Nutrition

James T. Kirk and the crew of the starship Enterprise believed that space was the final frontier - an undiscovered territory with alien worlds, unknown life forms and new civilizations. And so they set out to go where no man had gone before.

Under the leadership of Kirk and his crew, a new generation of nutrition and exercise scientists have embarked on their own voyage of discovery to explore the background of human physiology. Here on Earth, nutrition and exercise researchers have come to the conclusion that the final frontier of muscle building is nutrient timing. And while the science of nutrient timing isn't nearly as exciting as beaming women from alien galaxies aboard your spaceship, if you use it right, this science could help you land some hot women from this galaxy.

What is nutrient timing?

In terms of manipulating body composition and athletic performance, traditional nutritionists have spent much of their time trying to figure out how much and what you should eat to do this. Of course, both of these approaches are of enormous value. Although a myriad of factors influence energy balance (many more factors than a simple assessment of how much you eat and how much you exercise), the laws of thermodynamics are the primary determinant of weight gain and weight loss. Therefore, the question of how much you eat is crucial when it comes to changing your body composition (and indirectly your performance).

But the conventional thermodynamics approach only tells you part of the story. Ultimately, very few people would benefit from focusing solely on weight gain or weight loss. Instead, the focus should be on the composition of the gains or losses. If you are losing equal amounts of fat and muscle in a state of negative energy balance, or gaining equal amounts of fat and muscle in a state of positive energy balance, then you are probably not using the full spectrum of nutrition and training information available to your advantage.

While this may be an oversimplified view of a very complex topic, the thermodynamic approach of measuring calorie intake versus calorie expenditure can in some ways maintain the status quo of body shape. If you have the right genetic predispositions, then the calorie intake vs. calorie expenditure approach may even be all you need to look better naked at any body weight.

But if this isn't the case, then simply counting calories will probably just make you a lighter or heavier version of your former self - and if you're unhappy with your shape, then you won't necessarily like the lighter or heavier version of this).

To get around some of the limitations of the thermodynamic or calorie balance approach, scientists have studied the effects of food choices on changes in body composition. Although these studies are still in their infancy, it is becoming increasingly clear that there is something to the "good" food thing. Despite what naysayers say, once the energy balance is covered, some carbohydrates are better than others. Likewise, some proteins are better than others and some fats are better than others.

Therefore, even if you eat the same amount of calories, choosing foods wisely can upregulate your metabolism, shift your hormonal profile and change the composition of your weight gain or loss - not to mention the health benefits of better diet composition.

As you can see, the science of what you eat has added to the previous big picture, which only considered calories, and expanded our understanding of how to manipulate body composition. By considering the laws of thermodynamics and eating accordingly, we can pave the way for weight loss or weight gain. And by choosing our foods wisely, we could take control of what kind of gains or weight losses we will see. In some ways, the science of what we should eat has given us the power to overcome some of our genetic tendencies (i.e. overall body shape).

While approaches that take into account how much we eat and what we eat already provide us with a ton of great nutritional information, a new field of research looking at nutrient timing has shown that manipulating the temporal dimension can further help us take control of our body composition and athletic performance. For this reason, nutrient timing - or the science of when you should eat - is becoming an important part of nutrition planning.

What's so special about when we eat?

For the average person who doesn't exercise, the principles of nutrient timing aren't particularly important. Sure, glucose tolerance/insulin sensitivity changes throughout the day, but these changes are usually not critical when it comes to determining nutritional needs. For these people, what and how much they eat is the most important thing. However, while nutrient timing may not be critical for the average person, its importance for athletes should not be underestimated - and this applies to all types of athletic disciplines from team sports to endurance sports to training with weights.

In their book "Nutrient Timing" by Dr. John Ivy and Dr. Robert Portman, you will find an excellent commentary on the current state of sports nutrition practice. In this book, the authors highlight the fact that as scientists began to learn more about the nutritional needs of athletes (i.e. higher energy requirements and the benefits of increased protein intake), many athletes have adopted an attitude of "if protein is good, then more protein is better". In other words, this means that when an athlete finds out that something is "good", they will try to get a lot of it. And for many athletes, the reverse is also true, if they find out that something is 'bad', they will try to avoid it at all costs.

Unfortunately, this is nothing more than a combination of the "how much" and the "what" approach to nutrition. Combine this with a very naive good vs. bad approach to nutrition and you have the perfect recipe for a sub-optimal food intake. Ultimately, very few foods are always good or always bad. This is unfortunate for two reasons.

First, much of the current scientific evidence points to the fact that if you exercise regularly, your body is as much pre-programmed to gain or lose fat as it is to gain or lose muscle at certain times of the day. Add the wrong foods at the wrong times and you will sabotage your efforts in the gym. Add the right foods at the right times and you will see a huge boost forward.

Secondly, some foods (e.g. sugar), although not optimal at certain times of the day, can be very beneficial at other times of the day (e.g. post-workout).

Now let's move beyond the overly simplistic approach to nutrition and take a look at the basics of nutrient timing. In their book, authors Dr. Ivy and Dr. Portman point to three critical times of the day during which nutrient timing is of greater importance. They refer to these three times as the energy phase, anaerobic phase and growth phase. I will add to these three phases another phase that I call the "rest of the day phase".

Nutrient timing - the energy phase

The energy phase is so named because this is the phase during training when energy requirements are at their highest. As you probably know, ATP is the form of energy used by skeletal muscle. This ATP is formed from macronutrients in the diet, which means that carbohydrates, proteins and fats indirectly contribute to the energy of muscle contractions.

The high rates of energy demand during exercise are therefore covered by nutrients consumed and/or stored (the ratio depends on the timing of food intake). This breakdown of nutrients - even if it is absolutely necessary - is by definition catabolic. For this reason, the training phase is characterized by a series of anabolic and catabolic effects.

Although these phenomena are nothing new and occur during most types of exercise, the idea that targeted nutritional intake can shift the anabolic/catabolic balance during exercise and enhance some of the anabolic effects of exercise while reducing some of the catabolic effects is still something relatively new (1; 4; 10; 11; 17).

Here's an example: a protein-carbohydrate supplement consumed pre-workout or in sips during exercise can increase blood flow to skeletal muscle. Since this drink not only increases blood flow, but also enriches the blood with amino acids and glucose, the protein balance of the trained muscle will shift towards a positive protein balance, while the depletion of glycogen stores is significantly slowed down. In addition to this, these amino acids and these glucose units, regardless of their effects on muscle protein and glycogen status, can lead to a reduction in cortisol concentrations and improve the overall immune response.

When consumed in liquid form throughout the training session, this supplement can also prevent dehydration, which is a potent performance killer in both endurance and strength athletes. That's not too shabby for a little old protein-carbohydrate drink, is it?

The "when", the "what" and the "how much" of the energy phase

When you look at the science of nutrient timing in detail, it becomes clear that one of the key phases for nutritional intake is the period of the energy phase, or the period during exercise. Of course, we should not neglect the "what" and the "how much". These will probably be your next two questions, which is why we will address them here.

As mentioned above, it is important to consume some protein and carbohydrates during the energy phase. In my experience, the easiest way to do this is to consume an easily digestible carbohydrate - protein drink. This drink could consist of a well diluted (a 6 to 10% solution, which means 60 to 80 grams of powder to one liter of water) combination of glucose, maltodextrin and whey protein or hydrolyzed whey protein. Proper dilution is important, especially if you are an endurance athlete or training in a hot environment. If you don't dilute your drink enough, you may not be replenishing your body's water stores at an optimal rate (9, 12).

Now that we know when and what to drink, the next question is how much of it. Unfortunately, this question is not so easy to answer. How much you should eat has a lot to do with how much energy you expended during your training session, how much you consume during the rest of the day, whether your primary goal is to build muscle or lose fat, and a number of other factors. However, to give a simple answer, I would recommend starting with 0.8 grams of carbohydrate and 0.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, diluted with about a liter of water over the duration of your workout (5, 17-20). For a person weighing 100 kilograms, this would be 80 grams of carbohydrates and 40 grams of protein during training.

Nutrient timing - the anabolic phase

The anabolic phase begins immediately after training and lasts for one to two hours. This phase is called "anabolic" because the muscle cells are prepared for muscle growth during this period. Interestingly, even though the cells are being prepared for growth, this phase can remain catabolic in the absence of a good nutritional strategy.

Without adequate nutrient intake, the phase immediately following strength or endurance training is characterized by net muscle catabolism - that's right, muscle tissue continues to be broken down even after training. If you are now asking yourself how this can be, then you are asking the right question. Ultimately, training (and especially training with weights) should make you more muscular, not leaner. And even if you are an endurance athlete, training should not break down your muscles. So how can exercise be so catabolic?

Well, even though the first few hours after exercise induce a net catabolic state (although the rate of protein synthesis increases after exercise, so does the rate of protein breakdown), the body begins to transition to an anabolic state later in the recovery cycle (8, 14). So we typically break down muscle tissue for a while after exercise and then start to rebuild it - and more muscle tissue - later.

However, there is new scientific research that shows that with the right nutritional intervention (protein and carbohydrate supplementation), we can get the repair and rebuilding process to occur during and immediately after exercise (16, 17). Best of all, if we do the nutritional thing right, not only can we activate the repair process faster during and after exercise, but we can also alter the changes in muscle size and/or quality afterwards (16).

The "when", the "what" and the "how much" of the anabolic phase

From now on, when planning your nutrient intake, it's better to consider the energy phase and the anabolic phase as the two key phases of nutrient timing. To maximize your muscle gains and optimize your recovery, you should therefore consume nutrients both during and immediately after training. And again we come to the question of "what" and "how much".

As mentioned above, it is important to consume protein and carbohydrates during the anabolic phase. As with the energy phase, in my experience it is easiest to do this with the help of an easily digestible carbohydrate and protein drink. This drink could consist of a well diluted (a 6 to 10% solution, which means 60 to 80 grams of powder to one liter of water) combination of glucose, maltodextrin and whey protein or hydrolyzed whey protein.

Although the dilution in this case is not as important for rehydration as during the energy phase, as you have already stopped training - and probably sweating - the dilution now serves to prevent digestive problems. I won't go into the details at this point, but simply ask you to take my word for it. You need to dilute.

Now that we know what we should be eating and when we should be eating it, it's time to figure out how much of it we should be eating. Just like during the energy phase, the "how much" has a lot to do with how much energy you expended during your workout, how much you eat during the rest of the day, whether your primary goal is to build muscle or lose fat, etc.

However, just as with the energy phase, a simple recommendation during the anabolic phase is to consume another serving of a drink consisting of 0.8 grams of carbohydrate and 0.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight diluted with approximately one liter of water (5, 17-20).

If you add up the basic recommendations of the energy phase and the anabolic phase, you will find that I have recommended a total consumption of 1.6 grams of carbohydrates and 0.8 grams of protein. For a 100 kilo person, this would be a total of 160 grams of carbohydrates and 80 grams of protein during and immediately after training. Based on what you would normally consider "a lot" of carbs, this may or may not look like a lot of carbs to you.

Regardless, it's important to understand that during and after exercise, insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance are very good (2, 3, 13, 15, 21). Even if you believe you have poor carbohydrate tolerance based on your experience (which too many people do for no real reason), your carbohydrate tolerance will be much better during and after exercise.

And when you consider that most of the carbohydrates you consume during and immediately after exercise are either burned for energy or used to replenish glycogen stores in muscles and liver (even at elevated insulin concentrations) and that the post-workout phase is characterized by a dramatic increase in the rate of fat metabolism (6,7), it should be clear that even a drink with plenty of carbohydrates and protein will not directly lead to an increase in body fat.

However, you should ensure that you compensate for this increased carbohydrate intake during and after exercise by reducing your carbohydrate intake during other times of the day when glycogen resynthesis is not as efficient and an increase in insulin levels is not as beneficial.

For this consideration, it should be clear that using the principles of nutrient timing, you can fuel your body with carbohydrates during and after exercise while reducing your carbohydrate intake during the rest of the day. By using this strategy, carbohydrates are delivered at the exact time when they can best be converted into muscle glycogen and best stimulate muscle growth and/or repair.

If your goal is to build muscle, you will build more muscle per gram of carbohydrate consumed. If, on the other hand, your goal is to lose fat, then you will store more muscle glycogen and achieve a pronounced muscle-protective effect even if you consume fewer carbohydrates during the day. And if maximum athletic performance is your goal, then your recovery will improve dramatically.

Before we go any further, it's important to understand that the 960 kcal I've recommended for a 100 kilo person is better utilized during and after exercise than at other times of the day and this is the crux of nutrient timing. Nutrients consumed during the energy phase and the anabolic phase can contribute to muscle building, muscle repair and recovery to a greater extent than the same nutrients consumed at other times of the day.

Now that we have covered what you should eat during the energy phase and the anabolic phase, in the second part of this article I will give you some recommendations on what you should consume during the remaining two phases of the nutrient timing cycle.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/science-of-nutrient-timing-1

By John Berardi, PhD

Frequent traveler Nick Ludlow has put together the ultimate guide to supplementing while traveling. Improve your progress by learning what you should use and when you should use it.

The first part of this article looks at the topic of supplements when traveling in general, as well as the supplements that are considered essential by the author for frequent travelers - and in particular athletically active people who travel a lot. In the second part of this article, we will take a look at other supplements that are not absolutely necessary, but can still prove beneficial in many situations.

As frequent travelers, we don't have the luxury of lugging around a whole cupboard full of the latest supplements. The aim of this article is to outline the supplements that may be useful for someone who is frequently on the road and traveling, and perhaps living out of a suitcase and in hotels more often than in their own home.

Let's start with a basic question:

Should I buy powders or capsules if I'm a frequent traveler?

Excellent question! However, I hesitate to make a blanket recommendation here, as the answer depends largely on the supplement in question. Here is a collection of pros and cons of both powdered and capsule supplements.

Advantages of powdered supplements

• If the quantity of ingredients is kept constant, then powdered supplements will be cheaper than capsule supplements portion for portion.
• If the portions are measured before traveling, then portioning on the go is very easy as the measured powder only needs to be added to liquid and is ready to consume immediately after mixing.
• Powder can be stored in any type of airtight container such as small twist-top tins or even zip-lock bags.

Disadvantages of supplements in powder form

• If you don't measure your supplements in advance and don't take a scale with you, it can be quite difficult to estimate the right portion size by eye. Many measuring scoops found in supplement powders, when filled to the brim, are slightly larger than the recommended serving size stated on the label. One way to avoid this mistake is to weigh a scoop filled with the desired amount before traveling and then fill it with the exact amount by eye while on the go.
• Powders can make a huge mess if the container opens unintentionally in your luggage.

Advantages of supplements in capsule form

• Capsules offer a clean way to dose a supplement without the need for a scale or measuring spoon to determine the correct amount of active ingredients.
• The correct dosage of capsules can be quickly measured by counting the capsules.
• Capsules can be transported and stored in any type of container from a zip-lock bag to a pillbox.
• If the container of capsules opens accidentally, the contents of your suitcase are unlikely to be ruined.

Disadvantages of supplements in capsule form

• For the same amount of active ingredients, capsules are more expensive per serving than powders.
• Not all supplements are offered in capsule form.
• For some supplements, such as BCAAs, it may be necessary to take 10 or more capsules to get the same amount of amino acids as a scoop of BCAAs in powder form.

*Note - If you regularly travel by plane, I would recommend leaving the capsules or powder in their original containers if possible. Although I've never had any issues, the last thing you want is to be pulled out of line during security or customs due to undefinable capsules or powder. If the original container is too large and you need to repackage the supplement, then I would carefully label the contents and explain to the screeners that you are a frequent flyer and want to stay healthy while traveling. I've never met an inspector who couldn't understand how hard it is to stay healthy when you're constantly on the move.

The essential supplements

What is protein powder and why should you use it?

Protein is one of the three macronutrients found in food and is made up of amino acids. Protein powder is a dehydrated, granulated form of protein made from one or more sources such as whey, milk, casein, soy, eggs, hemp, wheat or rice. Protein powders are an inexpensive and convenient way to increase your protein intake, control your hunger, improve your muscle recovery and increase your lean muscle mass.

How should you use protein?

The following guidelines for daily protein intake are based on your activity level and goals:

• If you are an athlete or a very physically active person trying to lose body fat while maintaining your lean muscle mass, a protein consumption of 1.5 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is a good target.
• If you are an athlete or a very physically active person, or if you are a less physically active person trying to lose fat while maintaining your lean muscle mass, a protein consumption of 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is a good goal.
• If you are a physically inactive person who is not trying to change your body composition, then a protein intake of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day is a good target.

At protein intakes above 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, the law of diminishing returns kicks in in terms of body composition benefits, but there are no significant negative side effects to be expected from protein consumption in the range of 2.2 to 4.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, as long as you don't suffer from kidney problems - the excess protein is typically converted into glucose, which your body uses as an energy source.

Which is better - protein powder or protein bars?

Although this is a slightly different context, you could apply the pros and cons of powdered and capsule supplements to this question.

Protein powders are usually significantly cheaper per gram of protein than protein bars, the serving size can be controlled by the user and they usually have a lower calorie density than bars. As for me, I've been flying on 5 to 15 sachets of whey protein powder a week for the last 9 months with no problems. To be on the safe side, I clearly labeled the bags WHEY. I usually use a protein powder with under 120 kcal and 20+ grams of protein per serving.

With bars, you don't need a scale or measuring spoon to measure out a serving, but they are usually significantly more expensive per gram of protein than protein powder. Protein bars usually contain additional carbohydrates and fats to improve taste and texture. Protein bars may also contain added fiber, vitamins and minerals that are often not present in protein powders. I usually use bars with under 300 kcal and 20+ grams (ideally 30+ grams) of protein per bar.

What is creatine and why should I use it?

Creatine is a natural chemical that is naturally produced by the body, but can also be obtained from food or supplements. Creatine supplementation can improve exercise performance, increase muscle mass, improve anaerobic cardiovascular capacity and increase power release.

As people who travel a lot, we already face many challenges with diet, sleep and activity, but creatine is an excellent way to boost performance during both weight training and cardio activities. Creatine is not a steroid and will not cause kidney problems in healthy people who do not suffer from kidney disease and are hydrated.

How much creatine should you use?

Creatine can be conveniently dosed as a supplement in either powder or capsule form. Below are some common forms of creatine and their recommended dosages:

• Creatine Monohydrate Loading Protocol: take 0.3 grams of creatine per kilogram of body weight for 5 to 7 days in several single doses throughout the day and reduce the dosage to 5 grams per day after the loading phase to maintain elevated creatine levels
• Creatine monohydrate maintenance protocol: 2g creatine per day to maintain average creatine levels
• Creatine ethyl ester - 4.5g per day
• Creatine Nitrate - 1-2g per day
• Kre-Alkalyn - 1.5 g per day

Author's opinion: If creatine is taken daily, I personally see no reason for a loading phase unless you want to accelerate saturation of the body with creatine. In addition to this, creatine monohydrate is the most cost effective option that is just as efficient as the more expensive creatine products.

What is fish oil and why should you use it?

Fish oil contains high concentrations of the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are important for numerous bodily functions including, but not limited to, muscle activity, blood clotting, digestion, fertility, cell division and growth. Adequate fish oil intake can help lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure, reduce inflammation, increase levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and lower triglyceride levels.

As people who travel, sit and eat frequently, fish oil is an excellent way to combat the negative effects of a typical Western diet rich in pro-inflammatory, processed foods. Many athletically active people who supplement with fish oil also report that fish oil can reduce muscle soreness after exercise.

How much fish oil should you take?

To maximize the benefits of fish oil, daily supplementation is recommended - it may take days or even weeks for the benefits to be felt. The US National Institute of Health recommends the following dosages:

• For high blood pressure and/or high triglyceride levels: 2 grams of EPA and 1.4 grams of DHA per day
• To support weight loss: 0.66 grams of EPA and 0.6 grams of DHA per day
• To optimize overall health and reduce muscle soreness, I have been supplementing with 2.8 grams of a combination of EPA and DHA for the past three years.

What are multivitamins and why should I use them?

A multivitamin is typically available in capsule or tablet form and is a convenient way to increase your intake of vitamins and minerals, which can be difficult to do through food alone. The contents of a multivitamin product may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but typically these products contain at least the following vitamins and minerals: A, B, C, D, E, K, iodine, magnesium, zinc, copper and selenium.

A prolonged deficiency of one or more of these vitamins and minerals can lead to unwanted conditions or illness. A multivitamin product is an excellent, inexpensive "insurance policy" against such a deficiency, which can be especially important for frequent travelers whose diet can vary drastically from day to day.

How much should you use?

Not all multivitamins are created equal. In an attempt to cut costs, many multivitamin manufacturers use forms of vitamins and minerals that are poorly absorbed by the body. Look out for "chelated" minerals and don't shy away from products that contain vitamins - especially B vitamins - in doses above the officially recommended intake. High doses of these water-soluble vitamins will have no negative effects on healthy people, as excess amounts are simply excreted in the urine.

In terms of dosage, you should consider your current diet - if you feel that your diet is seriously lacking in vitamins and minerals, then use the full dosage stated on the can. On the other hand, if you feel that your diet is varied and above average, you may consider using only half the recommended daily dosage - provided that the daily dose consists of more than one capsule or that they are divisible tablets.

Author's opinion - when I'm out and about I take the full dose of multivitamins, but when I'm at home and have access to plenty of fruit and vegetables I only use half the recommended amount.

What is vitamin D and why should I take it?

A frequent traveler often doesn't spend much time outdoors and most of the time either on trains, planes, buses and cars, or in hotel rooms, or in the office.

The two primary ways to get vitamin D are to expose the skin to the sun or to use vitamin D supplements. It is practically impossible to meet the requirement through food alone. Sufficiently high levels of vitamin D in the blood have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of bone fractures and improve mood.

How much vitamin D should you take?

Sun exposure of the skin: According to the American National Institute of Health, "reasonable" sun exposure (5 to 10 minutes of sunlight on the arms, legs, hands and face two to three times a week) is sufficient. The following aspects should be taken into account: Time of day (morning and evening UVB radiation is too low), where you live (in more northern latitudes, UVB radiation may be too low in winter and during the periods of spring and fall bordering winter), the color of your skin, and the area of your skin that you expose to the sun WITHOUT sunscreen.

In the form of supplementation: For most people, supplementation with 1000 to 2000 IU of vitamin D per day should be sufficient. You should preferably use vitamin D3 as it is better absorbed by the body compared to vitamin D2.

As vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it should be taken with meals together with a small amount of fat, such as fish oil, for better absorption by the body.

Author's opinion - I supplement 5000 IU per day, but I also have pale skin, live in the northeastern US and have low vitamin D levels.

What are sleep support supplements and why should I use them?

Sleep support supplements are products designed to help the user relax, cope better with stress, fall asleep more easily and maintain a normal day-night rhythm. These products contain ingredients such as melatonin, 5-HTP, valerian root and L-theanine.

Frequent travelers may benefit from products that contain one or more of the above ingredients. With a travel-related time difference, travel stressors and unfamiliar hotel beds, relaxing and falling asleep can easily become a problem.

A lack of sleep can affect brain function, emotional well-being, decision-making ability, reaction times and overall mental health.

How much should you use?

The dosage of these supplements depends on the product, but there are a few general recommendations:

• Melatonin - 0.3 to 5mg before bedtime
• 5-HTP - 300 to 500mg (consult your doctor before using 5-HTP if you are taking antidepressants or medication to improve cognitive function)
• Valerian root - 450mg one hour before bedtime
• L-theanine - 100 to 200 mg before bedtime

Author's opinion - I take 200 mg of 5-HTP every night before bed.

What are the essential minerals magnesium and zinc - and why should you use them?

Magnesium and zinc are two essential minerals that are particularly important for active frequent travelers, as they are lost through sweat and are typically not found in adequate amounts in multivitamin products. Magnesium deficiency is common in the western world and can result in increased blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels and poorer insulin sensitivity. A lack of zinc can lower the body's testosterone levels, worsen acne and increase blood sugar levels.

How much magnesium and zinc should you take?

• Magnesium - 200 to 400 mg per day, preferably with food. The cheaper forms of magnesium such as magnesium oxide or magnesium chloride can cause diarrhea and a bloated feeling due to poor absorption.
• Zinc - 5 to 45mg per day, depending on whether you supplement zinc to maintain or increase your zinc levels.

Author's opinion - I take 400mg of magnesium citrate and 30mg of zinc per day.

In the second part of this article, we'll take a look at other supplements that, while not essential, can still prove beneficial in many situations.

Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/supplements-frequent-traveler

Q: John, what do you do and why do you do it?

Dr. John Berardi: I've always been interested in a vegetarian diet - simply because of all the discussions around this topic. However, at the beginning of my career I tended to be more anti-vegetarian.

As an athlete and weightlifter, I grew up with people who liked to eat meat. This is no longer scientifically questioned. There are no longer any sensible discussions. It's almost religious. Eat meat and you're good. Give up meat and you're an idiot.

The fascinating thing is that vegetarians and vegans take exactly the same approach - just from the other side.

Q: How did you come up with the idea of trying it out on yourself?

Dr. John Berardi: I was approached at the gym by a vegan who was having trouble building muscle. He was a big fan of my work and said he had read all my articles. My first reaction was "If you've read all my articles, why are you vegan? All these articles recommend meat!"

Turns out the guy had a slight "grain phobia" and as a vegan you have to eat a lot of grains. He had no chance of building muscle. He simply wasn't eating enough calories. So I helped him modify his eating plan.

When I finished, I thought to myself that this didn't look too bad. The food looked delicious and it seemed like an enjoyable way to eat - at least for a while. I mentioned to my friends that I was thinking about trying it myself and of course their reactions were along the lines of "You can't build muscle on a vegetarian diet. It's completely impossible. You'll even lose muscle!"

Well, this made the whole thing a challenge. I am a born self-experimenter. I love trying out nutrition theories on myself. So I decided to give this diet a try. I wanted to see if I could follow an almost vegan diet and build muscle in the process.

Q: Wait - your goal is actually to build muscle on a vegetarian diet?

Dr. John Berardi: Absolutely. Over the last few years, I haven't been that concerned with building muscle mass. I'm in my thirties now, I'm focused on my business and I'm pretty happy with the way my body looks. So I was basically in a maintenance phase. So I thought, why not try to build some muscle and try it the vegetarian way?

Q: What is your goal?

Dr. John Berardi: My goal is to gain 5 kilos of muscle over the next month. Maybe I will extend that to two months.

Q: We've talked about "vegetarian" and "vegan" here, but I know you don't really like those terms. Why is that?

Dr. John Berardi: I use the term "vegetarian" because people know what that means, but I like the term "plant-based" better. Bodybuilders in particular have a negative reaction to the word "vegetarian". Perhaps this is because all the vegetarians they have met so far have been quite militant and have called them "animal killers" or something similar.

Abstaining from eating meat often has moral, emotional or philosophical overtones. I don't have these problems at the moment. I am conducting my experiment for the people and not for the animals.

Furthermore, "vegetarian" can also mean that you still eat a lot of low-quality, processed food and just avoid meat. I've seen these vegetarians eating convenience foods that are chock full of processed chemicals. Their diet was defined only by the absence of meat and not by what was in the diet.

Q: Good point. So what is included? Is it all plant-based, or are there animal-based foods included?

Dr. John Berardi: I will eat three eggs in the morning and also have some honey, which I recently learned is a no-go for vegans. I also take a digestive enzyme supplement that contains about 15 mg of ox bile, so strictly speaking my diet is not vegan. The rest is purely vegan, so that makes me a lacto-ovo vegetarian.

Q: Is meat really that bad? Are vegetarians on to something or are they just weird smelly guys in hemp sneakers?

Dr. John Berardi: I see good arguments on both sides. There's no question that eating the right kinds of meat in the right amounts fits into a healthy diet. You're getting large amounts of protein, B vitamins and other vitamins and minerals that you're not going to get any other way except in the form of supplements. Health and muscle building will be seriously compromised if any of these nutrients are missing. That's the argument for meat.

But there is also a relationship between eating meat and cancer risk

Q: I just heard the state of Texas screaming.

Dr. John Berardi: That's not just speculation. Over 100 published scientific studies show a link between eating meat and cancer.

T Nation: But what does that link look like? Can we reduce this risk?

Dr. John Berardi: In large part, this link exists because carnivores tend to eat fewer other healthy things, so their diets tend to be high in calories and saturated fats and low in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

The solution is not to not eat meat, but rather to create a healthy balance between meat and other healthy foods.

Q: This reminds me of an article you wrote about the problem that carnivores tend to substitute other foods for things like green vegetables.

Dr. John Berardi: That's exactly what I mean, but that's not the only problem.

There is some pretty compelling evidence that potentially carcinogenic compounds enter our bodies when we eat cooked meat. The most problematic seem to be processed foods such as sausage and tinned sausages, as well as overcooked and charred meat.

However, to say that we should not eat meat is a mistake. These risks can be controlled.

Q: So what should we do?

Dr. John Berardi: Don't overheat your meat, especially on the grill. And avoid processed meat foods like sausage, or at least limit your consumption of these foods.

Last but not least, you need to increase your intake of fiber, fruits and vegetables. Fiber has protective properties against the specific cancers associated with eating meat - stomach cancer and colon cancer. Eat more fiber and reduce your risk.

Q: I've also heard that meat is overloaded with hormones and antibiotics given to slaughter animals. But the solution to this problem seems simple to me - just switch to pasture-raised and free-range meat and stop worrying about this issue.

Dr. John Berardi: That's absolutely right. If you're eating primarily factory farmed meat, then you're getting hormones, environmental toxins and antibiotics.

Q: I guess some bodybuilders reading this are now thinking "Hey, if these hormones make cows grow, maybe they'll help me grow too!"

Dr. John Berardi: A large percentage of what is given to beef cattle in some countries is estrogen because estrogen increases the marbling of the meat, making it more tender. But to repeat: why not simply eat hormone-free meat from free-range livestock? There's no need for vegetarianism.

Q: Every crazy vegetarian I know mentions the large amount of "undigested, rotting meat" in my digestive tract. What are these people talking about?

Dr. John Berardi: Have you ever heard the John Wayne story?

Q: That they found 20 or 25 pounds of meat in one intestine?

Dr. John Berardi: Exactly, that's the story. The story goes that after John Wayne died of cancer, they did an autopsy on him and they found 20 kilos of compacted fecal matter. Some vegans use this story as proof that, in evolutionary terms, humans did not develop to eat meat.

Well, no autopsy was ever performed on John Wayne. The whole story is made up. It is possible for fecal matter to condense in the intestines, but even at one pound it becomes quite painful. 20 kilos is completely impossible.

One pound of undigested food is possible under some circumstances. Some people seem to have a genetic predisposition to this. This is exacerbated by the fact that many people in the Western world eat very little fiber and take medications such as certain blood pressure medications and antidepressants that interfere with and slow down the movement of food through the digestive tract.

So something like this could happen, even if it's not particularly likely - and if it does, it's not meat that's the cause. It's more what's missing in the diet and what medications the affected individuals are taking.

Q: Before we go any further, I have to mention Bill Pearl. Bill won his fourth Mr. Universe title in 1971 when he was a 41-year-old lacto-ovo vegetarian. He said he had been steroid free for 10 years. What does it mean that he won his fourth Mr. Universe title without meat after winning his first three Mr. Universe titles as a meat eater?

BILL PEARL

Dr. John Berardi: Most bodybuilders who claim to be vegetarians only became vegetarians after they had built up their muscles - or after they had retired from competitive sports. So these people are not really proof that you can be a successful bodybuilder as a vegetarian. Bill Pearl is the only example I know of a bodybuilder in professional bodybuilding who was successful on a vegetarian diet.

However, I do believe that you can build a pretty impressive body as a vegan. I don't think this should be a problem. I believe that you can be a successful athlete even as a vegan. However, I also believe that it is a tough challenge to be a very successful bodybuilder as a vegan. You need to build the maximum amount of muscle mass, get hard and defined for the stage and win at the highest level of competition. This will be very hard and probably won't happen.

As a vegan, you will not be able to avoid carbohydrates to get your protein. You need to have the right genetic predispositions to do well with carbohydrates.

Q: One more question about vegetarianism before we get back to your specific plan: Is there a blanket positive effect of a vegan diet on health? Vegetarians often claim that such a diet has a "cleansing" effect.

Dr. John Berardi: I don't agree that being vegan is fundamentally healthier. Yes, a good vegan diet is healthier than the typical Western diet. And there is such a thing as a "cleansing" effect - but this only applies if your diet was previously unhealthy. But all of this can happen when you start eating healthier - regardless of whether your new diet is vegan or not.

A short story about this: A gal told me that she wanted to do a "detox". I thought it was this juice cleanse nonsense and was about to make fun of her, but then she told me that her "fast" consisted of eating nothing but chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli for a month. She told me that she felt great doing this.

She gave up all the fast food, all the sugar and all the junk that makes you feel bad.

A lot of vegetarians experience something similar. They feel great because they cut out all the food chemicals, all the processed foods, all the sugar, all the caffeine, all the hormones and all the other unhealthy stuff. In addition to that, they're eating more fiber, more antioxidants, more micronutrients - and for the first time in their lives, they're eating adequate amounts of it. So it's not some magical vegetarian thing - they're just eating healthy.

In addition to this, they usually eat fewer calories initially when they switch to a vegetarian diet. And that helps some people feel more energized and better.

Q: Let's break down your plant-based diet and talk about the macronutrients. Where is your protein going to come from?

Dr. John Berardi: I will be eating 150 to 200 grams of protein per day on my plan. This will come from eggs for breakfast, a small amount of soy milk throughout the day, vegan protein supplements that will give me 60 grams per day, and two cups of beans per day with whole grain bread made from sprouted grains.

A few of my snacks include seeds and nuts. I will also supplement with branched chain amino acids. When I wake up in the morning I take 5 grams of BCAAs and during my workout I take 14 grams of liquid amino acids.

Complete proteins are probably the best option. So the most important question is whether you can build muscle on a plant-based diet with an adequate amount of calories and a reasonable amount of protein.

I think the answer is yes, but there aren't many studies where men training with weights ate more calories than they consumed and looked at whether they could build muscle on a vegan diet.

Q: I remember some studies like that, but the results were mixed.

Dr. John Berardi: One of these studies was conducted by Bill Campbell in the late nineties (1). Two groups of novice exercisers consumed identical amounts of calories and trained with weights. One group ate a vegan diet, while the other also ate meat.

The vegetarian group neither lost fat nor built muscle with the help of strength training. In fact, the members of this group even lost a small amount of muscle mass. In the group that ate meat, muscle loss and fat loss were observed. We have used this study for a long time to prove that vegetarianism is not for people who train with weights.

However, another study conducted by Mark Tarnopolsky replicated the original study and found no difference between the meat-eating group and the vegetarian group (2). It is important to note that both of these studies were vegetarian, not vegan. The subjects who did not eat meat were able to eat dairy products and eggs.

So there is no good study that looked exclusively at a vegan diet.

Q: What is your total calorie intake on this plan?

Dr. John Berardi: About 4,000 kcal per day.

Q: Where do your fats come from?

Dr. John Berardi: I get my fats from eggs, mixed nuts, homemade hummus, flaxseed oil and olive oil, as well as a vegan EPA/DHA supplement made from algae.

Q: Getting adequate amounts of carbohydrates is the easy part, right?

Dr. John Berardi: It is. But here's the interesting part for me: I feel like it's pretty easy to build muscle on a vegan diet plan - you just have to eat a lot. What's probably difficult would be getting super defined. These foods contain a high percentage of carbohydrates compared to protein and fat.

It's no problem to get lean with the help of a vegan diet. But really maintaining muscle mass and getting bodybuilder lean could be a challenge.

I tolerate carbohydrates quite well. I'm a natural ectomorph, which is why I need a diet high in carbohydrates from the start. However, the classic endomorph, who builds up fat quite easily and is less able to cope with carbohydrates, will have their problems as it is simply not possible to avoid carbohydrates on a vegan diet.

Q: What's it like to eat all those beans and grains?

Dr. John Berardi: The first day I was pretty much farting all the time. I really didn't think I could handle it.

On the third day, I measured my abdominal circumference when I woke up and it was 81 centimeters, which is normal for me. Then I measured it again at 10 o'clock in the evening after a whole day of vegetarian food and it was 106 centimeters. I looked like a mini version of Ronnie Coleman.

My abs were visible, but they were extremely prominent. It wasn't fat or water, it was just air. Then I started taking digestive enzymes and now it's much better.

It takes about two weeks for the body to get used to this way of eating - no problem at all. However, it is something to be prepared for.

Q: What lessons can a typical "omnivore" bodybuilder learn from a vegetarian?

Dr. John Berardi: I've already learned some valuable lessons. But let me tell you, you should learn from the real vegetarians and vegans who are actually eating the right foods, getting all the nutrients they need, and staying lean and healthy.

Q: For example?

Dr. John Berardi: Real vegans find some really interesting ways to eat their fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Most "omnivores" don't, and maybe that's why they don't like these foods. They simply don't know how to prepare these foods.

Vegan cookbooks are some of the best sources for ways to prepare vegetables in a tasty way.

The second is to eat more whole, unprocessed, natural foods. I don't know many people who eat things like whole grain quinoa. Real vegans spend more time learning about where their food comes from.

Carbs aren't that bad for your body development if they come from whole, unprocessed sources. But I don't think people really know what "whole" and "unprocessed" effectively mean.

I'm talking about things like quinoa, which looks like an uninteresting bag of pellets, but tastes really fantastic once you learn what to do with it. Real vegans know how to incorporate these foods into their diet. And you won't get fat from whole, high-fiber, low-glycemic, unprocessed grains to the same degree that you will from other carbohydrates.

I don't want to glorify the vegan lifestyle in any way, because many vegans could learn something from non-vegan bodybuilders - especially when it comes to protein intake. The learning can go both ways if both camps are open-minded.

Q: What is your status at the moment?

Dr. John Berardi: So far, I'm doing well with my food choices. I don't have any cravings for steaks or anything else. If you eat 4000 kcal a day, you're actually always pretty full.

My training is going well, my pump is great because of all the carbs, my energy is high and I've already put on 2 kilos. So far it looks like lean muscle mass.

Q: Any other findings?

Dr. John Berardi: I don't think meat - whether it's on your diet or not - is the most important factor in your success. It's all the other things - all the food choices.

And while I don't think I'll hate this diet anytime soon, I will go back to eating meat after this experiment is over.

I would say that most vegans could probably do with some meat in their diet, and that most meat lovers could do with a little less meat. We would probably live in a healthier world if we met somewhere in the middle.

References

1. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Dec;70(6):1032-9. effects of an omnivorous diet compared with a lactoovovegetarian diet on resistance-training-induced changes in body composition and skeletal muscle in older men. Campbell WW, Barton ML Jr, Cyr-Campbell D, Davey SL, Beard JL, Parise G, Evans WJ. Nutrition, Metabolism, and Exercise Laboratory, Donald W Reynolds Department of Geriatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock 72114, USA.
2. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Sep;76(3):511-7. Effect of protein source on resistive-training-induced changes in body composition and muscle size in older men. Haub MD, Wells AM, Tarnopolsky MA, Campbell WW. Department of Human Nutrition, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/can-vegetarians-build-muscle

By Chris Shugart