By following some basic food safety rules you can be food- illness free all summer!

Six Tips For Staying Food Illness Free For The Summer!

Diet is an important part of the process for anyone serious about losing weight and getting in shape, however in all the details about what to eat, when to eat and what not to eat, there is often little time given to the element of food safety. As the temperatures go up this summer more and more people will get sick from food poisoning and the bad part is that if you are eating several meals throughout the day, with most of those meals consisting of high protein foods, then you do indeed run a very high risk of getting sick if you are not careful with your food preparation and storage. According to the Center for Disease Control an estimated 76 million cases of food borne disease occur each year in the U.S. with most of them being rather mild cases and cause symptoms that last for a day or two. However many are indeed life threatening and the CDC estimates that there are 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths related to foodborne diseases each year.  

Food safety is a big issue for me, mainly because had a serious run in with food poisoning about 15 years ago and it changed my life forever. It was my first summer here in the U.S. and I left the house earlier than usual for work and thus was unable to cook and take my lunch with me, as I usually do. That day for lunch I had Chinese food for lunch at a nearby take out restaurant - nothing fancy or unhealthy, mind you just some steamed vegetables. Later that afternoon however I got so sick that I woke up the next day in a hospital bed a full 17 lbs lighter than I was the day before! After that ordeal I promised myself that I would learn everything there was about food safety to ensure that this would never happen again- and so far so good- which is quite an accomplishment for someone that eats 6 plus times a day!  

I also worked for 14 years as the director of the recreation and food programs for both HIV/AIDS and the formerly homeless populations, and since I was responsible for sometimes preparing and handling food, I had to get food handling certification. When working with individuals with compromised immune systems, what might give someone else a bad day can end up costing them their lives!  That being said, I would like to pass on some very important tips for you this summer to make sure that you stay bacteria free this summer and all year round!  

Rule 1: KEEP HOT FOODS HOT AND COLD FOODS COLD!  

If I was asked what is the best overall rule of thumb for food safety, I would have to go with this one. It is so important if you are carrying food with you during the day that you keep it at the appropriate temperature. If you cook something fresh and need to eat it several hours later I would suggest that you invest in a thermos that is big enough for you to fit your food into. You can also use your thermos to keep foods cold that may have been refrigerated- just be sure to wash your thermos by hand after each use and check to see that there are no cracks before you put your food inside. That way you have a safe way of carrying your food around with you during the day!  

Rule 2: Wash your hands before you eat!  

I know I sound like a mother on this one, but I can hardly tell you how much of a difference it makes if you routinely clean your hands before eating or handling your food. A quick trip to any bathroom will show you that most people don’t know how to wash their hands. You have to wash with hot water and soap (any kind will do- it doesn’t have to be antibacterial) for at least 30 seconds to really get the germs off. Most wash for less than 10, which really doesn’t do much. A good guide is to sing the Happy Birthday song twice while washing, that will make sure you spend just enough time to wash your hands properly. If not around a water source, you can use a hand sanitizer or alcohol swabs, just don’t assume that your hands are clean and just eat.  

Rule 3: Get a thermometer for your refrigerator!  

Bacteria exist everywhere and you cannot get away from them. Under certain conditions like when they have moisture, and favorable temperatures, they grow very quickly, increasing in numbers to the point where some types of bacteria can make you sick. Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 °F, the so called “Danger Zone,” with some forms being able to double in number in as little as 20 minutes.  

To minimize the growth of bacteria in a any unit the temperature must be kept at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Unfortunately, while we humans can do a pretty good job of saying whether something is hot or cold, we cannot tell the difference between 39 degrees or 40 degrees, and that difference could make you very sick or worse. Don’t leave your temperature regulation to simple guesswork, invest in a thermometer for your fridge and you might be surprised that it isn’t always at the best temperature to keep your cold foods cold! By the way any perishable foods kept at temperatures above 40 °F for more than 2 hours should not be consumed.  

 Rule 4: If you eat out check the restaurant’s health inspection record!  

It might sound a bit involved but the beauty of the Internet is that you can access the food saftey inspection records for just about any restaurant  from your local department of health. Do a search for ‘restaurant food saftey inspections’ and you can look up where you are about to eat online. Interestingly enough, the Chinese take out restaurant that put me in the hospital had 48 violation points on their last inspection with everything from inadequate personal hygeine and unsantizited food contact surfaces to the presence of vermin in food areas. Do a quick check of the restaurants in your neighbourhood (if you live in New York you can do a check here) I’m sure that you will be surprised at how many places have sub standard food inspection reports.  

Here in New York starting in July 2010,  the health department will require certain types of food service establishments to prominently post letter grades that correspond to their sanitary inspection scores- which I am certain will go a long way in forcing a lot of food establishments to clean up their act!  

 Rule 5: Use Bleach and water to clean up!  

Whenever you handle meats, you should have a bottle with a bleach solution to disinfect surfaces that come into contact with meats in addition to washing with hot soapy water. You only need 1 tablespoon of bleach per quart of water to make an effective germ killer and it is a cheap and effective means of killing bacteria. More expensive cleaners only make the germs smell nice for a while, but do nothing to kill them, so bleach is the way to go.  

Rule 6: Use Your Sense Of Smell!  

Sounds a bit primitive, but it works! I cannot tell you how often I hear people say that the fish they ate didn’t smell too wholesome, but they ate it anyway- that might be a recipe for getting sick as fresh fish does not have any smell whatsoever! For over one hundred thousand years our sense of smell has kept us healthy by telling us when foods were not good to eat but today it is a sense that we almost ignore when it comes to food. That and the fact that most of our meats are wrapped in plastic- which does a first rate job of hiding the fact that the meat may be past its prime. When buying meat, chicken or fish, there should be no smell- none at all. Any odor is a sign of bacteria proliferation and you need to not buy it, not cook it and not eat it! For prepared foods (especially at restaurants) if your protein foods have a strange odor, don’t be afraid to send it back. It is your right as a consumer and don’t take the risk of eating it because the potential downsides really aren’t worth it.  

If the food is supposed to be served hot and is only lukewarm when you get it, or hot on the outside, but only warm on the inside, then send it back as well. It might sound like you are being a pain, but the reality is that you need to look out for your health, and if you are paying for food, it should be food that is safe to eat. Unfortunately foods don’t have to smell badly to make you sick, so it isn’t a be all and end all proposition that because there is no smell that all is well. There are two different types of bacteria: pathogenic bacteria, the kind that cause foodborne illness, and spoilage bacteria, the kind of bacteria that cause foods to deteriorate and develop unpleasant odors, tastes, and textures.  

Pathogenic bacteria can grow rapidly in the “Danger Zone,” the temperature range between 40 and 140 °F, but they do not generally affect the taste, smell, or appearance of a food. In other words, one cannot tell that a pathogen is present.  

On the other hand, spoilage bacteria can grow at low temperatures, such as in the refrigerator. Eventually they cause food to develop off or bad tastes and smells. Most people would not choose to eat spoiled food, but if they did, they probably would not get sick. It comes down to an issue of quality versus safety. I hope these tips help you stay safe and I wish everyone a happy summer! 

Kevin Richardson is the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training 10 Minute Workouts and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here.

There are no advantages to using sea salt over refined salt- both are equally bad for you!

Sea Salt Is Not Better Than Regular Salt And You Should Avoid Them Both

There are no advantages to eating sea salt nor is sea salt better than regular salt. Sadly it all comes down to marketing- and the fact that most processed foods today are extremely high in sodium and there is a great need to make them appear to be as healthy as possible. Today sea salt is one of the latest in the fraudulent game of let’s-make-some-money-by-labeling-this-product-as-healthy a game that unfortunately has pushed as further and further down the path to poor health. Never before in history have we had so many foods labeled ‘healthy’, ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ and yet never before have we had so many food related illnesses. The mantra of modern advertising is based on the idea that if a piece of information is continuously presented as being factual- it will be publicly accepted as truth. This strategy, used by such iconic figures in history such as Joseph Goebbels, works wonders for marketers to encourage us to label certain foods as healthy and thus steer sales towards their products, but does little to address public health. The truth is that chemically and nutritionally the main ingredient of sea salt and table salt are exactly the same- sodium chloride. There is and cannot be any differences since they are pretty much identical chemically and have the same effects on your body. The only difference is in taste and texture. Sea salt comes from sea water through the process of evaporation, whereas table salt comes from mined mineral deposits of rock salt. Table salt may also have additives to prevent it from clumping together and sea salt has other minerals that give it a different flavor. Table salt is usually ground down to a fine texture and iodine is added to it, whereas sea salt which is less processed retains its natural levels of iodine- which is key to proper thyroid function. Salt is most people’s main source of this important mineral but it is also found in seafood, mushrooms, spinach and other greens and before the advent of high sodium processed foods this is is where we got most of our iodine from. 

You Don’t Need Added Salt of Any Kind In Your Foods- Sea Salt Or Otherwise

A central argument used to promote sea salt over regular salt is that the iodine in sea salt is naturally occurring whereas it has to be added to refined salt products. As great as this may sound, as far as your body is concerned there is no difference in the way it is processed and any minerals found in sea salt can be easily found in other natural food sources. Now should you choose sea salt over table salt since table salt may have some artificial additives, the answer is no, since you should not use either form in your everyday life if you are serious about taking care of your health. Although your body needs some sodium to function properly, most people consume far more than they need to. Some experts recommend an intake for healthy adults of anywhere from 1,500 milligrams to 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily which works out to just about 1 teaspoonful. (The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has no official sodium recommendation.) Most people here in the United States take in anywhere from 2,700 to as much as 7000 milligrams a day and over three quarters of that comes from eating processed foods. Most people who have high salt intakes don’t realize it as many sodium laden foods don’t taste salty. These include sweet snacks, breakfast cereals and many low fat foods. 

The Less Salt You Eat- The Lower Your Risk Of Disease

Many disagree with the figures recommended for adequate sodium intake and the  American Medical Association  has estimated that 150,000 lives could be saved each year if Americans cut their salt intake in half. There are also cite observations of ‘primitive’ hunter gather societies where their daily intake is far lower at about 690 milligrams a day from meat and plant sources. In these societies their low sodium, high potassium and calcium diet seems to keep their blood pressure constant over the years while here in developed countries blood pressure tends to rise with age. Hypertension in these societies is also very rare and salt is not a regular part of their diet. The detrimental effects of a high salt intake are well documented and it makes no difference whether the salt ingested is refined or sea salt. High sodium intake is associated with an increased risk of stroke and heart disease and the evidence between dietary salt intake and high blood pressure continues to increase. Interestingly enough a large scale study published in the British Medical Journal found that people with high to normal blood pressure who significantly reduced the amount of salt in their diet decreased their risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 25% over the course of 10 to 15 years. Additionally their overall risk of dying from heart disease also dropped by 20%. A high salt intake has also been linked to higher incidences of osteoporosis, gastric cancer and fluid retention. 

Cutting Salt Out Of Your Diet Isn’t As Hard As It Seems

It would be great to think that by consuming only sea salt that somehow you would be able to avoid the ill effects of a high sodium diet, but the reality of our biological history seems to point in the direction that salt of any kind should not be a food additive and that we should avoid processed foods with added salt- be it sea salt or its refined cousin. The good news is that while switching to a low salt diet intake can appear to be a daunting task after a period of only two to four weeks your taste buds will adjust and you lose the taste for salted foods. Over time foods with even trace amounts of added salt will be overwhelming to your senses and you will find yourself naturally gravitating towards foods with no added salt. You will be surprised how great foods can taste without salt and how better you will feel overall. 

Kevin Richardson is the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training 10 Minute Workouts and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here.

Not eating a healthy breakfast is a overlooked contributing factor to obesity.

Best Way To Lose Weight? Eat A Healthy Breakfast

If you were to ask for my professional opinion of what is the single most effective strategy for long term weight loss I would say with no hesitation that it would be to always eat a healthy breakfast. We have all heard since we were kids that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, however despite studies showing its importance in ensuring a longer lifespan and its role in appetite control and optimal performance; it is still the meal most often neglected. A survey of 1000 adults conducted  by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) found that while 90% of Americans are aware that having breakfast is important for health and peak function, a little less than half of them admitted to eating breakfast every day. We can also see from the many studies done on the significant decrease in academic performance by schoolchildren that do not eat breakfast that not only is a good breakfast vital for ideal brain function, but sadly that many adults here in the United States simply don’t appreciate the importance of breakfast for their families.

Want To Stop Your Cravings- Eat A Healthy Breakfast

In the grip of today’s hectic lifestyles, breakfast in general has been relegated to an ‘on-the-run’ meal in the best of cases and a skipped meal in the worst of them. It’s my belief that this trend is an overlooked contributing factor to the pandemic of obesity in this country. Over the past two decades working as personal trainer helping people lose weight and get into shape, I have always found that people who skip breakfast or have a cursory meal consisting of a quick donut or a bagel with some coffee, tended to be the ones who had a very difficult time not consuming large amounts of junk food in the later part of the day. Going over my training notes over the past 5 years, I can also point out that 100% of those who reported their junk food urges as being uncontrollable did not eat a proper breakfast- this from a sampling of well over 200 individuals of varying ages and fitness levels.

A Healthy Breakfast Is An Easy And Inexpensive Way To Control Your Weight

As simple as it may seem, one of the easiest ways to really take control not only your midsection, but also your appetite is to simply eat a healthy breakfast, and then follow through by eating balanced meals throughout the day. The better your breakfast is, the easier it will be for you to continue eating well throughout the day. It has never been my practice to stand idly by while others struggle and so about two years ago I wrote and published a free e-book on my website, The Naturally Intense™ Breakfast Guide- Keys To Long Term Weight Management. It took me just about a night to put it together, and having seen how much of an impact it has had, I don’t regret a minute of sleep that I lost that night. With almost three thousand copies downloaded from people all over the world, I constantly get emails saying how much better they feel and how much weight they have lost after following the guidelines outlined in the book. It’s a quick read and there are no supplements to buy or specialized meals to purchase- just rudimentary information that I have gleaned over the years that you can use to lose weight and keep it off.  

Get A Free Copy Of The Naturally Intense Breakfast Guide- Keys To Long Term Weight Loss

I invite you to download a free copy and share it with your friends, and please feel free to write me if it helps you in your own quest for a better quality of health and fitness. I am always happy to hear from everyone.

Download your copy here

Kevin Richardson is the founder of the Naturally Intense System of Diet & Exercise™ and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City. Learn more about Kevin and his revolutionary high intensity 10 minute workouts at his official website at www.naturallyintense.net

Can A Healthy Person Get Swine Flu?

For the most part my blogs tend to deal with more health and fitness type issues and not topics like ‘Can a healthy person get swine flu’, but being asked so many time by my personal training clients as well as friends and family members about the H1N1 virus, I felt it important to lay out the facts as we know it. Personally I don’t pay much attention to flu season. As a healthy young man in pretty good shape, the flu virus is not a life threatening concern. Swine flu, or as I prefer to call it- H1N1 virus is a bit of a different story.

As a father of five, including a newborn, it does raise some cause for concern as the flu season steadily approaches. I have never had, nor advocated flu vaccines at any time, as my lifestyle tends to not need to much in the way of medical interventions outside of the occasional acupuncture treatments that I would give myself. And while I am not yet fully convinced that vaccination is a be all and end all solution to the problem it does have me thinking as healthy persons in great shape can indeed contract H1N1 and in some cases with fatal consequences.

Image courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Being In Good Shape Is Not A Defense Against H1N1

In terms of actually contracting the flu, it is really simply a matter of being exposed to it. That happens from being in direct contact with someone that is infected, or coming into contact with the virus by touching something that has been contaminated by an infected individual. Being healthy really doesn’t apply here, it is a matter of exposure, where your defense can only be avoidance of infected individuals or really great hygenie practices, like hand washing. Both carry no guarantees unless you live in a bubble, as your level of health can affect the way in which your body responds to a virus- but not whether you can contract it or not.

My mantra for the uninsured has always been to keep yourself in as perfect health as is humanly possible since being in great shape does in most cases  bring some prevention of serious disease, or in some cases, milder effects from serious disease and is certainly less costly than paying for extensive treatment. With the H1N1 virus however the typical at risk population isn’t only the very old and the very young, but instead  young and healthy individuals seem to be at risk as well. The Bird Flu, (H5N1) has a similar profile and this because both viruses are very much new to the human immune system.  

When the human body has no experience dealing with a virus it sets off a powerful defensive response. It is that defensive response that makes us feel really sick in the first place. A newborn or elderly person has a relatively weak immune system, which explains why they are usually the primary concerns in flu season, as they are the ones most likely to succumb to complications due to the flu. Interestingly enough, with both babies and the elderly their immune response to the flu virus is a pretty weak one. Infants don’t have much of a developed system while older adults have systems that have been exposed to many viral strains and can be somewhat weakened over the years and thus have a limited response as well. So if both groups have such small responses, why are they the ones with the most fatalities? The problem for these two populations stem from complications from what are called opportunistic infections. Infections  such as pneumonia that seize the opportunity to spread after the host has had their immune systems compromised by the flu virus, and this can in many cases be fatal.

The Problem With Healthy People and The  H1N1 Virus

The problem with healthy people and new flu viruses is that when their bodies are faced with an unknown virus, it can some cases trigger a disproportionate response called a “cytokine storm” or hypercytokinemia. During the 1918 flu epidemic, which killed millions, many of whom were indeed young and otherwise healthy adults, the reason for this occurrence was attributed to this same overreaction on the part of the immune system.1 Cytokine storms as well were believed to be the cause of many of the deaths from the 2003 SARS outbreak as well.2
 
A ‘cytokinetic storm’ is characterized by an overreaction by our  immune cells to a new and unknown flu virus, to the point where it proceeds to attack the healthy organs of the body. As a result, individuals aged 15 to 60 can also be devastated  by the H1N1 virus or any other new viral infection. So far there is some debate as to whether cytokine storms are responsible for the deaths of younger people at this point. Some suggest that it is indeed as a result of cytokine storms, while the CDC so far has said that more data would be required to make that assessment.3 However the reports of healthy middle aged individuals succumbing to the virus has raised more questions than answers.

Can The H1N1 Virus Be Treated?

One of the problems with a excessive cytokine activity is that it can very disrupt the central nervous system and cause major respiration problems. In extreme cases the treatment is usually to put the patient on a s breathing machine- while their body copes with the virus. Unfortunately the worries that most health experts are having comes from the very small number of such machines in hospitals and that there is simply not enough to deal with a full scale epidemic. There are antiviral drugs available that when taken at the onset of infection can reduce the severity of the symptoms, but have limitations in terms of when they must be administered. So what is the answer to the H1N1?

Is The H1N1 Vaccine the answer?

As I said before, normally  I stay away from the idea of flu vaccines completely. I worked with HIV/AIDS and formerly homeless population s for the past 14 years and every year we would administer the yearly flu vaccines. It was available to me as well, but I never took it, for two reasons: number 1 I dislike putting anything in my body unless absolutely necessary my drug free policy extends to all drugs unless it is an immediate  matter of life and death and number 2: None of the nurses administering the vaccines ever took the injections themselves. It is always a hit and miss- every year the Center for Disease Control makes an educated guess as to what the seasonal flu will be, and creates a vaccine from the cells of the dead virus.

This time, they are a bit more certain that the H1N1 virus could be a problem and are mandating some health care workers and teachers to be vaccinated less they lose their jobs. I have given the speech for years- the vaccine cannot give you the flu- and am not particularly troubled by it, I would just rather not have to have a vaccine unless it was absolutely necessary. However the vaccine is the most effective tool against the spread of the virus outside of having us all encased in bubble wrap for the flu season.

I hope that this turns out to be a big scare that never materializes like so many other media blitzes, and so far the virus has not increased its mortality rate and has not grown into the widespread killer that so many expected earlier on. Hysteria aside it does help to know the facts so you can make an educated decision as to what you should do. In the meanwhile keep your hands clean, stay away from anyone that might be sick, and keep eating well and exercising. After all, there are still many other flu viruses that you could pick up this season, and it does help to be in good shape if you do. Excelsior.

Disclaimer: All information in this article is for informational purposes only and is not to be used as a subsitute for medical advice.

References:

1. Osterholm, Michael T. (2005-05-05). “Preparing for the Next Pandemic”. The New England Journal of Medicine

2. Huang KJ, Su IJ, Theron M, Wu YC, Lai SK, Liu CC, Lei HY (February 2005). “An interferon-gamma-related cytokine storm in SARS patients”. Journal of Medical Virology

3. “Interim Guidance for Clinicians on Identifying and Caring for Patients with Swine-origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection”. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 2009-04-29. http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/identifyingpatients.htm.

Lose weight, build real muscle and get Superfit training only 10 minutes 3 times a week! That’s the slogan and the 100% guarantee of the Naturally Intense System of Diet & Exercise™ created by visionary NYC personal trainer, internationally renowned natural bodybuilder and fitness expert, Kevin Richardson. Get a copy of Kevin’s free award winning weight loss ebook here!

Having A Low Body Fat Percentage Doesn't Mean You Are Healthy!

Nowadays the gold marker by which all health and fitness levels seem to be measured seems to be body fat percentages. Ask just about anyone that is seriously into their fitness regime what their body fat percentage is and nine out of ten times they can tell you exactly what it is. When I started out as a personal trainer, some 18 years ago, I kept calipers as part of my training kit and was very dedicated to measuring my clients on a regular basis. One day my coach came to me and asked me why I had the calipers and the clipboard and I answered that the training manuals said that it was key to measure body fat percentage as an indicator of progress. He laughed and gave me some of the best advice I ever got as a trainer and said that if a client can’t look in the mirror and see the differences themselves in their body, then I am not doing my job! He added that at the end of the day, a change in numbers means nothing when they still have a sizeable layer of fat obscuring their midsection. To this day I don’t use body fat testing as a tool in the Naturally intense System of Deit & Exercise, and in this post I wanted to explore the various ways of testing available on the market to toady as well as why in the end it is really how you look that matters, not just the numbers.  

Body Fat Measurements- BMI Examples

Body fat testing can serve a useful purpose to some degree in that it helps give some idea of how much body fat and how much muscle you are carrying at any given time, a reading that the scale or simple Body Mass Index estimates sometimes cannot give. I remember when I enlisted in the U.S. Navy and weighed in at a hefty 220 lbs at a height of 6 feet even.  I was told that I was significantly overweight and would have to lose at least 30 to 40 lbs before I could get in. My BMI was 29.8, which gave me a reading saying I was in the higher end of the overweight chart and almost at the point of being obese. I couldn’t tell you how funny that was as I had a body fat level of 6% at the time, with my abdominal muscles rippling and not an ounce of fat really visible on my frame and when the recruiter saw what I looked like under my clothes, he said not to worry about it, and that I would be fine. To this day at 225 lbs and at a body fat level of 5% or lower I am just about listed as being obese, which really highlights the limitations of the BMI scales. (To be fair- it is a noted fact that an athletically built human being’s measurement cannot be used to determine BMI using traditional methods.)

Body fat is a bit more reliable, but again, there are always limitations based on the method used to define it. There are many ways to measure your body fat, some being more accurate than others, but at the end of the day, it isn’t the number that matters, but the changes in the numbers as you keep on measuring using whatever method you choose.

The Simple Tape Measure Method

With tape measure and caliper testing, people who are muscular can get numbers 3 to 5 percent higher than their true percent body fat percentages. This is because they don’t have a lot of fat inside their muscles, so their measurements may be lower than this tape measure test indicates.

Conversely, if a person is skinny but doesn’t have much muscle, this body fat test may yield a number 3 to 5 percent lower than his or her true percent body fat. Though they look thin, unfit skinny people really have more than the usual amount of fat inside their muscles, which you can’t see from the outside. So, what’s the bottom line? For many people, this tape measure test is quite accurate, it puts you in control, it can be done frequently and it costs nothing.

Bioelectrical Impedance Testing

Bioelectrial impedance testing is a fairly common method and is being used more and more in scales that you can have at home. The way it works is that a small electrical charge is sent through the body. The greater the resistance (measured in ohms), the more fat is present, because fat interferes does not conduct electricity as well as muscle does. The lesser the resistance, the more muscle tissue is present, because lean tissue is highly conductive due to its high water content. It can be off by quite a wide margin, as to be accurate hydration levels have to be exactly the same each time as well as the amount of food in your stomach and intestines. The test also tends to overestimate percent body fat in very lean individuals, (sound familiar?)  and underestimate body fat in obese people.

Additionally the handheld devices only measure fat levels in the upper body- sending a current through one arm and out the other arm, while and digital scales only measure fat levels in the lower body- current goes up one leg and down the other). Both types models won’t take abdominal fat storage into account, so you’re not getting a full picture of the fat level of your entire body at any time.

Skin Fold Caliper Testing

With the skin fold testing, calipers are used to pinch certain parts of the body and then determine the body fat percentage based on the assumption that the amount of fat stored at these various sites is proportional to a person’s overall body fat, thus by measuring several sites, total body fat may be calculated. It is a pretty reliable test, if the same person performs it each time (it is a skill and there can be wide ranges in reading from different people performing them, as it does take some practice to master.) However there are limits. Some people just don’t pinch easily- and it is hard to get reading from them. Others have such high body fat levels that the calipers cannot open wide enough to pinch accurately and the tests will thus underestimate their levels.

The Golden Standard- Hydrostatic Testing

This can be a pretty involved  (and expensive) process, bordering on the extreme for most. Hydrostatic testing for years has been the golden standard, where you are completely immersed in water and then asked to blow as much air as possible out of your lungs. Not exactly a great way to spend and afternoon, but it does give a very precise reading, but is far more involved for most people (myself included) and while more accurate than the caliper tests or simple measurement estimations based on taking measurements from various parts of the body, it still has some degree of error, especially when it comes to athletes- who tend to have higher bone densities than the rest of the population and thus can read to have a higher fat percentage than is actually true. Differences in bone densities based on race also can throw readings off to a degree as well.

There are other methods that are being used more and more, from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (Cat Scans), Near Infrared Interactance and Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. All seeking to find more and more accurate ways to measure body fat. Most are way too expensive and time consuming for most as part of a regular regime to record someone’s progress outside of a clinical setting.

What Is A Healthy Body Fat Percentage

Personally, I shy away from the whole idea, as with the Naturally Intense System of Diet and Exercise, a healthy body fat percentage is attained when you can look in the mirror and see very little evidence of fat on your body- end of story. The numbers and the charting means very little to most of us if we don’t look great with our clothes off. That being said, there are some standards that you should know to start off with, in terms of what is healthy and what is unhealthy.

 The American Council on Exercise and says men’s body fat should be 6-25%, and women’s should be 14-31% while the American Dietetic Association recommends that men have 15-18% body fat and women have 20-25% body fat.

Healthy male athletes might be as low as 5-12% body fat, and healthy female athletes could be as low as 10-20%.

Body Fat Is Not The Only Indicator Of How Good You Will Look Or Good Health

One of the reasons that I stress that the mirror is more important than any reading you may have, no matter how accurate the method used, is that where you hold your body fat is more important than what your percentage is. For example, my experience has been that two people can have exactly the same body fat percentages and look as different as night and day. Some people can have rippling abs with 15% body fat whereas others have to go as low as 6% to start seeing real definition in their stomach areas.

More importantly the risk of fat related conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and certain cancers is determined by where you hold your body fat. Fat around the abdominal area holds the greatest risk for potential health problems, while fat around the hips and thighs for women seem to be relatively harmless with respect to these health problems.

Although two people can have the weight or the same body fat percentage, that doesn’t mean they face the same health risks. Where body fat is located can place a person at far greater risk for fat-related health conditions such as: cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and even certain types of cancers.

It is important, for health and well-being, to not only know your body fat percentage but to also pay attention to where that fat is located. Fat around the abdomen may present the greatest risk for health problems. In contrast, fat around the hips and thighs is most common in females and seems relatively harmless with respect to these health problems. So don’t get too hung up on the numbers.

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