Sustainable Diet

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The need for recreational athletes to increase and maintain fat-free-mass

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The need for recreational athletes to increase and maintain fat-free-mass

The two main factors that control the size of your furnace are what you eat and how you exercise. In the previous blog post, I said "protein is the key ingredient to building the components that make up your furnace. It's important to note that your body prefers to not use carbohydrates and fats as the fuel that burns inside the furnace. The body preferentially breaks down carbohydrates first, and then fats and finally proteins only if the other two fuels are depleted. This is important as proteins are generally less efficient at generating energy. In addition, proteins perform several important functions so if they were broken down several systems could fail."

Both the quality and quantity of protein has a key role to play in building and maintain the size of your furnace.

Before we start to digest the juicy protein details I want to take moment to debunk the "calories in and calories out" equation.

Up your hydration game

Up your hydration game

There seems to be little correlation between salt intake alone and high blood pressure. In some of the culture’s studied – higher salt consumption seems to suggest longer life expectancy – “…a low-salt diet may actually lead to serious health consequences and higher overall mortality, particularly in conditions like heart disease and diabetes…, a low salt intake is associated with higher mortality from cardiovascular events… the lowest risk of death for sodium excretion [is] between 4 and 5.99 grams per day…

Do you talk to clients about their iron levels?

Do you talk to clients about their iron levels?

Iron deficiency is becoming more and more common, to a point where I often ask my clients when they last had their iron levels tested. Iron deficiency is not as common in men because they don't have a menstruation cycle each month and lose valuable iron stores. 90% of the female clients I've worked with either have an iron deficiency or have had one in the past.

Iron is an important nutrient, and it's rather scary how many people, especially women, are deficient in iron. It's also worth noting that too much iron is not healthy, and it's important to have your iron levels checked regularly.

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Why should health & fitness professionals be recommending bone broth?

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Why should health & fitness professionals be recommending bone broth?

As health and fitness professionals we can sometimes be quick to recommend supplements to our clients. Supplements should be an addition to a healthy sustainable diet and only used when needed. If the nutrients we need can be obtained from food sources, we should be promoting these first. Mother Nature designed out food to contain an abundance of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and co-factors that are essential to our survival. Processed foods are often void, or very low, on these nutrients and this is why so many people are deficient in key nutrients. As health and fitness professionals we should be helping our clients make smart dietary choices and adding foods such as bone broth to their diet.

Is there such a thing as an essential carbohydrate?

Is there such a thing as an essential carbohydrate?

We’ve all heard of essential fatty acids. We’ve all heard of essential amino acids. But is there such a thing as an essential carbohydrate? Essential macronutrients are required in the diet because the body can't produce them. Chemical reactions in the body can provide non-essential macronutrients.

It’s important to note that ALL carbohydrates in food are broken down and converted into pure sugar (glucose and fructose) or indigestible fibre. Although glucose, fructose, and fibre are all technically carbohydrates, they each have a different effect on the body.

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Women's Health: Diet, Training and Hormones - Part 2

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Women's Health: Diet, Training and Hormones - Part 2

In part 1 of this women’s health post, I talked about the importance of nutrient density, diets, carbohydrates and the need to talk to your female clients about premenstrual syndrome (PMS), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), insulin sensitivity, pregnancy and breastfeeding. The unrealistic media images and social pressure to look a certain way comes at a cost to our health, happiness, and longevity. Women need to be especially careful because their hormones can be particularly sensitive to lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, sleep, and stress. The overuse of specific diets and training methods can create serious hormonal issues in women and impact fertility.

DAY 27 - PLANTAIN CHIPS

DAY 27 - PLANTAIN CHIPS

This month the team at TSTM are publishing health Paleo recipes. Our professional chef Helena is leading the way with the Paleo challenge we’ve set, but she has asked me to add a couple of recipes in the final week. How can I compete with a professional chef?

Paleo snacks are often a struggle for most people, so I was thinking my first recipe should be a snack. Plantain chips can be eaten hot or cold. You can make up a large batch and save them for snacks. Green plantains are a resistance starch, which makes them suitable for diabetics as resistance starch does not raise insulin levels. Resistance starch is also very healthy for the gut microbiome, you can read more about it here.