What should I eat before and after a workout?

The infamous question- What should I eat before and after a workout?

Well... It depends on your goals and the type of exercise you are doing.

If you are weight lifting or doing intense exercise (sweating), you are probably breaking down muscle. It is ideal to replenish your muscle stores with carbohydrates and repair your muscles with protein. The quickest way to do this is to use a liquid or protein shake or smoothie.

Protein Shake:
1 scoop of Whey Protein (20g of Protein)
1 banana
1/2 cup of frozen berries
4oz of Orange Juice
8oz of water

I suggest to my clients that want to lose weight, to have half of a shake before a workout and the other half after. This will supply your muscles with the energy and protein to repair and make lean sculpted muscles. Plus, drinking a shake within 1/2 to 1 hour after an intense workout will satiate your appetite.

A good alternate is milk or soy-milk if you are allergic or low on time. My room-mate drinks chocolate milk because she does not like the taste of 'Muscle Milk', 'Myoplex' or any other protein smoothie. This is a good time to have your sweets because your body needs to replace your energy stores and the sugars will digest quickly after a workout:)

On the other hand, if you are doing low intensity cardio or barely sweating, there is no immediate need to eat or drink anything right after a workout. You are probably utilizing fat as an energy source and most of us have plenty to spare. Try to go another hour without eating anything. When you are hungry try to just have an apple or small snack.

New Hormone Obesogen?!

Is this really happening? Chemicals that enter our bodies through poisoned food sources... If you were Ric O'Barry, director of 'The Cove' and winner of the Best Documentary at the 2010 Academy Awards, you may believe so. Similar to the polluted fish and dolphin being eaten in Japan, we are starting to eat more polluted beef, pesticides and plastics leaching into foods here in the States.

MSNBC states "Obesogens are chemicals that disrupt the function of hormonal systems; many researchers believe they lead to weight gain and, in turn, numerous diseases that curse the American populace. They enter our bodies from a variety of sources — natural hormones found in soy products, hormones administered to animals, plastics in some food and drink packaging, ingredients added to processed foods, and pesticides sprayed on produce. They act in a variety of ways: by mimicking human hormones such as estrogen, by misprogramming stem cells to become fat cells and, researchers think, by altering the function of genes."

MSNBC recommends these tips to avoid Obesogens:

1- Wash your fruits and vegetables to clean them of pesticides or buy organic.
2- Do not microwave foods in plastic containers to avoid leaching and use a non-plastic mug whenever you can.
3- Try organic and grass-fed beef.
4- Limit soy and eliminate high fructose corn syrup.

The article can be found at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35315651/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition//