Health Habits

improve your health, habit by habit

Posts Tagged ‘carbs’

The Making of the Health Habits Diet

February 2nd, 2010

Tomorrow, I will be sharing with the Health Habits Facebook Group one of the most effective fat-burning, muscle building, health improving diets I have ever designed.

But, before I do that, I thought I would show everybody the 3 central rules that I used to create the Health Habits Diet.

It’s Not Only What You Eat
It’s When You Eat It
And How Much Of It That You Eat

Simple, right?

Let’s take a closer look.

What You Eat

There are a lot of diets that restrict the types of food you can and can’t eat:

Low-Fat Diets
Low-Carb Diets
Vegetarian/Vegan Diets
High Fiber Diets
Liquid Diets
Organic Food Diets
Whole Grain Diets
and the list goes on and on and on…

The fact is, certain foods improve your health and certain foods don’t.

Certain foods are high in nutrients and low in calories
Other foods are high in calories and low in nutrients
Certain foods make you hungry
Certain foods cause inflammation (that’s bad)
Certain foods make you fat

Based upon the most recent research, I have put together my list of the foods that improve your health and the ones that wreck your health.

When You Eat It

What makes more sense:

Drinking all of your daily fluid intake at one sitting (think Big Gulp)?
Or spreading it out over the course of the day?

Skipping breakfast and lunch and then eating a huge dinner?
Spacing your food intake out evenly over the whole day?

Eating all of your carbs for breakfast, fats for lunch and proteins for dinner?
Eating meals balanced in macro-nutrients (carb, fat, pro)?

It’s not just the types of food you eat that’s important, it’s when you eat those foods.

And tomorrow, I will tell the Facebook Group about two incredibly powerful meal timing techniques.

How Much You Eat

This one is a no-brainer.

10,000 calories of the healthiest health food per day is still going to make you fat.

It’s just too bad that most dieters see calories as the end-all and be-all of successful weight loss. If the weight isn’t coming off fast enough, they just drop the calories a little more. And then a little more. And then just a little bit more.

Until 1 of 2 things happens:

They achieve their weight loss goal and then have to maintain their skinny-fat physiques on 1000 calories per day for the rest of their miserable calorie deprived lives, or
Their body revolts and forces them (via hormones, brain chemicals, etc) to eat and eat and eat.

Neither scenario works.

That’s why focusing solely on calories is the worst thing you can do if you’re trying to lose weight.

Conclusion

Tomorrow, I will be sharing with the Health Habits Facebook Group my latest fat-burning, muscle building, health improving diet.

It’s based on these 3 rules and it works better than anything I have ever seen.

Hope you like it.

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Peri-Workout Nutrition

December 15th, 2009

gatorade shower Back in the olden days, workout nutrition consisted of a quick run to the water fountain between exercises.

Then came Gatorade.

Then, we were introduced to the magic 20 minute post-workout window of time.

We were told that if we chugged down a carb/protein shake immediately after working out, we would:

Shift our metabolism from a catabolic state (muscle damaging) to an anabolic state (muscle building) .
Reduce post exercise muscle soreness
Get bigger, stronger, leaner, faster, etc…

And there was (and still is) a lot of scientific research to back up this belief.

As a result, every gym put in a “smoothie bar” and we all chugged down some pretty gross post-workout protein shakes.

But wait, it doesn’t end there, we’re just getting started.

Researchers began to study whether pre-workout carb/pro nutrition might be even more efficient than post-workout carb/pro nutrition.

And their research showed that it was.

mango-shake As a result, instead of one post-workout shake, I was now drinking half my shake pre-workout and finishing the rest post-workout.

I thought I had it all figured out.

Not quite.

The next scientific breakthrough discovered that while a combined carb/pro shake pre-workout worked wonders, a carb free protein meal didn’t work near as well.

And that was fine with me. Those heavy pre-workout protein shakes were sloshing around in my stomach and slowing down my workouts.

RECAP

At this point:

Carbs before workout – GOOD
Carbs & pro before workout good, but made Doug’s tummy upset
Carbs during workout – GOOD
Carbs & Pro (Amino Acids) immediately post workout – GOOD

In a nutshell, the theory is that:

Carbs raise your insulin levels, increasing the efficiency of nutrient absorption.
Your workout inflicts micro-damage on your muscles.
Your muscles are now screaming for nutrition to re-synthesize newer/stronger/faster muscles.
Then you throw a bunch of protein/amino acids into the mix

And voila, your body recovers faster & more efficiently from your workouts.

End of story, right?

Not yet.

In the past few years, I have been reading more about improving anaerobic endurance during workouts by supplementing with beta alanine or bicarbonates. And while the research shows mixed results, I have personally and professionally seen impressive gains in endurance during some pretty intense HIIT & HIRT workouts.

Since adding these supplements into the mix, I have been able to push some very intense workouts well past the dreaded 45 minute mark.

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So, what does all of this mean?

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It means that for best results, I recommend:

Eating a combined pro/carb meal (real food) 1 to 2 hours before working out
Drinking a mid-workout beverage containing…a high GI carb like maltodextrin, BCAAs, creatine, bicarbonates and/or beta alanine.
Drinking a post-workout shake containing carbs and a fast digesting protein (whey isolate).

Keep in mind this is a best case scenario type of peri-workout nutrition program.

Most of you aren’t going to want to spend the money on all of this stuff.

So, if cost is an issue, I would recommend

Eat the pre-workout meal as described above.
Drink watered down orange juice during your workout. BCAAs & Creatine if you can afford them.
Post-workout shake as described above.

Personally, I have tried 3 different workout beverages with sugar/BCAAs/Beta Alanine/Bicarb and have found that Biotest’s Surge Workout Fuel to be the most effective. It costs approximately $1.10 per serving.

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BTW – peri means around or about…so in this case peri-workout nutrition means nutrition around your workout

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I look forward to hearing your feedback. Workout nutrition is a hotly debated topic amongst all of the “experts” out there on the interweb.

My skin is thick, don’t hold back.

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This is what happens when Health Habits doesn't eat healthy

October 19th, 2009

Yesterday was my wife’s birthday.

Instead of going out to a restaurant, I offered to cook one of her favorite meals:

Vegetable lasagna with 4 types of cheese
Garlic bread dripping with butter
Caesar salad
Ice cream for dessert
and a bottle of pinot grigio to wash it all down

Mmmmmmm good…seriously. It tasted great. I make a really good lasagna.

However, this morning…

I feel like crap.

No energy
My sinuses are all stuffed up
Headache
Bloated – my wedding ring feels like it’s be soldered onto my finger
Heartburn
Stomach rumblin’ & grumblin”
I am craving carbs like crazy
And my face is all puffy…I have “bread head”

Bread Head…dammit!!!

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Posted in Diet/Nutrition, diabetes, fat, health, healthy recipes, nutrition, obesity, organic, vegetarian, weight loss

Tags: bread carbs diet Diet/Nutrition fitness food health healthy cooking healthy food healthy recipe lasagna nutrition nutritious obesity sugar western diet wine

Drink more soda…it's good for you

October 8th, 2009

Not everyone is happy with the anti-obesity/anti-soda ad produced by the NYC Dept of Health.

And it isn’t just the people who lost their lunches after seeing that globby/fatty/veiny cup of goo.

It’s groups like the Center for Consumer Freedom.

In fact, the CCF was so upset, that they produced their own rebuttal ad and had it printed in the New York Times

BTW, a full page ad in the Times costs upwards of $158,004.

$158,004

And we’re not even including the costs associated with creating the ad.

We’re talking big money.

BIG MONEY

And thinking about that big money awakened the skeptic in me. And that inner skeptic started thinking…who is the Center for Consumer Freedom and why are they spending a ton of money defending our freedoms against anti-cola advertisements?

So, I did a little research into the CCF.

My findings?

Apparently, there are a lot of people who don’t like the CCF.

To them, the CCF is nothing but a front group for the restaurant, alcohol and tobacco industries.

It runs media campaigns which oppose the efforts of scientists, doctors, health advocates, environmentalists and groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, calling them “the Nanny Culture — the growing fraternity of food cops, health care enforcers, anti-meat activists, and meddling bureaucrats who ‘know what’s best for you.’ ”

Over 40 percent of the group’s 2005 expenditure was paid to Rick Berman’s PR company, Berman & Co. for “management services. As part of its operations CCF runs a series of attack websites.

Sourcewatch

But, don’t take their word for it….Check out the “attack” websites

And, if that ain’t enough, watch this video…

Or listen to the man himself as Rick Berman is interviewed by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow…

So, what do you think?

Is Rick Berman…

standing up for your freedom against the American nanny state?
or is he spinning lies in order to promote the interests of his anonymous donors?

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In Defense of Farmers

September 28th, 2009

photographer: Alia Malley

In my hometown of Toronto, Michael Pollan is a hipster gOD.

His mantra to Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. is spoken with reverence by those Torontonians with a social conscience and enough disposable income to live organic, green and sustainable.

And it isn’t only Toronto. From what I have heard, this new breed of Agri-Intellectuals can be found in every city in North America and beyond.

In fact, according to the most recent census data, Agri-Intellectuals are America’s fastest growing ethnic population.

And that’s great for Michael Pollan’s book sales.

But, not so great for conventional farmers.

And they’re starting to get a little pissed off.

This past July, farmer Blake Hurst penned this article.

In the article, Mr Hurst disputes a number of the anti-Big Ag arguments raised by Michael Pollan and other Agri-Intellectual deities.

He reminds us that “farming has always been messy and painful, and bloody and dirty. It still is. This is something the critics of industrial farming never seem to understand”.

He goes on to say that “farmers have reasons for their actions, and society should listen to them as we embark upon this reappraisal of our agricultural system.

“I use chemicals and diesel fuel to accomplish the tasks my grandfather used to do with sweat, and I use a computer instead of a lined notebook and a pencil, but I’m still farming the same land he did 80 years ago, and the fund of knowledge that our family has accumulated about our small part of Missouri is valuable”.

And everything I know and I have learned tells me this: we have to farm “industrially” to feed the world, and by using those “industrial” tools sensibly, we can accomplish that task and leave my grandchildren a prosperous and productive farm, while protecting the land, water, and air around us”.

Please note that this is only a small portion of the article. Please read the rest.

And when you do read the article, keep in mind that way back in 1995, farmer Hurst asked congress to end crop subsidies. At that time, Hurst was quoted as saying that “government farm programs have fleeced taxpayers and stifled farmers’ ingenuity and profits”.

This is not a man content to sit back and let the government nor the Agri-Intellectuals tell him how to do his job.

And he’s not alone.

Last Thursday, Michael Pollan was invited to speak about his book, In Defense of Food to an audience of 8000 at the U of Wisconsin.

Michael Pollan at the U of Wisconsin – Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Luckily, it was all very…civilized.

Dammit.

(media hates civilized protests)

On Friday, the protest continued when the U of W held a panel discussion involving Pollan, a U of W student and two farmers.

I can’t find any video of the event, but according to this review of the panel discussion, the U of W student took the position of Big Ag and went right at Pollan.

She covered the typical Big Ag talking points:

America has the safest, most abundant food supply in the world.
Global food production needs to double by 2050 if we are going to feed everyone.
She said that 99% of Wisconsin’s farmers are family farmers.
And she called Pollan “polarizing”

Pollan responded by:

commending one of the farmers on his innovations and said that he would love to come and visit his farm.
saying that he doesn’t think the world should have only one type of farming. He used the phrase “Let a hundred flowers bloom,” meaning: the more diversity in farming, the better. Let’s try everything and only through that will we see what works best.
Pollan went on to say that critique is not necessarily a bad thing, and it’s not necessarily an attack. He said that he’s critiquing the system, not the farmers, and he made the analogy that in our national critique of the health care system, we aren’t criticizing the doctors.
He said that in fact, much of his critique is directed at the people who buy the food from the farmers and process it before selling it to the consumer.
He also said that the interests of agribusiness is often at odds with the interest of farmers. In fact, agribusiness exploits farmers and squeezes them off the land.

Conclusion

North American food production is becoming an even more important topic as we attempt to climb out of the global recession and hope to reverse current trends in obesity and healthcare.

Now if only the policymakers can act half as civilized as Michael Pollan & the folks from In Defense of Farmers.

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Eat More Carbs

September 26th, 2009

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Posted in Diet/Nutrition, diabetes, fat, fitness, health, nutrition, obesity, weight loss

Tags: burger carbs crazy diabetes diet fitness food funny hamburger health humor humour insulin joke nutrition obese obesity odd popeye sugar t-shirt tshirt type 2 diabetes weird wimpy

Soda Tax = Tax Grab

September 17th, 2009

It looks like my prediction of a American Soda Tax may soon come true.

According to ABC News, “several of the nation’s leading health experts are calling for a tax on soda as a means of curbing America’s obesity-epidemic”.

But wait, here’s the good part:

Their paper, appearing in the most recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, calls for a tax on “sugar-sweetened” drinks in order to reduce the consumption of the drinks and lower health costs as well as fund government-run health programs.

FUND GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH PROGRAMS

“A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages is really a double-win,” said Dr. David Ludwig, a co-author of the paper and director of the Optimal Weight for Life program at Children’s Hospital, Boston.

“We can raise much-needed dollars while likely reducing obesity prevalence, which is a major driver of health care costs, the paper states.

“Ultimately the government needs to raise more money to cover the deficit, and in terms of ways of raising that revenue, a tax on sugar sweetened beverages is really a no-brainer.”

So, there you go.

Just like I said here, the government will take advantage of America’s Obesity Epidemic™ and introduce a soda tax in order to help reverse the defecit.

But will it help reduce the nation’s obesity problem?

According to the latest research, small tax increases will have little effect on behavior.

On the other hand, big tax increases should do the trick. Especially for America’s poor.

So, there you go, just like I predicted:

5 Bucks for a Can of Coke

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NYC Declares War on Soda

September 13th, 2009

New York City’s public health officials opened a new front in their struggle against high-calorie beverages on Monday, unveiling a new ad campaign that graphically depicts globs of human fat gushing from a sideways drink bottle.

Mmmmmmmm….I could rally go for a great big glass of globby liquified human body-fat.

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Posted in Diet/Nutrition, diabetes, fat, fat loss, fitness, health, nutrition, obesity, weight loss

Tags: carbs childhood obesity corn syrup diet Diet/Nutrition fat fitness food government health hfcs high fructose corn syrup insulin new york new york city nutrition nutritious nyc obese obesity pop soda sugar weight loss

Here Come the Soda Tax

September 9th, 2009

Last month, I predicted that America will soon be paying 5 bucks for a can of Coke.

And it looks like that prediction may be coming true.

In an interview with Men’s Health magazine, President Obama was asked “would he consider so-called sin taxes, on soda and other sugar-laden products, or on activities that sabotage the health of the masses?

His response:

“I actually think it’s an idea that we should be exploring,” the president says. “There’s no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda. And every study that’s been done about obesity shows that there is as high a correlation between increased soda consumption and obesity as just about anything else. Obviously it’s not the only factor, but it is a major factor.”

But even the most powerful man on the planet needs to keep an eye on what’s politically feasible:

“Obviously there is resistance on Capitol Hill to those kinds of sin taxes,” he says. “Legislators from certain states that produce sugar or corn syrup are sensitive to anything that might reduce demand for those products. And look, people’s attitude is that they don’t necessarily want Big Brother telling them what to eat or drink, and I understand that.

It is true, though, that if you wanted to make a big impact on people’s health in this country, reducing things like soda consumption would be helpful.”

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Somehow, I don’t think that this is the type of change that the people at Jones Cola had in mind when they came up with their Orange “You Glad For Change” Cola to commemorate the inauguration of President Obama.

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Your Omega 3 Prescription

September 4th, 2009

By this point, you should already know that you need more Omega 3 fatty acids into your diet.

The question is: how much?

A teaspoon of fish oils?
A tablespoon?
3 pills?
or a great big slab of smoked salmon?

Well, according to this study, researchers believe that “a 200 mg dose of DHA per day is enough to affect biochemical markers that reliably predict cardiovascular problems, such as those related to aging, atherosclerosis, and diabetes”.

This study is the first to identify how much DHA is necessary to promote optimal heart health.

The Study

To determine the optimal dose of DHA, the researchers examined the effects of increasing doses of DHA on 12 healthy male volunteers between ages of 53 and 65. These men consumed doses of DHA at 200, 400, 800, and 1600 mg per day for two weeks for each dose amount, with DHA being the only omega-3 fatty acid in their diet. (No EPA)

Blood and urine samples were collected before and after each dose and at eight weeks after DHA supplementation stopped. The researchers then examined these samples for biochemical markers indicating the effects of each dose on the volunteers.

They found that supplementation with only 200 mg/d DHA for 2 wk induced an antioxidanteffect.

They concluded that “low consumption of DHA could bean effective and nonpharmacological way to protect healthy menfrom platelet-related cardiovascular events”.

Conclusion

If this study is correct, you need only 200 mg of DHA per day to reap the cardiovascular benefits of the Omega 3 fatty acid DHA.

And how do you get 200 mg of DHA?

1/2 tsp of fish oil
2 of these kiddie chewable DHA supplements
5 Krill capsules
2 oz of fresh/frozen salmon or tuna

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Health Habits

Posts Tagged ‘carbs’

The Making of the Health Habits Diet

What You Eat

When You Eat It

How Much You Eat

Conclusion

Related Posts

Peri-Workout Nutrition

Related Posts

This is what happens when Health Habits doesn't eat healthy

Drink more soda…it's good for you

$158,004

Related Posts

In Defense of Farmers

Related Posts

Eat More Carbs

Soda Tax = Tax Grab

5 Bucks for a Can of Coke

Related Posts

NYC Declares War on Soda

Here Come the Soda Tax

Related Posts

Your Omega 3 Prescription

Related Posts