Is Dairy Healthy? The Whole Story Part 2

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition

The saga continues, as we explore deeper into the dairy. Is the fat dangerous? Will it give us diabetes? What is vitamin K2 anyway? Check it out:

—> Is Dairy Healthy? The Whole Story Part 2 <—

Is Dairy Healthy? The Whole Story – Part 1

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition

With my recent Day in the Life blog post outlining the fact that I consume 2 cups of yogurt per day on most days, I think the final answer to this question is known, but this 3 part series I wrote for ericcressey.com will shed light on the details and my entire thought process on dairy in general. Check it out:

—> Is Dairy Healthy? The Whole Story – Part 1 <—

Life Skills 101

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition

Today I wanted to touch on a topic that I have been discussing with a lot of people lately. In my mind our current high school curriculum is missing some important life skills that I think would help so many people to function better in the real world.

For example, how many of us learned how to budget money, grocery shop and prepare meals, or were taught a thing about taxes in school?

These are vital skills that are required to lead a successful life, regardless of career, education level, or socioeconomic status. Yet these skills are left for us to learn outside of school.

My parents definitely taught me many of these things, but I still believe I would have benefited from a more structured class setting, as I think most people would.

Now I am not suggesting a curriculum overhaul, simply a one semester class. Many high school seniors take two study halls in their final semester, so I simply suggest replacing one of those with this class, or something along those lines.

If each semester is approximately 15 weeks long, then it can be broken down into three 5-week units.

Unit 1

Unit 1 would be learning about food.

We would start with Nutrition 101 – what foods are sources of proteins, carbs and fats – it is amazing how many people do not know this. Emphasizing real, whole, minimally processed foods.

It would also teach basic kitchen skills – proper food storage, knife usage, hygiene/sanitation, and food washing.

Third would be basic cooking skills. Different cooking methods (baking, broiling, steaming, stir-frying, etc), using a thermometer, following a recipe, etc.

Finally I think it would be great if kids were taught how grow their own and shop for food. Kids could learn to create a simple garden. Research shows when kids are involved in the growing and cooking of their food, they are much more likely to eat it, especially vegetables. They could also learn a little about composting. Wrapping up the class would be a piece on grocery shopping – teaching them to make a list, shop the perimeter and only pop into the aisles when necessary – its not aimless wandering looking for sales or food that looks good.

You would learn how to grow food, shop for food, cook food, store food and a little about nutrition. Not too shabby if you ask me.

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A Comprehensive Day in the Life

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition

While I have done many Day in the Life blogs, but today I wanted to do one that was a little more in depth than prior efforts. I will break down macros and calories for each meal, as well as provide a more thorough review of what other steps I take to improve my health and that of my family.

Ok, so let’s get down to it. Here is an example of a training day for me right now.

Wake @ 5:00

Breakfast @ 5:15

• ½ tbsp grass-fed butter from a local farm
• 5 whole pastured eggs from a local farm
• 2 Ezekiel sesame sprouted grain toast
• 2 tsp Betsy’s of Maine Organic Apple Butter (organic – apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)
• 1 banana
• 2oz POM Wonderful pomegranate juice
• 16oz water
• 12oz black coffee
• 1 multivitamin
• 2,000IU vitamin D
• 1 tsp Carlson’s fish oil
• 1 probiotic

Calories – 710   Protein – 40   Carbohydrates – 70   Fiber – 10   Fat – 30

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The Socio-Ecological Impact on Health

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition

I spend the majority of my time here providing information that people can use to improve their health and the health of their families (and clients). However, there is much more to improving the health of this nation than direct education.

There are many factors that impact how each individual chooses to not only eat, they also influence how much and how intensely we exercise, whether or not we smoke, how we drive, whether or not we wear our seat belt and so much more.

This is called the Socio-Ecological (or Social-Ecological) Model. It takes into account all of these other elements beyond just the individual that impact the individual, and it is imperative that we keep these elements in mind and strive to improve them.

These elements are things like Public Policy (federal, state and local laws and regulations), Community (social and cultural norms), Environment (home, work, school, etc), Interpersonal (family, friends) and then the Individual (demographics, attitude, knowledge). Clearly there are many factors that impact how each person makes choices about their health beyond just the individual themselves.

In fact here is a great quote by former Surgeon General David Satcher, from The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity, 2001:

“Many people believe that overweight and obesity is a personal responsibility. To some degree they are right, but it is also a community responsibility. When there are no safe, accessible places for children to play or adults to walk, jog, or ride a bike, that is a community responsibility. When school lunchrooms and office cafeterias do not provide healthy and appealing food choices, that is a community responsibility. When new or expectant mothers are not educated about the benefits of breastfeeding, that is a community responsibility. When we do not require daily physical education in our schools, that is also a community responsibility. There is much that we can and should do together.”

The point is that it is imperative that we begin to create an environment, in the broadest sense, that supports people making daily decisions that support their health. We need workplace environments that encourage employees to take walks at lunch, and if they provide food, they provide healthy food options.

We need to create school environments that bring back and emphasize the importance of play – recess, gym, etc. When I was a kid we got to outside twice per day for recess, one quick one in the morning and one longer one after lunch. We also had weekly gym class. Today with the overemphasis on standardized tests (whose scores would be improved if children were more physically active and fit) this has been lost from the curriculum.

We need to create communities where active lifestyles and healthy eating are encouraged and promoted. We can do this by creating biking, walking and running paths, etc and supporting local agriculture, farmer’s markets and CSA’s.

We need to disentangle our federal food policies from the interests of giant corporations (hello Monsanto). While they might never be separate, and that is ok, a greater emphasis of policies should be to improve the health of the citizens of this country, not to fatten the wallets of giant food corporations.

We also need to change social norms and expectations. If you don’t drink excessive alcohol or eat excessive junk/dessert at work parties, family gatherings, etc then you shouldn’t be looked at as a “health nut” you should be looked at as an example. We need to embrace physical activity, learn to unplug and decrease the stress in our lives and enjoy the outdoors more.

The point is that those of us who are passionate about improving the health of our families, our clients, our country and ourselves need to go beyond just personal education and choice. We need to work to impact the other elements of influence, and create an environment that promotes a healthy lifestyle.

To learn more about this check out this teaser trailer for a documentary called Designing Healthy Communities, a 4-part series that will be on public television come January, 2012.

Counting Reps to Counting Revenue

Filed under: General Health, Training

I want to give all of you guys a heads up that Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove’s online education course From Counting Reps to Counting Revenue is now available.

When it comes to succeeding in the business of fitness, there are few professionals that have achieved sustainable success like that of Alwyn Cosgrove.

He is someone that has been there, done that and continues to do it. He has also contributed mightily to the success of so many gyms around the country, including my former stomping grounds, Cressey Performance. Without Alwyn’s advice and guidance, CP would not be what it is today.

It also takes managing skills to win the CP fantasy football league

The National Fitness Business Alliance states that Alwyn’s gym, Results Fitness, is the most profitable gym per square foot in the country!

Once I finish my Master’s Degree and Dietetic Internship it is my goal to open my own fitness facility in southern Maine. I may come from a family of small business owners, as well as having been with Cressey Performance throughtout its growing pains, but I can honestly say that this program will be one of the most helpful experiences to achieve my dream.

If you own a gym or you’ve ever thought about starting one, do yourself a favor and take a look at Alwyn and Rachel’s course. This program is only available until Friday Sept. 4th at midnight, so don’t wait, sign up for From Counting Reps to Counting Revenue today!

Community Agriculture & Activities

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition

One of the biggest barriers preventing people from purchasing and consuming fresh local produce is often a matter of convenience. It is convenient to go to the supermarket and just buy what is there, there is no extra effort involved. You don’t have to find a farmer’s market or shop only at their limited time frames.

It is a one-stop shop and we use it as an excuse to not try harder to find better quality produce. I think it goes without saying that when you eat fresh produce the taste is beyond comparison to most store-bought items. Instead of being picked early and allowed to ripen on the trip to the store, local produce is picked when ripe and sold immediately.

This will provide a vast improvement in taste and a nutrition and is a much more sustainable practice than cross-country shipping of food. However, purchasing this food is easier said than done. People often feel like they don’t even know where to start or where to begin looking for access to local food.

So here is a solution for you – buy into Community Supported Agriculture. If you live in Maine as I do, here is a link to all of the CSA’s in the state. In addition, here is a link to all of the Farmer’s Markets in the state. These resources are now right at your fingertips (and I am sure there are websites like this for most states), so it is time to take action. No more excuses!

In addition people, including myself, often struggle to come up with ways to be more active during our free time. One of the best ideas is hiking, especially as we begin to enter fall. The temperatures are perfect, the views and beautiful and before you know it the leaves will be turning color and really taking it up another notch.

Now again, people often feel like they don’t know where to hike! Fortunately for you (well, for those of you in Maine) here is a link to all of the hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, and biking trails in the state. I am sure that most other states have sites like this as well.

I think it is important that we put information like this to use. Enjoying the outdoors has been shown to decrease stress levels beyond just the benefits from the exercise itself. Stress management is one of the key pillars to long-term health and quality of life.

Eat fresh, eat local and enjoy the outdoors. Simple advice that can make a world of difference in your life.

The Dangers & Solutions of Indoor Air Pollution

Filed under: General Health

While my field of study is nutrition, and I am also deeply involved in the strength and conditioning world, there are many more layers to our health than just those two areas. I am interested in improving the long-term quality of my life (and that of my family, and my readers), so from time to time I look into many other things outside my usual scope. Examples would include decreasing plastics, improving sleep quality, stress management techniques, and more.

Now I want to touch on something else – indoor air pollution. According to the EPA “Indoor air pollutants are unwanted, sometimes harmful materials in the air. Indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental health risks.” Among the top 5 environmental health risks, and yet no one talks about this?

In my mind this is a topic that is not discussed nearly enough. Just like the fact that flossing can help to prevent heart disease (and not flossing can increase risk) because of bacteria and inflammation, is not talked about enough.

While giving the full scientific breakdown of the process and totality of the research on the harmful effects of air pollution is beyond the scope of this post, I will touch on a few important elements and steps you can take to decrease your risk. If you really want to dig deep, there is a great article from Harvard Magazine that is quite educational and interesting – Cleaning the Air.

The real concern seems to be fine particles, 2.5 microns or smaller. Larger particles are trapped in the mucous lining of our nose, trachea and bronchi and never reach the lungs. However these smaller particles make it past these defenses and wreak havoc.

The mechanism for the problems they create are not fully understood, but we do know that they increase risk of lung cancer, emphysema, asthma, cardiovascular and heart disease, and Alzheimer’s as well as decreasing lifespan by up to 2 years!

The mechanisms for how these particles cause lung issues are fairly well understood, but how they contribute to cardiovascular and heart disease is not. Here are the hypotheses presented in the article:

“One hypothesis,” says Godleski, “since some of the effects are almost immediate, is that they must be neurally mediated.” Particles may stimulate nerve fibers in the lung. Signals relayed to the central nervous system may change the autonomic balance of the heart in ways that “make it more prone to arrhythmia and other effects, which in turn create the potential for a fatality.”

Another hypothesis suggests that, because particles cause inflammation of the lungs, inflammatory agents produced there may affect the heart in a negative way. Vasoconstrictors such as endothelin, for example, are secreted by the lungs when inflamed. The fact that mortality peaks 18 to 20 hours after the peak in a particle-pollution event (such as a smoggy day in summer) lends some support to this possibility; think of the way a sunburn can develop over time, after you leave the beach.

Finally, particles may pass through the lungs and actually reach the heart directly. This is thought to be the least likely scenario, says Godleski, but there is some evidence for it. Rogers is actively exploring the possibility with high-resolution laser-scanning microscopy.

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Reduce Your Waste

Filed under: General Health

My wife and I have made a concerted effort the past few months to really decrease the amount of trash we create by recycling everything we possibly can. It is amazing how many things we were just throwing away without thinking twice about it.

We don’t have our recycling picked up so we have to bring it ourselves to a sorting center, but in reality it is twice a month job, so it doesn’t take much effort at all. I look back at all of the items I threw away that could have been reused and it makes me wish I had tried a little harder back then.

However, we are making the effort now and that is the best we can do, so that is what I am asking of you guys. Make the effort. Recycle your yogurt containers, vegetable bags, berry containers, Ezekiel bread wrappers, cardboard, newspapers, glass, tin and anything else you can possibly think of.

So many items we purchase can be recycled and kept out of landfills, yet a great many of them end up there anyway. With a little effort we can change that, so lets make it happen.

Our next project to reduce our waste will be to start a compost pile. Things like banana peels, coffee grinds, egg shells and more can be composted, reduce waste and improve soil quality. Sounds like a winning combination to me!

Last but certainly not least, I also wanted to clue you guys in on who might be interested the brand new Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Upper Body. This is a follow up to last year’s awesome Muscle Imbalances Revealed – Lower Body, with contributions from the likes of the esteemed Tony Gentilcore (finally his first product!), Dean Somerset, Dr. Jeff Cubos and Rick Kaselj. If you are interested in presentations on corrective exercise, proper programming, myofascial training, advanced core training, soft tissue modalities and proper breathing strategies then this is right up your alley, so check it out!

Make Coffee Work For You

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition

While reading my dad’s Men’s Health I came across a rather off-hand comment in there that really struck home with me. While I rarely read the articles in Men’s Health, I do like their recap of nutrition studies and the small blurbs of information in the beginning of the magazine.

These blurbs often inspire blog post ideas and research to look into, so I find it very helpful. In the case of this off-hand comment, it was about coffee consumption. While I don’t recall who made the comment, it was simple but brilliant and made a lot of sense.

It said something to the effect of only using coffee in small bursts to help you get through your day. 8-12oz at a pop will provide you with plenty of caffeine to power through for hours. When you need another pick-me-up, another 8-12oz is all you need.

While seemingly simple, how many people actually only have 8-12oz in one sitting? How many people only get a small coffee at the drive though, in the cafeteria or at home? Most of us do the traditional American thing, if some is good more must be better!

The fact is that having 20oz of coffee will certainly provide you with more caffeine, but there comes a point of diminishing returns. Once you get past the 8-12oz mark, you are simply just making yourself more jittery and jacked up rather than alert and focused. And if you do this 2-3 times per day, the problems are just compounding!

The more coffee you drink, the more you will feel you need. Plus drinking a ton of coffee and caffeine can disrupt sleep patterns, decreasing sleep quality and increasing your need for coffee! It can be a vicious cycle.

Research shows you get the majority of coffee’s health benefits with the least amount of potential side affects with roughly 24oz per day. So three 8oz, or two 12oz servings would be perfect. Any more than that and you start to trend into the territory where excess coffee consumption tends to cause some issues.

Have small bursts of coffee to get you going and enjoy its health benefits without going overboard. Plus you will save money. This will also allow you to get in more tea during the day. It’s a win win win.

In my mind this set up will allow a nice 12oz of coffee at breakfast, say 5:30am. Then another 12oz in the mid-morning, say 9:30am. Well now you are carried through into the afternoon, unfortunately this is where some people can get a little sleepy. Unless you absolutely are crushed, I recommend against coffee in the afternoon, as that much caffeine then can interrupt sleep patterns.

Instead you can have a delicious cup of green tea after lunch at 1:00pm, which has the added bonus of keeping you satisfied for an increased amount of time (another tidbit picked up from MH), preventing snacking before dinner. Then another green tea at 3:30 or 4:00pm to finish out the day strong.

While green tea does have some caffeine to help perk you up, it also contains calming elements like L-theanine which will help you focus, and won’t disrupt your sleep patterns like coffee will. Not too mention its plethora of other health benefits.

Now you get the best of both worlds with a smart and efficient method for increased energy and focus. Let me know what you think!