Filed under: General Health, Nutrition
So this is the end of my last week home with Anna and Kate before my Dietetic Internship begins full-time on Monday, which is a little bittersweet. I am excited to start my internship, but I am saddened to be seeing far less of my wife and baby girl!
While I love her to pieces, I do hope the sleep schedule improves soon!
Anyway there are several other points I want to make today, which are a little bit more nutrition and fitness related.
1. A theme I see quite often with online consulting clients is allowing meetings or other free food opportunities to dictate their food choices. While I understand this can be a nice money-saver, which I am all for, it is important to ensure that the choices you make in these situations are solid.
You might be able to get a quality sandwich or other entree, but often the sides are poor. At the very least you can consume a quality entree and bring your own sides, such as some fruit or veggies and hummus.
2. What are everyone’s thoughts on the ditching of the Food Pyramid in favor of the new MyPlate? I think it is definitely MUCH easier for people to understand and apply to their own eating, however it still does not address the issue of the actual choices people make to make up their plate, which is often the real problem.
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Filed under: General Health, Nutrition
As I excitedly pointed out last week, I was in Men’s Health for the first time. While the articles can be a little hit or miss for me, overall it is far and away the best mainstream source of fitness information out there. They have great guys like Bill Hartman, Mike Robertson and more writing for them, which certainly helps their cause.
However, the best part of the magazine for me are the research bulletins in the beginning. They discuss really cool new findings that I love reading about. While I am sure plenty of you read the magazine, for those that don’t I wanted to outline a few of those new findings, as I thought they were really interesting.
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Filed under: General Health, Nutrition
This is a question I get asked a lot, and it is one that has always been hard to answer. Obviously getting local eggs from farmer’s markets or directly from local farms that allow their chickens to pasture, eat grubs and whatever else they please.
However, this isn’t always feasible, even for me. So, what do you choose?
Fortunately a client of mine pointed me in the right direction. Many of you should be familiar with The Cornucopia Institute, as I have linked many times to their report on organic dairies. It is my go to resource for helping clients find quality grass-fed dairy in their area.
However, I had never realized that they researched more than just dairy! They also did a report on organic egg producers, which was absolutely fantastic. It was very eye-opening, and will cause me to change my grocery store egg choice.
Now that it is summer, I will have access to tremendous eggs that are locally grown and allowed to do their thing. In the winter though, the grocery store is what we turn to. Plus there are just times when you get in a bind and just need some eggs, so this report has been very helpful to me, and can be very helpful to all of you as well.
Check out the Cornucopia Institute Organic Egg Scorecard, and make an informed choice.
Filed under: General Health, Nutrition
I recently wrote an article on phytic acid that caused several questions and concerns in the comments section. I thought they were worth being put in a more public forum than the comments, so I am going to respond to them here.
Questions/Comments
1. According to wiki ” Simply cooking the food will reduce the phytic acid to some degree” So we can toast our brown bread to reduce the Phytic acid content!
2. Brian, one of the ingredients in Ezekiel bread is wheat gluten? Are you not concerned with the fact that gluten is added as an additional ingredient.
3. That’s interesting. How much does Phytic acid add up to in the grand scheme of things?
4. Sprouting and soaking doesn’t Eliminate all the phytic acid It only reduces the amount and then there is the issue of lectin, another anti-nutrient found in grains.
I guess my point is what benefit, besides convience (which could be argued), does eating bread provide. Especially when we have plenty of non-processed carbs available to use without the negative attributes!
Answers:
1. While I appreciate the humor, the degree to which it is decreased is probably minimal at best. Cooking can definitely decrease the content, but starting with less in the first place is a far superior option.
2. Unless you have a gluten sensitivity, no I am not concerned. There is still less gluten in Ezekiel products than regular bread. Gluten is a sticky protein which keeps bread together, Ezekiel bread is not nearly as strong due to its lowered gluten content. It contains far more than just wheat, with legumes and other grains that are gluten free.
3. That is a good question, and I guess it depends on how much of your diet is dominated by phytic acid-containing foods. If you don’t consume a ton of grains, it probably isn’t a huge concern. Regardless, to me it is a small change to make for definite improvement.
4. While it doesn’t decrease all of the phytic acid, it does decrease a lot of it (which is what I said in the post). As far as I know sprouting also greatly decreases the lectin content in the grains as well. While grains may not be the ideal carb source, for most people a moderate grain intake from properly prepared grains (like sprouting) is not an issue. I do agree that starchy tubers like potatoes or sweet potatoes are probably better, sprouted grains are a solid choice as well.
I think the fastidious belief that all grains are evil, gluten is the devil and that we should all eat low carb is another fanatical view that is missing the big picture. Humans have consumed these foods, with proper preparation, for a very long time. Some people don’t tolerate grains or gluten well, and for those people it is best to minimize or avoid, but you can’t extrapolate that subset of the population out to everybody.
Filed under: General Health, Nutrition
What is phytic acid and why is it a concern is a question I get from a lot of people. Fortunately the answer is short and sweet, and there is a very easy solution to the phytic acid problem in grains.
Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that is present in many foods, grains in particular. Whole wheat bread is a rich source of phytic acid. While it may be “better” than white bread, it is certainly not perfect.
Phytic acid binds to and prevents the absorption of many important minerals such as zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium, as well as the vitamin niacin. This could potentially lead to mineral deficiencies and some corresponding health problems that none of us want.
To solve this issue you can go one of two directions. You can choose white bread, as the refining process removes the bran where the phytic acid is located, or you can choose sprouted grain breads, as the sprouting process greatly decreases the phytic acid content while also increasing the mineral content.
The white bread option is clearly not a favorable one, as the refined flours contain far less fiber, phytonutrients, and minerals while also jacking up blood sugar. Fortunately sprouted grains have a far lesser effect on blood sugar, contain more fiber, more phytonutrients and more bioavailable vitamins and minerals.
The clear choice on bread and bread products are sprouted grain versions. They contain more of what you want, and less of what you don’t. They are becoming more highly available in the health food section of your local grocer, and are usually found in the freezer as they don’t contain any preservatives. You can simply keep them in the fridge.
Having said all that, is having whole-wheat products a bad thing? I wouldn’t go that far, but I do think sprouted grains are far superior and would highly recommend them.
Filed under: General Health, Nutrition
First off I want to quickly say that things have been a little crazy around these parts. I have had several clients tell me to make it more clear on here why I have been unable to blog much as of late. As I noted in a previous blog, April was an insane month for me, and the end of it spilled into May. I was working hard to maintain my 4.0 (making my mom proud) and I was absolutely swamped by my thesis work, as I am racing to get it done before my daughter is born.
Speaking of that, Anna is due any day now (it was technically last Friday) so that has also been a huge part of my life as we prepare for the arrival of our daughter!
So I hope all of you will forgive this small blip in writing, as I will be back on track as soon as I can.
Q. Hey Brian,
After reading Poliquin’s article on GMO foods HERE
He pulls up some research on mice showing the negative side effects of GMO foods and I was wondering what your take on them were. Is there only one side to this argument?
A. I’m not a fan, simply because so little is truly known about their long-term effects on human health. I find it hilarious that RD’s will comment on my blog and say they need to see more data on the safety of protein, because there are no long-term studies showing a high intake to be safe, and yet nobody questions the safety of eating genetically modified foods? We have been eating protein since the dawn of time, and health professionals question its safety, yet GMOs have only been around for 20 years or so and they seem to get a free pass. Seems a little backwards to me.
Many GMOs are banned in European countries (like France), and there is definitely some research in animals that makes me even more wary. Having said that, they might turn out to be just fine, but I have my doubts and I tend to avoid them simply to err on the side of caution. I certainly can’t prove that they will kill you, but I prefer not to chance it either.
In addition the companies that create these “foods” are not companies who I would ever want producing my food. Monsanto is not exactly concerned about your well-being, they are only concerned about their bottom line. Watch Food, Inc, it may make you never want to purchase another Monsanto product ever again.
Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Training
I know my blogging has been lacking a little bit lately, I have just been swamped with my school work and thesis research the past two weeks. I have some good topic ideas that I just haven’t had time to flesh out, but once I do it will be a BSP Avalanche of Awesome, so keep your eyes peeled!
I also wanted to let you guys know that Mike Robertson has released on DVD his Bulletproof Knees and Back Seminar that he presented in Vancouver in late 2010. As usual Mike has provided a high-quality product that would benefit any fitness professional or fitness enthusiast.
Considering that about 80% of the population will develop low back pain at some time or another, and many of us suffer from knee issues as well, Bulletproof Knees and Back is well worth checking out.
Here is some good content from others that I thought might interest you guys.
Maine Voices: Health hazard signs require understanding and action – Dr. Larry Catlett. This was sent to me by one of my best friends, as this article was written by his boss. It voices my opinion on the topic of healthcare models, and how it is imperative that we shift our mindset to a preventive/proactive approach. It is simple and clear and very enjoyable.
How to Deadlift: Which Variation is Right for You? (series) – Eric Cressey. Eric is in the midst of a phenomenal series on the benefits of deadlifting, outlining appropriate technique, and specifically discussing when and where you may want to utilize conventional, sumo or trap bar variations.
Organic or Conventional: Is There a Difference? – ME! This is an oldie but a goodie, that I think is still a relevant topic. Maybe even more so with the ever increasing gas prices and the impact on produce prices and food budgets.
Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Weight Loss
What’s More Important?
This is a central question that everyone needs to ask themselves. While this can apply to all facets of life, I am going to focus on diet and nutrition, obviously.
To me many people make their food choices seemingly on a whim, or what sounds good at the time. I am sorry to say, that approach does not lead down the path of success. Instead people need to become more mindful of their choices.
My proposition is to get people to ask themselves “what’s more important to you?” Is it more important that you lose 20lbs or have a soda everyday? Is it more important that you walk around at sub 10% bodyfat, or that you hang out with your friends and enjoy yourself on the weekends (and instead you are 12% bodyfat)?
I am not saying which choice is the “right” one, I am asking you to decide which choice is more important to YOU. To some having a soda everyday makes them happy (or at least they think it does, which might be the same thing), and if you choose to make that decision everyday so be it, but do not bemoan the fact that you can’t lose those 20lbs. You made a conscious choice. If losing the 20lbs was truly more important, you would drop the soda.
This is similar to the idea that people are willing to give up what they want the most (to be lean) for what they want right now (CAKE!).
Situations like this happen all of the time. People want to get stronger, or they want to get leaner, or they want to gain some muscle, yet they are not willing to give up habits that prevent these things from happening. This would be fine if they were ok with the fact that their consistent choices are what have gotten them where they are.
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However, if you really want to be different, look different, feel different, perform different than you currently are, then you have to decide what is more important to you – The change you say you want, or the choices you currently make that have you where you are? TV or the gym? Getting up a few minutes earlier and making breakfast, or sleeping in and getting Dunkin Donuts? Spending 10 minutes each morning preparing 2-3 meals/snacks for the day, or not and just eating at restaurants or work and hoping for the best? The list goes on and on.
The choices are yours, you just need to decide what is more important to you.
Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Training
I haven’t done a random thoughts post in a long time, and I have been attending many interesting seminar presentations the past few weeks in grad school, as well as doing my own presenting. In addition I read a rather interesting paper on moving beyond standard LDL-C numbers in assessing CVD risk (though it was written by people who consult/work for Big Pharma, so I am a little skeptical of their conclusions).
1. Many peopled still believe that increasing their protein intake will damage their kidneys or lead to bone loss or some other nonsensical statement that is not supported in the literature in healthy people. This is even what is stated in our nutrition textbooks! In the dietetic world, there is pervasive thought that high protein is unhealthy and dangerous, even though this has never been demonstrated. In short it is a complete and utter myth.
One of my classmates presented some research she did in her undergrad on this exact topic. She worked with Dr. Lonnie Lowery and compared weight lifters who habitually consumed high protein diets (250g/day), compared to matched weight lifters who consumed more normal protein intakes (109g/day).
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Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Training, Weight Loss
The fact of the matter in this industry is that there are a ton of people who market themselves as experts, and very few actually have a damn clue about what they are doing. It is an unfortunate state of affairs, but it is what it is.
People saw an opportunity to make money without having to actually be really good at what they do, and they took advantage of it. However, there does seem to be a subset of people who generally care about being good, honest and getting their clients results.
While we may not all agree on everything, we all understand many of the same concepts, and actually have a grasp on the literature on fitness. We don’t just perpetuate dogma or write things that are controversial and sexy just for a few more sales. Its about good content, and good results.
With all of this in mind, I think Mark Young has created an absolutely fantastic new product – How to Read Fitness Research. Mark makes it simple and straightforward. Explaining in layman’s terms what I spent several semesters learning about!
Whether you are a fitness professional or even a fitness junkie who loves to be informed, this would be a tremendous tool in your arsenal. To many, reading research articles is like reading German. This is where Mark comes in with his research Rosetta Stone.
He will teach you how to use Pubmed, give an overview of how research is generally conducted, how to read research, what are the best journals to subscribe to (and even how to get some for free!), how to know the quality of that data, and most of all how to interpret and apply the results. Now, he may not be able to teach you the nitty gritty of neurophysiology, but he can certainly give you the foundational knowledge to comprehend the basic tenets of ALL research.
Learning these new skills will make you far better at sifting through the junk, and knowing fact from fiction. Whether you are a fitness professional who needs to increase their knowledge and provide a better service for their clients, or a fitness enthusiast who simply wants to be able to read some research and know what is going on, this would be the greatest tool for you.
I took a class last semester called Research Methods and Biostatistical Techniques. That class cost me over $1200 to learn exactly what Mark is teaching and more (plus his is much more exciting, that’s for sure) for only $77! And in fact, How to Read Fitness Research is on sale this week through Friday for only $37!
Posted on June 3rd, 2011 by Brian St. Pierre
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