Ask Joe Weider

Tip of the Week: Go green ... tea, that is.

Over the past decade or so, mounting evidence has supported something Asian cultures have known for centuries: Green tea is good for you!

Although there's long been an understanding that green tea possesses health benefits, how many and to what degree hasn't been exactly clear until recently. Now we believe that green tea's potent mix of antioxidants, known as catechins, may play a role in fighting heart disease and strokes, by way of reducing blood clotting. It may also help fight cancer, and recent studies have been done to assess green tea's ability to lower cholesterol, preventing diabetes and stroke, and even help with degenerative neurological disorders. Add to this tea's fat-burning properties, and you have an ideal supplement.

I recommend drinking three cups of green tea per day, preferably not later than an hour or two before going to bed, due to its caffeine. Certainly consider replacing your morning cup of joe with a refreshing cup of tea. Unlike with coffee, you won't need to have a mint afterward to cover up your breath.

Q: I'm 15 and have been working out for six months. I started working out with my cousin, who is four months older than I. When we started, I weighed 132 pounds and he weighed 139 pounds, but now I'm 137 pounds and he's 150 pounds! We've been working out together and eating the same things, but he's growing so much faster than I. Why would this be happening, Joe? I'm very frustrated.

Joe: Please don't become frustrated. I think it's terrific that you and your cousin have not only decided to take charge of your fitness, but have managed to stick with the program longer than so many other people.

As to why your cousin is growing faster than you, there could be one of several reasons. For one, you mention that your cousin is a few months older than you. At your age, natural growth spurts can happen at any time. He may simply be going through one right now. Yours may come later, at which point you could surpass him.

Alternately, your cousin might be eating more than you when you're not together. Are you aware of his exact diet? Sometimes a few extra snacks during the day could make all the difference.

Lastly, there could be a simple truth here — that your cousin simply has a greater propensity for size than you.

Over all the years in which I've observed countless athletes throughout their careers, I've found that there is an enormous range in human potential in a number of areas. Be it size, strength, speed, endurance or agility, some are simply more gifted than others from birth. If this is the case, you need not fret. Instead, focus on your own positive attributes rather than ones you don't favor. Maybe you have the kind of V-Taper your cousin wishes he could have, or more defined arms or great leg strength.

As they say, accentuate the positive, even if it has nothing to do with gaining weight!

Q: If I'm eating a balanced diet, why would I need to take vitamins?

Joe: It makes sense on the surface that you shouldn't need to supplement your diet with extra vitamins and minerals if your diet is well balanced. What defines a balanced diet is often a matter of dispute, however, and with so much of our food coming in the form of processed, prepackaged goods, odds are we're not getting enough of the nutrients we truly need.

A typical American diet these days is comprised of far too many processed, starchy foods and far too few whole foods, like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Pasta, instant mashed potatoes and enriched wheat breads account for a good portion of our caloric intake, filling us up with "empty" calories, meaning calories without nutritive value.

If you are eating a primarily whole food diet, then you may not need supplements. It's not always easy, in cities and suburbs especially, to eat this way all the time, however, which is why added vitamins and minerals can be of value.

Also, keep in mind that if you exercise regularly your body will require more nutrition than the untrained person. This is why so many supplements are designed for athletes.

If nothing else, you may think of supplements as a form of insurance for your health, whether you're a hard-training athlete or a couch potato, which I certainly hope you are not.

Joe Weider is acclaimed as "the father of modern bodybuilding" and the founder of the world's leading fitness magazines, including Shape, Muscle and Fitness, Men's Fitness, Fit Pregnancy, Hers, Golf for Seniors and others published worldwide in over 20 languages. To find out more about Joe Weider, write to him and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.

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