Imagine being able to tuck into your favorite sweet treats and drinks while feeling assured that you weren’t piling on the pounds in the process. Now imagine that these goods were being sweetened a totally natural ingredient instead of dangerous artificial ones such as aspartame.

A new product that will hit the global market under the name ‘Cweet‘ is:

• 1,000 times sweeter than cane sugar on a weight basis
• is zero-calorie
• has no after-taste
• is heat-stable

I like the sound of that!

It is derived from a native African plant and has been consumed there by people for thousands of years. However, earlier attempts to commercialize it failed because “because no practical manufacturing process was ever developed that would allow the product to reach the marketplace” says Loren Miles, CEO of Natur Research Ingredients.

That obstacle has now been removed as Dr Fariba Assadi-Porter, a scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, has found a manufacturing method suited to mass production.

Natur Research Ingredients expects to announce a manufacturing partner in the next few months but the bad news is that it could take at least another year for Cweet to become commercially available. This is because Natur Research Ingredients must obtain approval of a self-affirmed GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status that the company is currently preparing to submit to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

I know that the low-carb community will be as excited about this announcement as I am. I currently use both Splenda and Stevia as sweeteners. Both, however, have their disadvantages in my opinion. Stevia, even the most expensive kind you can buy, still has an aftertaste that is not suitable for cooking with. Splenda is great but I just have an inclination towards that which is totally natural and also the granulated version is not non-caloric.

I have high hopes for Cweet but I’ll patiently keep using what I’m using in the meantime. If you have any further info on Cweet please let me know.

Mark McManus

If you're new here, please download my free workout and diet book and start transforming your body today!. Thanks for visiting!

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1 Comment » | Posted in Food & Diet

Having enough protein in your diet is essential for building muscle. Knowing just how much is enough can be a little tricky for some people so I’ve decided to set the record straight in this article.

Listening to the average Joe or your doctor about how much protein you need in your diet is simply not going to cut it for the bodybuilder. We need a lot more than the average person simply because our muscle tissue is constantly being ripped up and repaired.

How High is a High Protein Diet?

The best method of calculating just how much protein is enough for a ‘high protein diet‘ is with the following formula.

Lean Mass Weight (Kg) x 2.75 = Daily Protein Requirement

(By the way you simply divide pounds by 2.2 to get the equivalent in Kilograms. So 150 pounds is 68.18 Kg)

OK, you first need to know your total body weight and your body fat percentage. If you don’t know your body fat percentage I’ve included calculator in the sidebar to help you. Take a few measurements quickly and stick them into the boxes and hit ‘calculate.’

So now you know your body fat percentage. Multiply this percentage by your total body weight to determine the amount of fat you are carrying. Now simply subtract this from your total body weight to ascertain your lean mass weight.

Take this figure and multiply it 2.75 to give you your ideal protein intake per day in grams.

Example

A man weighs 150 pounds with 15% body fat.

• 150 / 2.2 = 68.18 Kg
• 15% x 68.18 = 10.23 Kg
• 68.18 - 10.23 = 57.95 Kg - Lean body mass in Kg
• 57.95 x 2.75 = 159.36

So, therefore our 150 lb, 15% body fat man should be shooting for 159 grams of protein in his daily diet.

Simple when you know how My moderately low carb diet philosophy (which I will be writing about in later articles) will allow anyone to easily reach this ‘high protein diet‘ requirement. Use this knowledge in conjunction with the optimum hypertrophic rep range and the the law of progressive overload to maximize muscle growth.

Happy lifting everyone!

Mark McManus

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7 Comments » | Posted in Build Muscle, Food & Diet

The debate between which type of diet produces the best results and is also the healthiest for us has increased in intensity in recent months after a major new no-holds-barred book called ‘Good Calories, Bad Calories’ was published which lends credence to the idea that controlled carbohydrate nutrition is the best for health and weight loss.

The author Gary Taubes recently appeared on Larry King Live to debate the topic with Mehmet Oz, diet adviser to Oprah Winfrey. Watch the video, recorded by ‘Livin La Vida Low Carb Man’ Jimmy Moore below.

I think it was great to see Dr. Andrew Weil give honest feedback on the book. Finally someone who has actually read the book giving an opinion.

The advantages of controlled carbohydrate nutrition can no longer be overlooked by the medical profession and the average Joe seeking to lose weight.

Everyone has a different metabolic type and therefore a different tolerance to carbs in the diet. But I believe that if you are very overweight, that in itself is all the evidence you need that your tolerance to carbohydrate is quite low. It’s time to experience the delicious benefits of controlled carbohydrate nutrition.

This way of eating stabilizes blood sugar levels and lowers insulin levels (the fat-producing hormone) which is exactly what is needed to help overweight people shed the pounds they desire.

More diet and nutrition articles are coming soon. For now though you can be sure that I am an advocate of assessing your individual tolerance to carbohydrate and basing your diet around that. This way of eating also assures an abundance of protein which comes in handy for us folks looking to pack on muscle mass. Believe me, there’s more coming on this issue.

Mark McManus

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1 Comment » | Posted in Food & Diet