Category Archives: Nutrition

Screw Nutrition?

Posted by on November 1, 2012 Comments Off

Great article I enjoyed reading, written by Catalyst Athletics‘ Matt Foreman, called Screw Nutrition…read the whole article…very humorous and very true :)

Here’s a short excerpt:

“Eating is a huge source of pleasure for all of us. We love it more than most of the things we do. Because of this, I’m not gonna turn eating into a source of dread. I’ll continue to eat things that make me happy, while still maintaining basic responsibility and discipline. I don’t want to get diabetes or heart disease, even though I know these things can potentially hit you even if you’re doing everything right. I feel a lot better when I eat healthy, and feeling good on a daily basis is a nice thing. Being able to train well without a lot of pain is nice too, and diet plays a big part in this. I’ve actually found that hydration is probably the most important factor in all of it, to tell you the truth.”

 

So, What about Grains?

Posted by on October 25, 2012 Comments Off

Although I eliminated grains for many years, I have recently included them in my diet again. So far, so good. I have had much more energy during workouts, and have made strength gains in some of my Olympic lifts. I’m psyched! What also pleases me is that my waking temperatures have risen to the point of consistently being around 98 degrees. Yes, I’d like that number to go up, however, it’s definitely a positive change and one I’m happy to see. So, should you include grains in your diet? Maybe, maybe not. Check out the article below for some reasons to include (or not include) grains in your diet once again.

A Grain of Truth: Should You Avoid Grains? Written by Precision Nutrition‘s Ryan Andrews

The Paleo-Diet: Not The Way To A Healthy Future by Barbara King

Also check out Matt Stone at 180 Degree Health. He argues that many of us have eliminated foods to the point that we are creating and/or recreating imbalances in our bodies. I think he makes a valid argument, especially after noticing the improvements in myself after including more grains, root veggies, etc into my diet.

Oils

Posted by on October 13, 2012 Comments Off

Leah and I were discussing oils…which ones are healthy and which aren’t.  Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple has a pretty comprehensive article on oils, so thought I would post it here for your viewing enjoyment!

Happy rainy Saturday :)

Calorie Control Guide

Posted by on September 27, 2012 Comments Off

I received this article from Precision Nutrition and thought it was a handy dandy way to determine portion size of meals. Basically they suggest using your palm to determine your protein portion, your fist to determine your veggie portion, your cupped hand to determine your carb portion, and your thumb to determine your fat portion.

For example…

Man-sized portion of protein equals 2 palms, woman-sized portion equals 1 palm.

Man-sized portion of veggies equals 2 fists, woman-sized portion equals 1 fist.

This beats the hell out of calorie counting (not that I do that anyways :) ). I wonder which part of our hand we should use for beverage control??

To read the whole article click here.

 

 

 

 

Stephan Guyenet & History of the American Diet

Posted by on September 17, 2012 Comments Off

An interesting look at how our diets have changed over the past 100 years or so. Here’s the YouTube description of Stephan Guyenet’s presentation:

The United States has experienced a major health transition in the last 150 years, which has included an increase in the prevalence of obesity, diabetes and coronary heart disease. As these conditions are heavily influenced by food choices, it is important to understand how the American diet has changed over this time period. This talk will describe qualitative and quantitative changes in American food habits that may be relevant to modern disease patterns.

Food engineering scares me…how about you?? Simple and home made is still the best, healthiest way to go!

Stephen Guyenet blogs at Whole Health Source.

180 Degree Health

Posted by on August 28, 2012 Comments Off

I have found a new health geek in the blogosphere, and his name is Matt Stone. Matt is opposed to any overly restrictive diet (i.e. Paleo, vegan, GAPS, etc, etc…unfortunately I have tried all of these…crap!), feeling these programs actually end up compromising our health long-term. His primary focus is on rebuilding health through improved metabolism. He advices using a thermometer to monitor body temperature, and work to bring it up to over 98 degrees. If you have cold hands and feet, sleep problems, digestive issues or suffer from anxiety, chances are you have a low metabolic rate. His solution? Add approximately 250 grams of carbs to your diet. Gotta like that :)

Here he introduces himself and his research style:

I am truly guilty of chasing “health”! When I think about when I was last truly healthy, it was probably when I was a child and didn’t worry much about what I was eating or how I looked. Things got out of hand, however, when I became a teenager and decided I needed to lose weight…that idea has never had a positive outcome! Then came excessive partying and chronic stress, and I guess the rest was history, as they say.

Anyways, check out Matt’s stuff at 180 Degree Health. Also read his article Thyroid Rehab – The Diet and Lifestyle Approach posted at Outsmart  Disease. It’s fascinating stuff, and you can make up your own mind about possible health benefits.  I, for one, am going to give it a whirl and see if I can put some of my own health challenges behind me.  Keep me posted on your thoughts/opinions :)

I almost forgot. I bought Matt’s eBook Diet Recovery and will have it at the gym if anyone wants to have a look.