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Diets

Diets, Macronutrients, Muscle, Performance, Protein
Is performance better with plant based or meat based diets?
- December 5, 2022
Debates between plant based or animal based diets has been going on for a long time! Touted benefits of plant based diets tend to revolve around impacts on inflammation, cardiovascular health and the environment. Flipping the script, typical negatives of plant based diets are poor quality protein options and lacking certain nutrients. Recently another study came out to offer additional insight into this. Participants spent 4-weeks eating three different diet strategies; strictly plant based, alternative meat based (think plant burgers and sausage items), and traditional animal based diets. After each 4-week period a series of fitness tests were conducted to compare the effects.

Performance test results

Tests measured for performance were distance covered in 12-minute timed run and various strength exercises (chest press, leg press, lat pull downs). While statistical significance wasn’t achieved, there was still a trend favoring animal protein diets. Both total distance covered and strength changes improved a bit more with animal protein. Amongst competitive athletes, even the slightest improvements can have big impacts on the end results. Due to that even minor improvements can’t be overlooked.

Possible reasons for favored animal results

Max performance on a plant based diet does need to ensure adequate nutrients are being supplemented that may not otherwise be consumed enough. Main nutrients of note include vitamin B12, creatine and iron. All of these aid in energy production and oxygen delivery. Improvements in those two things will certainly translate into improved performance. Also, the animal protein group was consuming a higher overall protein intake as well. Protein is very important for optimal muscle recovery/repair and muscle building. Due to many plant based protein being incomplete proteins, more protein is needed in these situations. Less total protein on top of that could result of less recovery. Coming into test days a bit more recovered could have aided better performances amongst the animal protein periods.

You can still compete on a plant based diet

Planning ahead is key for anyone considering a plant based diet. Ensure no key nutrients are being missed which means supplements can play a major role in this situation. Particularly as mentioned previously, vitamin B12, creatine and iron should be considered. Top that off with a bit extra protein and you’ll be in great shape. Regardless your overall diet strategy, some extra veggies and fruit will rarely hurt you. Make sure to keep those an integral part and your performance will continue to thrive.

Study referenced: click here

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Body Composition, Diets, Meal Timing, Metabolism, Weight
Is the best time to eat earlier or later in the day?
- November 9, 2022
Nowadays most people’s schedules are insanely busy. Running from one thing to the next and back all day. Student athletes have to navigate not only their classes but training and travel schedules. Working individuals may not be any better with early meetings and frequent travel as well. Technology also allows for 24/7 access meaning meetings at all hours. Busy schedules are wrecking havoc on when people are able to eat. Thus if making the effort to prioritize your schedule around nutrition, when is the best time to eat to eat?

Latest findings on the best time to eat

Recently a new study came out looking to answer that very question. Physiologically the results were fairly one-sided in favor or eating earlier in the day. Eating later resulted in a decreased level of the body’s hormones responsible for feeling full, leptin. Still at the hormonal level, eating later increased the actual pathways encouraging storing calories as fat. So while feeling hungrier it also appeared to decrease actual metabolism rates and overall body temperatures. A decreased natural calorie burn alongside feeling more hungry with and increased fat storage sounds like a recipe for disaster. Regardless your personal goals, this increased susceptibility to increased weight and specifically increased fat is far from ideal. Performance and overall health both take a hit with that.

Support for breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! That phrase isn’t going anywhere anytime soon with a strong case for being the best time to eat. Eating earlier in the day help provide the body energy for when most of us are likely to be most active. Having a full fuel tank to get us through the day is a lot more helpful than eating and having all that energy just for us to get ready for bed later in the day. Athletes in particular will benefit a lot from having breakfast. Many training sessions are early in the day so having that extra energy ensures the ability to train at your peak level. It’s also a great time to provide some extra protein to maximize recovery and overall body composition goals.

Why do so many people tend to eat later?

Just like us, our body is a creature of habit. If we do (or don’t) do something consistently the body adapts to expect it. Prime example being the popular line “I’m just not hungry in the morning.” Following that up with the question of when the last time they had eaten breakfast, they typically either won’t know or it is years ago. Due to this the body has gotten into a routine of not expecting breakfast and doesn’t send signals encouraging it. Just because that signal isn’t coming through, doesn’t mean breakfast should be ignored. Slowly reintroducing breakfast can start to get the metabolism ramped up in the morning again and get into a new routine actually wanting breakfast!

Claiming not to have enough time for breakfast is another all too common response as well. Overcoming this involves one of two strategies for most people if honest with themselves. Setting the alarm just a few minutes earlier is the first strategy to get out of bed and make something. Strategy number two is to prepare breakfast the night before so it can just be grabbed and taken to go. Those stating to not enjoy breakfast can rest at ease as well! Just because it’s breakfast time, doesn’t mean you have to have traditional breakfast food. Eat the foods that you enjoy but make sure they are quality things and providing you the nutrients you need. If truly wanting to work on being an earlier eater there is a way to do it.

So when should you be eating?

All things considered, earlier in the day is the best time to eat. Certain situations for some specific goals may justify a different strategy such as intermittent fasting or fasted training but those are the exception. Especially for athletes with the traditional training schedules and higher overall calorie needs eating early is essential. Early eating provides needed energy for their training and to ensure adequate overall calorie needs are met. Athlete’s skipping an early meal put themselves behind the 8-ball right out of the gate having to play catch up the rest of the day. Body composition is a top priority for many athletes as well and all things combined reinforces the preference of earlier eating. After writing this I feel like I need to whip up an omelet!

Study referenced: click here

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Body Composition, Diets, Macronutrients, Metabolism, Weight, Wellness
Metabolism Changes To Keep In Mind During Weight Loss
- October 12, 2022
Weight loss is one of the most common nutrition goals amongst any population. The formula is basic that everyone has heard regarding eat less and move more for the calories in, calories out idea. But it isn’t talked about as much how the metabolism changes with weight loss. Those changes are why many tend to regain the weight they just lost.

How the metabolism changes

The body tries really hard to stay at its current weight. No matter if someone’s goal is weight loss or weight gain, the body fights it a little bit. Change is hard for everyone, our body’s included! Two hormones in particular drive this; leptin and ghrelin.

Leptin is what helps us to feel full. After a big meal, leptin levels increase and signal to the brain “ok, that’s enough” to stop eating. Ghrelin is the opposite and makes us feel hungry when we need to eat. Long periods without food, ghrelin levels increase until we eat something.

When losing weight, these signals get a little mixed up. To try and keep the body weight at the same level, leptin levels become reduced. The signal and how loud leptin is shouting that the body is full also decreases. These things result in feeling more hungry and thus eating more.

Rate of weight loss

How quickly someone loses weight can impact these effects. Slow and steady is the key. The faster weight is lost, the greater amount of that weight tends to be muscle. This obviously isn’t ideal! By going at a “slow” rate of around 0.5-1.0 pounds lost per week, that can be a great rate to preserve one’s muscle. That muscle is what will help to keep the metabolism burning to maintain the weight that is lost.

On the other hand losing weight quickly comes at the expense of muscle. The metabolism changes with that are that it begins to slow down. Ghrelin levels increase quite a bit as well which can lead to overeating or sometimes even binge eating. It’s a recipe for potential disaster. This is a big reason why many people who regain their weight, had originally lost that weight in a fairly quick manner.

Foods that can help

There are some foods that can be a bit more helpful than others though. Those foods are ones higher in protein and fiber. Both of these nutrients provide more satiety and help to create that fullness feeling. As discussed earlier, that fullness feeling can be a challenge so focusing on protein and fiber rich foods can help ease some of those hunger pains.

Increasing one’s protein intake will also help maintain muscle mass. We work hard for our muscle and if we cut weight we want to make sure it isn’t lost. Eating extra protein helps the body to repair and rebuild any potential muscle damage. Aiming for right around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is a good reference point.

Diet breaks and refeeds

There are different theories on the best way to reduce calories for weight loss. The most common and typical strategy is a continuous calorie restriction. This is where day in and day out calories are pulled back a bit. Some feel that this long term restriction can cause the body to adapt and slow metabolism down. Based on this thinking, adding in some times for a diet break or a refeed can help avoid that slow down. What this can typically look like is 5 days of a bit more sever restriction with then going back up to a weight maintenance level of calories for 2 days. Overall there is still a total calorie deficit resulting in a similar weight loss.

Study so far show no actual difference between the two strategies. For athletes though, strategically adding in a refeed can be great when those are timed around competition when maximum performance is the key. The biggest difference in these strategies seem to be the psychological effects. If being able to have a day or two of maintenance calories allows someone to relax a bit and overall help increase the sustainability of their diet then it’s worth it. For those who would feel worse with bouncing back and forth, the consistent restriction is better. Everyone responds differently to different things so it’s finding what works for that person specifically.

Key points to limit metabolism changes

– Slow and stead rate of weight loss

– Increase protein intake

– Focus on high fiber foods

– Caloric deficit is the goal

– Best eating strategy for caloric restriction is unique to each person

– Continue lifting weights to maintain muscle mass

Study referenced: click here

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Diets, Supplements, Wellness
Quality Diet First, Supplements Second
- February 18, 2022
Like everything you have to walk before you can run. It all starts with the fundaments and with our health that is a quality diet. Most people want the quick fix of a pill or supplement or the ‘super food’ of the month. A quick fix never replaces the benefits a quality diet is able to offer.

But why doesn’t a quality diet get more attention? Because in all honesty, it’s kind of boring!

Unlike supplements or ‘super foods’ it’s difficult to get hyped about broccoli and spinach. You likely haven’t seen a broccoli ad during the Super Bowl but you’ve seen many Energy Drink ads. Those types of things are flashy and can grab peoples attention.

Quality diets don’t necessarily have fancy ingredients or titles. You can make some delicious tasting and looking food but the makeup of the recipes will be fairly similar. What makes this effective though is consistency and…*looks around*….*whispers*…patience. Everyone’s favorite word.

You can’t outwork a poor diet

The fundamentals for any quality diet comes down to protein, fat, carbs, fruit & vegetables and hydration! Each piece is important in its own right and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Protein

Not all protein is equal. If possible try to ensure optimal quality by having grass fed beef, free range chicken and wild caught fish. This helps ensure your meat contains the maximum nutrient punch. It also avoids many inflammatory additions such as preservatives that many low quality meats contain. Many people don’t consume enough protein overall so make sure you also avoid falling into that category.

Fat

Eating fat doesn’t make us fat. Fat is vital for nutrient absorption. There are fat and water soluble vitamins and as you may suspect, fat soluble vitamins require fat to be absorbed. So if you want the full benefit of that next salad, make sure you have some fat in it. Some quick good sources of fat include olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds and cheese.

Carbohydrates

Carbs are in just about everything these days it seems and as a result are incredibly available. Unfortunately most of these sources are of poor quality. Focus on more nutrient rich sources such as potatoes, whole grains, fruit and beans. Also keep in mind how much you’re having to match your training appropriately.

Fruit & Vegetables

Don’t skip these! The vast majority of us would do well to have more. Non-starchy vegetables such as spinach, peppers, broccoli and squash should be your go-to veggies. For fruit, berries give you some of the most bang for your buck. Any plate without these is an incomplete plate!

Hydration

Keep a water bottle nearby at all times. Proper hydration is needed to keep our body running optimally. So many of us struggle with staying hydrated despite being such an easy concept.

Quality diet = quality health = quality performance

Getting those fundamentals in place first then can allow us to begin considering supplements. To reiterate though, supplements don’t replace foods! Supplements work to enhance a quality diet allowing us to perform even better. They are also important to provide an extra boost in case our diet is a bit low in any specific nutrient. This is why regular blood work can be a great thing to get with your annual health check up (this is your nudge to schedule one if it’s been awhile).

Don’t blindly take just any supplement though. Do so with purpose and intent while also doing your homework to ensure it’s safe and worth your money. If unsure, don’t risk it and just purchase something anyways! Make sure to check with someone first. If you don’t know anyone feel free to reach out to me! I’d much rather you be safe than sorry. Just be prepared for me to ask you how your diet is before answering you 🙂

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Diets, Performance, Recovery
Intermittent Fasting: Reviewing the Research
- January 16, 2022
Intermittent fasting (IF) has been a hot topic lately. It is a diet strategy in which you are to consume your total days’ worth of food in a specified window of time. Depending on who you talk to, the duration of that window and when it starts can vary. One of the more popular windows is 16 hours of fasting with 8 hours of eating, typically beginning around 10:00am and ending at 6:00pm like this recent study used. This tends to result in skipping breakfast and avoiding late night eating close to bed. The results of this new study shows some possible effects of IF and why some people may find success with it.
Moro, T., Tinsley, G., Longo, G. et al. Time-restricted eating effects on performance, immune function, and body composition in elite cyclists: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 17, 65 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-020-00396-z

Who & What

Sixteen elite cyclists under the age of 23 were randomly split into two groups with different time windows of eating 3 meals and 1 snack:
1. IF group: 8-hr window; 10:00am to 6:00pm
2. Regular group: 14-hr window; 7:00am to 9:00pm
Both groups consumed all of the calories and nutrients they needed within these time windows while continuing to train the same amount. They did this for a total of 4 weeks.

How Did They Do?

Weight: Despite being coached to eat enough to maintain their weight, the IF group lost weight while keeping their muscle and the regular group saw no changes. The lost weight for the IF group may be due to avoiding late night snacks and eating more in line with their body’s natural clock. What I mean by this is during the day the body is used to being awake, active and needing to produce energy which you provide it by eating. Later in the evening the body is getting ready to sleep and slow down so it’s not trying to produce a lot of energy. If eating a lot right before bed, your body will have a tougher time using all of that energy because you’re less active and this could result in weight gain over time. There is also a lot of time in between meals for the regular group which could cause them to be hungrier and unintentionally eat a little more.

Muscle and Inflammation: Even though neither group saw any changes in muscle during the 4 weeks, there was a drop in muscle building hormones in the IF group. This decrease may be because the group wasn’t eating enough and losing weight. Building muscle requires energy and if it’s not being provided you can’t expect to build much muscle. What was more interesting is that the IF group had less inflammation than the regular group. It’s hard to read too much into this as we don’t know how much fruit & vegetables or how much sleep each group was getting but this could be worth keeping an eye on.

Performance – The Big Test: There was no difference in performance between the groups. Short, sweet and to the point.

Key Take Aways
– You don’t have to follow an IF diet if looking to improve performance
-Always make sure that you are timing your meals/snacks around your training to optimally fuel before, during and after to get the most of your sessions
– If having a snack before bed, make sure it is higher in protein as this will better help with muscle building and recovery
– Eat fruit & vegetables regularly to keep inflammation down and help your body recover
– Go to bed! Get around 7-10 hours of sleep each night

There is not one single diet that can work for everyone and IF may work for some people but not for others. For most athletes though I advise against IF to make sure that optimal fueling before and after training occurs in order to perform and recover their best. If you are curious about what you should be eating to meet your goals, feel free to schedule a call with me and we can get you started seeing results.
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