A few years ago, you’d find people online debating whether creatine “worked.”

There’s no real doubt about that anymore.

Creatine has been shown in study after study to improve strength, power, speed, recovery— pretty much everything that makes a workout better, especially if you are doing one of our programs like Clean Bulk, Ripped In 90 Days, or Toned In 90 Days. 

These days, instead of asking “does it work,” the question has shifted to “Is there a best time and way to take creatine?” It’s a topic that is almost as heavily debated as “Are BCAAs a waste of money” — which you can read more about HERE.

For this article, we are going to clear up any confusion you have about creatine.

Creatine: Before or After a Workout? 

The funny thing about creatine is that there really isn’t a “best” time to take it in regard to your workout. As long as you take between 2-5 grams daily, even on non-training days, when you consume it isn’t as important.

That is because its effects are systemic, meaning that you need to have it build up in your system to work, over a period of days or weeks.

This sounds great, but the only problem with taking a supplement daily is that it can be easy to forget, especially on rest days.

That’s why we recommend taking creatine post-workout on training days: it’s easier to remember. And it’s why we put a precise amount of three different types of creatine in our Sculptnation Post-Workout. There is no guesswork! You get both a clinically studied dose of creatine AND other nutrients your body needs to properly recover after crushing a tough workout all in one scoop.

But if you’re in the “I’ll drink it whenever” camp or would rather slam a protein shake after your workout, we’ve got you covered there, too.

Sculpt Nation Creatine is designed to be a single-dose of the most research-backed form of creatine, which is creatine monohydrate. Each scoop has 5g, which is all anyone needs.

Should I load with creatine?

Some people recommend starting off by taking creatine with what is known as a “creatine loading protocol,” which is typically 4-5 doses a day for five days.

Is it effective? Sure, but unless you’re desperately seeking muscle size, most people should skip it.

Here’s why: Some people experience temporary side effects from creatine loading, like bloating or an upset stomach — and these pretty much always happen during loading protocols.

The answer: Keep it simple!! Just take 3-5 g every single day, and you’ll load your muscles just as well without any of the side effects some experience with “creatine loading.”

Not to mention, supplements only play a small part in reaching your muscle-building goals. You should first and foremost make sure your nutrition is on point. You can find out how much and what you need to eat to reach your goals in the V Shred App for IOS or Android. Make sure you get that squared away before you consider supplementing.

If Creatine Is Necessary For Your Goals? 

If you are looking at all this advice and just saying, “just tell me what to do, please,” that’s why we have the V Shred personal trainer and nutritionist team. 

Maybe you are a female mainly looking to lose body fat and not sure if creatine is needed? Or are an Ectomorph body type and unsure if you need more creatine to help reach your muscle-building goals?

Not only does our expert team make personalized diet and workout plans for thousands of people every day, but they can also help you pick the best supplements for your body type and goals.

You can get your personalized meal plan here or email coaching@vshred.com to learn more. 

The post When Should I Take Creatine? appeared first on V Shred.

Right off the bat, let’s be clear that fat burners are not magic. You can’t simply pop a pill and watch excess fat magically melt away.

If losing weight was as easy as taking a pill or powder, one in three Americans wouldn’t be obese, and the obesity rate wouldn’t be continuing to rise as it currently is steadily.

To lose weight and keep it off, you need to start by integrating activity and exercise in your life. A  weight-loss targeted programs like Fat Loss Extreme Men or Women can get you there. 

Step two is to gear your nutrition toward your goal. You can do all of that by calculating your personalized macro/calorie needs within the V Shred App for IOS or Android. Or if that feels beyond your ability  — which is understandable — one of our on-staff nutritionists can help you do it.

But once you have those two factors in place, a quality fat-burner can help provide that little extra “something” that can help you get where you want to go a little faster, and feeling a little less depleted along the way.

How To Make Your Fat Burner Work Better

Like most supplements, there is an OK, better, and best time to take a fat-burner. Here are the biggest priorities to keep in mind:

Consistency: A lot of people buy a fat burner and then just take it every once in a while or when they remember. That’s not how fat burners (or most supplements) work. You’ve got to take them regularly and strategically to see the benefits.

Time Of Day: A tried-and-true approach, backed by V Shred co-founder Vince Sant, is to take it as soon as you wake up each morning — about 30-40 minutes before eating breakfast.

Here’s why: Your metabolic rate is slowest in the morning, and the active ingredients can help kick it back into gear and manage your appetite throughout the day.

Now, some people find that taking it on an empty stomach doesn’t sit quite right. If this sounds like you, wait and have it with your first meal of the day instead.

You can also take a fat-burner like Burn Evolved 30 minutes before your workout to give yourself a little extra push. It’s just got 100 mg of caffeine, which is less than most pre-workout supplements.

The only recommendation: don’t take it too close to bedtime, or the caffeine could interfere with your sleep. That’s why we created BURN PM, a nighttime thermogenic that is free of stimulants and can actually help you sleep better. The two work well enough together that we offer both  (plus Turmeric Black) in our Fat Loss Stack.

Ease Your Way In: No matter when you take BURN EVOLVED, if you’re just starting out, ease your way into the full two-pill dose. Maybe start with half and see how you feel until your body adapts to the caffeine and other ingredients. Or you can take one pill in the morning, and another with lunch.

Need Help Dialing In Your Diet, Exercise, and Supplement Regime? 

Don’t forget: Even the best a fat burner works way better when it’s part of a well-designed fat-loss nutrition plan.

If you need some expert help, we have a team of qualified nutrition experts who create custom meal plans for thousands of people every day.

Our most dramatic transformations almost always come from these plans. So if you’re curious, you can get your personalized weight-loss diet plan here or by emailing us at coaching@vshred.com.

The post When Should I Take A Fat Burner? appeared first on V Shred.

Not that long ago, bros in the gym talked about what they called the “anabolic window.” It was a magical-sounding 45-60 minute space where you had to have a protein shake, or else you’d risk your muscles wasting away.

We know better now. Most research has shown that your muscles aren’t in significant danger if you don’t have a shake right away, even if you are doing a tough program like V Shred’s Clean Bulk to pack on muscle mass.

But no, that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea to have protein powder post-workout. Here’s your best post-workout protein strategy, no matter if your goal is weight loss or pure muscle gains!

Should I Have A Protein Shake, A Meal, Or Both?

The science is clear that if you’re lifting weights regularly, a higher protein diet can help you achieve more fat loss, more muscle gain, and just better results in general. It’s also clear that your body is more sensitive to protein in the hours following a workout— somewhere around 2-3 hours, for most people.

Both of those sound like good arguments for consuming protein pretty soon after a workout.

But does it have to be a protein shake? What about chicken, fish, eggs?

They’re all great sources of protein. The real advantages to having a shake post-workout are more functional:

• Protein is more convenient than packing a meal around
• It’s also light enough in the stomach that you can eat soon afterward

One other benefit: your body uses it more quickly, since whey protein like Sculptnation Protein digests much more quickly than meat.

Our suggestion: keep some protein powder in your gym bag and go ahead and slam it on your way home from the gym. Then have your planned post-workout meal an hour or two later.

Need Some Additional Help Determining Your Protein Needs? 

If you’re not sure how much protein to eat, the macronutrient calculator in the V Shred App for IOS or Android can help you set a daily target to aim for. Getting systematic about this one macronutrient can be a game-changer!

And if this is all just confusing to you, or you are unsure if you need to have both a shake and a meal post-lift, you’re not alone! Our expert team of certified personal trainers and nutritionists at V Shred can create a custom meal and supplement plan that lays out everything you need to reach your goals faster and easier!

You can get your personalized meal plan here, or email coaching@vshred.com.

The post Should I Have A Protein Shake After Working Out? appeared first on V Shred.

What Are Amino Acids And BCAAs?

Amino acids are components of proteins in the human body — and in the protein that we eat. There are 20 different amino acids, and 9 are considered “essential,” — which just means your body can’t make them, so they must be obtained through your diet and/or supplements.

Of those nine, three are branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs); leucine, isoleucine, and valine. “Branched” just refers to their chemical structure.

Don’t worry; you don’t need to memorize any of this. The big takeaway that these three essential BCAAs have been shown to turn on a process called “muscle protein synthesis” — which is how your body repairs and builds muscle tissue. For this reason, they’re popular among athletes — and pretty much everyone else looking to get leaner, more muscular, and recover from tough workouts.

When To Take BCAAs

Because BCAAs are  very low-calorie–like almost zero–and don’t contain any stimulants, there’s really no wrong way to take them. However, if you are just a little strategic, they can be one more valuable tool to help you feel just a little better, especially when calories are low.

When Cutting Calories Or Fasting: If your calories are low, incorporate any type of fasting, or just enjoy doing your cardio on an empty stomach, drinking some before and/or during your workouts is a great way to keep your muscles fueled and lower the risk of your body using its own muscle tissue as fuel.

Take them alone, mix them with a pre-workout, or if you’re working out at night, you could even take them instead of a pre-workout.

Before a workout to combat muscle soreness: If you’re sitting around sore from yesterday’s workout, BCAAs probably aren’t going to do much. It’s important to take them before your workout for this benefit. But research has shown that taking a dose prior to lifting can decrease what is known as “delayed onset muscle soreness,” or that aching muscle pain that sometimes lingers for a day or two after lifting.

Between Meals: Taking BCAAs in between meals, or when you have to skip a meal, can  act as a “bridge” between your higher-protein meals, keeping that muscle protein synthesis going even when you haven’t eaten in a few hours.

When Plain Water Isn’t Cutting It: If you find it difficult to hit your daily water intake goal, adding some BCAAs to your water jug is a great way to encourage you to drink up!

If You Have A Sweet Tooth: Because our BCAAS are so delicious, they are a great way to curb your occasional sweet tooth! And if BCAAS aren’t cutting it, you could try having some of our Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies! They taste like candy and can also help control occasional hunger cravings, give you quick “pick-me-up energy,” and provide digestion and metabolism support.

Need Additional Supplement, Diet, or Exercise Support? 

If you are struggling to engineer your nutrition around your goals, that’s where our team of coaches and nutritionists from V Shred Custom Coaching can help.

Our coaches have made over 1 million meal plans so far, and help thousands of people every day to get fitter than ever and feel great doing it. You can get your custom meal plan here or email coaching@vshred.com, and we’ll set you up with the perfect coach for you.

The post When Should I Take BCAAs? appeared first on V Shred.

Having low energy, feeling tired or unfocused, struggling through crappy workouts, and feeling downright hungry is a common complaint from some of our clients who are on lower calories and choose to carb cycle.

Sure, being in a caloric deficit can have its low points, but feeling terrible for days and days on end is a sign that something in your diet isn’t working. Remember: The best diet is one you can actually stick to!

The first question, then, is this: Are you sure you’re really up for carb cycling? Our article Do I Need to Do Carb Cycling? can help you figure it out.

But if you know you want to carb cycle, here’s how to trouble shoot the diet if if your stomach is growling on lower-carb days.

Are your high-carb days… too low-carb? 

Our first question for you: Are you actually tracking your carbs and macros and measuring your portions? Or are you guesstimating your macros or just kinda eyeballing them?

Because it’s really common for people who aren’t tracking their carbs to actually keep their carbs too low on medium and high-carb days. When this happens, you don’t have enough carbs stored up to get through their low-carb days without feeling like crap.

Remember: carb-cycling is not “low-carb” or “no-carb” dieting.

On high-carb days, you should be eating 200, 250, maybe even upwards of 300 g of carbs, depending on your body type, goals, and the personalized macros you have calculated in our V Shred App for IOS or Android.

If you are eating enough on your high-carb days, that should be enough to keep you feeling pretty good on lower-carb days.

If you believe that your macro calculations are correct and are certain you are eating enough, here are a few other tips to get past those hunger pains.

• Take a look at your meals. Make sure you are eating plenty of fiber-rich foods that are high satiety.
• Ensure you are eating enough protein. Aiming for .8-1 g per day is a great target when dieting.
• Drink some water, tea, coffee, BCAAs, a protein shake, or other diet-friendly beverages.
• Distract yourself: Go on a walk, phone a friend, hit the gym. Anything but sitting around feeling hungry!
• Supplement with a quality thermogenic like BURN EVOLVED, which contains ingredients that can help suppress your appetite and lessen occasional cravings.
• Get support from other members in our Facebook community for men or women. It’s always nice to vent to someone that understands. Many of our clients can relate to hunger pains and may have some suggestions you haven’t considered.

Still Hungry?

Many people try to use carb cycling as a shortcut to weight loss, but they’re not ready for how demanding and challenging it is. Especially if you don’t have one of our expert nutritionists guiding you!

This is why we only recommend it to people who have finished one of our full 90-day workout plans and have a solid grasp of their nutrition.

If you just had a lightning strike moment, then it’s time to explore some other options.

The macro calculator on our V Shred app for IOS or Android also has a “balanced diet” option. Adjust your settings and see if eating the same amount of carbs daily does the trick!

And if you’re totally lost, we can help you! V Shred has a team of dietitians and personal trainers who are writing thousands of custom nutrition plans every single day, and they can make one for you, too.

Get your personalized meal plan here or reach out at coaching@vshred.com, and we’ll get you set up with a meal plan that will help you reach your goals and leave you feeling satisfied!

The post Low-Carb Days Are A Struggle. What Do I Do? appeared first on V Shred.

Conrad Shares His Incredible Transformation Story During a One-on-One Interview with V Shred & Sculpt Nation Co-Founder Vince Sant.

“When I stepped on a scale and saw that I was over 460 pounds, I thought to myself, if I keep on going this way. I’m not going to be here for my boys,” 43-year-old Conrad – V Shred Client.

We always talk about having a very specific WHY if you want to succeed in your health and fitness journey. 

Our V Shred client Conrad knew he needed to lose a significant amount of body fat and keep it off if he wanted to be healthy enough to support his teenagers’ active lifestyles and be around to watch them grow up. 

With that motivating him every day… Conrad went from an unhealthy 400+ pounds to a fit 228 pounds! 

But Conrad’s V Shred transformation isn’t only physical. Once he lost weight, he gained a ton of confidence, started dating, and fell in love!

We know Conrad’s weight-loss journey will inspire you, and his love story will no doubt give you some goosebumps tool!

CONRAD’S V SHRED TRANSFORMATION STORY 

Before discovering V Shred, 43- year old Conrad can’t remember a time in his life that he didn’t struggle with his weight and failed dieting attempts. 

“Since elementary school, it’s been a challenging roller coaster of trying to find something for myself that’s sustainable,” says Conrad.

In December 2019, Conrad stepped on the scale and saw a frightening number….460 pounds.

He knew that losing weight wasn’t an option. He had to do it. So he started another restrictive diet.

Things started out pretty well. He lost over 20 pounds in two months.

But then history began to repeat itself.

Conrad plateaued and quickly realized that he wasn’t going to be able to keep up with the overly restrictive plan he was following.

It was inevitable. The 20 pounds was going to come back. 

Conrad was about to lose hope, then out of nowhere, V Shred popped up on his Facebook feed. 

“I saw it, and it was a light bulb moment that said, this is it. This was going to be a lifestyle change. You gave me the tools that I needed to succeed, and I was fully on board,” remembers Conrad. 

Conrad signed up for the diet and exercise plan suggested for his body type, and for the first time in his life … he found something that worked!

• He lost 186 pounds!!
• He dropped 22 pant sizes!!
• He went from over 34% body fat to 16% body fat!!
• He didn’t have crazy food cravings!!
• He didn’t rebound!!

“Thanks to V Shred I get to write the rest of my story in a much more positive way,” exclaims Conrad.

We will tell you exactly how Conrad achieved his results in just a second.

But first, we want to tell you a little more about his back-story because it probably sounds pretty familiar.

Have you ever yo-yo dieted?  You know … lost weight, gained it back, lost it again, gained it back again, plus some extra? 

That was always Conrad’s issue. Sometimes he would only lose a little bit of weight, other times when he would lose a lot.

Either way, the results never lasted very long.

“I have lost 100+ pounds two other times in my life, but I just gained it all back. I tried Keto and other fad diets, but those programs were not sustainable. After I stopped, I craved everything that I couldn’t have, and that’s all I ended up going back to eating,” says Conrad. 

Conrad wasn’t sure what to expect when he saw our advertisement, all he knew was that he needed something different from what he had tried before.

He clicked on the FREE BODY TYPE QUIZ LINK, answered a few quick questions, received his results instantly, and then was given diet and training suggestions based on his genetics.

Conrad says when he read over his personalized suggestions and saw how different it was from anything he had done in the past — he knew V Shred was going to work. 

“When I saw the videos and the quiz that made me learn more about my body type, it made me realize how I needed to do things. This was a lifestyle change. It was something that I could do and get long-term results.”

A sustainable nutrition plan was only one thing about V Shred that appealed to Conrad. He also loved that the training program didn’t require him to step foot in a gym.

“When you’re overweight, you already feel that everyone’s looking at you. But the program gave me the tools I needed to do my workouts in the comfort of my own home, without the added feelings of being in public.” 

Conrad started out with the home version of FAT LOSS XTREME. 

“I did month one, two, and three at home. Then I repeated month three, four more times. Next, I jumped into the Big Arm program and rotated that program three times. Then at 7 months, I started introducing weights, and so I went back to the Fat Loss Xtreme program, except I did the gym version that time. Once I completed that, I started Ripped In 90 Days and am in my 5th week of that.”

Conrad also went with a CUSTOM DIET. One of our expert trainers created every meal based on Conrad’s specific likes, dislikes, genetics, and goals.

“I didn’t feel like everyone was following the same exact diet that was cookie cutter. It was something tailored to what my body needed and what I enjoyed. I was a very picky eater, and with the custom meal plan, I got to talk to my trainer and let him know my likes and dislikes. I was eating so much food, but I trusted the diet, and week after week, I continued to lose weight,” says Conrad. 

Having a custom diet was no doubt key in helping Conrad achieve lasting results. 

But more than just handing him a diet, Conrad’s coach also taught him WHY he needed to focus on proper nutrition.

Conrad learned about tracking macros, how certain foods impact his body differently than others, the importance of making better food choices, but also how to eat the foods he enjoys without ruining his weight-loss goals. 

“It blew me away on what could be accomplished by proper dieting. It is the first program that I’ve ever been part of that I feel is truly for the rest of my life,” says Conrad.  

Dieting was actually the easiest part for Conrad. Even with step-by-step guidance, a clear why, and the determination needed to change, he says there were still many days he struggled in the gym. 

“The hardest part was realizing and accepting how out of shape I was and being real with myself of what exercises I could do and which ones I couldn’t do. I couldn’t even do a push-up when I started, and I had a very tough time just getting up off the ground between supersets. Mentally I was there, I was determined, and I knew it was time. Nothing was stopping me. But realizing where I was and being true to myself and admitting where I was, was probably the hardest part.”

But eventually, even those mental challenges became Conrad’s biggest motivators!

“You all taught me that it was okay to modify exercises. So I did modified push-ups and planks for a while, but now I can do them fully elevated. Small successes like that really motivated me.”

Losing almost 200 pounds, 22 pant sizes, and 20% body fat is no doubt something Conrad is proud of, but what he LOST isn’t anything compared to what he says he has GAINED.

Conrad says he now has …

• Knowledge that will help him make healthy choices for the rest of his life!!
• The respect of his teenage sons who now come to him for fitness advice!!
• A lot more self-confidence!!

Confidence that even gave him the courage to date again and reconnect with an old crush!

“I met Angela eight years ago, and we went on a first date. We had a great time, but we never went out again. The timing wasn’t right. I needed to love myself and be happy with myself if I wanted to have a long-lasting, sustainable relationship. Once I was finally in a good spot, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. So I sent her a Facebook message. We started texting and finally set up our first date again.”

That first date was actually a workout! Talk about starting out right!! Now, months later, Conrad and Angela are in a committed relationship, and V Shred workouts are an important part of their daily routine as a couple! 

“I never knew what it was like to be in love. I always knew I wanted somebody to make me a better person. Angela has supported me and motivated me through my journey. She makes me a better person across the board.”

Conrad says he will forever be grateful he clicked on that Facebook ad for V Shred and took our Body Type Quiz.

He says that finding love is just icing on the cake! There are many things that stand out as the game-changers that helped him lose weight and keep it off.

• Having his workouts and custom diet at his fingertips on our V Shred app.
• Instructional videos that show how to do each and every exercise. 
• Support, accountability, and motivation from his coach, Vince, and all the people in our private client social media support groups. 
• Incorporating Sculpt Nation Supplements. 

When it comes to that last one, supplements, Conrad says he wants people to know that they aren’t magic.

He had to diet and exercise and put in the hard work every single day. He simply used things like Sculpt Nation BURN, BURN PM, HGH BOOST, and TEST BOOST to help make the process a little faster and easier.

“They kept things going. They give me and  my body what I need to be able to get through those workouts and then recover,” says Conrad.

Once he started lifting with weights, Conrad also added PROTEIN, CREATINE, PRE, POST WORKOUT and BCAAS to his supplement stack. 

Energy and better recovery were the first effects Conrad noticed, but he says they taste so good, they also helped with his occasional candy cravings!

“It helped with my sweet tooth! I’ve been able to stay away from candy for over a year.” says Conrad. 

We bet many of you are reading Conrad’s story right now and are nodding your head….

• You relate to the yo-yo dieting and losing and gaining cycles.
• You relate to having low self-esteem.
• You relate to the embarrassment of going to a gym. 
• You relate to the occasional food cravings.

But … you are hesitant to get started. 

• You are scared that you will fail.
• You are worried that you will waste your hard-earned money.
• You don’t know anything about exercise. 
• You don’t want to give up foods you love. 

Conrad can relate to those feelings of hesitance, too, and says he wants to remind anyone on the fence that there will never be a perfect time to get started.

If you know you need to make a change, then pick the only time you are guaranteed .. which is right now!!

“I was scared. I was intimidated. I didn’t know what to do. But with V Shred, I was guided every single step of the way. Please don’t wait! Take charge of your life, and amazing things will happen. Anyone can succeed with this program as long as they have the willpower and determination to want to do it.”

As for Conrad’s next goal? He is going to keep doing Ripped in 90 Days and would love to reach 220 pounds. But his next goal is a NON scale victory.

Conrad is hoping that his confidence will continue to grow so he can do something he’s always wanted to do by this summer. 

“I’ve never been able to take my shirt off in public.  I’ve always  worn two shirts. So I’m hoping after a couple of rounds of Ripped In 90 that I will be ready to take my shirt off in public. I might not look as good as what Vince  does on camera, but, yeah,” laughs Conrad.

IF CONRAD’S STORY MOTIVATED YOU TO GET STARTED … 

It’s free and easy to start exactly where he did .. with our FREE BODY TYPE QUIZ!!

Just follow the link, answer 6 easy questions, and you will get your body type results and some suggestions instantly! 

And if you are interested in any of the supplements Conrad incorporated into his new healthy lifestyle – you can find them all by CLICKING HERE! 

We are excited for YOU to be our next V Shred transformation story!!

The post V Shred Review: “How Conrad lost almost 200 pounds with V Shred” appeared first on V Shred.

The post Lisa’s V Shred Review: “I’m a busy mom of three and I used V Shred to lose over 75 pounds!” appeared first on V Shred.

Considering water makes up about 60-percent of your body weight….THIS IS VERY DISTURBING!!

Your body needs water for literally every function it performs.

Drinking enough H2O is also KEY in reaching your weight loss goals!! 

We will tell you why a little later in this article.

First .. let’s get you hydrated!!

Here are 10 SNEAKY WAYS TO DRINK MORE WATER! 

Tip #1 – Start Your Day With 8oz
Many people swear that doing this helps them with a host of things, mainly digestion, especially if it’s lukewarm with some lemon.

 Does it work? Who knows! But it can’t hurt! It will ensure that right off the bat, you start your day hydrated!

Tip #2 – Keep A Refillable Bottle With You All Day

If you don’t have water accessible all day, it’s pretty much guaranteed you won’t drink enough. If you have your cup, bottle, jug, hydro-flask, (whatever you choose), glued to you wherever you go, you will be more likely to drink a steady amount of water all day long.

We suggest going with the largest bottle you feel comfortable carrying around, especially if you are always on-the-go and do not have access to refill continually.

Tip #3 – Track Your Intake
There are apps you can use for this. But an effortless way to keep track is to refill a liter bottle and keep up with how many times you have filled it until you reach your water goal!

Tip #4 – Have Water Deadlines
If you work a job where it’s hard to drink water all day long or find yourself forgetting, try adding deadlines to your water drinking.

Aim to drink a certain amount by 10am, midday, 2pm, 5pm, etc. You can even set an alarm on your phone as a reminder!

Tip #5 – Enhance The Flavor
Water can be super boring, especially if you are new to drinking so much.

Skip the chemical-filled flavor enhancers and try slicing fresh cucumbers, ginger, limes, lemons, or fresh strawberries and toss ’em into your water. If you like your water really cold, you can freeze fruit and use it in place of ice cubes.

If you want to factor it into your macros, you can also use a tiny amount of your favorite 100% fruit juice and dilute it with water. 

Tip #6 – Drink Through A Straw
We drink faster when we drink through a straw.

This trick also works if you drink out of something with a larger opening.

Tip #7 – Drink Up Before/After Each Meal, Pre-Workout, Post-Workout
One 2015 study found that participants who “preloaded” meals with a pint of water lost on average, 10 more pounds than participants who did not drink before eating. This could be because your body’s hunger cues are often misinterpreted as thirst cues.

Drinking an 8-ounce glass of water before a meal may help aid digestion, while drinking water an hour after you consume your meal may help the body absorb the micronutrients.

Tip #8 – Get Creative
A pretty cool study came out where researchers observed 300 study participants as they consumed water. They asked them to come up with unconventional ways to consume water. The participants did everything from drinking out of a martini glass to drinking it from a spoon. 

The result? They enjoyed drinking water more than participants who drank it the “normal” way. 

Tip #9 – Eat water-rich foods.
Of course, there are no “free-foods,” so you will have to factor these into your daily macros.

But try to add water-rich fruits and vegetables every day.

Here are a few foods with the most water:

• Spinach
• Celery
• Green Peppers
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Cucumbers
• Radishes
• Tomatoes
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Baby Carrots
• Watermelon
• Pineapple
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Cantaloupe
• Oranges
• Grapefruit

You could also just drink your veggies using Sculpt Nation GREENS. Add a scoop to a big glass of water, and you’ve got your nutrients and another 8oz’s of water down the hatch!

Sculpt Nation GREENS are available un-flavored, but we also have Peach and Strawberry.

I promise you will love them! Click here to check them out! 

Tip #10 – Eat Spicy Foods
This really doesn’t really need an explanation. Eat spicy .. you will want to reach for water.

Drinking enough water is essential in reaching your fitness goals.

Endless studies have shown that when water intake goes up .. pounds go down!

• Water helps boost your metabolism.
• Water cleanses your body of waste.
• Water acts as an appetite suppressant.
• Drinking more water helps your body from retaining water.

Aesthetics aside, your body depends on water to SURVIVE!

Every cell, tissue, and organ in your body needs water to work correctly.

We already know your next question…
HOW MUCH WATER SHOULD I DRINK EACH DAY?

Simple question .. but there isn’t a simple answer. 

Some docs say 8 glasses .. then we see fitness experts walking around with their gallon jug.

Many things come into play because there is a laundry list of factors that can offset the water you are consuming. 

• The climate where you live.
• How active you are.
• How much caffeine you consume.
• How much alcohol you drink.
• How much sodium you consume.
• How much you sweat.
• ++More 

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine gives the following suggestion for minimum daily fluid intake.

Keep in mind that they also factored in ALL liquids and liquids from foods into this equation. 

Activity level and climate were not considered. 

• About 3.7 liters of fluids for men
• About 2.7 liters of fluids a day for women

To keep it simple…

Ladies… try to fill up a liter water bottle at least 2-3 times.

Guys.. try to fill one up 3-4 times a day.

Don’t forget to use common sense! If you are thirsty .. DRINK MORE! Being thirsty is the first sign of dehydration!

Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired… which means you will be more likely to skip your workouts. 

Speaking of workouts and nutrition … are you certain that your sweat sessions and healthy meals are giving you THE BEST and FASTEST results?!

If you aren’t eating and training for YOUR BODY TYPE.. the answer is probably… NO!

Take a couple of minutes and check out this FREE BODY TYPE QUIZ!

In only 5 questions, it will tell you what your body type is and instantly give you some tools to get started toward training and eating for your genetics! 

One thing we all have in common is that we all have to drink enough H20! 

If you have any tips that you use to down your daily water .. drop us a comment below!

We’d love to hear from you! 

The post SNEAKY WAYS TO DRINK MORE WATER appeared first on V Shred.

Being low on certain vital hormones can not only be detrimental to your health, but it can also totally derail your fitness goals.

Do any of these things sound familiar? 

• You feel like you can’t make much progress in the gym, no matter how hard you try.
• You seem to be holding on to too much body fat, despite your diet and training efforts.
• Your sex drive is lower than ever.
• You frequently seem down in the dumps.
• You are exhausted all the time and/or have trouble sleeping.
• You feel that you’re aging faster than you should be.

If so, there is a hormone that your body may be low on, and that is Testosterone.

Vince put together a short video above going over this in detail!

Testosterone is the most important male hormone, but females also have and need testosterone – just in lesser amounts. 

It is normal for testosterone levels to decline as you age, but scientists have discovered even more significant reasons we experience drops in testosterone.

These reasons have nothing to do with aging.

In fact, most of them are totally out of your control, which is why low test levels are something you should be aware of, even in your 30’s. 

The good news is that there are easy things that you can do from home to give your test a boost that don’t require going to the doctor.

In fact, they only require a trip to your local grocery store or a quick online checkout! 

In this article, we are going to tell you about a couple of natural herbs that may be a little hard to get your hands on. Still, you need to be aware of them because they are super powerful.

There are also a few other natural test boosters that are easy to find. You probably even have them in your fridge or pantry right now.

Before we tell you about these five science-backed foods and herbs, we want to give you a brief explanation of why scientists believe testosterone is crucial for your overall well being and just how instrumental it is for reaching your fitness goals. 

WHY HEALTHY LEVELS OF TESTOSTERONE ARE IMPORTANT

Testosterone’s effect on the human body, why it declines even at a young age, and ways we can go about increasing it is something that researchers have been studying for decades. 

To date, there are more than one-hundred-thousand research studies on testosterone.
Many of them have been published in the last decade.

Researchers have found that having low test levels is associated with any of the following…

• Fatigue
• Poor sleep
• Negative disruptions in mood
• Increased signs of aging 
• Poor  libido
• A sluggish metabolism
• Excess body fat
• The inability to properly put on or retain lean muscle mass

So, if you are dieting and exercising, but not seeing results (especially if you are experiencing any of the other issues mentioned) – low testosterone could be to blame. 

One area researchers have studied is how your diet can impact testosterone levels. 

They found that increasing foods that contain testosterone mimicking nutrients and supplementing with certain natural herbs may help improve testosterone levels naturally. 

5 TESTOSTERONE BOOSTING FOODS YOU SHOULD BE EATING

1: Foods high in Vitamin D & Zinc

Two nutrients that seem to be especially crucial to your diet when it comes to increasing testosterone are Vitamin D and Zinc.

According to researchers, Vitamin D can help boost testosterone levels by up to 90%.

In one study, 200 healthy participants were given either a daily dose of 3,332 IUs of Vitamin D or a placebo, for a full year. Compared to baseline values, there was a significant increase in total testosterone levels, bioactive testosterone, and free testosterone levels in the vitamin D supplemented group. But there was no significant change in any testosterone measure in the placebo group.

One way you can increase your VItamin D levels is to eat tuna! 

Tuna is rich in Vitamin D, has lots of protein, and is typically low in calories. If you aren’t a fan of tuna, you can also get a Vitamin D boost from other fish like salmon or sardines.

Let’s move on to Zinc. Researchers have examined zinc’s impact on testosterone using several methods. 

In one study, they actually restricted zinc in young, healthy men.They found that after 20 weeks of low zinc, test subjects saw a significant drop in serum testosterone levels. 

Oysters are a good source of this test boosting mineral, plus they are also said to be an aphrodisiac (which is any food or drink that can increase sexual desire.)

If you don’t like Oysters, you can also get a good dose of zinc from crab.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Alaskan king crab provides 43 percent of your daily value of zinc in just one small 3-ounce serving.

If you don’t enjoy seafood at all or are worried about mercury levels, egg yolks contain a good dose of Vitamin D, and beef is really high in Zinc.

2: Honey

Honey with honeycomb and wooden spoonAnother food that can help improve serum levels of testosterone is one that most of you will be glad is on the list if you have a sweet tooth .. and that is HONEY!

Researchers have tested this sugary condiment in both human and rodent trials. 

They found that honey did, in fact, increase serum test levels, likely because it helps increase the Luteinizing Hormone. This is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland. It is one of the main hormones that control your reproductive system and leads to the production of other hormones, such as testosterone.

Another way honey seemed to be beneficial for testosterone production in men is that it promoted healthy testicular tissue. 

Honey also contains several other bioactive compounds called phenolic acids. Scientists say these compounds may contribute to improved testosterone production. 

Here is the only issue with honey. In these trials, the daily dose of honey they used was 20 grams per day.

So if you are going to use honey as a potential test booster, you will want to set aside some calories from carbs. 

20g of honey will set you back about 15 carbs, or roughly 60 calories. 

If that isn’t’ something you want to deduct from your daily carb allowance, there are some calorie free test boosting food options, which we are about to dive into next! 

3: Garlic

garlic on a wooden board. selective focus

The connection garlic has with testosterone is one you will want to remember because it actually has to do with another hormone, your stress hormone .. cortisol. 

What does cortisol have to do with testosterone? Well .. A lot!

Cortisol is produced in the adrenal gland, which is where testosterone is produced. Scientists have found that if your cortisol levels are too high, you could be blocking your body’s ability to produce testosterone.

Here are a few ways you could be causing your cortisol to get into an unhealthy range…

• Lack of sleep
• Mental stress
• Physical stress (such as over-training or extremely restrictive dieting)

There are a few signs your cortisol is high, but you may not always be able to tell without some extensive lab testing.

But if it is, it won’t matter how many oysters you eat, or how much honey you put in your tea, your test could still be negatively impacted. 

That is why it is important that in addition to eating foods that could potentially boost testosterone… you should also eat foods or take supplements that reduce cortisol. 

Garlic has been linked to being able to do that because it contains a compound

called allicin, which scientists believe can be useful for lowering your cortisol levels.

So, while eating garlic won’t directly boost testosterone production, it may lower the amount of cortisol in your body, which could, by association, help boost testosterone levels.

To recap ..

Seafood like oysters or tuna, as well as honey and garlic, are the first 3 foods on our list that are really easy to find and show some promise at naturally boosting your test levels, if you eat enough of them. 

But we have two more foods to tell you about today.

Actually, they are herbs.

They are a little bit harder to find but are MUCH MORE POWERFUL.
If you can get your hands on these next two, we highly recommend doing so. 

4: Ginseng Root

Fresh Ginseng texture

Ginseng has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years.

Ancient medicine men often refer to it as “the king of all herbs” because of it’s long list of possible benefits for overall well-being, with sex drive being a big one. 

In one double-blind, placebo-controlled study, researchers recruited 45 men with varying sexual issues. They found that sexual satisfaction improved after they were given red ginseng three times a day. 

Scientists have also looked at what Ginseng can do for women. 

Healthy female volunteers were asked to keep a food diary for 7 days. They also had to take saliva samples four times a day both before and after taking 75 mg of red ginseng. 

Researchers found that after taking Ginseng their testosterone levels increased all four times!

Ginseng has not only been studied for its potential when it comes to improved sex hormones and sexual performance. Researchers have also shown that it can be helpful for your cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems.

They also found it has the potential to help fight fatigue, enhance concentration, support a healthy immune response, and enhance blood circulation.

How do you go about including Ginseng Root in your diet? 

You can pick it up at some specialty grocery stores and eat it raw or stew it into your 

tea; however, most people do not enjoy the taste of it because it’s pretty bitter. 

Supplementing with this super herb is probably going to be your best bet. Not only for your taste buds but to ensure you get enough of it. 

We will help guide you to a safe and effective way to go about that at the end of this article. 

But first, we have one more test boosting herb to tell you about.

5: Ashwagandha 

We have saved the best test boosting food/herb for last. This is one you probably won’t find at your local grocery store, but we are going to tell you where you can easily get your hands on some here in just a second, 

The adaptogen herb Ashwagandha is another one of those herbs that ancient medicine men have been using for thousands of years. 

Researchers have been examining Ashwagandha’s potential benefits for a while now. They have looked at everything from general overall well-being, to lowering excess inflammation, increasing muscle strength/size, decreasing stress, and probably it’s most sought after potential benefit .. its potential ability to boost testosterone.

Researchers are really intrigued by Ashwagandha. They have found that it can increase testosterone not only directly, but also indirectly because of the connection to cortisol we mentioned earlier.

In one 2015 study, scientists found testosterone levels of active men who took the root extract of Ashwagandha were over five times higher than those who didn’t.

They also found the test subjects that supplemented with Ashwagandha saw significant increases in muscle mass and strength, a greater reduction of exercise-induced muscle damage, and even a significantly greater decrease in body fat percentage compared to the placebo group. 

That is only one study. There are many more. One of the most recently published studies was done in 2019.

It was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study that examined the hormonal and vitality effects of Ashwagandha in aging, overweight men. The study demonstrated that ashwagandha supplementation over 8-weeks resulted in 15% higher levels of testosterone. 

Indirectly, researchers have also found Ashwagandha may be able to help you maintain balanced test levels because of its potential to be a cortisol reducing agent. 

One study found Ashwagandha lowered subjects’ cortisol levels by as much as 25-percent!  

Remember, his is important because too much cortisol can block your ability to produce testosterone.

Ashwagandha is well-known for its ability to help you manage stress levels, and high stress is one way your cortisol can get out of control. 

This isn’t a common herb that’s just sitting in a regular grocery store, therefore supplementing is going to be the way to go. 

The thing to look out for when taking ashwagandha is quality and potency.

Many Ashwagandha supplements on the market are “whole herb” – which isn’t nearly as potent as an extract. 

This can be hard to determine simply by looking at a label unless the label clearly states the Ashwagandha comes from a branded extract.

Branded extracts are always better than a generic one. For a branded ingredient to be issued a patent, their brand must have some sort of unique benefit.

This could be anything from the delivery method, to it being more bioavailable, or more potent. Whatever makes their brand special, they have to be able to back up this claim, or they won’t be issued a patent. 

When supplementing with Ashwagandha we would look for the patented brand called KSM-66. This is the highest potency ashwagandha extract on the market and is drawn only from the root.

These are only a couple of test boosting herbs that have scientists intrigued.

There are actually a lot of other powerful herbs that scientists have been researching that show promise in boosting test levels.

If you want to know more about the foods and herbs we just went over, as well as several more that could help naturally give your testosterone the boost it may need .. check out the video at the top of this article. 

DO YOU NEED A TEST BOOST?!?!

It’s not always easy to tell if your testosterone levels are in a healthy range.

But if you find yourself …

• Struggling to have enough energy to get through the day – let alone go to the gym.
• Exhausted, but still can’t seem to sleep through the night.
• On edge, sad, or more uptight than usual.
• Struggling with a decrease in sexual desire/pleasure.
• Having issues losing weight.
• Having a tough time putting on muscle (or even losing muscle) despite killing it in the gym.

It could be Low Testosterone!!!
Yes, even if you are otherwise healthy and thriving in your 30’s!

If you are looking for a natural and safe way to boost your testosterone, check out this short video presentation.

It will give you a better idea if you need a test boost, give you several additional herbs not mentioned in this article, and tell you about a safe, easy, and effective way to get them ALL. 

The post 5 Foods Scientists Say Can Boost Testosterone appeared first on V Shred.

In today’s article, we want to discuss an Asian cooking spice that’s been gaining a ton of attention lately. 

Recently, we’ve seen TURMERIC advertised in bold letters on the labels of tons of things at the store. Anything from salad dressings, to cold-pressed juices, lattes, snacks like crackers or chips, and even in ointments and cosmetics! 

Vince put together a short video above going into detail about this!

So what’s the reason?

Companies are trying to figure out ways to add this ancient spice to their products because there are very few foods that have left researchers more intrigued.

Scientists have been studying Turmeric for decades, with thousands of clinical trials already complete.

The conclusions have left researchers in such “awe” that they have deemed Turmeric super spice with an extensive list of potential health benefits –  including several ways it may positively impact your weight.

But if you are buying products like teas and crackers hoping to achieve turmeric’s potent benefits .. you may be wasting your money!

It’s not because Turmeric is overly hyped. Turmeric is, no doubt, a superfood. 

There is mounting evidence that an active compound in this common spice (called curcumin) could potentially be able to do a host of things .. 

• Boost mood and brain-power
• Support joint health
• Better recovery from training
• Delay signs of aging
• Rid the body of free radicals
• Help with certain digestive issues
• Fight excess inflammation

And the most recent discovery is that it even holds great potential in helping people lose weight!

We are going to tell you more about how researchers have found it could help with your weight-loss goals here in just a second.   

But before you hop on the turmeric trend …
You need to understand that this spice is a little complicated. 

You see, even if you doused every meal with turmeric, it probably wouldn’t be enough to tap into any of its potential benefits.

Also, as great as turmeric is, your body doesn’t absorb it very well.

If you aren’t absorbing it, then it can’t do all these great things researchers claim it may be able to do. 

We are going to go over the best way to go about adding turmeric to your diet so that it is absorbed and is effective.

We are also going to give you 3 reasons that scientists believe consistent use of this ancient herb (as part of a healthy diet and exercise program) – could help you achieve better body composition without having to do any additional dieting or exercise. 

WHAT IS TURMERIC

Before we get into those details, allow us to provide you a quick run-down of what this spice is and why scientists have become so interested in studying it.

Turmeric is the bright yellow spice that you see in tons of Asian cuisines. It is native to southwest Asia and a “cousin” to ginger. 

It’s been used in India for over 4-thousand years not only to flavor food .. but by ancient medicine men who were apparently on to something! 

These western medicine doctors have long believed that turmeric has a host of medicinal properties, from helping people with stomach issues and a sluggish metabolism, to too much inflammation. 

These are all things that could not only be bad for your overall health .. but could also impact your waistline. 

The spice’s potential to be a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent isn’t really in the turmeric itself.

It’s powers are found in an active ingredient within turmeric, called curcumin. 

A little further down in this article, we will tell you the exact way to ensure you are getting enough of this active compound.

First, let’s discuss turmeric’s potential benefits.

BENEFIT #1: Decreased Inflammation and “DOMS”

The first way that curcumin – the active ingredient in Turmeric –  may help you reach your weight-loss goals is a discovery that scientists have made over and over.

It is by far the aspect that gets the most attention.

Curcumin could help reduce inflammation in the body. This includes inflammation found in fat cells, which scientists have discovered could be the root cause of your weight issues or your inability to lose weight … no matter how hard you diet and exercise.

Not only does being overweight in and of itself cause excess inflammation, but it is much easier for the body to focus on losing fat and building muscle when it doesn’t have to constantly fight excess inflammation.

Here is a good example …

Have you ever killed a gym session but then been way too sore to hit the gym again, even days later?

This type of pain is called .. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), and it’s there because of muscle damage and inflammation. 

Some inflammation isn’t a bad thing. When you are training hard, your muscles need some damage (or inflammation)  to grow.  It’s when that inflammation lingers or is throughout your body in excess, that it can create trouble.

Researchers have found curcumin could help calm down excess inflammation, which could significantly decrease muscle soreness and get you back in the gym .. quicker! 

In one double-blind study, researchers gave some test subjects either a placebo, or a curcumin supplement. They found that those that took the curcumin supplement had moderate to large reductions in pain 24 to 48 hours after lifting, as well as faster muscle recovery, compared to those that did not. 

This is exactly what you want .. you never want to be too sore to not be able to train again, or not give that next session your all!

While some muscle damage is necessary to grow muscle, you do want to recover from that damage as fast as possible.  

The inflammation benefits (and how they may impact your weight) – don’t stop there.

Remember that we mentioned earlier that curcumin may also have brain and mood boosting capabilities? These are both things that could impact your motivation to train and stick to your diet. 

In one randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, researchers gave test subjects with a background of mood swings, either curcumin or placebo capsules, twice a day for 8 weeks.

In the first four weeks, they didn’t find much of a difference between groups. But from week four until week eight, the curcumin group had significantly more significant mood improvements, compared to the placebo group.

Researchers concluded that the reason probably has to do with inflammation. People with mood swings often have more inflammation, and oxidative stress, which they say can impact all your major organs, including the brain! 

Crazy, right?

They also believe that inflammation may be associated with lower levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are your mood, or “happy” hormones! 

So by lowering oxidative stress and inflammation, with an anti-inflammatory compound like curcumin, your brain transmitters are more protected, which researchers believe may lead to possible improvements in mood! 

It may not seem like these things could help you shed fat, but they both impact how motivated you are to hit the gym and stick to your diet. Since consistency is KEY to seeing results, those things are pretty important! 

Once you get inflammation under control, you very well may see tons of “health mysteries” (as well as excess fat) start to suddenly diminish! All because you finally have all that excess inflammation in your body in check. 

Before we move on to the next way Turmeric can help you reach your weight loss goals, we do want to point out one thing you may have missed in  that study we just mentioned. 

Weeks 1- 4, the test subjects didn’t notice any changes. It wasn’t until after CONSISTENT use that they experienced the potential benefits of curcumin. 

We will go over consistency a little more here in a second because it’s really important when supplementing with this spice.

BENEFIT #2: Healthy Blood Sugar Levels & Improved Insulin Response 

Another way researchers have found turmeric could help aid in weight loss is that it may be able to assist in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and help support a healthy insulin response.

Both of these things are important because they play a significant role in how much fat your body stores. 

If you have a suboptimal insulin response, which is essentially the way your body uses carbohydrates, protein, and fats — you could end up storing these nutrients in all your trouble spots instead of using them for energy.  

Studies suggest that curcumin may play a role in improving blood sugar metabolism, which could reduce this from happening.

One study followed 240 adults and found that taking a curcumin supplement over 9 months supported healthy beta cells. These are cells that make insulin, the hormone that controls the level of sugar in your blood. As we just touched on .. you want steady levels of blood sugar. 

In another 6-month randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, the same type of patients were studied. They were given either a placebo or a curcumin supplement. Researchers found those that used curcumin improved their overall metabolic profiles — so they lost more fat (belly fat in particular.)

Before we tell you the right way to take this superfood, we’ve got one more way curcumin could help enhance your fat-loss efforts.

This last discovery may be the most significant reason a supplement full of curcumin should be something you take every single day.

BENEFIT #3: Increase GOOD Fat Cells

Curcumin has shown promise in its ability to help increase the number of GOOD fat cells your body has.

Yes, there is such a thing as GOOD FAT cells. They are called BROWN fat, or BAT. Scientists have discovered that brown fat cells don’t store fat. They actually do the opposite. 

Brown fat cells are like an internal thermostat and create fat-burning heat in your body .. so they actually BURN fat. 

Now, your body also has white fat cells. These are the cells where all those extra calories go and hang on, hoping you will use them for energy later.

You WANT brown fat and you DON’T want white fat. 

So, what does this have to do with turmeric?

There is science that demonstrates the active ingredient in turmeric (curcumin) has the potential to turn those unhealthy white fat cells into fat-burning, thermogenic, brown fat cells! 

A study published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications found that curcumin promoted the browning of white fat. This led test subjects to a decrease in body weight and fat mass, without changing anything about food intake. 

Harvard researchers discovered that this happens because of the beneficial chemicals that are produced in curcumin .. called phytochemicals.

They believe these phytochemicals can assist your body in releasing a fat-burning hormone called Irisin, which is the same hormone that we produce when we exercise. 

This means there is a way we can possibly release this fat-burning hormone (irisin) – without exercising! And that is by consistently supplementing with curcumin. 

We definitely see a lot of promise in curcumins’ role in not only helping us create more healthy brown fat but keeping that nasty fat-storing white fat from forming, to begin with. 

HOW TO EFFECTIVELY CONSUME TURMERIC

Before you reach into your spice cabinet or stock up on turmeric tea, there is something important you need to know.

When you see turmeric powder in the spice aisle of your grocery store, that is simply a ground-up version of turmeric, which contains curcuminoids.

But here is the deal.

There are 3 main curcuminoids in turmeric. The one we keep telling you about, curcumin, is only one of them. 

Curcumin is what you are looking for. That is the active curcuminoid that scientists attribute to helping manage inflammation responses, maintain healthy blood sugar, decrease fat storage, and assist in activating your body’s thermogenic brown fat. 

When you sprinkle turmeric spice on your food, experts believe only about 3% of it is actually curcumin. This means you aren’t getting very much.

Also, curcumin by itself metabolizes in the body quickly. When you take it as it is (in pure turmeric form), it doesn’t stay in the body very long. This means it doesn’t have enough time to get to work. 

To get enough curcumin into your system to actually be effective, you would need to consume multiple teaspoons of turmeric throughout the day, every single day. 

As great as Asian cuisine is, this would get old, fast! There is no way you would keep up with using that much of the spice, every single day!

And again, remember that consistency is crucial when supplementing with this spice.

You can’t just take it hit or miss and expect to notice a difference. 

But that isn’t the only issue. The bioavailability (or absorption) of curcumin is extremely low if you take it by itself. This means consuming it alone, even in high amounts, also isn’t going to do you much good, 

This can be easily resolved if you combine turmeric with another natural ingredient that increases its bioavailability.

You will want to consume black pepper at the exact same time as turmeric. Specifically, an extract obtained from black pepper fruits – called BioPerine.

This patented form of black pepper has shown to increase the absorption of curcumin by as much as 2000-percent!

So .. if the spice itself isn’t going to cut it .. how in the world do you consume it?! 

Up until very recently, you really only had one option if you wanted to reap the benefits of this ancient superfood

You would need to eat numerous tablespoons, at least 4 or 5 times a day, with equal amounts of black pepper .. and then hope you were getting enough and actually absorbing it.

Now .. it’s much easier. 

There are bioavailable curcumin supplements on the market that will provide you with pure turmeric that has lots of curcumin, as well as appropriate doses of black pepper, so it can be absorbed. 

But you should use caution when selecting a turmeric supplement. 

Because this super-food has become so high demand, many of the turmeric supplements you see out there aren’t great quality.

There are a lot of companies that are trying to make money off the spice’s popularity, so they find the lowest quality form out there to keep manufacturing prices down.

Just like sprinkling a little on your food .. this would be a total waste of money.

If you are interested in a formula that contains only the highest-quality turmeric and optimal dosages Bioperine black pepper extract, check out THIS ONE. 

Still Not Sold?
Do you .. WANT TO KNOW MORE?!

Hopefully, this article helped you better understand that the hype around turmeric is real. 

Researchers have no doubt shown we have every reason to be totally obsessed with this spice. 

If you have tried a Turmeric supplement in the past but didn’t see or feel the benefits everyone raves about, you may have been using a low quality version, or one that didn’t contain BioPerine. If you are interested in taking a Turmeric supplement that contains only the highest-quality turmeric and optimal dosages Bioperine black pepper extract, check out Sculpt Nation’s TURMERIC BLACK. 

SOURCES

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92752/
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/44/8/588.full
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130402163250.htm
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25795285/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25046624/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/insulin-response
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22773702/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24445038/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006291X15305350
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/major-fat-burning-discovery
https://now.tufts.edu/news-releases/turmeric-extract-suppresses-fat-tissue-growth https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5137861/ https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2013/03/26/brown-fat-white-fat-good-fat-bad-fat/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27355903/
https://dmsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13098-019-0437-7
https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-turmeric
http://www.jofamericanscience.org/journals/am-sci/am0903/064_16586am0903_397_405.pdf

The post 3 Reasons To Start Taking Turmeric Everyday  appeared first on V Shred.