Home-made Trail Mix
While I am a firm believer in having a high-quality protein source at every meal, I don’t draw such a hard line when it comes to snacks. Sure it would be nice if a lot of them contain a high-quality protein, but I don’t think it is required.
I absolutely love having a simple snack of an apple with a bunch of natural peanut butter and some cinnamon sprinkled on top. It is like comfort food to me, except totally awesome for me.
In keeping with this theme I came up with a really simple home-made trail mix that is sure to please even the most ardent trail mix enthusiasts, if there is such a thing.
I will simply entitle this snack Trail Mix, as I have been told by my wife and at least one of my readers, who is a friend of mine from college, that my snack and smoothie recipes sound more like women’s body lotion than food.
Trail Mix
- 1/4 cup roasted, salted almonds or mixed nuts
- 1/2 serving Plum Sweets (~7 pieces)
- 1/4 cup organic raisins
Simply mix all in a baggie and voila! A great anytime snack.
The nuts provide plenty of healthy fat, fiber, a little protein as well as vitamin E, magnesium and other minerals. The Plum Sweets provide a nice touch of chocolate, and moderately dark chocolate to boot, as well the incredibly healthy prune (dried plum). The raisins (I recommend organic as grapes are one of the worst offenders when it comes to pesticides) bring the perfect amount of sweetness to the table, as well as tons of phytonutrients and antioxidants, including resveratrol.
This snack provides roughly 383 calories, with 7 grams of protein, 46 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fiber, and 19 grams of fat.
Enjoy!
Almonds: Too Many Omega-6’s?
One of the most well noted problems with the Western diet today is the skewed omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. These polyunsaturated fats should be at a 4:1 to 1:1 ratio for ideal health, but in today’s average American diet, it ranges anywhere from 10:1 up to 30:1 in favor of omega-6’s!
Both omega-3’s and omega-6’s are essential fatty acids, meaning that we as humans cannot produce them and must ingest them from food sources. They also both compete for the same metabolic enzymes and their ratio will significantly influence the body’s level of inflammation.
Omega-6’s are necessary for the inflammatory process, which is an essential part of healing, as well playing a large role in the health of the skin. Omega-3’s are essential to keep inflammation in check, and are also beneficial for cardiovascular, brain, eye, and joint health as well as innumerable other benefits.
I will also point out that grass-fed animals have a greater abundance of omega-3’s, and a decrease in omega-6’s compared to their grain-fed counterparts.
The problem is, that many leading nutritionists and their followers get so stuck on this ratio idea that they often miss the big picture. They will talk about how you should avoid foods that are too high on the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio spectrum. This may be true in cases of foods that contain large amounts of polyunsaturated fats, for example corn oil.
Straight up poison
1 tablespoon of corn oil contains roughly 7.2 grams of omega-6’s and .16 grams of omega-3’s, or for the ratio nuts out there about 45:1. This is a problem. It is very difficult to consume foods with enough omega-3’s and minimal omega-6’s to balance that out.
Where this actually isn’t a problem, are foods like almonds and olive oil. Many people who focus strongly on the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio will tell you to steer clear of almonds. While it is true that they have a omega-6 to omega-3 ratio even worse than that poison corn oil, at an astounding 1987:1, they contain far less actual omega-6’s at 3.3 grams (along with a paltry 1.7mg of omega-3’s). 3.3 grams is a number that is much easier to overcome.
Simply consuming 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseeds will provide you with 1.6 grams of omega-3’s while only providing .4 grams of omega-6’s, giving us a nearly 2:1 ratio. While that same tablespoon of flax would only improve the corn oil ratio to 4.3:1, which even then is almost right where we want to be!
It is true that most foods contain more omega-6’s than omega-3’s, so you don’t want to consume, or at least over-consume, foods with tremendous gram differences, simply for the fact that there are only so many omega-3’s to go around to help balance that out.
eat some!
The simple fact of the matter is that people need to stop only looking at individual components of individual foods and making ill-conceived judgements. Almonds offer lots of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, protein, and fiber, as well as vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, antioxidants and more. We need to remember not to miss the forests for the trees.
The far more important fact is to judge foods on their entire nutritional value (of which we are still learning so many things) and your diet as a whole. Simply because you consume some almonds on a daily basis is not an issue, especially if you are consuming pasture-raised or omega-3 eggs, grass-fed meats, wild-caught fatty fish, fish oil, flax, chia, and walnuts on a daily or weekly basis.
The point of the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is not to look at individual foods, but to look at your intake from your entire diet, so stop being an ass-clown and eat some damn almonds.
Digging Through the Archives
Here are a few of my older blogs that you may have missed, never seen or will give you a nice recap. I think you will all enjoy having the chance to read some blogs that may have gotten “lost in the shuffle of time”.
Secret Superfood - This is a good one about a common fruit that may surprise you with its plethora of health benefits. Those of you taking baby aspirin for your heart should check this one out.
Grocery Shopping 101 - This was a highly requested topic that I covered in great detail many months ago. If you ever feel overwhelmed or unsure of yourself in the grocery store, this one is for you.
The Real Truth of Acai - Those of you who get bombarded with pitches for Mona Vie and the like will appreciate this one. I look at the actual facts and go into great detail on whether acai is worth your time.
Beautiful Butter
Today I wanted to show an example of why I think pasture-raised grass-fed products, dairy in particular, are so much different from their conventionally-raised counterparts.
Though I have blogged about the greatness that is Organic Valley Pasture Butter, now that I am home in Maine I have access to butter that I think is even better.
I purchase this butter at a farm stand in Leeds, ME near my parents camp (we call it a camp in Maine, most other people refer to it as a cottage). This butter is absolutely incredible. It tastes so incredibly buttery, for lack of a better word.
Just look at the color of it. It is a deep yellow, just bursting with so much more vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, beta-carotene, omega-3’s, CLA and more than conventionally raised butter. I know that the Organic Valley Pasture butter has 8% of your daily value of vitamin A, 110 mg of CLA and 120mg of Omega-3’s per tablespoon, so I wonder what this has!
I also just love how the only two ingredients are cream and salt, no fillers or colors here. Unfortunately we ran out for a while and had to consume store-bought Kate’s butter.
Kate’s butter is an award-winning butter made fresh daily in Maine, but as far as I know the cows are not grass-fed, and the butter pales in comparison. It is a much, much lighter yellow, more like off-white, and just lacks that same intense butter flavor. Don’t get me wrong it is still good, just not nearly as good as the grass-fed version.
With less color you know it just has less of those ever-important fatty acids and fat-soluble nutrients that make butter a healthy food.
Isn’t the difference just striking? To me it just exemplifies how far our food production has fallen. Are they both butter? Yes. Are they nutritionally and deliciously equal? Hell No!
Just focusing on CLA, here is the difference. Dairy, and meat, from pasture-raised grass-fed animals provide the richest source of CLA on the planet, containing three to five times more CLA than feedlot-raised animals. CLA has been found to greatly reduce tumor growth in animals, and possibly in humans as well. In a Finnish study women who had the highest levels of CLA in their diet had a 60% lower risk of breast cancer than those with the lowest levels. Simply switching from conventionally-raised grain-fed meat and dairy to pasture-raised grass-fed versions would have placed all the women in the lowest risk category.
The fact of the matter is consuming foods how they were meant to be grown and developed will maximize nutrient density, so do your best to find local high-quality sources of food. Your body will thank you.
A Quickie While at Orientation
I am actually at the Folger Library for my UMaine Graduate School Orientation as I write this quick blog. We had about an hour and a half for lunch, and as I am still conditioned to eating food as rapidly as possible from years of eating-while-coaching at CP, I had well over an hour to kill. So here I am.
Yesterday I wrote about the ridiculous accusations put forward by ABC News about creatine and its tenuous link to compartment syndrome.
Fortunately I am far from the only one who felt the need to clear the air on the topic. Chris Shugart over at T-Nation wrote a response that I must say might even be better than my own.
Check it out: ABC News Vilifies Creatine.
Creatine: Villain or Scapegoat?
A CP client just sent me an article on abcnews.com that asks the question “Did Creatine Lead to Compartment Syndrome Cluster?”
The article alleges that creatine may have caused 13 members of the McMinnville High School football team to be hospitalized with severe muscle problems.
This article is an example of absolutely awful sensationalist reporting. It makes it sound like 13 members of the team developed this rare Anterior Compartment Syndrome, when in reality only 3 developed it. Granted that is still an unusually high number, but it seems like a rather intentional misrepresentation of the facts to me. It also has a caption under a picture of these kids in the hospital, saying that 12 were admitted for severe muscle problems. The video states 14 players! So which is it, 12, 13, 14?
The reporter states that creatine has been linked to anterior compartment syndrome, but doesn’t provide any actual data or references, when in reality the link is tenuous at best.
In a 2006 double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, cross-over study (ie - the gold standard) at the University of Connecticut this theory was put to the test (free full text!). They placed 11 well-trained athletes through tests meant to mimic conditions in pre-season tryouts.
Subjects were put through two sessions, one 120 minutes, one 80 minutes, one hour apart. The subjects completed these sessions in over 90 degree heat in moderate humidity, causing approximately 4% loss in bodyweight. A 4% loss in bodyweight is a very significant amount. At just 2% bodyweight loss athletes performances can be decreased by up to 30% and experience rapid heart rates, elevated body temperatures, and rapid fatigue.
These subjects also consumed either 21.6 grams/day of creatine monohydrate or placebo for 7 days prior to the trials as this mimics the normal loading phase of creatine, which is usually 20-25 grams per day for 7 days. I will note that I personally do not recommend loading, as you can simply take 5 grams/day and reach the same saturation point in 28 days, so why waste product and money?
Anyway, back to the study. The researchers found:
“Our results show that short-term creatine monohydrate loading did not significantly increase resting anterior compartment pressure measures. However, creatine monohydrate did affect the anterior compartment pressure responses specific to dehydration, because a small to moderate effect was reported between pre-dehydration and post-dehydration anterior compartment pressure measures. Our data showed a greater increase in anterior compartment pressure in the creatine monohydrate trial than in the placebo trial at the post-dehydration time point. We also found that creatine monohydrate had an effect on the dehydrated subjects exercising in the heat, because a small to moderate interaction was reported between pre-dehydration and 1 minute post-heat tolerant test exercise for the trials. In addition, we discovered that creatine monohydrate supplementation caused a delay in the return of post-exercise anterior compartment pressure measures to resting values in these dehydrated subjects exercising in the heat.”
Uh oh, is creatine actually deserving of the blame? Lets keep reading to see the final conclusion.
“No evidence was observed in our study that short-term creatine monohydrate loading led to the signs and symptoms consistent with anterior compartment syndrome in a dehydrated athlete performing intense, intermittent, and prolonged exercise in the heat and humidity. None of the subjects in this study complained of lower extremity aching, cramping, burning pain, or tightness over the area of the anterior compartment of the lower leg, which is consistent with most of the literature.
High dose creatine monohydrate supplementation during exercise periods of increased thermal stress showed a mild to moderate trend toward increased anterior compartment pressure measures in dehydrated males. However, our results do not support the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommendation (to avoid creatine in hot environments), because no associated symptoms of anterior compartment syndrome were seen. The differences were minimal, and the increased pressures readily equalized after intermittent exercise.”
Hhmmm, so a sterling study that mimics intense two-a-days in 90 degree heat and moderate humidity found that (large) creatine supplementation did mildly increase the anterior compartment pressure (though it quickly returned to baseline), but it did not actually cause anterior compartment syndrome nor any even any of its symptoms!
Anterior compartment syndrome almost always occurs in the lower legs, and is often caused by severe over-use of the tissues. These athletes had the problems in their triceps, which is strange in and of itself. For the tissues in the triceps to develop that type of pressure, the training had to play a role.
Most of the experts interviewed for the article actually pointed the finger at the over-training that must have occurred for this syndrome to develop. Yet creatine gets the blame?
These athletes had just begun their training camp under a new head coach on Monday with symptoms being reported by Tuesday! No it couldn’t have anything to do with a new head coach trying to instill discipline and physically exert these kids into the ground. High school football coaches never do that! It must be the creatine!
Sarcasm aside, could creatine have contributed? Sure, especially if these high school kids were taking amounts outside the recommended doses then it might have made a small contribution, but the cause? I think not. I tend to lean towards the overzealous training myself.
It just drives me nuts how reporters like this know that claiming that over-training high school athletes may have lead to anterior compartment syndrome is not as sexy nor as provocative as stating that a nutritional supplement caused it.
While there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of shitty supplements out there that high school kids feel compelled to take, there are also a lot of good ones. Plain, high quality creatine monohydrate is the most studied supplement in history, and it has a sterling track record. If it really is such a dangerous substance, how do hundreds of thousands, probably even millions of athletes take it without also developing anterior compartment syndrome?
The literature has noted that the only consistently documented side effect of creatine supplementation is bodyweight increase! This is one of the primary purposes of supplementing with it!
What about the possibility that these kids did take creatine, but a poor one, with who knows what else in it that contributed to this issue? I think that is very likely knowing the nature of high school kids wanting to take the most “extreme” supplements that will get them insta-jacked.
What sounds better to a high school football player: Sodium Creatine Phosphate Matrix and Creatinol-O-Phosphate-Malic Acid Interfusion, or Creatine Monohydrate Powder?
Is the blame really on creatine monohydrate itself? I don’t think so, and a better reporter would have made it clear that the link is tenuous at best, used a less sensationalized title, and maybe actually gathered more data before pointing any fingers.
On an interesting aside, Dr. Donald Christie was one of the experts interviewed who said that creatine is most likely not the cause. Dr. Christie works in my home town of Lewiston, Maine and I know him quite well. Of course he also tossed the word bugaboo into his quote, making us Mainers look even more awesome.
A Dairy, Soy AND Nut Alternative
Today at the grocery store I came across something new and interesting next to my unsweetened almond milk (in the refrigerated section). It was coconut milk in a carton!
This was a timely discovery as a friend of mine just learned that he has an intolerance to almonds and most tree nuts in general, and as such had to give up using almond milk in smoothies, cereal and oatmeal. This is rather unfortunate as he tries to keep his dairy intake minimal, and he obviously avoids soy milk (cause it sucks) and rice milk due to its fiber-less and unnecessary carbohydrate content.
Instead of those more common options, he made the transition to unsweetened vanilla hemp milk without complaint as it is quite good, as well as being nice and creamy. It also contains more fat than almond milk, so it not only replaces the fluid in his smoothies, it also replaces the healthy fat content provided by the nuts he can no longer consume. The only downside to hemp milk is the price!
Hemp milk is about twice as expensive as almond milk. Hemp milk provides a good dose of healthy fat, including almost a gram of omega-3’s (including the rare SDA) and the healthy omega-6 GLA, it also contains protein, vitamins and minerals. It is a high quality replacement for almond milk, but you pay for it for sure.
Fortunately this ready to drink coconut milk is very reasonable priced, about equal to almond milk. It is also low in calories at only 50 per serving for the unsweetened version. Coconut milk also contains a good amount of fat like hemp milk, so it also serves that dual purpose.
It’s fatty acid content is almost completely saturated, with most of that being made up of the unique medium chain fatty acids. These MCFA’s (or MCT’s if you like, more or less the same thing) do not require bile for digestion, have immune-boosting benefits and are more likely to be oxidized as energy than stored as fat.
While I still might place hemp milk above coconut milk, as I think its nutritional profile is superior, coconut milk does provides a wonderful alternative for those who are seeking dairy free, soy free, nut free “milk” at a reasonable price.
Enjoy!
Here is more fleshed out content on the health benefits of hemp and coconut.
Random Friday Thoughts
I have to work in Lewiston all day today with for my old man, so unfortunately I have to make this one short and sweet, but that doesn’t mean that it is light on some cool content.
I actually have some pretty exciting news that I am quite pleased to announce today.
1. I am sure a lot of you read Eric Cressey’s blog and are a part of his newsletter. Those of you who are undoubtedly heard about his new project, Show and Go.
I had the privilege of being at CP when Eric tested the program on some guinea pigs, including a good friend of mine from college who increased his deadlift by 40lbs in 4 months (to 405), so I know how well the training program works.
The best part about all this is that Eric wanted a stronger nutrition component to go along with Show and Go than he had for Maximum Strength, and he asked me to write it! Keep in eye out over the next month or so for the release of Show and Go, my very first product!
2. I have discovered that making my oatmeal with unsweetened vanilla almond milk is absolutely glorious. I had always been a water man myself since I microwave my old-fashioned oats (it is the one and only thin I use the microwave for), and I definitely didn’t want to microwave milk due to the 7-keto cholesterol creation.
Earlier this week I was in the mood for some oatmeal, saw the almond, decided to do a little experimenting, and it was awesome. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
3. A reader sent me a question a while back about the quality of goat milk protein. Those of you who struggle with cow’s milk, or who simply choose not to consume it or any of it’s products often have limited options for protein powders. Goat milk can often be a viable option for you, as it is usually well tolerated by people with sensitivity to cow’s milk.
Fortunately a company called Mt. Capra has come up with what appears to be a solid alternative to cow’s milk proteins. While I haven’t personally tried them, their Caprotein and Double Bonded Protein seem to be high quality products, full of high quality protein (15-20 grams per serving), and the Double Bonded Protein is quite reasonably priced for a rather unique item.
For those of you in the market for an alternative to cow’s whey, give it a try and let me know what you think!
Simple and Delicious…With a Kick
Today’s recipe comes from a CP client and friend of mine, Danny. Danny is a crazy busy guy with three young kids, a high-stress job, an hour-long commute each way and a near fanatical training intensity. When lifting, he straight up scares people.
He also loves to eat healthy, but he has minimal time to make 5-course gourmet meals, so he is pretty good at coming up with quick and tasty meals that are made up of delicious real foods.
Though I have used this picture before, it is just to awesome to not use again
This recipe he described to me as simple and delicious, with a little kick. After trying it, I have to agree. For those of you who eat healthy or desire to do so, here is another arrow in your quiver to help combat those urges to just order a pizza and call it a night.
Simple and Delicious…With a Kick
- 4oz lean ground turkey
- 4oz lean grass-fed ground beef
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped pepperoncini
- 1 cup chopped kale
- little bit of olive or coconut oil for cooking
- season to taste with sea salt, Mrs. Dash, and pepper
Summer in Maine
This past weekend I paid a little visit to CP. It was nice to see some friendly faces, do some coaching, catch up with the staff and get in a brutal 20 minute Prowler push medley (after doing some other strong man work).
I hate the Prowler, and I hate EC for programming that the day I come down. I could hardly move my legs for about 10 minutes after finishing they were so exhausted and full of blood.
After driving back home to Maine that evening (a shade under 3 hours) I played and walked 18 holes of some ugly golf at Poland Spring Golf Course the next morning. It was a beautiful day, though there were some very strong winds that made some shots quite interesting.
It was the first time I had ever played a links-style course, and I can’t say I was a huge fan. The pin placements were brutal, especially with the lack of rain so the greens were incredibly fast. I won’t even discuss my score, suffice to say that out of the four of us, at least I came in second. Walking 18 holes is always much more tiring than I expect, and as long as you are slugging down a 6-pack on the way, is some pretty good exercise. On an interesting aside, the Poland Spring Golf Course was the first golf course built at a resort in the US.
The following day my wife and I went whitewater rafting with my parents and sisters on the Kennebec River. Minus the fact that it was overcast and actually somewhat cold, it was fun as hell and I always enjoy crashing down a raging river and hitting some big rapids.
It was also quite fun to see both of my sisters, my mom and my wife fall out, while my dad and I managed to hold strong and actually stay in the raft. We went with Crab Apple Whitewater for those possibly interested in the experience. They do a great job and they have the best location due to the fact that as soon as you exit the river you merely toss your raft up on a trailer and then walk across the road directly to their base. All other companies you have to get back on a school bus and travel back to the base, some as far as 45 minutes away.
All in all it was a busy weekend, but definitely fun and active. A point it really drove home for me was you don’t have to just go to the gym to get some exercise, there are tons of opportunities just waiting for you outside your door! Even the training session at CP was something that really could have been done just about anywhere. You can flip tires, carry heavy stuff for long distances, smash stuff with a sledgehammer, drag heavy tires for time and more to get in a fun, varied and intense conditioning session in. Not everything has to be bench presses and curls!
Take advantage of this beautiful summer before the cold days of winter keep you bundled up inside. Though there is always snow-shoeing.
keep looking »-
About Me
Brian St. Pierre is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Certified Sports Nutritionist (CISSN). He received his degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition with a focus in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Maine. With his contagious passion and enthusiasm, Brian is a young and exciting new face in the industry. -
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