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Ivan's Newsletter
February 26, 2006 -- Issue 001
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Hi,
This issue includes...
1) *** Personal Letter from Ivan ***
2) Target: peanuts - are they the enemy?
3) "Tell me What You Think!"

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1) *** PERSONAL LETTER FROM IVAN ***
" The benefits for you – the reader"
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In short my name is Ivan Nikolov, a writer of the current issue of the “Ivan’s Newsletter” and each next. And that is all I am going to say about myself. What I want to focus on is the benefits for you - the subscriber - of receiving this newsletter biweekly.

Dear reader, I can’t even describe how excited I am to finally have the opportunity to write my own newsletter in which I can share with you the knowledge and the secrets I have used overtime to achieve a my well-trained natural physique.

This newsletter will always contain information that will keep you ahead of your competition trough giving you the missing pieces of the whole picture that will ultimately help you build a healthier way towards achieving your dreams regardless of whether they are an admirable natural physique or just a healthy lifestyle.

Let me share with you how I got here. See, it took me many years of studying and a lot of money spent on the latest materials, containing the newest knowledge that, if properly implemented, could help me get my physique on the next level.

I still spend long hours daily reading my books, in front of the computer screen and in the public library. And this is the only way I can conduct my life. I am happy doing what I am doing but now I am even happier having my web site finally optimized to manage and send newsletters.

Without a second more spent of your time I will let you enjoy the first issue of my newsletter leaving you with the promise to always deliver the finest information in a very concise and easy to understand form.

A form that will always carry my foreign accent so that from the first line you will be able to recognize my wording. ;-)

Thanks, and I look forward to firing my second issue for all of my subscribers to enjoy in mid March!

Yours truly,
Ivan Nikolov

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2) Target: peanuts - are they the enemy?
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Many of us have heard at one point or another that peanuts and peanut butter should be avoided. What is the reason? Aren’t they beneficial for our health (we all know nuts are good) or are they our enemy?

Here are a couple of facts you should know about peanuts:

I. Peanuts along with corn are the crops that are most readily infected by toxins called aflatoxins - poisonous chemical compounds that are produced by two fungi called Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus.

Aflatoxins have shown to be very toxic to the liver in laboratory animals and in humans mainly in some developing countries where peanuts are main component of the domestic diet.

Aflatoxins are carcinogenic. They can cause severe liver damage and death. Although in developed countries the risks aren’t well pronounced due to the fact that heavily contaminated food supplies aren’t permitted in the marketplace, a concern still remains as the effect of long-term exposure to low levels of aflatoxins aren’t well known.

The Aspergillus fungi invasion occurs mainly in pre-harvested crops, facilitated by the level of humidity. It can happen also during storage if the storage guidelines are missconducted - the storage places are humid and high in temperature.

Here is a list of some other commodities, in which an aflatoxin contamination can occur: tree nuts (Brazilian nuts, walnuts, pecans, etc.), cottonseed, milk, cheese, spices and some other foods.

So, what can you do to decrease the possibility of aflatoxin exposure and in the same time still eat nuts?

Some main guidelines you can follow:

· Buy peanuts from well established brands
· Throw away peanuts and peanut butter if they have been sitting on the shelf for more then several months as mold growth can easily make then poisonous.
· If you are not going to eat them soon store them in a dry, cool place (refrigerator is good, freezer is even better).

II. The second fact concerns the levels of the different types of fat in peanuts. See, peanuts aren’t even nuts. They are legumes. Because of that they are much tougher on the digestive tract. But let’s go back on the fat issue.

If you compare peanuts to almonds (real nuts) you’ll notice that peanuts have relatively lower levels of monounsaturated fats and higher levels of the unwanted saturated fats.

A hundred grams of peanuts contain: 48 gr. of total lipids (fats), 7 gr. saturated and 25 gr. monounsaturated fats.

The same amount of almonds has: 50 gr. total fats, 4 gr. saturated and 32 gr. monounsaturated fats.

As you can clearly see almonds are the winner here.

So, should you eat peanuts and peanut butter or you should avoid them?
Given the fact that aflatoxin contamination isn’t common (unless if you live in a country in Central Africa), in my opinion you should still eat them but in moderation and always keeping in mind the recommendations for proper selection and storage, listed above.

The final decision is yours. I personally rely more on almonds but once in a while I eat natural organic freshly ground peanut butter as well.

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