Nutrition
Let's talk about fiber. Do you really need as much as doctors claim? And if so, how much? Can you eat too much fiber? Will it protect you from cancer? Are steaks from grass-fed cattle and whole eggs good sources of fiber? How the heck do I get rid of this perpetual constipation?
These are just a few examples of all the questions I get asked about fiber.
What is fiber?
Fiber is a complex carbohydrate consisting of non-starch polysaccharides, resistant starch and/or cellulose. Simply put, when you hear the term fiber, you should think of plants - more specifically vegetables, fruits and grains. Just as we have cells that give our body its structure, plants also have such cells. These plant cells contain nutrients, water and other things. There are basically two primary types of fiber, each with its own specific beneficial properties.
Soluble fiber
This type of fiber is highly resistant to being broken down by the digestive enzymes in your mouth, stomach and intestines. Vegetable gums, pectins and inulin fall into this category.
- Plant gums such as gum arabic, guar gum or locust bean gum stabilize food and extend its shelf life. They also give the food a certain texture and consistency. Probably most importantly, however, they slow down the absorption of glucose.
- Pectins differ from plant gums in terms of their structure. They are more acidic and aid the absorption of certain minerals such as zinc. Probably the best known source of pectin is apples, which are also the source of many commercially produced pectin products.
- Inulin is a so-called fructooligosaccharide (FOS for short). Inulin is a prebiotic that serves as food for the good bacteria in your digestive tract.
You will generally find soluble fiber in fruit, beans, oats, barley and some other sources. Soluble fiber is digested in some ways, but not before it reaches the small intestine where it is fermented by "good" gut bacteria that produce butyric acid and acetic acid. This helps the digestive system to maintain its acidity.
Some soluble fibers provide some energy - about two calories per gram, while others, like plant gums, are calorie-free.
What are the key benefits of soluble fiber? There are three that are worth mentioning.
The three key benefits of soluble fiber
1. stabilization of blood sugar levels
Soluble fiber increases the time it takes from food intake to food elimination and promotes slower breakdown of food. They slow down gastric emptying and the digestion of starch (and consequently the entry of glucose into the bloodstream). As glucose absorption will be slower, this can prevent fluctuations in blood sugar levels. I have even heard of people mixing guar gum with water and drinking it before meals to achieve this. If you are a diabetic, you should consider this before you think about giving up vegetables. Eating vegetables could also mean that you need less insulin.
2. reduction of LDL cholesterol levels
When short-chain fatty acids are formed as a result of the fermentation of soluble fiber, this appears to result in a reduction in levels of bad LDL cholesterol. This is good news for anyone concerned about cardiovascular disease.
3. increased protection against cancer
Fiber can bind carcinogenic substances and transport them out of the body so they can't do any harm. In addition, the fermentation of fiber into short-chain fatty acids such as acetic acid in your gut helps maintain a germ-killing acidity level in your gut.
Insoluble fiber
This type of fiber is not digested anywhere. It's basically lignin, cellulose or hemicellulose and you'll typically find this type of fiber in wheat or vegetables. Its job is simply to move food and water through the digestive system.
Unlike soluble fiber, insoluble fiber is not soluble in water. This means that it swells up like a sponge and increases the volume of the stool. This causes your stool to move faster through your intestines. There are several key benefits of insoluble fiber.
The two key benefits of insoluble fiber
1. less constipation
As insoluble fiber increases the volume of your stool, it aids elimination, resulting in less constipation. One of the most common complaints reported by dieters is constipation. If you've ever competed in a bodybuilding competition, then you know what I mean. This happens to almost everyone and can be very problematic. I would go so far as to call it a silent killer, similar to high blood pressure. There are many studies that show that eating raw bran reduces the transit time of food through the intestines. Constipation and the delayed elimination of waste products lead directly to the next point.
2. elimination of toxic waste products
If your bowel does not empty completely or if bad bacteria begin to dominate the intestinal flora, putrefaction processes occur. This means that toxic substances can be reabsorbed into the blood or other body tissues. By binding toxins and hormones, insoluble fiber is very good at keeping your gut, and therefore your body, clean. The benefit of this is that without these toxins and hormones in your gut, you are better protected against bowel disease, cancer and other ailments.
Note: You may have heard of the "fiber hypothesis". This states that a low intake of fiber can promote certain diseases such as high blood pressure, obesity, bowel disease and 30 to 40 other diseases, while a high fiber intake can protect you from all of these diseases. If you're a study junkie, check out the work of Dr. Denis Burkitt and Dr. Hugh Trowell. Their research in Africa has formed this hypothesis.
How much fiber do we need and where do we find it?
First of all, you should not rely on fiber supplements to meet your fiber needs. I believe it's best to get your fiber from a wide variety of whole foods that contain different types of fiber. One of the main benefits of fiber is the additional phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc. contained in these foods. This often makes studies on fiber problematic. Which of these factors helps the most? Or is it all of these things working together to prevent disease? This is a difficult question.
In terms of the amount of fiber you should consume, the usual recommendations are 25 to 35 grams per day, with some experts recommending 40 grams. It is recommended that diabetics consume more than 50 grams of fiber per day.
When determining your fiber needs, keep in mind that if you are an athlete who trains with weights, you are probably eating a lot more protein, fat, etc. than the average person for whom these recommendations are made. In all likelihood, fiber intake will be one of those things you'll have to play around with a bit before you find the right amount for you. If you're having soft bowel movements several times a day without experiencing the dinner scene from Alien, then you're probably on the right track.
Note: You may experience bloating and a bloated feeling after increasing your fiber intake. You may also experience diarrhea if you consume too much insoluble fiber (mainly in the form of bran). To avoid these problems, you should gradually increase your fiber intake!
Now that we've covered the basics of fiber, let's look at where we can find it. Here are just a few examples to get you started:
Whole grains
- Whole grain oatmeal contains a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan - a gummy, soluble fiber. Studies have shown that this type of fiber can lower cholesterol levels. Oat bran is also very popular due to its high insoluble fiber content.
- Rice bran is an interesting source of fiber. According to Dr. Ann Gerhardt, rice bran has been shown to lower levels of bad LDL cholesterol.
- Cocoa bran sounds delicious. This is the outer layer of the cocoa bean. According to Dr. David Jenkins of the University of Toronto, cocoa bran has been shown to protect against cholesterol oxidation and may increase levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.
- Konjac mannan is another interesting dietary fiber. It contains a high concentration of glucomannan. As it turns out, scientist Dr. Hsaio-Ling Chen has used this type of fiber to lower LDL cholesterol levels
- Buckwheat. I had to add this grain to the list because many people don't realize that it's not related to wheat. The beauty of it is that even by eating buckwheat flour, you get the good part of the seeds.
Pulses
Beans, lentils, peas and peanuts all belong to the legume family. Beans in particular are an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. My favorite type of beans are black-eyed beans.
I add them to rice and give this mixture the right flavor with a hot sauce with cayenne pepper. If you're worried about bloating because you're in a new relationship or work a lot with an open fire, give beans a few weeks. They contain large amounts of insoluble fiber, which is fermented in the large intestine. This is a good thing. Be patient and your intestinal flora will adapt to this.
Fruit
Pectins are common in fruit and are fermented as soluble fiber in the large intestine, where short-chain fatty acids are formed. Fruit often also contains cellulose, an insoluble fiber that contributes to the transport of food through the intestine.
Nuts
You may have heard about phytates in nuts, which are nutrients that bind certain minerals and can cause a deficiency of these minerals. Here's my take on this: as part of a well-balanced diet, this is nothing that should give you sleepless nights. If you are still worried, I recommend soaking the nuts until they start to sprout and then drying them again. The germination process breaks down phytates into inositol and phosphate and you are on the safe side.
Seeds
I should also mention some seeds. Flax seeds are very high in fiber, providing 7 grams per tablespoon, and also contain a portion of lignan (the insoluble fiber type), which studies have shown may protect against cancer. Sesame seeds are also very popular, but are also affected by the phytate problem. As I said, I wouldn't worry about this, especially as there is clear evidence that phytates may also protect against cancer.
Vegetables
The first thing people usually associate with fiber is vegetables - and with good reason. My favorites are spinach, kale, asparagus and broccoli.
Every good nutrition article needs a table to help you better understand the information presented. Here is the table for this article:
|
Source |
Portion |
Fiber substances |
Notes |
|
fruit |
|||
|
apple |
1 piece |
4 |
Good source of pectin |
|
Avocado |
1 piece |
8 |
|
|
Banana |
1 piece |
3 |
Contains FOS and inulin, food for the good bacteria |
|
Blueberries |
1 cup |
4 |
Very high ORAC value and good for the brain |
|
Dried figs |
5 figs |
9 |
Have laxative and diuretic properties. |
|
Kiwi |
1 piece |
3 |
Excellent source of vitamin C |
|
Papaya |
1 piece |
5 |
Excellent source of the digestive enzyme papain. |
|
Pineapple |
1 cup |
2 |
Good source of bromelain |
|
Plums |
10 pieces |
1,6 |
|
|
Raspberries |
1 cup |
8 |
Good source of fiber |
|
Strawberries |
1 cup |
3 |
Good source of the anti-cancer nutrient ellagic acid |
|
Whole grains (cooked) |
|||
|
Brown rice |
1 cup |
4 |
|
|
Buckwheat |
1 cup |
17 |
Whole grain pancakes are delicious. |
|
Quinoa |
1/4 cup |
3 |
|
|
Oat bran |
1/3 cup |
2 |
High amount of insoluble fiber. |
|
Oat flakes |
1/2 cup |
2 |
|
|
Vegetables (cooked) |
|||
|
Artichokes |
1 cup |
2 |
Good source of inulin |
|
Asparagus |
4 pieces |
1 |
Mild diuretic effect. Good source of inulin |
|
Green beans |
1 cup |
4 |
|
|
Broccoli |
1 cup |
4 |
The stalks are a good source of cellulose. |
|
Cabbage |
1 cup |
3 |
|
|
Raw onion |
1 cup |
2 |
Good source of inulin |
|
Mushrooms |
1 cup |
4 |
|
|
Baked potato |
1 piece |
5 |
Half of the vitamin C is in the skin |
|
Spinach |
1 cup |
4 |
Good source of cellulose and pectin |
|
Legumes (cooked) |
|||
|
Kidney beans |
1/2 cup |
6,5 |
|
|
Pinto beans |
1/2 cup |
7 |
|
|
lentils |
1/2 cup |
8 |
Greens contain the most fiber. Rich in folate |
|
Black-eyed beans |
1/2 cup |
7 |
Delicious with rice and hot sauce |
|
Nuts (dried) |
|||
|
Almonds |
30 g |
4 |
Good source of monounsaturated fats |
|
Cashews |
30 g |
1 |
|
|
Brazil nuts |
30 g |
1.5 |
Good source of selenium. |
|
Pistachios |
30 g |
3 |
|
|
Walnuts |
30 g |
2 |
Good source of omega-3 fatty acids |
Further notes
- If you think you can treat constipation just by adding fruit to your diet, you're wrong. Most of the fiber in fruit is soluble fiber, which is broken down in the intestines and does not have the bulking effect of fiber from cereals like wheat bran.
- You should be very careful with fiber if you suffer from an intestinal disease such as Crohn's disease. Large amounts of fiber can aggravate this disease.
- It is possible that even a perfect diet will not solve all constipation problems.
- Drink lots of water!
- Move, exercise. When I was in the hospital, a digestive system went into a kind of deep sleep after my surgery in the digestive tract area. The doctors made me walk around constantly to wake up my digestive system.
What else can you do to ensure regular bowel movements?
These things support a faster transit time of food through your digestive tract, which can help. alleviate problems with constipation.
Conclusion
If you're new to iron sports, then all you want to learn is the training side of the equation, which includes sets, reps and exercises. You know, the stuff that's fun. But as you slowly progress from white belt, to yellow belt, to blue belt, you'll soon learn that the nutrition side of the equation is just as important, if not more so, to your bodybuilding success.
Going beyond good nutrition means striving for long-term health and vitality. Even if they're not sexy or exciting - what, fiber isn't exciting? - issues that prioritize health are probably the most important of all. Because even the strongest and most muscular body on stage or at the beach can be a ticking time bomb if you don't take care to keep your health markers in the green.
This is the next level of enlightenment when you enter into a long-term relationship with iron, a solid bodybuilding diet and lifestyle practices that promote continued good health and vitality. This is when you reach black belt. That's the level I hope all readers aspire to.
- If eating late at night impairs fat loss, why do people who eat more in the evening lose more fat than people who don't?
- If carbs make you fat after 6pm, how is it that people who eat more carbs after 6pm lose more fat than people who eat their carbs earlier in the day?
- If we should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar, why does skipping breakfast combined with late night binge eating lead to fat loss and improved blood lipid levels?
- If eating late is bad for you, why does almost every controlled scientific study show that eating later in the day is better than eating earlier in the day? And if the above statements are true, why do people still believe that eating late is bad for you...?
The myth of eating late
There is a common belief among many people that it is better to eat more earlier in the day and less later in the day. Eating later in the day is said to impair fat loss and/or promote unwanted weight gain. This myth can best be summarized by the saying that you should eat like a king in the morning, like a prince at lunchtime and like a beggar in the evening.
You'll often find people clinging to the myth that carbohydrates will somehow suddenly make you fatter after 6pm - which is, of course, complete nonsense.
The facts on this are more interesting than what I have already said in previous articles on this topic. Controlled studies have repeatedly shown that a dietary pattern of eating later in the day is superior for fat loss and body composition.
In this article, I will look at some studies that look at the timing of calorie intake. I'll pay a little more attention to the last study, titled "Greater Weight Loss and Hormonal Changes After 6 Months Diet With Carbohydrates Eaten Mostly at Dinner," because it's the one that got me looking at this topic again in the first place.
A pressing question first: why is the myth about the negative effects of eating late at night still so widespread when there are so many studies showing the exact opposite?
Late night eating in nutritional epidemiology
In the comments on my site, a reader asked the following question:
"Is it okay to eat dinner 1 to 2 hours before bedtime? Every damn mammal goes to sleep after eating massive amounts of food - e.g. lions, dogs, bears, but at some point nutritionists came to the conclusion that we have somehow evolved. It would therefore be nice if someone could produce scientific evidence to show that we shouldn't eat before bedtime. I really don't understand why this should be the case, do you have an explanation for me?" Yes, how did nutrition experts come to the conclusion that eating before bedtime is bad for you?
The late night eating myth is mainly another consequence of the confusion between correlation and causation in the field of nutritional epidemiology. There are numerous observational studies that have observed a positive correlation between calories consumed in the evening and higher BMI in the general population. This correlation can be attributed to the fact that the average person who likes to eat more in the evening also consumes more calories overall. One study used food logs to find that late-night eaters consumed an average of 248 kcal more than members of the other group.
Similar relationships can usually be found in other observational studies on meal patterns. People who skip breakfast, skip other meals and eat late at night are on average fatter and worse off than people who eat breakfast, eat regular meals and eat less in the evening. However, this has nothing to do with meal timing per se, but more with the lifestyle that goes hand in hand with "dysregulated" eating habits.
A meal pattern that skips breakfast or breakfast and lunch has been associated with an accumulation of less healthy lifestyle factors and poorer food choices, leading to an overall poorer diet. ("Meal pattern, food choice, nutrient intake and lifestyle factors in The Göteborg Adolescence Study", https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14647222)
Late night eating was correlated not only with higher calorie intake, but also with less sleep time and more sedentary activities such as watching TV and spending time in front of the computer, which are other confounding factors that can promote weight gain.
Shift work and the internal clock
The purported risks of late-night eating may also be the result of the scientific literature on shift workers and metabolic health ("Shift work and the risk of metabolic syndrome: a nested case-control study.", https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21618947). Shift workers are predisposed to a variety of health problems, obesity, poor mental health, cardiovascular disease, stomach ulcers and gastrointestinal problems (probably the result of chronic stress). The negative effects of shift work on health are mainly the result of a compromised diet, sleep deprivation and stress - the factors tend to go hand in hand. However, it is possible that eating in a state of disrupted day-night rhythm and an irregular meal pattern is an independent factor in predisposing shift workers to poor health.
People can adapt to a variety of different eating patterns depending on their habitual meal pattern. This adaptation takes place at a cellular level and is regulated by ghrelin - a hormone that is released in greater quantities during habitual mealtimes and prepares your metabolism to best cope with the upcoming load of food. Similarly, the day-night rhythm - when you wake up and when you go to sleep - is regulated by daylight and the habitual sleep/wake cycle and also adjusts your metabolism accordingly.
Simply put, your body expects a certain routine every day depending on your habitual eating patterns and sleep/wake rhythm and adjusts its hormonal profile and metabolism. If this pattern is arbitrary and constantly shifted forward and backward, never allowing your body to adjust, as is the case with many shift workers, then it is very possible that this is an independent factor that makes people more susceptible to disease and health problems. The hormonal profile of shift workers, moreover, tends to be less favorable than that of people with a regular circadian rhythm.
It should be noted that permanent shift workers, i.e. those who always work at night or work several nights in a row, are better off than other shift workers, which can be partly explained by a change in the day-night rhythm. It seems that an "unpredictable" schedule, i.e. rotating day and night shifts, is the main culprit, as the day-night rhythm is constantly disrupted. Given the many confounding factors such as stress, sleep deprivation, caloric intake, etc. present in shift workers, it is difficult to isolate which factor is responsible for what - i.e. is food intake during the biological night worse than sleep deprivation, etc.
Nutritional epidemiology vs. controlled studies
We are not interested in the studies mentioned above. What we are interested in are controlled studies - not nutritional epidemiology and observation in the general population. If you use nutritional epidemiology to tell people how they should eat, then you get the typical food pyramid. If you use controlled studies to draw your conclusions, you get something that is more meat- and vegetable-heavy.
Controlled studies answer questions like "I'm on a 2000 kcal diet. How will my fat loss be affected if I eat most of those calories later in the day or if I eat more of those calories earlier in the day?" This is something we are interested in, so let's take a closer look.
Early eating vs. later eating regimens: controlled studies
In all of these studies, calories were controlled and fixed in all groups. The only variable that differed was the timing of the daily calorie intake. In the later meal pattern, 67 to 100% of calories were consumed between 18:00 and bedtime and this was compared to an earlier meal pattern with the opposite timing of calories. Let's start with the earliest study and work our way up to the most recent. I will briefly summarize the results, comment on the validity of the study, and interject whatever I find interesting about this study.
I want to note that I did not include any studies on Ramadan fasting. In only loosely controlled studies of Ramadan fasting, fat loss and improvements in health markers are usually observed. This is a paradoxical and interesting observation due to the fact that people eat in the middle of the night just before going to bed and usually eat even more sugar and baked goods than usual (and sometimes even more calories). However, in these studies, calorie intake is rarely actually controlled, i.e. participants did not have strict guidelines on what they should eat, which is the reason I did not use these studies in this review.
Study #1
Chronobiological aspects of weight loss in obesity: effects of different meal timing regimens. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3508745) (Chronobiological aspects of weight loss in obesity: effects of different meal timing regimens)
Results: This first-ever calorie-controlled study on meal timing, conducted in 1987, found that weight loss did not differ if subjects ate their daily calorie intake in the morning (10 am) or evening (6 pm).
Although it is interesting to note that fat oxidation was consistently higher in the group that ate in the evening, the duration of the study (15 days) was very short, making it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions from it. Apart from the differences in fat oxidation, there were no differences in cortisol levels, blood pressure or resting energy expenditure between the two groups.
Study #2
The role of breakfast in the treatment of obesity: a randomized clinical trial. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1550038) (The role of breakfast in the treatment of obesity: a randomized clinical trial).
Results: In this well-designed 12-week study, the subjects were people who habitually ate breakfast and people who did not normally eat breakfast. Interestingly, fat loss was greatest in people who normally ate breakfast but skipped breakfast during the study. This group ate lunch and dinner and consumed 2/3 of their daily calories at dinner (6:00 pm or later). The subjects who did not normally eat breakfast and who now ate breakfast achieved more positive results than those who continued to skip breakfast as usual. The implication of these seemingly paradoxical results could be related to impulse control - dysregulated eating habits such as not eating breakfast tend to go hand in hand with unrestrained or impulsive eating. Eating breakfast could therefore be beneficial for those with poor self-control, such as the former breakfast deniers in the study.
On the other hand, more desirable results could be achieved for the "controlled" eaters (habitual breakfast eaters) who now abstained from breakfast. This group would be more representative of us - i.e. people who are used to counting calories, following an organized diet and not just carelessly eating what is in front of us. Incidentally, there were no differences between the groups in terms of weight loss composition (75% fat / 25% lean body mass) or metabolic rate at rest. Interesting tidbit: The group that ate breakfast showed a slight increase in depression-induced eating, while subjects in the group that did not eat breakfast showed a slight reduction. In addition, subjects in the breakfast group viewed their diet as more restrictive than subjects in the group that did not eat breakfast.
Here is a quote from the study:
"...the larger meal size in the group that did not eat breakfast caused less disruption to meal schedules and social life than the smaller meal size in the group that ate breakfast."
Perhaps it was these beneficial effects on social life that also resulted in the non-breakfast group showing better continued adherence to the modified diet during the 6 months following the study (81% vs 60%).
Study #3
Weight loss is greater with consumption of large morning meals and fat-free mass is preserved with large evening meals in women on a controlled weight reduction regimen.
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9040548) (Weight loss is greater with consumption of large morning meals but fat-free mass is better preserved with large evening meals in women on a controlled weight reduction regimen). Results: In this study, subjects alternated between two 6-week phases of the same diet in which 70% of daily calories were consumed either in the morning or evening. Larger morning meals compared to larger evening meals resulted in greater weight loss, but this weight loss consisted of muscle mass. Overall, larger evening meals maintained existing muscle mass better and resulted in a greater reduction in body fat percentage.
The greater weight loss associated with the larger morning meal eating pattern was primarily due to a loss of lean body mass, which was on average about 1 kilogram higher in the larger morning meal group than in the larger evening meal group.
An interesting study with a few obvious limitations, mainly that the number of subjects was very small at 10 participants and that body composition was measured using electrical conductivity - a method that is chronically inaccurate.
This study also included training with weights three times a week, which was a serious confounding factor in this study. Considering that the group that ate the most calories later in the day ate a greater percentage of their calories after exercise, this study may also simply show the benefits of nutrient timing rather than larger meals in the evening per se.
Setup with larger food intake in the morning
- Breakfast, 8:00-8:30am: 35% of daily calorie intake
- Training with weights (circuit training), 9:00-9:30 a.m.
- Lunch, 11:00-12:00: 35% of daily calorie intake
- Dinner, 16:30-17:00: 15% of the daily calorie intake
- Evening snack, 20:00-20:30: 15% of the daily calorie intake
Setup for larger food intake in the evening
- Breakfast, 8-8:30 a.m.: 15% of daily calorie intake
- Training with weights (circuit training), 9:00-9:30 a.m.
- Lunch, 11:00-12:00: 15% of daily calorie intake
- Dinner, 16:30-17:00: 35% of the daily calorie intake
- Evening snack, 20:00-20:30: 35% of daily calorie intake
Finally, the scientists speculated on the muscle-sparing effects of the meal pattern with larger meals later in the day:
"Certain endocrine influences may have contributed to the differences in lean body mass changes between meal schedules. Growth hormone secretion reflects an endogenous rhythm that is partially related to the sleep cycle. At night, pulsatile growth hormone secretion increases after 1 to 2 hours of sleep, with maximal secretion occurring during stages 3 and 4 of the day.
Although the effects of prolonged changes in food intake or meal pattern on growth hormone release are not known, it is conceivable that a greater influx of dietary amino acids at evening meals, combined with the known protein anabolic effects of growth hormone, could promote lean muscle mass gain.
Study #4
Influence of meal time on salivary circadian cortisol rhythms and weight loss in obese women. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17483007) (Effects of meal timing on salivary circadian cortisol rhythms and weight loss in obese women).
Results: Using exactly the same setup as the previously mentioned Sensi & Capani (1987) study, it was found that dividing daily caloric intake into five meals eaten every other hour between 9:00 am and 8:00 pm, eating all calories in the morning (9:00 am to 11:00 am) or eating all calories in the evening (6:00 pm to 8:00 pm) did not differentially affect weight loss, metabolic rate, or cortisol levels. The limitation was again a very short duration of each phase (18 days).
Here's a quote for those concerned about cortisol and fasting: "At the end of the phases of the study, we did not observe any significant changes in the diurnal rhythm of cortisol secretion, regardless of the timing of food intake, even after 22 hours of fasting."
It might be worth noting that nitrogen loss, which is a crude marker of muscle loss, was not affected by the timing or frequency of meals - there was no difference between the 5 meal phase and the 22 hour fasting phases in the morning/evening meals.
Study #5
Greater Weight Loss and Hormonal Changes After 6 Months Diet With Carbohydrates Eaten Mostly at Dinner. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475137) (Greater Weight Loss and Hormonal Changes After 6 Months Diet With Carbohydrates Eaten Primarily at Dinner)
In this most recent and well-designed 6-month study of calorie distribution throughout the day, subjects who ate most of their daily carbohydrates at dinner (8:00 pm or later) lost more fat, felt fuller during the diet, and experienced more desirable hormonal changes than subjects who ate their carbohydrates earlier in the day. Background: This study is based on the premise that the daily peak of leptin levels can be altered, as can be observed during Ramadan. Previous studies have described the typical diurnal pattern of leptin secretion, which falls during the day from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, reaches its lowest point at 1:00 pm, rises from 4:00 pm and reaches its maximum at 1:00 am. Ironically, this important hormone, which is responsible for satiety, has its highest levels when we are asleep. It was hypothesized that consuming carbohydrates primarily in the evening could alter the typical diurnal pattern of leptin secretion as observed in Muslims during Ramadan.
Simply put, the aim of the study was to determine whether it is possible to shift leptin release to strategically achieve better satiety and dietary adherence in the morning and midday of the next day, rather than having the leptin peak during the night (as is the case with the standard diet). "...it was predicted that this diet would lead to higher relative leptin concentrations starting at 6:00 to 8:00 am and throughout the day. This could lead to increased satiety during the daytime hours and improve dietary adherence." At this point I should note that leptin shows a significant latency in response to carbohydrates - if you eat carbs before sleep, then you won't experience the peak of leptin release until you wake up in the morning (another bonus is that you'll sleep well with a few carbs before bedtime).
This study also wanted to examine the effects of the experimental diet on adiponectin:
"Adiponectin is thought to be the link between obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. Adiponectin plays a role in energy regulation and fat and carbohydrate metabolism, reduces serum glucose and lipid levels, improves insulin sensitivity and has anti-inflammatory effects. The pattern of daily adiponectin release has been described as low during the day in obese individuals (especially those with greater abdominal fat deposition)." Low adiponectin levels = bad. High adiponectin levels = good. When insulin levels are low, adiponectin levels are high, but adiponectin also follows a diurnal rhythm - low during the night, high during the day (in normal weight people).
"...it has also been hypothesized that the increasing adiponectin levels during the day
adiponectin concentrations during the day would improve insulin resistance, reduce symptoms of metabolic syndrome and lower levels of inflammatory markers." In overweight people, chronically high insulin levels cause chronically low adinopectin levels, which is a problem because it increases insulin resistance and inflammation. The authors of the study hypothesized that by eliminating carbohydrates earlier in the day, adinopectin levels would increase more than with a conventional diet and health markers would also improve.
Setup: Both groups received the same diet split between breakfast, lunch and dinner and three snacks (morning, noon, late evening):
- 1300-1500 kcal
- 45-50% carbohydrates
- 30-35% fat
- 20% protein
Group A received the carbohydrates evenly distributed over meals and snacks. Group B received the majority of their total daily carbohydrate intake (approx. 170 grams) at dinner. There were no details regarding the exact macronutrient distribution of each meal, but the printed version of this paper includes the full meal plans for both groups. I would estimate that Group B consumed approximately 100 to 120 grams of carbohydrate during dinner.
Results: Both groups lost weight and saw improvements in different health markers, but Group B lost more weight (-11 kg vs. -9 kg), body fat (-7% vs. -5%), felt fuller and improved their hormonal profile better than Group A. "Hunger levels were lower and there were greater improvements in fasting blood glucose levels, average daily insulin concentrations and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMAIR), T-cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels compared to the control group." As predicted, the high-carbohydrate dinner was able to alter the levels of leptin and adiponectin in a way that promoted better satiety and a better hormonal profile.
"The experimental diet modified leptin and adiponectin concentrations compared to baseline and control diet levels. A simple dietary manipulation of carbohydrate distribution appears to have additional benefits in people suffering from obesity compared to a conventional weight loss diet." However, what I found most interesting - at least for those of us who want to maintain a low body fat percentage - was that the higher carbohydrate dinner increased average leptin levels compared to the standard diet. "Our experimental diet could manipulate daily leptin secretion and lead to higher relative concentrations throughout the day. We hypothesize that this modification of hormone release helped study participants achieve better satiety during the waking hours of the day, which improved diet adherence in the longer term and led to better anthropometric outcomes." This study was solid, but for some reason there was no mention of how body fat percentage was measured. In addition, calorie intake was not individualized and based on energy needs. However, since each subject had the same occupation (police officer), it is fair to assume that physical activities did not vary greatly on an individual basis. In addition, the sample size was quite large (78 subjects), making it unlikely that the results were biased by these factors.
Summary
Nutritional epidemiology usually finds associations between certain meal patterns and higher BMI/body fat percentage. However, the relationship can be attributed solely to lifestyle-related factors and dietary habits such as snacking while watching TV, generally poor food choices, etc. People who eat more in the evening simply consume more calories, which explains why they weigh more.
Calorie-controlled studies that look at the effects of varying the distribution of a fixed amount of calories throughout the day are few and far between - I've listed all of them above. These studies tell a completely different story than the studies found in the field of nutritional epidemiology. While short-term studies (15 to 18 days) find no statistically significant differences between meal regimens with earlier or later food intake, long-term studies (>12 weeks) show that dietary regimens with higher calorie intake later in the day produce superior results in terms of fat loss, body composition and/or diet adherence. This could be explained by more favorable post-meal nutrient partitioning due to hormonal modulation. I understand that these facts will be hard for some people to swallow considering all the negative things they've heard about late-night eating. But then again, we hear a lot of strange things in the health and fitness community. And rarely do these tales match reality - just think of all the myths about fasting, alcohol and meal frequency.
That's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed this article and are now reassured that there's nothing wrong with eating late and eating big meals before bedtime.
Source: https://leangains.com/is-late-night-eating-better-for-fat-loss-and-health/
Q: The Original Zone Diet was published in June 1995. After all these years of discussion about this concept, is it possible to say anything definitive about macronutrient ratios? Is there one ratio that works better than others for most people in most circumstances?
A: Barry Sears was on to something when he introduced his original 40/30/30 formula. There's a lot of research where the experimental diet tested was very similar to the diet presented in The Zone and the results were impressive: significant improvements in insulin resistance within days, improvement in body composition, better glycemic control - all good things.
The only definitive thing we can say about macronutrient ratios is that everyone is different. I had many conversations with Barry and he was of the view that some people will respond better to lower levels of carbohydrate, while others will do better with higher levels. He probably wouldn't share my view that some would do well with an Atkins approach, but it would be a friendly discussion. Having said that, I think a ratio of 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat is a good starting point for most. This approach is light years ahead of the standard recommendations from the idiots at the American Dietetic Association who still think you should eat 90 servings of bread a day.
Oh, wait. Did they change that? Oops! Sorry!
Reducing the acid load
Q: You mentioned in the article "A Question of Diet Part 5" that fruit is important for someone who wants to balance an acid-heavy diet - a diet with a lot of meat. Does this also apply to someone who is trying to lose weight? Won't too much fruit lead to too much body fat? Are certain types of fruit better than others when it comes to fat loss?
A: You can balance an acidic diet with vegetables or fruit or a combination of both. Vegetables have fewer calories and a lower glycemic impact. If these factors are a concern, then eat more of the green stuff. You only need to worry about eating too much fruit if you have a real problem with insulin resistance or your blood sugar, and even then, low-sugar fruits like berries, cherries, apples and grapefruit should be fine. A study conducted at the Scripps Research Institute showed that eating half a grapefruit before a meal contributed slightly to fat loss.
I understand that you're only concerned about fat loss and building a great body right now, but it's worth noting that a 26-year study of men in Sweden showed that fruit consumption in general is associated with longer life expectancy (1).
Remember that no one has ever gotten fat from eating apples. If you are trying to lose fat, then fruit and vegetables are not what you should be worrying about.
How can you eat on the go without losing your abs?
Q: I travel a lot and sometimes I end up in places where the only place to get food is a McDonalds. In this situation, what should I order that will fill me up but not ruin my chances of having visible abs in the summer?
A: A few years ago, I traveled across the country from New York City to Los Angeles. I realized pretty quickly then that if I didn't want to starve to death, I needed to learn how to use rest stops and fast food restaurants without ruining my body. It's not easy, but it can be done.
The best kept secret at McDonalds is the breakfast burrito. You can also order the scrambled eggs or the eggs McMuffin during breakfast hours (which end at 10:30 or 11:00). For lunch, you can try one of the salads or burgers without a bun. At Subway you can choose turkey or roast beef with vegetables and avocados. Order the 15 centimeter sandwich (never choose the 30 cm option) in a whole grain version. Choose oil for the dressing (which is a mix of olive oil and rapeseed oil).
Too good to be true?
Q: As a nutrition expert, do you believe it is possible to build muscle and lose fat at the same time? If this is possible, what is the best way to go about it? Common sense says that you need to increase calorie intake to build muscle, while you need to decrease calorie intake to lose fat.
A: According to my friend Charles Poliquin, the whole bulking and dieting story is obsolete. Here's what he told me: "I can get a 90 kilo guy with a 20% body fat percentage to a 6% body fat percentage in 8 weeks with no change in body weight. That would mean a loss of 13 kilos of fat and a gain of 13 kilos of muscle.
Of course, there is a catch. You would have to train twice a day and Poliquin describes his nutritional strategy as follows: "I usually give them 4.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day and the carbohydrates come from licking a dried plum 10 times." I'm not sure I completely agree with these recommendations, but who am I to question the master?
Own urine?
Q: More than one UFC fighter believes that drinking their own urine has medicinal benefits. Is there any truth to that?
A: The idea of drinking your own urine for health reasons is not as insane as it may sound at first glance, which is why those UFC fighters you mentioned are not alone in their choice of beverage.
People have been drinking their urine for thousands of years. In the Bible, there seems to be a cryptic reference to this in Solomon's Book of Proverbs 5:15: "Drink water from your own cistern." (Okay, he's probably talking about marital fidelity, but it's not like you could ask the original author.) There is a Sanskrit text that has no less than 107 verses on the benefits of "the pure water of your own urine". And in 1978, Morarji Desai, the Prime Minister of India Dan Rather, said that urine therapy would be the perfect solution for millions of Indians who cannot afford medical care.
Urine is sterile and free of pathogens as long as you don't have a kidney or urinary tract infection. It consists of 95% water. The rest is urea, salt and non-toxic solids in solution or suspension. Drinking your own urine is therefore safe and harmless. And the health benefits? No one really knows. Urine contains small amounts of hormones, proteins and antibodies, which are probably the source of the belief that urine has medicinal qualities.
However, just because we don't have Western science to support the health benefits doesn't mean there aren't any. How would one go about getting funding for such a study? By going to the National Institutes of Health and asking for money for a clinical trial on urine-based therapies?
Not much will happen. And even then, if you got private funding and approval from the university committee, what would you give the control group? Apple cider vinegar?
The spice of life
Q: I've heard about some amazing health benefits of cinnamon. Does cinnamon really improve insulin sensitivity? And if so, does this mean I can include apple pie in my diet as long as it contains cinnamon?
A: Two promising studies by USDA scientist Richard Anderson and colleagues do indeed show that cinnamon extracts may lower blood sugar levels. In a 2003 study, just one gram of cinnamon per day was enough to help people with type II diabetes lower their fasting blood sugar, triglyceride levels and LDL cholesterol levels after 40 days of treatment, with levels continuing to fall for 20 days afterward. And in another study, cinnamon's water-soluble compounds, known as polyphenolic polymers, were found to increase sugar metabolism in fat cells by a factor of 20.
Other studies have not found such promising benefits. What's more, in addition to making everything taste great, cinnamon is rich in antioxidants. Adding some cinnamon to food and drink can't hurt and might even help you improve your insulin sensitivity a little. On its own, cinnamon won't cure diabetes or turn apple pie into a health food.
References:
- Strandhagen, et al, "High fruit intake may reduce mortality among middle-aged and elderly men", Eur J Clin Nutrition 2000; 54: 337-341
By Jonny Bowden
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/question-of-nutrition-8
Do not fear catabolic hunger. Hunger is not your enemy. Fitness model Jeremy Scott talks about the three basic mistakes that beginners often make with intermittent fasting.
Since I started practicing Intermittent Fasting, I no longer eat a traditional breakfast or anything else before 11am.
Over the past few years, I have worked with numerous people who wanted to try Intermittent Fasting. They practiced this diet in different ways. Some have shared their stories with me, while others have inquired about the basics to see if Intermittent Fasting might be for them. When I first started Intermittent Fasting I wanted to get as slim as possible. A year later, my goal was to gain more muscle mass while maintaining the definition I had...and I achieved my goal of increasing my weight from 83 kilos to 90 kilos with the help of Intermittent Fasting.
You read that right. Getting really defined with the help of intermittent fasting was quite easy. But you can also build quality lean muscle mass with the help of this nutritional approach. I am living proof of this.
How did I achieve this? By avoiding making the 3 most common mistakes that I see numerous other people make when they dive into the world of Intermittent Fasting.
Don't get me wrong, as with everything else, this is a learning process. The biggest benefit of Intermittent Fasting for me was that I was able to live my life more freely and with fewer restrictions compared to my previous "Tupperware meal every 5 hours".
Here are the 3 most common basic mistakes you should avoid if you want to be successful with Intermittent Fasting.
Mistake #1 - You're afraid of being even slightly hungry
We all get hungry. It's just part of life. Whether you're practicing Intermittent Fasting or eating out of a Tupperware bowl every 2 hours, you're going to be hungry from time to time.
I remember hearing this phrase years ago when I was trying to build muscle: "If you're hungry, it's already too late." This idea is based on the concept that your body goes into some crazy catabolic state when you start to feel intense hunger pangs.
However, I can assure you from personal experience that it's perfectly fine to be hungry for a few hours. Your muscles will not disappear immediately. I am living proof of this - as are hundreds of others out there who are practicing intermittent fasting and carrying around a reasonable amount of muscle mass.
I'm 188 centimeters tall and weigh an average of 90 kilos (or more) all year round. I have been eating this way for years and have been steadily building quality muscle mass during that time. I usually fast once a week for a full 24 hours to completely cleanse my body. And guess what - my muscles are still fully intact.
Trust me, all the gains from your hard work won't just disappear if you don't eat for a few hours. The truth is, your digestive system also needs a break from digesting food every second of the day.
You can go 16-18-20-22 or even 24 hours without food. Your body is an amazing machine that can and will adapt to different situations. Short-term fasting for say 16 hours will not cause any significant muscle loss. There are numerous scientific studies that clearly prove this.
I also typically train in a fasted state - no food before training, depending on the day and the type of training session. Sometimes I even allow a few hours after training before my first meal.
However, I usually eat something within an hour of training. What I'm getting at is that being hungry is something normal that is perfectly fine. Don't be afraid of hunger. Think of your body as a fat-burning blast furnace. This blast furnace burns until you start shoveling food into it. This could help you to overcome this fear.
Mistake #2 - You eat junk food most of the time
No diet plan - whether it's intermittent fasting or a standard bodybuilding diet plan with 6 to 8 meals a day - will be successful in the long run if you're eating processed junk. They say you can't build a million dollar body with one dollar meals and that statement is 100% true. If you're struggling to lose fat while following an Intermittent Fasting eating plan, chances are you're having some issues with the quality of your macronutrients or the quantities of those macronutrients you're eating. You can't eat 2 packs of Oreos during your first meal after the fasting phase and think that's okay just because you've been fasting for 16 hours and are now starving.... That's not how it works.
With any eating plan, the best thing you can do is just start. If it runs, swims, flies, grows in the ground, eat it. If it's in a cardboard box or plastic wrapper, don't eat it. This works with virtually any diet plan and Intermittent Fasting is no exception. I'm not saying you have to jump head over heels on the Paleo bandwagon right now, but eating meat, vegetables and healthy fats typically works quite well for me and my clients. Intermittent Fasting is not a free pass to eat junk all day long just because you eat that junk within a shorter window of time. As with anything, what you eat is important - eat clean, quality whole foods and you'll look like Rambo, eat massive amounts of sugar-laden junk and you'll look like the typical everyman. I'll reiterate at this point: there is NO diet plan where you can eat mostly junk food and still look good - eating fresh, clean, whole foods will help you reach your full potential. At this point, however, it should also be mentioned that a couple of cookies or a slice of pizza won't kill you - as long as you eat these things in moderation.
Mistake #3 - Watching the clock - and waiting for the next binge
Let's say you start with the standard 16-8 Intermittent Fasting approach. Fast for 16 hours and eat for the remaining 8 hours. If you sleep 8 hours a day and stop eating 4 hours before going to bed and wait 4 hours after getting up until your first meal, then you will only be awake for 8 hours of your fasting phase. In reality, this is not such a long time without food and fasting is, in a sense, all about learning to go without food.
I don't want to get too philosophical here, but there are a lot of things you can learn about yourself, your commitment and your drive when it comes to regular fasting or fasting as a lifestyle. However, many beginners become people who are constantly watching the clock, just waiting for their next opportunity to eat again because they are worried about "starving". You will not starve. Your body can go for days without food.
In reality, you are either bored or fixated on a meal. If you focus less on the 16 hour window and more on your job, your training, your family and your life, then you will have an easier time with intermittent fasting from the start. If you just sit there watching the clock, waiting and thinking about food, you will only drive yourself crazy and increase the feeling of wanting to give up. In the beginning, it will be a hard transition to go from eating every 2 hours from getting up to going to bed to an intermittent fasting approach where you don't eat for hours at a time. Trust me, after a week you will get used to it. Just live your life.
Schedule your time for things that really matter - life is about more than food preparation, washing Tupperware bowls and eating every 12 minutes. You will probably quickly find that you will be much more productive with intermittent fasting than with your previous eating plan.
At this point it should be mentioned that you don't necessarily have to fast for a full 16 hours every day. If it is only 14 hours one day, this is still a good start. Maybe you are busy at work or traveling with your family and don't eat for 18 hours...Intermittent Fasting is designed to make your life easier and more efficient and transform you into a lean, defined being with a sexy body.
Intermittent Fasting is not meant to hold you hostage to the clock or a dietary regimen. That's the beauty of it - don't keep looking at the clock - plan your fast. Eat when the fasting phase is over. It's about making intermittent fasting something that fits your life and not the other way around. You now have the flexibility to make these choices and not become someone who is constantly watching the clock for fear of losing muscle, going into a catabolic state, or whatever fear you associate with a skipped meal. I hope that those of you who decide to dive into the world of Intermittent Fasting do so wholeheartedly. Intermittent Fasting has taken my body to a whole new level, which has also been the case from a health perspective.
I feel like a rock star and I am stronger, healthier and happier than I have ever been in my entire life. Having the flexibility to travel, attend events, work out or do whatever I want to do without having to worry about my meal prep or getting into a catabolic state is worth more to me than anything else.
Intermittent Fasting is not for everyone. Try it out and remember to start simple and gradually go deeper as you become more familiar with the Intermittent Fasting lifestyle.
Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/intermittent-fasting-beginner-mistakes
Q: I recently read an article entitled "Rapeseed oil for healthy cooking". Is canola oil really as healthy as olive oil and coconut oil?
A: The fact that everyone believes canola oil is the new messiah in nutrition represents a triumph of marketing over fact similar to other marketing hypes such as claims that goji berries can cure cancer and regrow hair.
Fred Pescatore, MD, author of The Hamptons Diet and one of the best nutrition experts I know, calls canola oil an "ugly" oil. "The modern methods for processing canola oil are what make canola oil so ugly," he says. The oil is removed from the seeds using a mechanical pressing process and a solvent at high temperatures, after which it is further purified, bleached and gum removed, each of these steps requiring high temperatures and chemicals. Unrefined rapeseed oil contains about 10% omega-3 fatty acids, which acquire a disgusting and rancid odor due to the high temperatures during processing. This smell must be neutralized or masked by a deodorization process and this process converts a large percentage of the omega-3 fatty acids into trans fats.
And this is the "healthy" stuff they use to replace saturated fats? even if this were not the case, rapeseed oil would be a poor choice as an oil for cooking, as you should never heat omega-3 fatty acids to high temperatures. "The rapeseed oil you usually find in supermarkets has been refined, heated and completely destroyed," says Pescatore. "Yet even some of the most sophisticated health writers write about this product as if it's healthy, when nothing could be further from the truth."
"I would never use this oil," Pescatore concludes.
I agree with him.
The truth about blood type diets
Q: Is there any truth to these so-called "blood group diets"?
A: The answer is...maybe.
I wish I could give you the short answer I gave to this question a few years ago: "Diets based on your blood type are nutritional astrology!" But the truth is that I'm not as sure as I was then that this is just hokum, even though the way many people interpret this topic is pretty garbage.
Here's a quick summary of the theory: there is a chemical reaction between your blood and the foods you eat that is brought about by a group of proteins called lectins. According to Peter D'Adamo, author of the book Eat Right for your Type, what happens when you eat foods that contain lectins that are not compatible with your blood type is that these lectins target specific organs and begin to stick blood cells together. This is not life-threatening, but it does affect your well-being.
According to Michael Lam, MD, MPH, 95% of the lectins you ingest from food are broken down by your body, but the remaining 5% are not. These remaining 5% enter your bloodstream and can have different reactions with different organs. If you've never heard of this stuff, here's the short version:
- Type 0 is the high protein, meat-eating type.
- Type A is the typical tofu-eating vegetarian
- Type B and AB are mixed types who can eat almost anything
Of course, the whole thing is a bit more complicated, but these are the basics. There has been some research - including by Laura Power, Ph.D. - regarding the influence of blood type on diet, and it appears that blood type may be one of the determining factors in what foods are best for a given person. But there are more than a few caveats here.
First of all, there are more than the four blood types you read about in popular science nutrition books. In reality, there are about 20 different subgroups of people with blood type A alone. These subgroups have important differences and do not react in the same way to certain foods.
The second problem is that blood type is only one of many factors. For example, I have seen more than one type A person who felt bad on a vegetarian diet. And even if your blood type should be fine with dairy, you could suffer from a lactose intolerance that makes the whole thing irrelevant.
Thirdly, people who use blood type as a serious diagnostic tool and nutritional planning aid take far more than just your blood type into account. Naturopath and physician Dekker Weiss, NMD, a supporter of blood type theory, told me that he does all sorts of additional testing besides blood typing to figure out how to optimally personalize nutrition for the best results. My personal opinion is that using just four blood types as a basis for overall diet planning is pretty thin, and I think most supporters of this system will agree with me here. Even D'Adamo, who popularized the whole topic in the first place, offers an intensive seminar for experts to show how to use this system correctly.
And Laura Power, who did the research I mentioned, has developed what she calls the eight "biotypes" based on the blood group data. I myself like to use the blood group story as a party trick. If someone tells me they are a big meat eater and feel good with this, there's a good chance they have blood type 0. It almost always works.
Stress fighter, fatigue killer
Q: Is Rhodiola worth a try or is it nothing more than hype?
A: Rhodiola is actually quite a good thing.
Rhodiola Rosea is a plant that grows in cold climates such as the Alps and Iceland. It's known as an adaptogen, which means it can improve your mood when you're feeling low and calm you down when you're aroused. An adaptogen is like a thermostat that regulates the temperature in a home. An adaptogen is used to improve mood, reduce stress and combat tiredness and fatigue.
And the research on the subject is promising.
A review published by the prestigious American Botanical Council in 2002 concluded that numerous studies conducted with Rhodiola show that Rhodiola helps prevent fatigue and reduce stress. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, it also improves immune function and increases sexual energy.
A placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study examined the effects of Rhodiola on physical capacity, muscle strength, speed of limb movement, reaction time and alertness in healthy volunteers. The results documented that Rhodiola can improve endurance training capacity. (Int. J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab; 14(3): 298-307, 2004). Another study investigated the effects of Rhodiola on 40 students during a stressful exam period. The most significant improvements were observed in the areas of physical fitness, mental fatigue and neuromotor tests. Significant improvements in general well-being were also observed in the Rhodiola group. The respectable Physicians Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines says, "Rhodiola may be helpful in relieving mental and physical fatigue and improving endurance exercise performance and general well-being."
The recommended dosage is 50 to 200 mg per day. You should be careful to buy rhodiola from a source with a good reputation and not some clown from a TV commercial.
Sweet!
Q: In your book The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy, you mention Lo Han, a sweetener. What is it all about? I've never heard of this stuff before!
A: Lo Han is the name of a sweetener extract from the Luo Han Guo plant that grows in the mountains of southern China. This is also known as Luo Han Guo and Luo Han Kuo. Lo Han has a vanishingly low glycemic impact, is much sweeter than sugar - about 250 times sweeter - and can be used in both hot and cold foods, which means you can use it in baking and cooking, and you can add it to coffee or tea.
Commercial Lo Han products such as Lo Han Sweet provide around 2 kcal per serving.
From hungry to horny
Q: Are there any foods that act as aphrodisiacs?
A: I wish there was such a thing.
Beer bellies and bad foods
Q: Are there specific foods or dietary regimens that result in more fat accumulation in the belly area? And can beer lead to a beer belly as it causes fat to be preferentially stored in the abdominal area?
A: Are there foods that cause fat storage in the abdominal area? Yes: Foods with too many calories and too much sugar. Is that enough of an answer for you?
Okay, seriously, that's a good question and here's the answer. When you spike insulin levels, as you do with high-sugar foods or highly processed carbohydrates, you increase the likelihood of developing insulin resistance. Insulin resistance almost always goes hand in hand with a big, fat belly. In fact, the following is a "low-tech" test for insulin resistance: If you walk towards a wall, does your belly hit the wall in front of you? A man with an abdominal circumference of over 100 cm and a woman with an abdominal circumference of over 88 cm will almost always suffer from insulin resistance. You can alleviate insulin resistance with a low-carb diet. It's not just sugar and carbohydrates that make you fat, but they dramatically increase levels of the hormone insulin, also known as the 'fat storage hormone'.
You could eat 10,000 kcal a day in the form of coconut oil and you'd be fat as a horse, even though coconut oil contains no carbohydrates. And you can be fat as a barrel and carry most of your fat around on your back or your thighs, your hips and your butt. However, if I were trying to avoid a life preserver around my midsection, the first thing I would cut back on would be sugar and processed carbs. And as for the beer belly, although many types of beer contain massive amounts of carbohydrates, it is believed that beer may contain estrogen-like compounds that could promote fat storage around your midsection.
However, if you drink a six-pack of beer every night, the calories alone will cause you to store fat. Remember that the term beer belly wasn't chosen because the term steak belly was already taken.
By Jonny Bowden
Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/question-of-nutrition-7
