately, just a few additions can make it into a meal that tastes almost like a delicious restaurant stir-fry, just without all the oil, cornstarch, and sugar.

• 8 oz. Chicken Breast, thinly sliced (or more if you’re cooking in bulk)


• 1 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced


• 1 Carrot, thinly sliced


• 1 cup Broccoli, broken into small florets


• 1 tbsp Canola Oil


• 2 cloves minced Garlic


• 1 tbsp grated Ginger or Ginger Paste


• 5 large Basil Leaves, chopped


• Soy Sauce, to taste


• Cooked White Rice, amount dependent on carbohydrate and calorie needs

1. Cook peppers, carrots, and broccoli in olive oil until desired doneness.


2. Once veggies are cooked, add chicken breast slices, and cook until chicken is just about done.


3. Add garlic, ginger, and soy sauce.


4. Remove from heat and mix in chopped basil leaves.


5. Mix with white rice.


6. If desired, add honey, cilantro, green onions, and lime juice.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving

Calories 487

Total Fat17.1g

Total Carbs24.1g

Protein59.2g

Ginger Basil Chicken and Rice PDF (239 KB)

3 Pumpkin Protein “Ice Cream”

This last recipe is a low-cal, filling treat for those of you with a sweet tooth. It’s not really ice cream, but the taste and texture are certainly close enough! Plus, the addition of pumpkin adds lots of volume without too many extra calories—a perfect trick for the dieting, hungry bodybuilder.

One difference between this “ice cream” and regular homemade ice cream is that you do not want to let it firm up in the freezer. Since it hardly has any sugar or fat —just a lot of water content—it will end up more like an ice block than ice cream. Eat it right out of the ice cream maker like soft serve.

• 1 can Pumpkin


• 16 oz Greek Yogurt


• Your favorite Sweetener


• Cinnamon and Nutmeg to taste


• 1 cup Almond Milk or Skim Milk


• Salt to taste

1. Blend pumpkin, yogurt, milk, sweetener, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.


2. Pour into ice cream maker and churn until frozen.


3. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Recipe makes: 2 servings

Amount per serving

Calories 308

Total Fat12g

Total Carbs27g

Protein23g

Pumpkin Protein “Ice Cream” PDF (237 KB)

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About The Author

Justin Woltering is a distinguished Fitness Expert, Author, and Dymatize Sponsored Athlete.

Bodybuilding.com Articles

3 Healthy Fat-Loss Recipes That Will Help You Get Lean And Mean