Vegan is a huge craze right now, especially with the movie “Forks Over Knives” that just came out. (I haven’t seen it yet, but I intend to “stomach” it and view it sometime soon).

The movies and books promoting the vegan diet are usually well-intentioned. And, they even provide a place for those eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) to go and get healthier. Going from eating lots of sugar, and getting the bulk of your calories from grains and processed foods, to a plant-based diet is no doubt a step up in health.

But is it possible to get even healthier?

Of course!

The vegan diet is so restrictive, that you pretty much have to eat grains to survive. And grains, especially wheat, as we know are the cause of so many problems including “wheat belly” and other nasty maladies!

So then what? Well, as we have discussed on the Healthy Mind Fit Body podcast, the healthiest diet will be one consisting of a variety of meats, veggies, fruit, some nuts and seeds, and some dairy if you are able to tolerate it.

It’s really not that complicated. And, this “diet”, whether you want to call it paleo, primal, or low carb, actually allows for a whole lot of tasty foods and interesting variety!

I hear a lot of people who truly want to know what is best, and REALLY want to get to their perfect weight, get confused at what is “good” and what isn’t. There are a few points that are really important to grasp no matter where you are in your journey, to make sure to make the positive changes permanent:

1. If you have followed the USRDA or the S.A.D., you are addicted to sugar. You must lose that addiction! This doesn’t have to be as hard as it may sound, or even that you can never have the taste of sugar on your lips again. As you replace you sugars with healthy fats, you will start to miss sugar less and less.

2. If you have transitioned to veganism, you may have to get over your fear of meat. Meat has certainly been demonized from many angles, particularly after the now-debunked China Study came out a few years ago. However, ancestrally speaking, it’s what we as humans were meant to digest. And, this idea that you will get sick if you transition from a vegan diet to one with meat is also a myth! You may have a transitionary period where things aren’t perfect for a while, but this would also happen if you were quitting sugar. Hardly a bad thing!

3. Get interested in vegetables. There are so many of them. You don’t have to be boring.

4. Find what works for you. Get the general gist of paleo/primal/low carb, but don’t become religious about it. If you think something isn’t working for you, remove it from your diet for a month. See what changes happened.

A lot of this will be trial and error. You will learn what works for you.

Do you have any good paleo/primal/low carb recipes you can share for the newbies?

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How he did this is by basically throwing out the old rules, and learning from all his mistakes as he went along, instead of analyzing everything to death and never getting out of the starting gates.

What is it that you’ve been wanting?

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If you want to get a debate going and even tempers flaring, just bring up one of the topics in the 3rd rail of discussion: politics, religion, or nutrition.

Some people will say to avoid discussions of politics and religion in mixed company. But not many mention nutrition in that category.

I contend that nutrition is the most potentially inflammatory topic of the three!

Here’s why:

1. Most people eat 3 times a day. So, everyone is an expert in nutrition! Even if they eat breakfast at Starbucks, lunch at McDonalds, and dinner at Taco Bell every day. Science be damned, don’t take away my mocha frappachinos, French fries and 7 layer burritos (do those still exist?)!

2. Politics and religion can easily be avoided. Most gatherings involve a meal. Church is only once a week for most religious people. Politics is a little trickier, because it’s talked about on TV 24×7, so you’d think our individual worlds revolved around it! But the truth is, despite all the rhetoric about Democracy, as citizens we have very little control of what our so-called leaders may decide for us. So everyone may have an opinion, but once you realize that all these opinions don’t amount to a hill of beans (or beef?) at a luncheon, it becomes advantageous to move on in the discussion- or take it “off line”.

3. Nutrition is not off limits! It’s completely acceptable to launch into a discussion on food while at a gathering where there is a lot of food eating going on. Typically, I will be prompted to give my opinion because of my part in Healthy Mind Fit Body. However, I’m not a fan of the topic. Not many will be convinced of anything, no matter what one’s credentials are. And I’m sure there are those who will think “What do a couple of goofballs on a podcast who talk about donuts all the time know about eating?” I take solace in realizing that even bio-chemists who spend their lives with this stuff face the same wrath at their dinner parties!

4. The general consensus is, it’s fun to eat poorly! Some events I have been to remind me of my 8th grade. I had always been taught to get good grades, and I was generally in classes with smart kids. But 8th was high school for me, and suddenly it was COOL to get BAD grades! Being the contrarian that I am, I did the bare minimum and ended up on top of the bell curve with mostly A’s that year. So, not much has changed. I’ve been accused of being a carb nazi and even trying to ruin people’s fun because of the things I eat at parties or get togethers. But the funny thing is, I don’t preach- the mere idea of eating what I want to eat often times doesn’t sit well with people. So, in the general consensus case, actual talking doesn’t even have to happen before people get offended!

What has your experience been with the triad of inflammatory topics? Put in your comments below!

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Last weekend, I attended my nephew’s 3-year old birthday party. There were probably 15 other kids around his age there. Let’s take a look at what was on the menu:

1. Capri Sun. Ohhh, but this is the 100% fruit juice one! Still, there is probably as much sugar as there is in soda.

2. Corn chips. Yummy, salty, & addictive!

3. Candy, LOTS of candy. In fact, there was not just one, but TWO pinatas, filled with Tootsie Rolls, Dum Dums, Sweettarts, and some unknown white chocolate treats. Kids had pockets full of this stuff that’s usually reserved for Halloween!

4. Pizza! What kids birthday party would be complete without pizza?

5. And of course, cake, because their insulin levels needed to be jacked up just a little more!

I’m pretty sure I was the only one in attendance who saw anything wrong with the eating agenda. And, I know what you might be thinking: “Don’t be such a party pooper! Live a little once in a while!” I do get that this isn’t a daily thing for most of the kids (at least lets hope not). However, I’m looking more at the question of why do we as a society feel that carb craziness is just part of life as a kid, particularly at a birthday party?

I think it comes down to this. Most of us grew up with this same sort of routine carb indulgence around holidays and birthdays. Many still do participate in this on a regular basis. So, we think “we turned out okay, why should I deprive my kid?” Or, it’s simply that questioning the premise here is just too difficult.

Imagine serving healthy snacks like beef jerky, instead of junk food?
What if they didn’t get juice and had to drink…water?
And, wouldn’t it be sac-religious to not have birthday cake??

So it comes down to keeping social connections in tact and not rocking the boat and risking isolation from friends.

You see, it all comes down to self esteem, and being able to individualize when you know what is the best route to take, even if that means going against the stream.

I think there’s a way to “have your cake and eat it too” here (and not even have to serve cake!). Some things can be outright skipped, i.e. pinata hitting can be replaced with another game that doesn’t involve candy. Soda or juice can be sparkling water or even some semi-healthy drinks like flavored coconut water or the low sugar Vitamin Water. Vegetable chips over corn chips, steak instead of pizza, and are you ready….a paleo dessert like this chocolate custard instead of cake!

It all may sound insane at first glance, but a healthy and still fun kids birthday party is all totally doable. You may get questioned by your friends at first, but who knows, you may influence them in some way by leading by example, and showing what a healthy family looks like!

What about you? What do your birthday parties look like?

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This person said she had just started to eat paleo-style, and was really hungry, but felt like she was eating too many nuts so was trying to cut down on them.

Many hard-core paleo types chimed in:

“Yes, stay away from nuts! Just eat big meals and don’t snack, that’s what I do!”

“Eat real foods! Stay away from nuts!”

“Eat more vegetables!”

I’m getting the feeling that some people are starting to get a little extreme on their devotion to all things paleo. First of all, “strict paleo” is a myth. You will never be able to eat true paleo, because it’s impossible- unless you are going to go out and kill the animals yourself, and eat the organs and all!

People wanted to advise this woman to stay away from nuts. Tom me, this idea of staying away from nuts is….nuts! The latest trend seems to be that nuts have too many omega-6 fatty acids and therefore, would throw off the sacred omega6:3 ratio which I hear should be around 3:1 or so.

I have issues with that. First of all, who came up with this ultimate ratio? It seems no different to me than going back to the Zone ratios of 40/30/30, and pretty soon we’re going back to calorie counting obsession!

Of course we do want to get plenty of omega 3 fats in our diets, as they are anti-inflammatory in nature. However, eliminating nuts is not necessarily the pinnacle of health. As Mark Sisson pointed out in his article on Nuts and Omega-6s, “Isolating Omega-6 fatty acids and then exposing them to air or heat is bad dietary policy.”.

So isolating omega-6 fats, rather than eating whole nuts, is the problem.

Now, am I suggesting we all go hog-wild on nuts? No!! It’s better to get your fats from wild caught fish and grass fed beef, and avocados, and a bunch of other things.

But let’s get back to the original question, if someone is hungry all the time, should they be looking to avoid nuts?

This is mostly an individual call. Bigger meals may help here. More veggies may help, so might adding fats like olive oil or coconut oil to meals.

But let’s say you eat lunch around noon most days, and let’s say that you like to exercise around 6pm. For me, I could not go 5.5 hours and still have enough energy to work out without consuming some food beforehand. Can you skip the nuts? Sure, but they are a convenient, filling snack. I also mix in avocadoes, fruit, and even a packaged energy bar here and there. (I can here the screaming now, “OH NO YOU’RE NOT PALEO!!!!”). This works for me. I typically will eat 4-5 times a day. If I eat less, I will usually be hungry.

The point is there is no paleo prescription, there is no perfect macronutrient ratio, or exact times you should or should not be eating.

Once obesity levels are no longer an issue, I say we have an all-out knock-down drag out caveman brawl about the minutia. Until then, by all means go paleo, but keep it in the realm of something that you can do, not something to get all nutty over.

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I had such a great experience overall and wanted to blog some of the highlights here.

There was a huge list of amazing speakers, and there were 2 tracks so you couldn’t possibly see everything you wanted. Also, as a volunteer, I was unable to attend a few because of the responsibilities I had. But I made it to more talks than I thought I would!

They will be releasing all the talks on video. I’ll post here when they do. But for now, just a few tidbits (going off of memory, as I did not take any notes).

First, the volunteer team was a really amazing group! I felt lucky to have met everyone and hearing everyone’s story and how they arrived at paleo. Overall, the impression I get with paleo/primal types is that they are generally happy and open-minded (rejecting everything you ever thought you knew in the area of nutrition is probably the reason why here!).

I don’t really have a favorite talk, most of the ones I saw were top-notch. However, here are a few that really motivated me:

Mark Sisson/Marks Daily Apple: He spoke about bringing back play into your life. I was so happy to hear this message, as my priority with workouts these days has been to have fun with whatever I’m doing. He made a lot of good points about how it is so important to our health to have fun! Dragging yourself to the gym a few days a week can get old really fast, why not try activities where there is no “goal”, and instead it is just about being in the moment? He discussed this idea of being present, and not being attached to the outcome. It really hit me that playing is a great way to be completely in the moment (he even showed a picture of himself on a paddle board with a dolphin right next to him, on a day when the dolphins were especially playful!).

Erwan LeCorre/MovNat: MovNat is probably the most revolutionary concept at the Symposium. Erwan really knows his stuff and delivers it in a compelling and humorous way. At one point he showed a picture of a mountain lion, and said “What do you think he does, strength training twice a week with a little cardio mixed in?” The overall message was the same one he’s been putting out there- train your body to work with nature. Why are you doing the exercise you are currently doing? What is the purpose? The MovNat message is extremely motivating to me, and made me want to get out there and move naturally, instead of sitting through another talk!

Tom Naughton/Fat Head Movie: Definitely the funniest talk of the weekend, Tom took a shot at both “bad science” and the mainstream media who love to spin stories. He showed a variety of examples of times where correlation does not equal causation- including a study where they “proved” that eating meat causes cancer- but unfortunately were including meat on a pizza as eating meat, without considering everything else! I really liked the end of the talk. Someone in the audience asked how are we going to change things? His answer was to make the government with it’s FDA and USRDA wings irrelevant, by bringing the truth to light!

So many more of the sessions were fantastic and I highly recommend checking out the videos when they are available.

Next year, I’d like to make a push to include a psychology angle that was not presented- self esteem as it relates to weight loss and health. There were a couple of good presentations on how food affects mood and behavior, which is an important topic, but Wes & I could add another dimension to this mind-body equation that is tremendously important to overall health. Hopefully there will be a HMFB talk at AHS12!

Special thanks to Aaron Blaisdell and Brent Pottenger for putting this amazing event together!

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First of all, let’s assess why carbs would be considered “bad” to begin with. Eating carbohydrates causes your blood sugar to rise, and your body to produce insulin. This insulin, when elevated continuously, will lead to fat storage. And, high carb meals lead to a crash in energy and more hunger only a a few hours later.

So what can we do?

Eliminate carbohydrates altogether? Slow them down? Or just keep them “low”?

The answer to this depends on what your goals are.

Are you 100 pounds or more overweight and addicted to sugar and other carbs? Then it will be important to go without almost all carbs for 2 or 3 weeks, then slowly bring them back in. This will allow you to lose your taste for them, and give you a much better chance at not continuing to go carb crazy! (By the way, the human body can live without carbs, but not without protein or fat).

Then there’s the slow carb approach, which has been made popular from books like the 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. This means sticking to the carbohydrates that take a long time to digest, mostly vegetables and legumes (beans). These are high in fiber and will keep you full longer. But there is a catch. Eating veggies is pretty much undisputed in the realm of health, but legumes are another story. Yes, they are high in fiber. But they contain gut-irritating proteins that cause indigestion and gas for a lot of people.

Finally, there’s the low carb life, which is what we discuss on the podcast. We lump the paleo diet into the low carb category, but in the overall big picture, paleo is not a true low carb diet (just much lower carb than the Standard American Diet, SAD). The paleo diet is an attempt to eat more like our ancestors, emphasizing whole foods over processed, and quality protein like grass fed beef and wild caught fish. Like the slow carb diet, there is no counting of calories. Cavemen and women did that for ages and they didn’t seem to have weight problems.

There are even people talking about combining paleo with slow carb!

So: while there are reasons to go no carb on a temporary basis, low carb/paleo is the best option, where you will get the most overall nutrients, or “bang for your buck”, and experience the least amount of food-related allergies and other health issues.

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There’s doing lots of crunches at the gym. There’s cutting fat out of your diet. There’s “8 minute abs”.

These belly fat trimming schemes have been around for a long time. But they’re not working! Otherwise, people would be getting thinner, not fatter.

Most people are annoyed with their belly fat. In fact, they don’t even want to admit that it’s there! So it becomes a constant state of living in denial. Here are some lesser-known ways to get rid of belly fat once and for all:

1. Start by accepting where you are. Are you 20 pounds over where you’d like to be? Then don’t keep saying you want to “lose 10 pounds”.

2. Don’t even think about exercising harder or more often to lose your belly fat. It most likely won’t help! You may even make yourself more hungry and GAIN weight that you don’t want.

3. Be aware of what you are eating. Don’t count calories, just think about every last thing you put in your mouth, instead of just doing “social eating” or “stress eating” without thinking, and finishing off a bag of chips or pint of ice cream for no reason!

4. Set goals, but don’t tell anyone. It seems counter-intuitive, but if you tell someone your goals, it diffuses them. So, write the goal down, but keep it to yourself- and stick with your plan for at least 30 days to create a new habit.

5. Don’t skip meals (or snacks). Breakfast will set you up for the day. Get plenty of protein in the morning to stay full until lunch. If you get hungry, don’t will power your way to noon, just grab a healthy snack, such as a handful of nuts, until you can eat a meal again.

Give these tips a try for 30 days, see how it goes, and you may be delighted with the results!

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However, vegetarians and vegans, who have lately grown in numbers due to the many books promoting these diets, have a big hurdle to overcome. How do you keep your carbohydrate intake to a healthy level if you are avoiding meat?

Well, I will say right off that it is very difficult to do a low carb vegan diet. I mean you CAN do it, but you will be living on lots of nuts! It becomes very imbalanced and you miss out on key nutrients.

Being a low carb vegetarian, however, isn’t that hard to do.
And really, it should be the goal of vegetarians to minimize carb intake, particularly the processed stuff, like bread, cereal, and pasta. All too often, I have been around vegetarians who were not healthy, which kind of defeats the purpose of limiting your diet (of course there are other, non-health related reasons people don’t eat meat, but in that case they may not be as concerned about health issues).

So how do you do it? How do you stay in the low carb living zone while avoiding meat?

I would start with cutting down on these 2 things:

1. Processed foods- breads, pasta, cereal, soda. A lot of packaged foods.
2. High sugar vegetables. For example, corn and carrots are high in carbs while broccoli, kale and artichoke give you more bang for your buck.

Then, add more fat into your diet. I mentioned nuts. Nuts are great, but you CAN overdo them! Avocados are another fairly convenient snack. I also like eating green olives, and adding them to various dishes to increase fat content. In order to do this, you will have to get over any fat phobia you may have!

Finally, eat the fruits that are highest in fiber to keep you full for longer. Papaya, Guava, Cantaloupe, Orange, Apricots (dried, unsulfured), Mango, and Strawberries are great options.

If you don’t eat fish, make sure to supplement with fish oils, rich in omega-3 fatty acids which we need to moderate inflammation.

It’s a bit more of a challenge to go low carb and vegetarian at the same time, but with the right tweaks to your diet, you can be on your way to a healthier body!

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One of the hardest things for people to get over when it comes to eating a truly healthy diet is that dietary fat is an essential part of eating fat for fitness and weight loss. One of the reasons for this is that the word “fat” just has a bad connotation, and is still connected to body fat. And, I often hear people say that fat has more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrate.

Let’s start with this surprising fact: studies have shown that people eating a diet high in fat will generally lose more body fat and at a faster rate than someone who eats a high carbohydrate, low fat diet.

This is contrary to what we have been taught, and contrary to what the government and other agencies keep telling us. However, it’s true: eating fat does not cause fat gain, and it is quite the opposite that is true!

So how is this true?

Well, it’s all about signals. Eating enough fat in your meals communicates a signal to your brain that you are full, and it’s time to stop eating. Carbohydrates for the most part do not have this same effect, although carbs with fiber will do this (however, there are other problems there that I’ll get into another time!). High glycemic carbs like sugar have the reverse effect, and will actually stimulate hunger!

Here are a few examples of fats that will help you to burn fat on your body:
-Coconut oil
-Avocados
-Almonds
-Walnuts
-Olives
-Animal fat

These fats take longer for your body to burn than carbs. This is where satiety comes in, as well as maintaining high energy levels throughout the day. Eating fats like these will also allow you to get away from the idea that you need “will power” to lose or burn fat, or that you need to spend a lot more time exercising.

It’s also important to mention the insulin factor. High levels of insulin mean more storage of body fat. Carbohydrates generally have your body producing the most insulin to digest. On the other end of that scale, omega-3 fats such as from fish actually help lower your insulin levels.

And, finally and maybe most importantly, fats taste good! (yeah probably didn’t have to tell you this!). You can have your fat and eat it too, despite the common misnomer that if it tastes good, it’s probably bad.

Focus on replacing most of your carbohydrates with healthy fats, and you will be on your way to a fit body!

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What exactly does a diet that burns fat mean? How can you avoid calorie counting, losing energy, and eating bland foods and still get down to your fitness goals?

First, you will have to make protein your friend. Protein has a way of filling us up, and you won’t even have to worry about calories as you make protein a staple with most of your meals. My favorites are grass fed beef, wild caught salmon, and rare ahi tuna!

Next, it’s important to eat vegetables every day. They also help to keep you full for a long time, and are also a good source of fiber.

The following step is one that a lot of people get hung up on: eating healthy fats. Even though for a couple of decades now the science has shown that fat does not make you fat, many people still believe this myth! Some examples are nuts, avocados, coconut oil, and olive oil…even saturated fats are healthy for the most part, even though popular mythology would have you believe they can cause heart attacks right on the spot! Just make sure to avoid partially hydrogenated fats which are often used in packaged foods.

Frequency of eating can also help many people. This one is a little controversial, however, one thing for sure is that if you let yourself get really hungry, you are much more likely to overeat and eat more of the foods that help make you fat! This doesn’t mean to snack on potato chips and Goldfish crackers, but if you find yourself hungry between meals, a handful of nuts or some beef jerky can go a long way.

The last important thing that is rarely discussed in healthy nutrition and diet is staying hydrated. Thirst can sometimes be mistaken for hunger, and drinking water will keep you from going into that starvation mode where you will just eat anything that’s put in front of you. The exact amount of water will vary depending on the person, but 64 ounces seems to be about right for a lot of people.

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Some people agreed with my points on cheat days, but others were mad at me. They blame me for trying to take away their favorite carb indulgences!

But I have no interest in taking away anything from anyone.

I just want to point out what you are setting yourself up for when you implement cheat days in your diet. Basically, you are setting yourself up for failure.

You know how many cheat days I have in my diet?

I don’t count, because I “cheat” nearly every day!

Rather than “go on a diet”, and attempt to implement a short term solution to getting into shape, consider a lifestyle change that will leave you with more energy, put you in a better mood, and allow you to not even want to feed your body junk for 24 hours! This is not a diet and you won’t have any guilt if you have an unhealthy food item, or even a couple of unhealthy meals.

Your body doesn’t know what day of the week it is!

The idea is to incorporate health into your life permanently. A great way to do this is via the sentence completion plan in the back of our Healthy Mind Fit Body book. The time investment is minimal as compared to how much better you will look and feel! Excuses like cheat days will no longer stop you from getting down to your perfect weight.

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Normally, it’s one of 3 things for each meal. I do enjoy what I eat, but, I also love variety!

So Everyday Paleo was perfect for me, in that it has LOTS of quick, easy, and tasty recipes, and has LOTS of big, colorful pictures!

There are so many things I loved about the book.

First, Sarah gives a quick breakdown of paleo eating, how it has worked for her to transform her own health, and how she has implemented it with her family, particularly with her 3 kids. She covers the challenges of paleo living like school lunches, and eating out- but simplifies it so you are left with no more excuses!

The next section is “Paleo Kitchen Essentials”. I think this is a major reason to get this book! One of my biggest problems with cooking is not having the right kitchen items and getting stuck. This section has pictures and affordable ways to get exactly the equipment you need.

Then a good chuck of the book is the recipes. Breakfast is where I really like variety, so I tried the Egg Cupcakes. It was far easier to make than I thought it would be! I’m still missing some of the equipment I should have had, but, I made it work. I had these things done from start to finish in 25 minutes. They turned out great! Like little quiches.

The recipe pages are color coordinated so you can easily flip to a section. There are even paleo deserts!! Can’t wait to try some of those.

The final two sections are:

-30 day family meal plan with shopping lists (HUGE bonus)
-Workouts

The meal plan with shopping lists make the idea of turning a family paleo a no-brainer. The workouts have amazing picture demonstrations, and show various ways to incorporate your kids into your workouts.

Overall, the book has a simple and happy feel to it. Anyone can do this! If you want the science behind the paleo diet, you’re probably better off with Robb Wolf’s Paleo Solution book. But if you want more of the practical steps and a guide to developing a healthier, happier family and self, Everyday Paleo fits the bill!

Click below to pick up a copy at Amazon.

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“I have to pay my rent!”
My answer: “No, you don’t. You can put in a 30-day notice to leave, or you can just not pay. Of course there are consequences to everything. But you have a choice. You can get a cheaper place, or sleep on a friend’s couch, or move back in with your parents….”

The “have to’s” in life typically just stress us out and don’t help us get to our goals. Let’s look at making lifestyle changes.

Let’s say someone smokes & drinks regularly, and is 20 pounds overweight.

They might think to themselves: “I have to get healthy and get in shape!”

So they will proceed to quit smoking, quit alcohol, start exercising, and cut out carbohydrates- all at once! Most people that do this are setting themselves up for failure. Why not tackle one thing at a time? Maybe you feel you have to make all of the above changes to get healthy. But “chunking it down”, as Tony Robbins would say, may be a lot easier than to go cold turkey in all areas at once!

Diet itself is no different. When I first realized I needed to make dietary changes, I knew there were some things I could cut out. I started with 3 things at first: soda, cereal, and pasta. These changes led me to actually WANT to start cutting out more bad carbs and replacing them with healthy protein and fats, because I started associating those carb foods with feeling tired and sluggish, and having a gut. They weren’t serving me, and this became obvious.

One thing at a time seems to work well for a lot of people. What has your experience been with making positive lifestyle changes?

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Towards the end of our conversation, he said he wanted some advice on fitness. He said he wants to start running 3-5 miles a day to lose some weight and get in shape. I mentioned that it’s going to be more about diet & nutrition than how much exercise he can squeeze in.

So he says: “Well, I try to eat pretty healthy.”
I ask: “What kinds of things do you eat?”
And he replies: “I usually start out the day with a bowl of Honey-Nut Cheerios…do you think that’s good?”

Let’s look at why he would think this is a healthy way to eat. Here are the claims Cheerios makes on their site, and my debunking comments:

“13 Vitamins & Minerals
Contains “good source” (at least 10% of the Daily Value per serving) of the number of vitamins & minerals indicated.”
Wow! 10%! Seriously? I can’t even believe they are bragging about this!

“Low fat
Contains 3 grams or less of fat per serving or per 50 grams if serving size is 30 grams or less.”
Why is low fat a good thing? Oh, because this USRDA says so! Sorry, this is yet another strike against Cheerios.

“Good source of calcium
Contains at least 10% of the Daily Value of calcium per serving.”
Another whopping 10%. And why is getting this calcium good in the first place? We should be more focused on a balanced magnesium/calcium ratio instead of just looking at one side of the equation.

“Made with whole grain
Contains at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving. U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend eating at least 48 grams of whole grain per day.”
Oh boy, WHOLE grains! There’s that all-knowing USRDA again, giving out horrible advice that will go further in making us sick than healthy!

“Helps reduce the risk of heart disease
Product may reduce the risk of heart disease as part of a heart-healthy diet.”
The key where they cover their asses is that last part of the statement “..as part of a heart-healthy diet.” And it MAY help. No studies showing this to be true. Deceptive claim at the least!

“Can help lower cholesterol*
Product can help lower cholesterol as part of a heart-healthy diet.
”
Same as above. Can it? Or not? And which kind of cholesterol is it lowering?

“Excellent source of iron
Contains at least 20% of the Daily Value of iron per serving.”
Let’s see, where else can we get far more iron per serving. Meat! No need for processed crap if you are after iron.

Well I could go on and on, but the bottom line is, Cheerios are simply fake food, and not meant for human consumption. It’s too bad that so many people fall for this idea that because something has the American Heart Association’s stamp of approval and the full endorsement of the government that it must be good!

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I don’t like to get elaborate with my meals. In fact, I keep it incredibly simple, yet, healthy and tasty. Here’s an example of a typical lunch I have:

-Cook up some ground beef on the stove (or take out leftovers from the night before).
-Add a spice to the meat (like cumin!)
-Pour some mixed frozen veggies into a bowl
-Microwave them for 1:30
-Add some olive oil
-Cut up an avocado, add about half to the bowl of veggies
-Add 1/2-3/4 pound of the cooked meat into the bowl

Enjoy!

I do several variations of this. Sometimes I will use guacamole, olives, or cheese in place of the avocado (or in addition to!). Sometimes I will do turkey, fish, or even canned tuna (in that case I need pickle relish, not paleo but necessary to me!). Also, when I use meat, I will sometimes add spaghetti sauce as well (always opting for the lower sugar content in the sauce, preferably no sugar added).

Oddly, I never get tired of this meal. With the variations, I can go through a week of eating lunch and dinner in, and never have the same meal twice! I know I can get much more creative, but many nights it seems there isn’t much time to slave over a stove- and I know I can easily get healthy, tasty nutrition quickly with one of my standards.

So the recipes such as the ones on everydaypaleo.com are great & not hard, but keep in mind you can not cook much at all and still get to your perfect body!

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Well let’s take a look at this last myth and break it down!

First of all, the science backs the fact that consuming cholesterol in your diet does not raise your cholesterol levels. The problem is that in the 70′s and 80′s, there was a mass campaign to demonize eggs, because of their cholesterol content. The thought was that eating eggs would lead to high cholesterol, and ultimately heart disease. Nonsense!

Not only does dietary cholesterol NOT lead to higher blood cholesterol, it’s not a highly significant measure of health. As most people know, there is HDL and LDL cholesterol, and raising HDL is a good thing. Even elevated LDL is not necessarily unhealthy. It would depend on the kind of LDL we’re talking about! (A good, fun look at this is in the movie “Fathead” by Tom Naughton).

And what is good about eggs?

Lots!

Here’s a list of nutrients that eggs contain:

1. Rich in B-vitamins
2. Also contain vitmains A & D
3. Great source of ribovlavin
4. Great source of choline
5. Also abundant in lutein, zeaxanthin, and carotenoids which protect our eyes from macular degeneration.

Keep in mind, most of these nutrients are found in the yolk.

By cutting eggs out of your diet or sticking with egg-whites only, not only are you missing out on lots of essential nutrition, you also miss out on flavor and the satiation that the yolks provide.

I tend to eat my eggs raw in smoothies, or scrambled with avocado and salsa.

How do you like your eggs?

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1. Don’t beat yourself up. So you overate at one meal. It happens. Give yourself some empathy, and get right back to a smart low carb paleo type meal the very next time you eat. One slip doesn’t mean that you’ve “fallen off the wagon”- it just means that you had one slip!

2. Skip the sugar. For a while at least. If you overdid dessert, it can be easy to fall back into carb addictions by continuing to eat sugar. Cut sugar out for a few days after a slip, and you’ll be just fine.

3. Eat plenty of fat. When you overeat with carbs, if you’re not careful it can lead to more carbs with each meal. Instead of opting for rolls and pasta, next time, do extra olive oil or guacamole.

4. Move. I don’t mean move out of your house, I mean, just move your body! Just walking every day can do amazing things for your health and fitness levels. Your mood will improve as an added bonus.

5. Set goals. You “carbed up” at Thanksgiving? Okay…now is a great time to enter that New Years 5k…or even just shoot for smaller goals like cutting out sodas in December.

6. Sleep! Sleep is so underrated when it comes to your health and fitness. Most people need between 7-9 hours. The more you can get, the less likely you are going to wake up exhausted, depressed, and surrounded by McDonalds Big Mac wrappers.

7. Get centered. Holidays can be stressful and lead to emotional eating. Become conscious of everything you are eating, accept your slips, and bounce back as fast as you can.

8. BONUS! If you are worried about “slipage” and what the results could be to your waist and gut, download our ebook and start doing some of the written exercises immediately. Once you have the self-knowledge, it is MUCH easier to stay on track through the holidays so that you don’t have to worry about “New Years Resolutions”. Right now through Tuesday, November 30th, we are offering a 10% discount on all our products- including the book and audio book! To get your discount just go to:

http://getyourperfectweight.com

and use discount code “HOLIDAZE” (all caps)

I want everyone to be able to make it through the holidays without the notorious “5-7 pound weight gain” and actually be able to LOSE weight while not counting calories or making sacrifices. So to give you that extra incentive, we’re discounting the products just until this Tuesday!

Just head to http://getyourperfectweight.com and put in the discount code “HOLIDAZE” when you are checking out for the 10% discount.

To your Healthy Mind and Fit Body!
Kevin

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For example, fitness (as discussed in the interview podcast with Keith Norris) is not a one-size-fits-all solution by any means. For years I did basically the same exercise every week- 2 swims, 2-3 runs, 1-2 strength training sessions and 1 yoga session if I had time.

In 2010, I have become much more interesting! For example, here was my previous week of workouts:

Saturday: Yoga
Sunday: Natural Movement in the park
Monday: Swim
Tuesday: Jog
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Strength training in the gym
Friday: Mini-natural movement session in the park

I’m super excited about my fitness now, because I’m doing a combination of measurable activities (like weights & yoga) that I can compare week-to-week progress on, to more free-flowing workouts, like the natural movement stuff (well even these workouts are measurable, but I’m usually trying new things and working on different systems each time).

Nutrition is the same way. I eat a lot of paleo-style meals, and I really enjoy them. But I tend to do a lot of what’s easy (i.e. ground beef with tomato sauce, mixed veggies, avocado), and I’ve been adding variety lately. For example, my breakfasts tend to be pretty boring- revolving around only 2 or maybe 3 different things that I make. I recently added a new one into the rotation (paleo pancakes!) and it’s giving me excitement to make breakfast again! Getting new, interesting recipes is the key here and there are so many great resources for that now (some mentioned in my last post on the 10 blogs!).

I think this is one of the most important things that the Paleo movement is bringing to the table. In paleolithic days, there was a much more free-flowing approach to exercise, and more importantly, PLAY! Running on a treadmill (or “deadmill”) has no where near as much intrinsic fun as say climbing a tree, or even running stairs! The enjoyment factor is what is going to keep people going, whether it’s a tasty variety of meals or a taking advantage of one’s natural surroundings or simply becoming aware of what activities are enjoyable and which ones feel like a chore.

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Here is the list, in no particular order, with a quick summary of what they are about and a quote from the author:

1. Robb Wolf
http://robbwolf.com

Robb’s site has both a blog and podcast. I’ve found it to be a great resource for Paleo nutrition.

What are the three most important things you would like visitors to your site to take away?

“1- The basics of the Paleo Diet.

2- Health and performance benefits of a Paleo lifestyle.

3- How to actually DO the Paleo diet.”

2. Livin La Vida Low Carb/Jimmy Moore
http://livinlavidalowcarb.com

Jimmy also has a blog and a podcast, covering many angles of low carb dieting.

What are the three most important things you would like visitors to your site to take away?

“1- First, the goal is to offer up encouragement for people who have been discouraged by the gulf of misinformation that’s out there about diet and health. The last thing people need to see on a blog about this subject is more of the same old blame game that it’s your fault if a high-carb, low-fat diet isn’t working. You’ll never find that on my blog.

2- Second, I provide education about what the right way to eat, exercise, and live as healthy as you can. Citing the latest studies, interviewing the experts in the field, and researching all the biggest health headlines to cut through the useless chatter, one thing you can count on when you visit the blog is to leave just a little more enlightened than when you came.

3- Finally, and probably most importantly, I want people to be inspired when they come to my blog. Whether it’s by my own success story or something they read about someone else’s journey, there’s just something about the power of a changed life that can empower others to do it do. Ultimately, everything I do is centered around providing inspiration that will catapult people to produce changes in their life that will make them happier and healthier than before. If that happens, then my mission in this world has been accomplished.”

3. Free the Animal/Richard Nikoley
http://freetheanimal.com

Richard’s popular blog is a great resource for practical information on Paleo/Primal eating as well as fitness and natural movement.

What are the three most important things you would like visitors to your site to take away?

“1- Visitors to Free the Animal who read through some of the posts there and get a sense of the place should come away with the realization that we don’t advocate a diet but way of eating that satisfies, is delicious and looks appealing (check out the Food Porn category).

2- Second, eating this way has a tremendous positive impact on body composition, energy levels, mood, sense of well-being and sleep.

3- Third, we do things different around here. We’re not afraid of the f-word, or any words for that matter and we simply call things as we see them, sometimes with a bad attitude. So, fourth: you know we’re never lying to you.”

4. Natural Movement/Erwan Le Corre
http://movnat.com

Erwan’s MovNat is light years ahead in terms of natural fitness advice (as it harkens back to primitive times).

What are the three most important things you would like visitors to your site to take away?

“1- For now, the take-aways are mostly *perception* (approach, philosophy) and * inspiration*.

2- It is the philosophy that people are universally drawn to. It inspires them to look at fitness with a new angle.

3- But then, MovNat is not just jumping around, it’s how you can effectively, efficiently and safely move naturally (in any setting in fact).”

5. Tom Naughton
http://fathead-movie.com

Tom is the creator of the hilarious and informative documentary Fat Head, and his blog pulls no punches, whether it’s a discussion on nutrition, weight loss, emotions, science or politics.

What are the three most important things you would like visitors to your site to take away?

“1- The standard dietary advice is a load of bologna, so don’t listen to it.

2- If you want to become healthier, here’s the most important step: no sugar, no grains.

3- Real health comes from eating real food.”

6. Everyday Paleo/Sarah Fragoso
http://everydaypaleo.com

Sarah’s blog is a great resource for Paleo recipes, and planning your healthy, fit life while balancing family life and a busy schedule.

What are the three most important things you would like visitors to your site to take away?

“1. Be prepared. Being busy is not an excuse! Planning ahead is imperative when managing feeding a family, taking care of oneself, and fitting in exercise.

2. You AND the kids should be eating healthy – get rid of the junk and get the children involved in meal prep and planning – you will be AMAZED at the foods your kids will eat when they are allowed to help make it!

3. Even a novice can make great tasting Paleo meals and eating healthy is not boring or tasteless but much rather the exact opposite.”

7. Matt Metzgar
http://mattmetzgar.com

Matt’s blog is a unique resource for the Paleo life, including the scientific studies to back up the facts.

What are the three most important things you would like visitors to your site to take away?

“1- The Paleo model can be extended beyond diet to overall lifestyle. Here you are talking about things like sleep, socializing, child-raising, outdoor activity, etc. Usually the more you can mimic the Paleo times across different aspects of life, the better.

2- Paleo does not equal low-carb. The latest research shows that Paleolithic diets were 39-40% carbohydrate. While some people might feel better or heal on a low-carb diet in the short run, the data shows Paleo diets were moderate carb.

3- I hope readers learn not to just take my word for things. I link to abstracts and studies, and so I hope readers look at things and make up their own minds.”

8. Josef Brandenberg
http://josefbrandenberg.com

Josef is a personal trainer and has great articles based on his real life experiences, both with his own path to health and with his clients.

What are the three most important things you would like visitors to your site to take away?

“1- The absolute most important thing I want people to take away from my blog is that a healthy human body does not get fat. Portion control is something that should take care of itself. If you have the physiological desire to eat too much, then there is something else going on. Your fat cells are not trash cans that just gobble up whatever swims by in the blood. The first place to look is at your diet – some calories just make you hungry: canola oil, refined carbs, etc. Switch over to real food—meat, veggies, fruit, real fats; and you will find that your appetite is automatically regulated appropriately.

2- The second place to look is at what you do – aerobic exercise simply does not work for fat loss, in fact it might actually inhibit fat loss. Resistance and interval work will get you excellent results, put you at less risk for injury and save you hours and hours per week. It’s all upside and NO downside.

3- Finally, for all of the women, throw away your scale. The numbers on the scale do not reflect how you look with or without clothes. It is entirely possible to drop 2 sizes (like 12 to 8) and not lose a single pound. (Just in case your math isn’t very good 8 is less than 12 - smaller clothes, not bigger because of the extra muscle.).”

9. Art De Vany
http://arthurdevany.com

Art’s blog is a definite must for anyone who wants to learn more about fitness from an evolutionary standpoint.

What are the three most important things you would like visitors to your site to take away?

“1- The relaxed and sound way to recover the healthy lean body and active, yet peaceful, mind that are our genetic legacy is to mimic, within the limits of modern foods and work, the health-giving activity patterns and diet of our ancestors.

2- The evolutionary model is a filter that helps you screen out conflicting, incorrect, and biased diet and clinical studies so you can make your own choices rather than being influenced by the “latest” study (which is probably wrong—only about half of them stand up even when they are done according to the double-blind, Gold Standard, of research—or shows such a minor effect that it is pointless).

3- Disrupted insulin signalling, inflammation, and chronic stress are the enemies. These are easy to alter if you understand the influence of evolution on the human species.”

10. Keith Norris
http://theorytopractice.wordpress.com

Keith has a lifelong passion for fitness and it shows in his usual comprehensive blog posts discussing efficient exercise.

What are the three most important things you would like visitors to your site to take away?

“1- I want people to realize, first and foremost, that the realization of, and maintenance of, optimal health need not be an all-encompassing, full-time endeavor.

2- Coupling a Paleo diet with workouts that are brief, brutal, basic and infrequent is key to obtaining top-notch health.

3- It’s not the amount of training that the body can endure that is all that surprising, but just how little high-intensity stimulus is required for optimal results.”

11. Your Recommendation

Which blog would you add, or what blogs do you look at that you find helpful in the realm of getting healthy and staying fit? Please comment below!

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(Being an avid listener to his podcast, I have to admit I was chomping at the bit to devour the book!)

The book is science and relevant data written in a humorous and entertaining fashion, with tons of real world evidence (much like Wolf’s podcast at http://robbwolf.com).

Robb tells his story and the stories of several people who he trains, gets into the nitty-gritty of paleo nutrition (or as I like to call it, “nutrition”!), including the problem with grains, the significance of sleep and stress when it comes to our health, and how to implement the paleo lifestyle, EASILY!

I specifically liked all the tips he gives along the way, and the 30-day meal plan (I’ve already tried the Quick Paleo Pancakes and the Sloppy Joes…thumbs up to both!).

I think this book covers it all when it comes to your physical health. The fact that it is a fun and easy read as well as enlightening allows me to have no reservations in recommending it to the bio-chemistry fitness geek and the couch potato lay-person at the same time.

Even though I’m already a paleo guy, I learned a lot of new information that I have begun to implement and reap the benefits from. Whatever level of knowledge you may think you have, reading this book is sure to lift your health and your spirits!

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But this morning I sinned! When I travel, I try not to worry about being perfect paleo or even perfect low carb. I go with the Pareto 80/20 principle (or more like 90/10 in my case), and still eat low carb and paleo as much as possible, but figure that I’m going to be doing a little more of that 10% than usual on these days.

So this morning, I slipped and had a regular, straight up pancake with my breakfast, equipped with butter and maple syrup. The rest of my breakfast was paleo to the max- scrambled eggs, bacon, and some fruit. This was at a cafe and the pancake came with the breakfast that I ordered, and it was one of those huge pancakes! I saved it to the end and ate half of it and felt like I didn’t need any more. It tasted GOOD, but my body told me that this was a strange new food I was giving it. I didn’t have any digestive issues but definitely had a different feel.

And, I’m not freaking out about it!

This will not be the last “slip” on this trip, but I after going to the store yesterday, I am now traveling with apples, avocadoes, macadamia nuts, and beef jerky, so it’s not likely that I will be jumping on the high carb train again anytime soon!

Just for fun, here’s a hilarious video I came across from a guy who stumbled upon a double rainbow:

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Nope, this year I decided to lay low. Some people are going to do what they can to make things healthier, like handing out various types of so-called “health” snacks (I REALLY hope none of the paleo people actually handed out beef jerky!). Others will just let their guard down and scarf down the Snickers, Milky Ways, and Mounds bars to their hearts’ content. And still others will refuse to participate completely and not even acknowledge the silly holiday!

So now that the day is past, how do you feel? Did you charge it with the trick-or-treaters and pick up pillow cases full of candy? Did your kids bring home some “treats”? Or did you stick with what works and gives you energy, a low carb diet, and buck the trend of eating junk on the 31st and the days to follow?

If you broke down and indulged in wrapped up pieces of candy, all is not lost! No need to beat yourself up, no need to feel bad. All you need to do is pick right back up and get back to what you know is healthy.

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Or, do you eat 5 or 6 times with smaller meals?

There typically 2 camps when it comes to healthy eating. When I was growing up, it was ALWAYS 3 meals a day. I didn’t get many snacks (well of course the occasional Ho Ho or Ding Dong!), and as hungry as I could get I was always instructed to “wait until dinner” and not to “ruin my appetite”.

When I got older, and discovered the Zone diet, I began eating fewer carbs and eating more often. This worked like a charm! Instead of eating breakfast at 7:00, and be starving by 11, I would eat at 7, 10, 1, 5, and 8! My meals became smaller. I felt better, and I was rarely as hungry as I used to be.

Part of why this was working so well is that before, I would just wait to eat and I’d be so hungry that I’d eat 3 sandwiches or something. Of course, part of the problem was that I was eating way too many carbs, and they were not keeping me full. So switching to more protein and fat was a huge improvement.

Now that I’m eating more paleo, I do notice that I do not have as much need for snacking. However, I still don’t often have time to make and eat a big enough meal to keep me satisfied for 6 hours. So, I still snack here and there.

Example #1: I’m working on an article. It’s 11:45 a.m. My stomach is starting to growl. I know I will be finished with this article by 12:30, but I just need a little energy to be able to think clearly for that 45 minutes. So, I eat a handful of almonds and finish the article at 12:30, when I have lunch.

Example #2: I eat lunch at 12:30. I have a 40-minute workout planned for 5:30. I have a good sized paleo lunch, but by 5:30 I need a little more fuel to have the energy to get through my workout, otherwise, I will crash and burn. So eat some jerky, nuts, and a few berries around 4:30, which carry me through my workout and satiated until dinner.

I have friends who can go all day without eating. Great for them! I think this just shows how we are all built a little differently. If I skip breakfast, I will not be functioning very well until I can get food in me. If I skip lunch I will have a headache until I can eat.

Bigger meals do help, but healthy snacking can be a great way to make sure you have energy all day and are not tempted to overeat at any one sitting.

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Let’s start with nutrition. I think it is very easy for many people to take an “all or nothing” approach. In other words, they hear something about a diet, and they immediately think or say “Oh I couldn’t do that, it’s too restrictive!” Other reasons given are often that it’s too inconvenient, too expensive or too hard to follow. First, this says nothing about the validity of the diet itself. So yes, it may mean taking more time every day to prepare meals…so is health worth it?

But my point here is not to call out these statements as excuses, but to emphasize that if the idea of overhauling your diet seems overwhelming, why not shoot for small goals? How about some simple things, like cutting sugar intake in half, or replacing that granola bar with a hard boiled egg, or cutting out SOME bread? Achieving these small victories will likely motivate you to keep going and getting closer to a healthy diet.

Fitness is the same way. Maybe you don’t want to run a marathon (nor should you want to! Chronic cardio is real and not good for your health). But goals can help us to get to a new level of fitness. Here are some examples of goals that can put you on that path of seeing visible progress:

-Enter a 5k race. This isn’t going to take up a ton of your time to train, but it’s enough to get you off the couch and out the door.
-Join a CrossFit gym. For whatever reason, I still have not done CrossFit, but I hear great things and I know they are very focused on goals from session to session. And you WILL be challenged no matter what level you start.
-Do super slow workouts in the gym. I’ve been doing variations of this for a couple of years. You can always compare yourself to how you did in your last session. And, they don’t take much time at all- it’s only 1 set of 4-6 exercises! You can see more about this type of workout by reading Tim Ferriss’ now famous post.
-Do a sprint triathlon. These are great for people who like variety to their workouts and don’t have a lot of time to train.

What about my favorite, natural movement? There isn’t a great way to set highly specific goals with natural movement workouts. They are much more free flowing and taking advantage of your surroundings. This is what I like about these workouts. I do about 4 workouts a week where I am trying to hit a goal of some kind (even if it’s just swimming 1 more lap). My 5th workout I like to be not so much goal-oriented, but challenging at the same time. So while this post is about goals, it’s important to keep in mind that it’s fun to run around like a monkey outside sometimes and challenge your body without comparing and contrasting!

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1. Coconut oil. The gold standard of cooking oils. Yes, it’s loaded with saturated fat, and common wisdom says this is fattening and will lead to dreaded high cholesterol. This is where common wisdom is wrong! Coconut oil has been shown to help with fat burning with a rare type of fat called Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT’s). MCT’s are more suited for energy use rather than fat storage. One study on coconut oil, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, demonstrated that the medium-chain fatty acids that comprise coconut oil were threefold more effective than polyunsaturated oils at raising metabolism. Make sure to get high quality, virgin coconut oil- taste and nutritional value will be higher!

2. Flax Seed Meal. This low carb, omega 3 fatty acid-rich seed can be used in many different meal combinations such as with smoothies, yogurt, or as part of many healthy recipes (like flax cakes). The omega 3′s in flax are not easily converted in your body from ALA to EPA and DHA (which is where fish oils are better), it still helps with your omega 3: omega 6 balance that is so important. Also, flax contains phytochemicals, including many anti-oxidants, and is loaded with B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, and fiber.

3. Cocoa Powder (unsweetened). Cocoa is loaded with antioxidants, and luckily for us chocolate-lovers has many other benefits! The reason for cocoa powder’s healthy kick is because it contains flavonoids. Flavonoids are a form of antioxidant and can also be found in vegetables, plants and red wine. Antioxidants help defend a body against free radicals, and therefore help prevent disease. Cocoa has also been shown to improve mood and help with blood circulation. A great way to get all these health benefits and satisfy your chocolate cravings is to mix a couple of teaspoons of cocoa powder with a little stevia powder in a cup of hot water. For an even better treat, try adding a little full fat coconut milk. Yum!

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So I found Zevia sodas in the fridge. 0 sugars, and sweetened with all-natural calorie-free stevia, as well as something called Erythritol.

Wikipedia defines Erythritol as

“a natural sugar alcohol (a type of sugar substitute) which has been approved for use in the United States[1] and throughout much of the world. It was discovered in 1848 by British chemist John Stenhouse.[2] It occurs naturally in fruits and fermented foods [3]. At the industrial level, it is produced from glucose by fermentation with a yeast, Moniliella pollinis[1]. It is 60–70% as sweet as table sugar yet it is almost non-caloric, does not affect blood sugar, does not cause tooth decay, and is absorbed by the body, therefore unlikely to cause gastric side effects unlike other sugar alcohols. Under U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeling requirements, it has a caloric value of 0.2 kilocalories per gram (95% less than sugar and other carbohydrates), though nutritional labelling varies from country to country—some countries like Japan label it as zero-calorie, while European Union regulations currently label it and all other sugar alcohols at 2.4 kcal/g.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythritol

Doesn’t sound too horrible, but I still don’t like the idea of putting lots of “sugar alcohols” in my body. Something sounds very unnatural about that!

Zevia also contains: Triple filtered carbonated water, caramel color, tartaric acid, stevia leaf, fumaric acid, 45 mg of caffeine, natural flavors, citrus oils, cola nut extract, and citric acid.

The taste reminded me exactly of RC cola, which I haven’t had since I was a kid many years ago. RC was like Pepsi only sweeter! I could not help but think I was putting something less than optimal in my body. It definitely did not strike me as a health drink- I still kept thinking it was coating my insides and rotting my teeth, even though it’s nothing like what regular sodas do.

Overall, I would not recommend Zevia. There are definitely worse things you could drink- but when they say “100% natural”- I think that is a bit of a stretch! I would say, if you’re a Diet Coke fiend, and you’re looking to ween off of soda, give this a try. Otherwise, next time you feel like having a little caffeine hit, I recommend sticking with the healthier teas out there.

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There are many ways to avoid these debilitating and depressing afflictions. Follow the tips below and significantly reduce your odds of becoming ill during the winter months.

1. Avoid sugar. As hard as this might be during the holidays, sugar is the #1 reason people fall ill! Sugar impacts your immune system and makes you more prone to disease. If you can’t go without sweets and desserts during this time, try to significantly reduce the amount you do eat and choose a few specific times you will indulge. Daily sweets will surely impact your health, so avoid those daily chocolate hits at the office!

2. Get adequate sleep. When your sleep is impacted through stress or a busy lifestyle, your immune system is weakened. You should actually sleep a little longer through the night during the winter months, so do attempt to maintain your sleep schedule during the holidays and resist cutting back on your sleeping hours.

3. Don’t stuff yourself. When you overeat, your liver is forced to work extra hard, and this can lead to you getting sick. It might be tempting to eat more than necessary, but try to resist. Another reason to avoid overeating is the fact that gluttony leads to weight gain, because any energy your body doesn’t use gets stored as fat. Stick with smaller meals more often through the day and don’t be pressured into eating “just a little bit more.” Avoid falling into the trap of filling up on appetizers before a meal. Think about what you’re eating and don’t overdo it with alcohol.

4. Reduce stress and prioritize. Prioritize and plan your work and daily activities so that you don’t try to overdo it. When you become overwhelmed and stressed out, your immune system suffers and makes you more susceptible to colds and flu. Try yoga or meditation, or any other relaxing activity (a nice hot bath or alone time) for 20-30 minutes a day where you don’t have to rush around or be anywhere specific.

5. Cook with coconut oil. For a long time, coconut oil was the preferred cooking oil in North America, until the vegetable oil industry spread false rumors about its health benefits. Recent studies prove that coconut oil is healthy and keeps our immune systems strong. Coconut oil is a healthy form of saturated fat. Eat a couple teaspoons of coconut oil each day (in cooking or in a smoothie) to help maintain health.

6. Work out. If you can’t get in both your aerobic and weight lifting workouts and need to skip one, make sure you skip your anaerobic activity rather than your aerobic one. Anaerobic activities like sprints or weight lifting actually add more stress to the body and it is beneficial to skip these types of workouts occasionally to give your body a break. An otherwise stressful time of year like the holidays is the perfect time to give your body this type of break.

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Many athletes complain about the same thing. They train really hard, they lose weight, but then they hit a plateau and the fat burning seems to hit a wall and stops. There are many reasons for this…but more importantly, there is a solution! Many times, athletes are unable to get down to their ideal weight or body shape because of:

• eating the wrong foods and eating too much
• training too hard, or not taking enough recovery days
• skipping workouts
• getting stressed out about workouts

For me, reality started settling in after college. I needed a fitness and nutrition plan – the mac & cheese and meatless spaghetti diet just wasn’t cutting it. I was developing a spare tire and I never had any energy. I made some major changes to my lifestyle and finally got back to the body I wanted and had more natural energy.

The changes I made were even more important as I started doing triathlons. As an athlete, you need the energy to train twice a day sometimes, and you also have to pay particular attention to your health to avoid injuries and illnesses. You need to keep up your endurance, as well.

So – how can you do this and maximize your fat burning potential? You need to figure out:

• the things those Low Carb, Low Fat, and calorie-restricting diets don’t tell you
• the best and worst foods for maintaining (or gaining) optimum health
• which fats help you lose weight and boost immunity – and which fats you should avoid
• seven items you should look for in a grocery store that will do wonders for your health
• the lies everyone is told about exercising hard to burn calories and why exercise alone is an inefficient way to lose weight

If you’re looking to get into the best shape of your life, while achieving optimum health, you need to train smart, not hard.

Click here to get your free audio (which answers the five issues above), “3 Pillars to Achieving Your Perfect Weight Using the Mind-Body Connection.”

Good luck!

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Original Paleokit: Beef jerky, nuts, and berries
Grass Fed Paleokit: Grass fed beef jerky, nuts, and berries
PaleoKrunch Cereal: Grainless granola cereal made with coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, and honey.
PaleoKrunch Bar: Grainless granola bar made with coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, and honey.
Original Just Jerky: Just Beef Jerky!

Receiving the package of paleo snacks in the mail was excellent timing for me. As I’m trying to eat more and more paleo-ish, one of the hardest things is finding quick, easy snacks that are also healthy. Most of the bars out there are either too high in carb, or they have many chemicals that I can’t pronounce!

I’ve been really enjoying the jerky, nuts and berries. It’s an odd combo, but it has that sweet-salty taste that actually goes well together. And the plain jerky is fantastic for a quick snack when you are really after some extra protein.

The PaleoKrunch cereal has really been a treat! I haven’t eaten cereal in years and usually prepare a breakfast in the morning. But with this cereal, I’m pouring coconut milk over it and it’s good to go. I found that it works best to mix in some light coconut milk with the real thing, so that it mixes well with the contents of the cereal. This meal left me feeling satisfied and energized for hours after- as opposed to regular cereal which used to leave me hungry a short time after eating it! I still would not want to eat PaleoKrunch every day- it seems like more of a twice a week thing, but it’s great if you’re short on time in the morning.

And the bars, they are just the cereal in bar form. They taste great, my only problem with them is that they crumbled in my hands! I guess that’s what happens when they’re not loaded with preservatives!

Overall I definitely recommend Steve’s Original snacks.

Right now, you can get 10% off your order by going to http://stevesoriginal.com and using discount code ‘healthymindfit’.

Enjoy!

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There was an empty life guard tower on a mound of sand, and behind it was stairs going up to the boardwalk in two directions. There were some bars on the life guard tower. Not a lot to work with, but we made do.

1. Pull yourself over the bars and jump down the tower stairs.
2. Crawl down the mound of sand.
3. Sprint to the stairs and do a loop- up one side and down the other.
4. Sprint back to the tower, repeat.

We did 4 rounds of this, and WOW that workout packed quite a punch for both of us! The warm-down walk back to the car was well-needed.

The thing about this workout is that it is simple & fast, yet, it works all the muscle groups and energy systems. Walking, sprinting, pulling up, and crawling does a body good!

What is your favorite workout?

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There really is no such thing as “burning” fat. Your body doesn’t heat up like a furnace when it gets rid of unwanted fat. However, if you have been eating a more traditional high carb, low fat diet, and you are aiming to change in your diet in the effort to lose extra weight, you will have to replace the carbohydrates with something- and dietary fat is a great substitute.

We need fat in our diets to survive. Fat will keep you full far longer than carbohydrates, or even protein. Dietary fats are also the most stable form of energy. Of course, you want to avoid trans fats, like the “partially hydrogenated fat” that we’ve discussed on this blog & podcast, but drop your fear of fat and gravitate towards avocados, nuts, coconut oil, coconut milk, olive oil, meats, etc.

The French have longer life spans than the Americans, and they eat far more fat than we do, in general.

Adding more fat to your diet will not suddenly “burn” fat off your body. But if you strategically replace a good amount of the carbohydrates you currently consume with calories from fat, you will, in the long run, have a much easier time getting to the thin body you want!

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The truth is, the best fuel to use during any endurance exercise is not sugar but fat. Yes – “carbo loading” simply means you are building up glycogen stores, which means you have sugar to use as fuel. But the more efficient you are at fat burning, you will be able to go longer (and farther). Stu Mittleman, Slow Burn, is one of the greatest distance runners of all time. He normally eats a ratio of 40-30-30 (carbs-protein-fat), but when training for an event, he increases his fat to 50 percent of his diet!

I have found this way of eating also beneficial when I occasionally train for a race. Otherwise, with a high level of carbohydrates in my diet, I end up on this roller coaster ride where I have to keep consuming more carbs to keep up my energy levels- otherwise I will crash! Does this sound healthy?

So unless you are an English Channel swimmer, and want to store some extra fat, carbo loading isn’t a useful practice- and the science is behind this.

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Trans-fatty acids are usually made from a vegetable oil like soybean, cottonseed, corn, or rapeseed (canola). Those oils have been treated by a process called hydrogenation where it is highly processed to make it a solid at room temperature.

When margarine first came on the market, consumers were fed a brain-washing marketing scam that told them that if they replaced butter with this margarine, their risks of heart disease and cancer would be lowered. That didn’t happen – in fact, it later became evident that the chemical process used to solidify vegetable oils to make them look like a saturated fat actually caused the very illnesses they were trying to avoid!

Harmful effects of trans-fatty acids:

-cause you to burn sugar and store fat

-increase levels of LDL (low-density lipoproteins) or “bad” cholesterol

-decrease levles of HDL (high-density lipoproteins) or “good” cholesterol

-increase your perception of pain

According to the law, as of 2006, food manufacturers must list trans fats on the nutritional information labels on foods and so now consumers may be more aware of what is in their food. However, some manufacturers try to convince you that their products are “low in trans fats” by advertising as such…but keep in mind that even small amounts are harmful!

To be safe, avoid all foods containing any amount of trans-fatty acids. Most foods that sit on a shelf (baked goods, snacks, peanut butter, cookies, crackers, and candy bars) will contain hydrogenated – or partially hydrogenated – oils. Even some “healthy” diet products marketed for weight loss contain this poison!

Don’t go with the crowd and eat that stuff just because it’s there, or because everyone else is. Convenience is not more important than your health. Read those labels!

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We interviewed Erwan on our podcast which was posted last week, and had a great time discussing what MovNat is and the type of exercise we did as children translated into the adult world.

Not something we attempted at the workshop!

I had a few revelations this day.

One is, we discussed the traditional ways in which people exercise. Erwan pointed out that there is no practical reason to do multiple “reps” of various exercises, [CORRECTION FROM ERWAN: "Actually, we do repeat moves in MovNat! Only that it is not the sole way to train/move. Series of reps are most of the time combined with other movements, to favor the ability to transition (with ease, speed and accuracy), instead of always separating movements (different series for different movements), or reps (taking a break between series of reps). Also, the types of movements that can be performed as series are much more varied that in a conventional approach of fitness. That is because is MovNat, natural movement IS the conditioning. 100% of movements that are performed are either the real, complete movement, or a segment of them, so that repeating them will condition us to ultimately perform natural movement (practical and adaptive physical action) with max efficiency."]
such as the classic 10 pushups. When in nature will you suddenly need to do multiple pushups? Or squats? With the exercise in MovNat, you don’t do things in order to build muscle, but building muscle is a result of the things you do.

After the first part of this course, my view of fitness and exercise was already changing!

The other thing I noticed is, whatever the exercise is in MovNat, it involves using your core muscles. Even though we did a lot of pulling ourselves up and jumping, my arms and legs were not sore the next day- but my abs and glutes were definitely sore!

The course was not brutally hard in terms of the amount of exercise we did throughout the day. However, the last couple of hours with the hot Texas sun beating down on me, I started to fade. While everyone else in the clinic was from Texas and at least somewhat used to exercise in 98 degree temps, the wimpy Californian boy was not! The good thing was, there was no humidity that day, so 98 felt like 98 instead of 108!

We finished up the day with a circuit of sorts, that Erwan invented, using our surroundings- which consisted of stairs and picnic tables. We had to sprint up the stairs, crawl down a few steps, jump up onto a table, and jump down. This was repeated 5 times. After we finished that, I think one of the guys in the class wanted to do more, but I was pretty satisfied with my day overall- and ready to jump in the natural springs pool right next to where we were doing the training.

The pool was cold and felt FANTASTIC! I did a couple of laps, thanked Erwan for the day, and headed home- where eating and sleeping were the order for the rest of the day.

Overall, the MovNat clinic was a physical and mental challenge that opened up my mind to creativity, and has me now wanting to do more of this. I’m already thinking of new routines for my workouts this week, and how I can go back to having FUN at each and every workout!

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-Reduce your sugar intake. A high carb/sugar diet weakens your immune system and causes wrinkles. Studies have shown that high levels of sugar in the body can be just as damaging to your skin’s appearance and health as nicotine and unhealthy exposure to UV radiation.

-Take fish oils. The Omega-3 essential fatty acids found in fish oils help lower your blood pressure, improve your mood and maintain brain health. All three of those things are associated with longer, healthier lives.

-Eat your greens. Many of the nutrients in dark leafy green vegetables help slow aging and can even prevent age-related illness.

-Get safe sun exposure. Your body needs UVB exposure in order to manufacture Vitamin D. Vitamin D fights cancer, obesity, diabetes, builds bones, and is a general, all-around tonic for enhanced performance. 20 minutes a day of peak sunlight (during warm months) should do it.

-Drink green tea and reap the benefits. In addition to the benefits of anti-oxidants, studies have shown that green tea aids in fat-burning and lowers “bad” cholesterol levels.

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But it’s true.

There are thousands of fitness plans that tell people to exercise more and eat less in order to lose weight. The benefits of exercise are well-known (even I exercise almost on a daily basis), but is this method effective in successful weight loss and ideal weight maintenance?

Answer: no way! Sure, the people in those (in)famous before and after photos included some form of exercise in their weight loss plans, and most probably followed a restrictive calorie-counting diet with lots of exercise. That may be effective, short-term, but for the most part, these results will not last.

These diets fail because the emphasis is misplaced. Instead of increasing exercise, many people have dropped pounds of fat simply by reducing their carbohydrate consumption – no exercise involved! I’m not recommending a sedentary lifestyle by any means; it’s not healthy. But most (some say 80-85%) of your success in achieving a permanently fit body is a result of your nutrition, not how many hours a day you perform cardiovascular exercises.

The reason this works?

When you exercise, your appetite is often stimulated, and you may be tempted to overeat.

Another reason is that most fitness programs are not sustainable for most people; they simply cannot maintain an exercise-intensive and calorie-restrictive diet.

Finally, exercise can act almost as a fix for psychological addictions to food or certain types of food: for example, a brief period of exercise will often relieve you of your intense craving for chocolate.

In Part 2 we will explore these above-mentioned three aspects of fat burning and fitness plans in more detail.

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It’s cute, but is it true?

Well, the text at the top starts off with “It’s a simple equation. Exercise more and lose weight.”
Hold on a minute! I realize that for most of our lives we’ve been told that it’s simply the calories you consume – the calories you burn that matters. And exercise is certainly an important and even vital part of a healthy lifestyle.

But these numbers are a bit misleading. Texas (where I am currently residing), for example, gets horrible marks all around and shows a fat guy and a low rank for fitness levels. And, people are definitely car-lovers here, and there is traffic in the cities. But is this why they are fat? It could be a factor, but given that diet is 80% or more of the fit-or-fat equation, I have my doubts.

For example, there’s a motto here- “everything is bigger in Texas”, and this applies to food above all else! Just the other day I was asked if I wanted a “Texas-sized iced tea”! So this extends to other foods and drinks, and typically the ones that are not so good for our waistlines. I can imagine people are more likely to get Texas-sized Cokes and Texas-sized pizzas too, shooting their insulin levels through the roof and storing these calories as fat.

The driving and not walking definitely does not help, and spending lots of time in one’s car is not part of a healthy lifestyle. But the emphasis on graphs like these is in the wrong place. Instead, let’s take a look at the diets of these Americans and show them how they can even stay slim with a long commute if necessary.

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“When dermatologists checked the skin and diets of 453 people from Australia, Greece, and Sweden, they found that while a healthy diet can’t erase damage done by years of unprotected sunbathing or smoking, it can help.”

I tend to agree with that. An unhealthy high carb diet can certainly accelerate the aging process.

Here’s what the diet consists of:

“Have More of These
Olive oil
Fish
Low-fat milk
Water and tea
Fruit and vegetables
Eggs
Nuts and nut butters Beans”

Not too bad, except the milk and beans may cause some gut irritation.

“Have less of these:
Butter
Red meat
Cakes and pastries
Soft drinks
Full-fat milk
Margarine
Potatoes”

Ok, I agree that cakes, pastries, soft drinks, margarine, and potatoes are good to avoid.
But butter can be okay, red meat for the most part is healthy, and if you’re going to drink milk, full fat is actually better for you than low or non fat!

The rest of the recommendations seem completely reasonable:

“1. Put more fruits and vegetables on your plate.
2. Order salmon when you’re dining out.
3. Have a cup of sugar-free cocoa.
4. Cut back on white bread and sugar.”

Absolutely.
I think “wrinkle-free” is a bit of a gimmick, but they have some of the basics down to avoid wrinkles. Generally, stick with a low carb, no grain diet, and you will be putting yourself in the “anti-aging zone”, and avoiding many of the problems that your insulin-spiked high carb friends are either running into, or will at some point run into down the road.

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I know I used to have a huge problem with being way to attached to outcomes. Not achieving my goal times in swimming would bring me down. Not earning “enough” money would lower my self esteem. Not having the life I wanted would stress me out!

It is a hard thing to do, but once you accept this idea of non-attachment, life flows a lot more smoothly.

Let’s say you are the person that wants to lose 75 pounds. You jump on this new low carb diet full force, and you lose 3 pounds the first week. The next week you lose 2 more. The following week you don’t lose any weight. “That’s it! I’m going back to pizza!” you proclaim out of frustration. This is exactly why diets don’t work, and why they are always attached to an often immediate outcome.

Instead, a good way to look at it is- I’m changing my lifestyle to health. I am going to eat as healthy as I can most of the time, and I’m not going to step on the scale daily. If I change my eating lifestyle to a healthy one, I know I am doing the best thing for myself that I can. The results will show eventually, and I will be growing as a person and not be filled with stress and anxiety over it.

Try it out with some smaller things. Give someone a compliment today and don’t even worry about their reaction. Do it because you want to brighten their day! Non-attachment is one of the keys to maintaining a relaxed, happy life, as opposed to basing everything you do on someone else’s standard.

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And then there is the breakdown of packaged foods vs. their actual ingredients.

So I’ll stick with the most questionable and relevant foods. What’s not paleo? Here are a few examples. Feel free to chime in with a comment below on what you would add to the non-paleo list!

1. Bread
2. Pasta
3. Cereal
4. “Whole Grains” (or any grains)
5. Tortillas
6. Ketchup
7. High Fructose Corn Syrup (or any corn syrup)
8. Rice
9. Soy- including soy sauce and soy protein isolate)
10. Pop Tarts (they probably ate Toaster Strudels ;))
11. Pancakes
12. Protein shakes

Put down in the comments below what your favorite (or least favorite) non-paleo foods, and ask a question if you aren’t sure!

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If you listen to our recent interview with Robb Wolf, you will see that there is a lot to the paleo way of eating, and what is now being called the “paleo lifestyle”!

What can get confusing is, what is paleo and what is not paleo? I thought it would be helpful to come up with a paleo food list. Feel free to comment and add anything else you might consider paleo!

1. Meat- (beef, chicken, pork, game)
2. Fish- wild caught salmon is one of the healthiest
3. Eggs
4. Vegetables- stick mostly with the greens.
5. Fruits
6. Dark Chocolate- go for the higher cacao percentages, eat in moderation
7. Guacamole
8. Coconut/coconut oil/coconut milk
9. Coffee
10. Tea
11. Nuts (except for PEAnuts!)
12. Seeds

The paleo foods list is easy to create.
The non-paleo foods list is a lot harder! I’m going to work on that one, but if you can comment below with additions to the above list and questions about other foods, it would help a lot!

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Several books that I checked out were recommending a vegan diet, and a few of them referenced the China Study (by T. Collin Campbell) as proof that we all should be eating vegan. One book I read by Dr. Joel Fuhrman called “Eat to Live”, gave what appeared to be a credible review of the study, and Fuhrman used it as the basis to the recommendations in his book.

(I incidentally at that time also had someone email me and tell me I was killing myself with meat and that I should read the China Study to find out how I should be eating!)

So I googled it. I came across a few sites praising the China Study as the gospel truth, not to be questioned and a revolutionary study in nutrition. But the most well researched site I came across was this one: http://www.beyondveg.com/billings-t/comp-anat/comp-anat-8e.shtml

This page correctly points out that:

-Level of aggregation of the study data yields, at most, 65 observations (data points) for analysis. This was enough for me to throw out the whole thing, but there’s much more!
-The China Study report lists only 6 statistically significant correlations between meat-eating and disease mortality. Further, 4 of the correlations are negative. The tiny numbers are alarming, or rather, embarrassing to the author’s conclusion.

And then there are these logical fallacies:
-Lack of actual income data for the survey participants is a serious flaw. It makes adjustment of the data for the effect of income less reliable
-Attempts to use the China Study to prove that all omnivore diets are bad

So after reading this article, I was ready throw out the China Study as anything but an attempt to generate a hypothesis rather than prove one.

But if that weren’t bad enough, there is now a much deeper look at the China Study (by someone who read every page of the actual study, not just Campbell’s book) on this blog by Denise Minger: http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/

What we find here is:

Point #1: “…when we actually track down the direct correlation between animal protein and cancer, there is no statistically significant positive trend. None. Looking directly at animal protein intake, we have the following correlations with cancers:

Lymphoma: -18
Penis cancer: -16
Rectal cancer: -12
Bladder cancer: -9
Colorectal cancer: -8
Leukemia: -5
Nasopharyngeal: -4
Cervix cancer: -4
Colon cancer: -3
Liver cancer: -3
Oesophageal cancer: +2
Brain cancer: +5
Breast cancer: +12″

No proof of a cancer-meat link here!

Point #2: “But what about plant protein? Since plant protein correlates negatively with plasma cholesterol, does that mean plant protein correlates with lower cancer risk? Let’s take a look at the cancer correlations with “plant protein intake”:

Nasopharyngeal cancer: -40**
Brain cancer: -15
Liver cancer: -14
Penis cancer: -4
Lymphoma: -4
Bladder cancer: -3
Breast cancer: +1
Stomach cancer: +10
Rectal cancer: +12
Cervix cancer: +12
Colon cancer: +13
Leukemia: +15
Oesophageal cancer +18
Colorectal cancer: +19″

More of a link to cancer with plants than animals!!!

Point #3: “In these high-risk areas for liver cancer, total animal food intake has a correlation with liver cancer of… dun dun dun… +1.

That’s it. One. We rarely get a perfect statistical zero in the real world, but this is pretty doggone close to neutral. Broken up into different types of animal food rather than total consumption, we have the following correlations:

* Meat correlates at -7 with liver cancer in high-risk counties
* Fish correlates at +11
* Eggs correlate at -29
* Dairy correlates at -19″

Point #4: “Basically, Campbell’s implication that green vegetables are associated with less cardiovascular disease is misleading. More accurately, certain geographical regions have strong correlations with cardiovascular disease (or lack thereof), and year-round green vegetable consumption is simply an indicator of geography. Since only frequency and not actual quantity of greens seems protective of heart disease and stroke, it’s safe to say that greens probably aren’t the true protective factor.”

More flaws in the author’s conclusions from data gathered.

The great points Denise made in her blog post go on and on, and go to show that my initial inclination to throw out the China Study was the right one.

She goes on to say:
“Why does Campbell indict animal foods in cardiovascular disease (correlation of +1 for animal protein and -11 for fish protein), yet fail to mention that wheat flour has a correlation of +67 with heart attacks and coronary heart disease, and plant protein correlates at +25 with these conditions?

Speaking of wheat, why doesn’t Campbell also note the astronomical correlations wheat flour has with various diseases: +46 with cervix cancer, +54 with hypertensive heart disease, +47 with stroke, +41 with diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs, and the aforementioned +67 with myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease? (None of these correlations appear to be tangled with any risk-heightening variables, either.)”

Bingo. Carbohydrate and grain intake and its affects on health are not even considered!

T. Collin Campbell’s conclusion to his book was that animal products are deleterious to our health, and that we should be eating plant-based foods instead. Unfortunately, he not only did not prove this, but has lead many people to believing in more nonsense that if followed, will have negative consequences on their health in the long term.

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After interviewing Robb Wolf today on our podcast, who is a wealth of knowledge on nutrition and biochemistry, I can see how easy it is to get bogged down in the nitty-gritty! Differences between sweet potatoes and yams? Which type of nuts are the absolute best? Should I buy organic?

This stuff can go on and on. If you’re coming from a traditional high carb, low fat diet, start with focusing on the basics: eat lots of vegetables, wild caught salmon, grass fed beef, eggs, fruit, some nuts, coconut oil, and cut out or cut way down on bread, pasta, cereal, and grains in general.

Is the other stuff important? Sure! But to get hung up on the nuances would be like spending weeks looking for a personal trainer, when all you need to do is start walking 20 minutes a day!

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How can you eat a healthy, low carb lunch, when many of us are so used to the traditional sandwich, where there’s more bread than anything else!

When I first started cutting my carbs, for lunch I usually just took off one slice of bread- so I ate my sandwiches “tostada style”- putting the meat and cheese on the bread instead of between two slices. This cutting out of 20g of carbohydrates every day did wonders for my energy levels in the afternoon, as well as for flattening out my stomach!

Still, I’ve come to the realization more recently that grains are not healthy- so why do I still eat them, even in small quantities?

I’ve switched my lunches to something like this:

About a cup of frozen broccoli, thawed in the microwave
Sprinkle olive oil and sea salt on the broccoli
Add a tablespoon or 2 of guacamole
Add sliced turkey, roast beef, or turkey
Stir and eat!

You can easily replace the broccoli with artichoke, or your favorite green vegetable.

I’ve also just found out about using broccoli leaves in place of bread! I haven’t figured out where to get broccoli leaves, but if anyone knows, please comment here, I’d love to try this!

For dessert, I’ll have an apple with almond butter or an apple with some cashews.

This lunch keeps me full throughout the afternoon with no crash!

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Then, as we have discussed on this blog and on our podcast, the truth is far from this common notion. It turns out that many people are actually eating MORE calories and losing lots of unwanted fat! This is undoubtedly quite surprising to adherents of the common notion—and of course it jibes with the numerous controlled and comparative studies that show subjects who consumed the same calories but differing amounts of carbs, fat, and protein (isocaloric studies) lose significantly more fat by eating a higher percentage of fat and lower percentage of carbs. As we’ve discussed on the podcast numerous times, insulin is the main hormonal factor here.

So how do you “eat your way to fitness” if not by cutting out calories? Here are 4 steps that will get you started:

1. Write down what you are eating for a couple of days. Don’t keep track of calories, just write exactly what you eat. Then put an “I” next to the foods that will raise your insulin levels; this will mostly be your carbohydrates (not counting veggies).

2. Look at your “I” foods one by one, and circle the ones you can definitely do without, no problem.

3. Take the list of foods that’s left, and go through each, one by one. Write down 6-8 endings to this sentence stem for each food: “When I think of the idea of going without __________, I feel…” Write these endings down without giving it much thought—just whatever comes to your mind first.

4. Re-read your list and really focus on the feeling what you wrote gives you. Then, write down 6-8 endings to this sentence stem: “As I reflect on the nature of what I’m feeling…”

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“How many calories are in that donut?”

What a silly question!

“There are 320 calories in this bag of almonds!”

This is meaningless!

There in fact could be fewer calories in that donut than in the bag of almonds. But guess which food item is going to raise your insulin levels and have a deleterious affect on your health? Hint: It’s not the almonds.

We now know there have been countless examples of people who increased there calorie intake, and, despite common wisdom. LOST weight! It comes down to keeping your insulin levels in check. A sugar-laden donut will shoot insulin levels up pretty high, and you will end up storing fat in the process. Almonds will keep you at an even keel level.

Beyond that, counting calories is a total pain. Eating lots of good fats, and eating when you are hungry is a good call. Choose wisely: Eat whole foods where ever possible, and avoid downing straight carbohydrates- and you will have more energy and keep your body in fat check mode instead of fat storage mode!

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When hanging out with friends and family who may not share your desire to eat optimally, the most important thing is to stay strong psychologically. There will certainly be a lot of pressure to conform to the group, to eat more, and to have celebratory desserts and drinks.
If you stick to your guns, and only have the desserts and higher carb meals when YOU want to, eventually the people around you will likely respect your choices.

So what should these choices consist of?

Stick with whole foods: Fruits, nuts, things that don’t come from a package. If you have a big high carb meal, turn down desert. Your insulin levels will be spiked from your meal, and piling on a dessert could really wreck you, especially if you’re not used to lots of carbs! Explain why you eat the way you do, but do not try to convince others that they should eat that way as well. Family especially will be tough to convince, so your best bet is just to be as healthy as you can- and let them know you are doing this to better yourself, and because you want to, but that you’re not trying to change them. Eventually they may see the benefits of low carb as you stay healthy and fit!

Enjoy your family & friends as much as you can. No sense in letting yourself get stressed out- this can be worse for you then a couple of frosted old fashioned donuts!

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Easy to do, I’m sure. He has 2 kids, and a full time job, and tries to squeeze in a workout most days too.

So how does a slip happen?

Partly, it’s what you are buying at the store, and partly, it’s having demanding children around. The grocery shopping part is easy. Don’t buy unhealthy items and have them around your house. But I’m sure you’ve heard that before!

The kids thing is a bit more difficult. They may be demanding because you have provided them with junk food in the past, and they have become accustomed to it, maybe even addicted to carbs! If this is the case, instead of telling them they can’t have any of the crackers, cookies, sodas, etc. that they may be used to, just simply don’t buy it. They will have plenty of opportunities to get that stuff outside the home, but eventually, they will get used to the healthier meals and snacks, and the candy just won’t taste as good!

And then, you as the parent won’t have easy access to all that bad stuff either. Win-win!

“Slipping” also only happens if you are still viewing eating low carb as “being on a diet”. It’s crucial to start to change your psychology to thinking about an eating lifestyle, rather than just a diet. We have much more on this in the free audio below, and in the book, Healthy Mind Fit Body!

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Should we give it up? Do we need to? If so, what do we replace bread with? And for crying out loud, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO PUT THE CONTENTS OF THE SANDWICH ON!!?!

I bring up this topic because I, too, had all of these questions above even as recent as a few months ago. I had a daily sandwich with 1 slice of flourless sprouted wheat bread and thought I was being very healthy. Compared to the typical American lunch, I was being healthy. But me reasoning for eating bread at all was that I needed to put my turkey, avocado, and cheese on SOMETHING!

I have since switched to mixing in my lunch meat, tuna, or grass fed ground beef with a bowl of vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, or artichoke, then mixing in a fat source like olive oil and/or guacamole.

But why did I give up bread, and why should other people do the same?

Bread, although considered a staple food, and for many it would be unheard of to not eat bread. You might as well tell these people to not breathe air! It is so ingrained (no pun intended) in us that bread is a must, that getting it out of our diets may cause a little anxiety. But bread is not a natural food that we as humans were meant to eat. Grains, which most bread is made out of, have only been in the human diet for about 10,000 years. Grains contain high levels of plant toxins called lectins. Research has shown that lectins can disrupt gastrointestinal function and immune system.

What about the benefits of whole grain bread over plain white bread?

It’s really negligible. Whole grains contain harmful phytates, glutens, and lectins that promote inflammation. And, while you do get fiber from these grains, this, too can be seen as a negative. Excessive fiber intake (which easily happens when you eat a lot of whole grains) can increase appetite and interfere with healthy digestion, mineral absorption, and elimination. Whole wheat bread may burn a little slower, but the important thing is you will produce the same amount of insulin to deal with the glucose load!

So with all this, my plan is to simply skip grains altogether most of the time, and replace them with vegetables and fruits. It’s not that much harder than making a sandwich and will lead to a healthier body and less chance of disease in the long run.

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There’s a really easy way of looking at all this.

First, never diet. All of these diets are based on solid evidence, but you must change your eating habits and the very way you look at various foods, in order to successfully achieve a fit body- but do not put yourself on a diet!

Second, realize that nutrition is going to be an ongoing quest to get right. However, you can be sure of a few things. Eating fruit, nuts, vegetables, grass fed beef, wild caught salmon, olive oil, and coconut oil are going to be a good base for what you eat no matter what. After that, you can start getting fancy and finding out about all the nuances of low carb eating.

That’s really it. It doesn’t have to be confusing or complicated.

Another hint to stay on track is to stay away from mainstream media! It’s easy to fall back to old ways of thinking if you are constantly hearing that messsage. Instead, check out sites like this one, marksdailyapple.com, and robbwolf.com for the latest in nutrition and for Healthy Mind Fit Body, the psychology behind losing weight, as well as the “best of” in nutrition and fitness.

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The diet plans with cheat days usually involve eating a strict, low calorie (often low fat too) diet 6 days out of the week, and on the seventh day, you get to eat anything you want and as much as you want.

Is this a good idea?

Well, to start with, I don’t believe in diets. I’m not on one, and I eat what I want all of the time.

So the first issue I have with cheat days is that it assumes you are not eating what you want 6 of the 7 days of the week. How fun are those 6 days???

So what is the solution? NEVER have any fun days??

No!

I’d much rather “have my cake and eat it too” (although cake is not a good option here if you follow along with what I’m saying!). The important thing is not being a perfectionist, but to actually change your taste buds so that you crave the foods that are good for you, and not the crap that will give you low energy, extra fat, and leave you wanting more of it!

So, I’m not in favor of diets…or so-called cheat days. Change your tastes by making a psychological break from the foods that aren’t doing you any good. Then start replacing them with great tasting foods that are also good for your health!

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Everyone has a saboteur within that helps “keep them safe”. Often, this saboteur keeps us so safe that it prevents us from getting what we want. For example, I have to get out of my comfort zone to ask for that raise. It’s what I really WANT, but something holds me back from asking my boss for more money.

Thoughts that go through my head may be “Who am I to want more money? What will my boss think of me if I ask? I’ll feel like a fool if the answer is no! I may get fired!!!” and on and on.

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These are all examples of that saboteur trying to keep you in your comfort zone.

Think about weight loss.

Many similar thoughts apply here:

“If I lose weight, I will change, and I may not like who I become.”
“My friends won’t like me as I improve myself.”
“I won’t be able to enjoy myself if I have to change my diet.”
“Who do you think you are? You’re a fat person. You’re just never going to be thin, so forget trying!”

And on and on.

This is your saboteur, doing its best to keep you safe from change. Sure, there is a place for your saboteur, in the face of danger it is good to listen.

But it will kick in for everyone at some point when you’re going after a positive change in your life.

The best thing you can do is make friends with this saboteur. Give it a name. Listen to her. Do not fight her. Instead, understand what she is trying to do, thank her, and proceed to take the action you know is the right one.

Notice how the saboteur kicks in when you are with groups. Think about it next time. Don’t put yourself on autopilot, instead, listen to these thoughts. See if you can acknowledge them, and move on, without a struggle. Really observe what is going on inside, and you will find that whatever is holding you back will become less and less of a factor until it’s finally normal to here this voice and act anyway!

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1. You go on a business trip. You’re busy with work the whole time. No time to eat healthy! You’re eating out for every meal and cleaning your plate. Too much alcohol is consumed every day….desserts are a must with clients! Snacks are mostly carbs…

2. You go on vacation. Carb city. Again, too much alcohol, too much indulgence, not enough exercise. “Afterall,” you remind yourself, “I’m on vacation! I need to enjoy myself!” The problem is your body doesn’t go on vacation from processing carbohydrates…and you stack on the pounds.

3. You get together with friends who you haven’t seen in a while. With a heavy travel schedule, this reuniting happens every time you come back home. Big dinners are part of the get togethers, and again, alcohol is flowing!

Here are 4 tips on how to avoid weight gain when you are traveling:

1. If you drink alcohol, keep it to a minimum. Don’t avoid it altogether, but business trips and vacation can get really out of hand when it comes to overdoing it.

2. Take out the bread on your sandwiches & burgers, and avoid the bread many restaurants sometimes serve before dinner.

3. No desserts. This one will take a lot of self esteem and being able to not get sucked into peer pressure from the group. Most desserts out are carb-laden, insulin spiking nightmares that will leave you feeling bad. The hard thing about avoiding dessert when you’re out at dinner with people is the ones who will try to make you feel “uncool” or “uptight” for not indulging. Experience the emotion, acknowledge what is going on, and make the decision that is right for you.

4. Walk. You can walk a lot on trips, just be conscious of the times when you can take the stairs instead of the elevator, or walk a few blocks instead of taking a cab. What seems like a little extra walking here and there can make a big difference.

There you go. Follow these tips and you will not come back from your trips feeling sluggish and fat, and disappointed in yourself for not following through!

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“Grains are good!”
“Grains are bad!”
“Fish is good!”
“Fish will give you mercury poisoning!”

The contradictions go on and on coming to you directly from so-called experts. Should you throw your hands up and say “Nobody knows, so I’m just going to eat what I like and ‘think’ should be the right thing.”?

I don’t think so, not when it comes to something as vital as your health.

The first rule of thumb is to ignore most of the stuff you will hear in the mainstream, especially from any of the governmental agencies. Some of it has a grain of truth to it, but a lot of it will jeopardize your health! There is usually an agenda attached to things you see in the media.

Next, make sure there are scientific studies to back claims. Often times, studies are cited, but they have serious flaws (like far too small of a sample size), and therefore are not scientific.

Finally, break free of groupthink. Whenever I’m out I hear a lot of nonsense about food, and it is essential to continue to think for yourself. An example of this is the fear of caloric fat that many people have. “This is great and it’s LOW FAT!” I even hired a chef for a while and every meal she made was low fat- because all her clients were demanding it!

In general, if you simply go about your eating day avoiding carbohydrates where ever possible, you won’t have to worry too much about the insignificant debates like “Is brown rice or quinoa better for you?” or “Should I get whole grain bread or whole wheat bread?” Eating low carb is a huge step in getting healthy, and should be the first change you make in your quest for fantastic fitness and health!

Then you can get into walnuts vs. almonds or whatever, as you zero in further on your best possible level of health.

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Most of the snacks sold in grocery stores (and vending machines!) is really setting your health back. Potato chips, crackers, cheese puffs, and most of the pre-packaged stuff is unnatural and will do all kinds of bad things for you.

The so-called “nutrition” bars are usually laden with lots of sugar, and sometimes several chemicals that are difficult to pronounce.

So what can you do?

Well there are a few ways around this nutritional challenge!

1. Eat nuts & trail mix. You will get a lot of healthy fat and natural food. Just stay away from the trail mixes that have M&M’s in them!

2. Use energy bars in moderation and read the ingredients. Stick with the lower carb or balanced bars (Carb-Protein-Fat). I tend to go with the Think Thin (high protein) and Clif Mojo (natural & fairly balanced) bars for snacks.

3. Prepare. Snacking is healthy if you eat the right foods. Letting yourself get really hungry will cause you to overeat, and possibly eat whatever is most convenient at the time (which often means the garbage foods mentioned above).

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One of the ideas discussed was that our culture has adopted the idea that doing things for other people is the ultimate virtue, but doing things to help yourself (such as making lots of money) is frowned upon- and this is causing a lot of our problems. Bill Gates wasn’t considered a virtuous person on his way to becoming the richest man in the world, but now that he is donating lots of his money, he is viewed as a good person. This doesn’t make much sense, how would he be able to donate this money if he never became rich to this extent?

So this can be trouble when it comes to nutrition and fitness. I know of parents who do everything they can to give their kids healthy food, but their own diets consist of lots of junk food. They ignore their own needs and put their own health aside, making their kids the priority. This doesn’t make any sense at all either. One, the kids are going to see their role model making bad choices, and wonder why they don’t practice what they preach. And two, what would be the point of not taking care of yourself if you love your kids? Surely, you want to live as long as you can- and be able to spend time with your children and maybe grandchildren into old age!

The other-driven mentality leads to a dead end. Be grateful, give back, and help others- but for great health, to achieve your peak potential in all areas, and to maximize your contribution to the people around you (and to the world), the best thing you can do is to be your own priority- and yes, put your own needs above everyone else.

After all, if you don’t think highly of yourself, how can you have great influence on anyone else?

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You will hear things like “Americans consume too much meat. That’s why they have a high rate of heart disease and obesity.”

The problem with this assumption is that lots of studies don’t take into consideration a few things:

1. What type of meat is being consumed? Is it the junk you will find at most fast food restaurants, or is it healthy, omega-3 rich grass feed beef? Usually it’s the former.
2. What is the level of carbohydrate consumption? Of course if you eat a high carb diet, whether or not it’s combined with meat, this is bad for your health.
3. Are they eating a lot of vegetables and fruits?

Persons who consume a fast food diet are typically not getting enough in the way of fruits and veggies, nor are they too worried about their sugar intake. So, even though it’s not a good idea to eat low quality meats, saying “meat is bad” does not tell the whole story.

Being that there are different levels of quality in meat, it is important to always shoot for the highest quality you can, but also to realize that the extra carbs are going to be worse for you in the long run than lower quality meats here and there. Protein, after all, is vital for your health (as is the fat in protein sources). The same can’t be said of carbohydrates, even though many in the nutrition community recommend it as the staple—hence, the poor state of health for most of those who follow their “guidelines.”

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The pressure is on! Go for a run or you will get fat. Thinking about skipping a workout? Tsk, tsk! You are overcome with guilt!

Lately, I have been making some changes to my exercise program, based on my new found knowledge about what is most healthy. I have traditionally stuck with a weekly schedule of:

-2-3 1 hour swim workouts
-2-3 runs of 4-10 miles each
-2 strength workouts in the gym of 30 minutes each
-1 yoga session of 1 hour 15 minutes

I had thought this was optimizing my health. But sometimes, being as busy as I am, it is difficult to squeeze all of this in. What was happening was if I missed just 1 of these workouts I would feel guilty!

So I reassessed what I was doing and contemplated 2 things:
1. What do I enjoy exercise-wise?
2. What is actually necessary to maintain or improve my fitness level?

The answers have changed my approach to fitness in a positive way. So here’s what I have changed and what I plan to do in the future:

1. I really like the feeling swimming gives me. So I’m sticking with the swim workouts- but I’m not going to mind if I only get 30 minutes instead of 1 hour, and I’m perfectly okay with doing 1-2 a week.

2. Strength training is very important, but I’m bored with my routine. I’m going to be mixing it up. I will try out CrossFit, indoor rock climbing, and maybe some of the ideas from Marks Daily Apple.

3. I’ve changed my running schedule. Sprinting, as I have learned, is healthy and good to do once in a while. So I’m down to 2 runs per week, one is a series of sprints on the beach, and the other around 5 miles with a group.

4. I’m adding in fun workouts whenever possible. Some days I don’t feel like running or swimming. I love stand up paddling, and with the weather warming up, it’s a perfect time to do more of that.

Enjoyment is the name of the game when it comes to exercise. It’s easy to fall into a rut of thinking of all the things you “have to” do, and taking the fun out of them in the process. And making matters worse, you will no doubt have lots of people around you trying to pressure you into doing endurance races or training events “for your health”.

So going for what you want in exercise can be a challenge in itself, but shaking off conventional wisdom and using your own volition can not only keep you on track with your fitness, but can allow you to feel more free and excited about each time you go out and move you body!

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The week was so action-packed that I didn’t have time to work out, or even sit down and read. My normal workout routines of swimming, running, and strength training did not happen. When I was at the beach, the weather was a hot 95 degrees (or 33C) with humidity, and the ocean temp must have been close to 90! It wasn’t even refreshing to get in the water.

However, staying in shape was not a problem! I got a lot of exercise and felt good and strong most of the trip (until the 95 degree humidity days towards the end!). Here were the keys in staying fit while traveling for me:

1. Eliminating carbs whenever possible. Since the main dish in Costa Rica is beans & rice, it’s not easy to eat completely low carb there. Beans & rice isn’t the worst thing ever, since beans have fiber & protein, but it’s still a high carb meal. Usually I would try to keep the R & B to a minimum at each meal (i.e. eggs, rice, and beans for breakfast instead of eggs & toast), and just skip the extra carbs like bread & dessert.

2. Keeping alcohol to a minimum. It’s easy to get carried away on vacation and have multiple drinks. These can quickly add up in terms of bad calories, and to me, really aren’t necessary. If I’m having a good time on vacation, I don’t feel that lots of booze is going to enhance my feeling! A couple of light beers would usually be my max when it came to the dinners out.

3. Lots of activity. There wasn’t much time to sit around on this trip, and that’s as it should be. This incidental exercise is one of the best things for making sure your fitness level is kept in check, even if you are traveling for several weeks. Now it isn’t a struggle to resume the workouts I was doing before I left.

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She makes some very good points about vegan diets being too overloaded with soy protein, and often too low on fat and high on grains. I definitely would agree that a high grain, low fat diet would eventually cause health issues. And she also speaks to the myths that veganism would save the planet, or that you can be a vegan and not kill living things. It’s very interesting and I think she’s got a message worth reading about and listening to.

However, I have a bone to pick with some of her claims.

First of all, I think she engages in some of the same type of broad generalizing that many vegans do. For example, she assumes that a vegan diet MUST be low fat, and MUST include lots of grains. True, many vegans do eat this way, but it’s definitely not the only way they eat. This is very similar to what I often hear from vegetarians and vegans about eating meat- that ALL meat is bad for you. They often don’t consider the vast differences in quality of meats, and how they affect one’s health. For example, grass fed beef is far more healthy for you than grain fed beef.

Secondly, she makes some claims that have not been scientifically proven. She says that all of her health problems were caused by her diet, but then uses confirmation bias as her evidence. She says that her vegan diet gave her low energy, but I have read vegans who claim that they gained energy by cutting out meat. So it’s just one opinion vs. another.

Granted, I have not read Lierre’s book yet, so I may be missing some studies or evidence that she is basing her claims on. And, from what I have read, a lot of the vegan craze was started by the thoroughly debunked China Study, which she also dismisses because of its use of a highly processed form of whey protein (which she says would give anyone cancer!).

There’s more to be said on this topic, as I think Lierre Keith is bringing up some important truths, but of course everyone needs to be highly scientific about any claims, as we always are at Healthy Mind Fit Body!

(BTW, here is Lierre Keith getting a cayenne pepper-laced pie thrown in her face by some vegan activists! That’ll show her I’m sure!)

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Perhaps the reason is that there’s this notion out there that selfishness is a bad thing, and sacrifice and doing things for others is the only way to be a good person.

But ultimately, most of us do nice things for other people because it makes us feel good ourselves. And if everyone were to just help other people, and no one did things for themselves, what would happen to us? I think we may all lose the self esteem to function!

Seriously, in order to hit your goals, they have to be congruent with who you are as a person. If you want to lose 50 pounds but carry the idea around that “thin people are bad”, then you will have a tough time achieving this goal. Similarly, if you want to lose weight just to look better, but at the same time you hold the idea that this is somehow wrong, then you will likely not get very far along with getting to your optimal weight.

Come up with a reason or two that work for you. Don’t worry about what other people might think, focus on what it is that you are truly after, and your path will become a lot less frustrating and a lot more fun.

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About 10 years ago, when I started reading Dr. Phil Maffetone’s books on fitness and nutrition, one of his chapters on running shoes really intrigued me. He made the point that we have been conditioned to believe that we need shoes with lots of extra padding, as the shoe companies (and running community in general) would have us believe. He pointed out that the Kenyans had very few running injuries, until shoe companies began to pay them to wear their shoes and compete at the elite level.

Maffetone recommended ditching your $125 Nike’s for a pair of cheap Keds shoes that have no padding. He stated that ideally, we should all run barefoot, but that it’s just not practical.

After accepting Maffetone’s ideas I initially started buying running shoes that had minimal padding. But I slowly drifted back into believing the mainstream viewpoint that we need more cushion and we need to spend the money on shoes (and replace them every 6 months!).

A brand new Harvard study shoes that running with shoes changes our gait, and we end up running more heel-to-toe. This causes various problems such as shin splints that the barefoot runners, by landing more on their mid-foot, do not experience. While there is no study that proves running shoes cause injuries, there is also no study that proves running shoes actually prevent injuries!

At the clinic, I asked Ken Bob about switching from running shoes to the Vibram’s 5-Fingers as a transition to barefoot running. He said I have it backwards. First, experience barefoot running and allow your feet to get used to actually touching the ground and conforming with various surfaces. Then, if you want to go to back to a little protection, feel free to wear the Vibrams shoes. That makes sense to me, as we do have a lot of nerve endings at the end of our feet that don’t get ground exposure very often!

So my plan is to ease into barefoot running. I’m going to do some short weekly runs on the beach on the harder packed sand with bare feet. My longer runs (4-5 miles) I will continue to use my running shoes until I feel I have built up my feet a few times in the sand. Then I will start with a couple of miles running barefoot on harder surfaces, and go from there.

I can’t wait to get back to basics with my running and cut down or eliminate injuries!

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Wow, was this an insightful interview!

Mark has a very non-mainstream take on fitness, but one that is backed by evidence and facts.
The thing that I am coming to grips with is the idea that doing long distance endurance events is completely unnecessary in achieving a fit body, and is even unhealthy in some areas!

His blog post on Chronic Cardio delves into this. I definitely agree with Mark, that 80% of fat loss has to do with what we put in our mouths (aside from the psychology aspect). However, I’ve been doing long distance swimming for several years now, and for the past 3 years I’ve done a few half marathons.

I’m not ready to drop my entire exercise routine just yet. I really love swimming for 45 minutes to an hour a few times a week, and there’s nothing like going for a 4-5 mile jog by the beach to me. But I’m really excited about incorporating some of Mark’s suggestions in the way of some of the short sprint workouts. And, this information he presents about saving tons of time and being in as good or BETTER shape really intrigues me.

Here’s a sample of Mark’s beach sprint routine:

I’m imagining days of doing 5-15 minute workouts vs. spending 1 hour or more! And, his proof is in the pudding. He’s in his late 50′s and has the body of someone in their 20′s!

How’s your workout routine going? Does this type of exercise interest you?

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So it’s time to do a blog post!

The answer to the question is, yes, most wines are low carb drinks, particularly in comparison to beer in general. For example, a typical 3 oz glass of red wine has about .5g of carbohydrates! Some of the sweeter white wines are a bit more problematic, with up to about 6g of carbs per serving.

However, it’s not really the carbs but the alcohol that’s the issue with wine.

Here’s what Dr. Atkins had to say about alcohol on his low carb diet:

“Here’s the problem with all alcoholic beverages, and the reason I recommend refraining from alcohol consumption on the diet. Alcohol, whenever taken in, is the first fuel to burn. While that’s going on, your body will not burn fat. This does not stop the weight loss, it simply postpones it, since the alcohol does not store as glycogen, you immediately go back into ketosis/lipolysis after the alcohol is used up.

If you must drink alcohol, wine is an acceptable addition to levels beyond the Induction diet. If wine does not suit your taste, straight liquor such as scotch, rye, vodka, and gin would be appropriate, as long as the mixer is sugarless; this means no juice, tonic water; or non-diet soda. Seltzer and diet soda are appropriate.”

If weight loss or fat loss is your goal, red wine is certainly far better than drinking a sugary (or corn syrupy) margarita, but keep in mind the 2-week plan (either in Atkins’ diet or the one in the Healthy Mind Fit Body book): you may consider cutting it out just for this period. One thing that I noticed after I cut way down on my carbs was that I could no longer tolerate a lot of alcohol. If I go beyond one or two glasses of wine, I start to feel crappy- which is a good incentive to keep alcohol in moderation!

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Only to find out, “guilt-free” means no FAT! UGGGG!!! Brownies are by no means a health food, but what better way to make them even less healthy and with less taste than to take out the fat! Just for kicks, I checked out the box mix. 26g of carbohydrates per serving!

I have to wonder if we’ve finally jumped the shark in terms of the low fat craze. A fat free desert is actually worse for you than eating one with all the fat calories. I thought we learned this back in the days when “Snackwells” (fat free cookies) finally lose their popularity.

Unfortunately, “guilt” and eating fat still go together when it comes to the demands of the mainstream public. Otherwise, chains like Trader Joe’s would have no reason to carry such a useless item!

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1. I’ve avoided doing the fast food thing. As tempting as it is, fast food I know is a health sinker. I’ve gone with berries and nuts over sausage McMuffins on my busiest days.

2. Every day I try to move as much as possible. Even as I am missing workouts, I’m still squeezing in a 15 minute walk or just parking further away from the store when I run errands.

3. I’ve made grocery shopping a priority. Without groceries, I go hungry while I’m working at home. This leads to needing to go out to eat. Even if it’s healthy food I’m getting out, I will likely overeat since I didn’t have my nuts and other snacks on hand.

What I’ve done wrong:

1. I have not used my time wisely. During busy times it’s good to get workouts in in the morning. I have been waking up early and getting right to work. Bad.

2. I have been getting erratic sleep. I’ll sleep 8 hours one night then 5 the next. This isn’t good for mental or physical health! Good to get to bed early during stressful times.

I can’t wait to get through the next couple of weeks, but in the mean time, life must be enjoyed as much as possible with a healthy mind and a fit body!

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I can definitely relate to this. Growing up, my family ALWAYS had dessert after dinner. There was never a question of what was coming after dinner! Usually ice cream, cookies, or cake. To this day, I often have a slight craving for sweets after I have a meal. However, I’ve learned to eat just a small piece of dark chocolate, or a cup of healthy hot cocoa sweetened with stevia powder, to satisfy my craving.

The problems come with the rituals. Here are some tips to break out of your bad habits or fat-producing rituals.

1. Do you often follow up your workouts with pizza & beer? Try only eating pizza on rare occasion, and opt for thin crust. Try bubbly water instead of beer.

2. Do you always eat popcorn when going to (or watching) movies? Bring some almonds or cashews next time, save the money, and your insulin from spiking, and fat from accumulating!

3. Eat more fruit, as it can act like dessert.

4. Use stevia powder instead of sugar or other sweeteners. Stevia is natural and has 0 carbs, 0 calories.

5. Don’t start the day with a sugar kick. This will set you up for cravings all day long, and make sure to keep your energy levels on the low side.

6. Don’t beat yourself up. If you currently drink 2 sodas a day, start by cutting down to 1, and have sparkling water for the other one. Set small, attainable goals and follow through with them for 2 weeks, then up the ante.

Since we all eat every day, several times a day for most of us, habits are not easy to break free from. Starting small and using the sentence completion exercises in the Healthy Mind Fit Body book are a great way to develop new, healthy habits and allow you to achieve your perfect body.

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This is a somewhat surprising move by Whole Foods to me. I realize that many of their customers are vegetarians and vegans, but Whole Foods over the years has been my source of some of the best tasting and healthiest meat I can find anywhere, as well as some of the hard to find items like buckwheat honey, extra virgin coconut oil, and quality fish oil capsules.

When it comes to beef, the healthiest (and tastiest!) beef they sell is typically the New Zealand beef, which is not the lowest in fat. This meat is grass fed, and contains the highest amount of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to our diet, than any other meat.

The deli meat is also high quality. I love turkey sandwiches and eat several per week! Their sliced turkey is without preservatives and tastes great compared with the nitrate & phosphate-laden deli meats you find in most grocery stores.

And, despite the fact that people will criticize Whole Foods because it is a big corporation, with high prices (I’ve heard “Whole Paycheck” before), from my experience, they are typically one of the less expensive health food stores around. This is especially true when compared with the smaller mom & pop local stores, which often have outrageous prices!

What Whole Foods is doing by recommending a low fat diet is a disservice to their customers. They are making a recommendation without taking all the facts into consideration. Hearing the low fat mantra coming out of the government and from highly-degreed nutritionists and dietitians is one thing, but for a private company like Whole Foods, I would expect a little more due diligence.

CEO John Mackey seems like a reasonable guy, as far as his most recent appearance on the John Stossel show. He is going against the proverbial grain when it comes to the health care debate. Now, is it possible that he can go against the literal grain- and change his tune on what he sees as a healthy (high carb) diet?

I suggest those of us armed with the facts that do shop at Whole Foods give Mackey & Co. some friendly suggestions! You can email the company on their website, or send a tweet to @wholefoods.

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“Calories don’t matter,” I said, somewhat trying to put the person concerned at ease, and someone trying to drop a shock bomb, “when it comes to weight loss.”

Well the bomb was definitely dropped and reactions were stronger and more hostile than I had anticipated.

“No that’s impossible!” claimed one long distance runner sitting next to me.

“No way. That’s entirely wrong.” said the triathlete sitting across from me.

Nobody at the table had a weight problem by any degree, but at the table were some highly educated individuals, one with a PhD, another going for her PhD. I stated my case, simply and clearly: “The caloric theory of weight loss, calories consumed-calories burned is dead. It’s not the quantity of calories that one eats that are important, it’s the quality. Insulin is the main culprit in gaining weight. Cutting down on carbohydrates….” before I could finish my sentence I saw two people shaking their heads and getting visibly upset!

Since I did not intend to spend my Friday night in a debate in which we would never agree anyway, I stopped there, and just added that I’m basing what I say on scientifically proven evidence, particularly what Gary Taubes has come out with in the last few years, and that I understand that it is certainly possible to lose weight by working out.

Once again, I have proven that the topic of nutrition is just as inflammatory in mixed company as religion or politics. Most people think they know what is what when it comes to healthy food and staying thin, especially when they are top notch competitive athletes who spend a lot of time training their bodies. And since most of us learned what we “know” about this topic in some sort of government-sponsored school, what we got was mostly propaganda, based on the highly flawed and bought-and-paid-for USRDA food pyramid.

To steal a phrase from the ex-U.S. president George W Bush, when it comes to the truth about nutrition, you’ve got to continue to “catapult the propaganda.”

Only in this case, the propaganda is coming from the government/media establishment, and it is up to us as individuals to do the catapulting!

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One of the first sections in the book is about breaking through fears. He gives an exercise of writing down the worst case scenario, if you were to say, quit your job and go for what you want. Perfect timing as I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what I want in my life recently, and what fears I need to overcome to get it!

Anyway, the exercise involves writing out the worst case scenario as you see it happening. Would you end up broke? Lose friends? Have to work a menial job to get by? Move to a smaller place? Often, the worst case scenarios that many of us dread are not really that bad at all. Yes, making changes and going for what you want will definitely involve stretching yourself a bit and pushing through your comfort zone. But usually, these drummed up negative scenarios in our heads do not involve death or physical pain!

How does this relate to fitness, health, and weight loss?

Well, the worst case scenario exercise can apply to any major change you are trying to implement in your life. Believe it or not, positive changes we are trying to make are often met with lots of resistance in our minds! This resistance is simply fear, and irrationally-based fear at that. Achieving your best possible body will change your life! It’s not surprising that it is a difficult psychological adjustment. What will friends think? What will family think? Will I still be accepted in my peer groups? Will I have to give up every food I love?

The bottom line is, those who would not accept you for making positive changes in your life are not worth keeping around anyway! The idea of sacrificing things that you love is nullified as you change your eating lifestyle, rather than “go on a diet”.

So what catastrophes are you creating in your mind that are preventing you from getting everything you want in life?

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However, last night I caught him offering up an outdated myth about losing weight to a caller. The guy calling in said he was very overweight, among other problems, and for this, Drew said “It’s very simple, move more, eat less. Exercise and cut down on your calorie intake. It’s not that hard.”

So Drew is following the already disproven calorie theory of weight loss. Gary Taubes did an excellent job dispelling the notion that weight loss is best achieved by eating fewer calories than you burn, in his 2008 book, Good Calories, Bad Calories, and in his 2008 presentation called Big Fat Lies.

Dr. Drew is just one of many mainstream experts out there who are clinging on to old theories that have had very little success in helping people achieve their optimal weight. Someday, the mainstream view will be more like that of Taubes, and the viewpoint we are putting forth here at Healthy Mind, Fit Body. Simply counting calories and using will power may help a few people lose some weight in the short term, but as long term advice in having a healthy, fit body, and a happy life, it falls flat on its face.

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I’ve heard this many times in my life when I’ve voluntarily chosen to pass on bread, skip dessert, or not have that additional beer. I always find this a bit amusing, since the connotation is that I’m sacrificing by not having the carb indulgence that is being presented.

But this is the opposite of what I am doing when turning down these items! Rather than being stuffy and uptight about my diet, I’m actually not interested in overdoing it when it comes to extra carbs at this point of my life (although I used to think this was fun!). I no longer look at overeating or overdrinking as a pleasurable thing. So when the opportunity arises to pound a big dessert when I’m already very satisfied from a delicious, healthy dinner, I don’t have any positive associations in my mind to that dessert, so it is very easy and natural for me to turn it down.

Unfortunately, in our society, gluttony and “sinful” eating are often looked upon as virtuous. It can be disappointing for others in mixed company if you are to say, decline a specific food item that everyone seems to be wild about. This often stems from people’s own inability (or simple refusal) to make rational judgments about their own diet (and life!), so they must find something wrong with others who do not partake.

The people who tell me, and other healthy eaters, to “live a little”, are completely missing the boat here. I enjoy living a LOT, and make it a point to seek pleasure where I can (just like most human beings!). However, the taste of pasta, or a donut, or the feeling from a 3rd glass of wine, do not equate to good things to me- specifically, a fit, healthy body, high energy levels, and ultimately happiness with myself!

So rather than being “crazy”, “too strict”, or “inflexible”, thin people who follow a healthy, low carb diet have simply shifted their associations to what the “good life” really means.

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Well I was right on the money. Everyone brought some form of carb- bananas, lots of bagels, DONUTS, muffins, little cakes, gatorade…it was an insulin increase party! My cashews were actually a big hit, so I think some people were able to slow down their insulin release (and inflammatory response in the body).

I ended up grabbing a half a bagel and slathering it with yummy strawberry cream cheese. Definitely not the meal of champions, but much healthier than most of my other options. When I got home later I ate a real breakfast of goat’s milk yogurt, protein powder, and cashews!

Protein IS important after a workout, particularly a challenging one (like most of my runs these days!). The myth of carb loading and post-workout carbs goes on…but if you are desiring of a fit and healthy body, you are much better off with a balance of protein, fat, and carbs than to join the crowd and negate the positive effects of the workout you just did!

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In part of our discussion, he talked about his kids and how they also eat low carb for the most part. For the most part he lets his kids have freedom in what they eat, but they still gravitate more towards healthy fats and proteins rather than the massive carbs that most kids are consuming. Instead of feeling like they were deprived of all the desserts and empty calories their friends were downing, they no longer connect those things with a good or positive feeling!

This got me thinking. When I overcame my carb addictions, what made it easier for me was making associations. Instead of associating carbs like cereal, pasta and sugar with health and fitness, I began to see them as adding fat to my gut and slowing me down, both physically and mentally. When I was able to make this mental association, and after 2 weeks of severely limiting my carb intake, I no longer had any cravings for these bad foods! At the same time, I was able to have the occasional dessert or unhealthy carb without sacrificing my health (or my flat stomach!).

When I talk to people about easing up on the carbs they are eating, I often get the reaction of “But I LOVE my carbs, and I can’t do without them!” So these people are looking at cutting out or cutting back on these foods as a sacrifice. Looking at it that way, I can’t blame them for resisting making dietary changes! But a little success with healthy eating will go a long way. Trying our suggested 2-week plan of cutting out most carbohydrates in your diet, (found in our book Healthy Mind, Fit Body) will allow you to start making these connections, and using the mind-body approach to achieving your perfect body!

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I’m bracing for the nutrition plan our coach is going to recommend during this phase. Last time around, it was carbs galore, and when you think you’ve eaten enough carbs, eat more! Bagels, cereal, bread, and pasta are all recommended as good foods that your muscles need to start storing fuel for your race. This would be bad enough when we are running 10-12 miles in training, but as we are resting, our bodies are even more likely to hold onto these calories and store them as fat! Not exactly the result of training for a race that most people are shooting for.

In the old days, when I used to compete in swimming, I followed the “common wisdom” of pumping in the carbs in the week leading up to my big meet. I distinctly remember one year going out to breakfast with the team the morning of our sectionals meet, and ordering up a big stack of pancakes with extra maple syrup. I was absolutely shocked that I felt sluggish later than day in the water! I actually FELT like the pancake breakfast screwed me up, but thought that would be impossible since carbs were the best source of energy possible!

Instead of listening to “common wisdom”, this year leading up to my race, I plan to eat a balanced diet and continue my fat intake of about 35-40% of my total calories. I will not go on a carb binge nor will I gain or lose weight, and I should be good to go for my race.

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The fact is that the fuel you want to use during endurance exercise is fat, not sugar. “Carbo loading” simply ensures that you have full glycogen stores, which means using sugar for fuel. The more efficient you are at fat burning, the longer you will be able to go. Stu Mittleman (Slow Burn), one of the great distance runners of all time, eats a diet of 40-30-30 (carbs-protein-fat) most of the time, but when he is training for an event, he increases his fat intake to about 50%- not the carbs!

So I would say (and the science would agree) that there is no point in carbo loading before an event, unless you want to store some extra fat (don’t laugh, it’s probably a good idea for English Channel swimmers!)

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On road trips I always bring plenty of snacks. Today I munched on cashews and a Mojo Bar (lower carb cliff bar). But, snacking for me is not enough, and within 8 hours I need a substantial meal. Today I pulled off the highway in the middle of nowhere to gas up and get lunch. My options were:

Pizza Hut
Popeyes Chicken
Subway
Wendy’s
Taco Bell
McDonald’s
In N Out Burger

(Yes it was a major truck stop in podunk, CA!)

While I was leaning towards going to In N Out and ordering a burger “protein style” (meaning, no bun), I was concerned about the wait. So I opted for Subway (I ended up waiting 20 minutes in line anyway!). I ordered the Subway Melt, and the bread options were limited so I ordered it on Flat Bread (which is just as high in carbohydrates as my other options). I’m not crazy about Subway because: 1) even with peeling off some of the bread, it’s still a lot of carbs, 2) the meat they use is processed and has nasty nitrates and phosphates as preservatives, and 3) it’s very average-tasting.

Here’s the calorie breakdown of the Subway Melt:
Total Fat: 12g
Total Carb: 48g
Total Protein: 28g
Total Sodium: 1620mg

Wow. Well, if you take out let’s say 1/4 of the bread, as I did today, it’s still a little carb-heavy but not too bad. But that 1620mg of sodium is shocking to me. No wonder I was so thirsty after eating that sandwich!

I guess I’m still searching for something healthy in the fast food nation of truck stops!

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I dug right in and tried some plain when I left the store. It smelled and tasted like pure coconut! Mind-blowingly good and tasted like I was eating a dessert of some kind.

It says on the label that it contains “62% MCTs”, which is the content of medium-chain fatty acids. MCTs are what make coconut oil special. This is one of the good saturated fats that we have discussed on Healthy Mind Fit Body podcast. These fats have been shown to help to lower the risk of both atherosclerosis and heart disease, as well as improve the immune system.

You can use coconut oil for cooking, adding to dressings or smoothies, or eating straight. The label on the jar also says you can use coconut oil for skin care and hair care!

I found several places you can order it online for less than $8.00, including this one.

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This worked okay for me as a growing boy. When I was in college and working out sometimes twice a day, I would usually eat a frozen pizza for lunch, since it was fast and easy! I was burning ridiculous amounts of calories swimming, so it didn’t seem to affect me all that much.

But, into my 20′s the high carb lunch stopped working for me. While working, I used to go to a place called Togo’s for lunch often. It’s a sandwich chain on the west coast, and they are known for their huge rolls. One day I realized that every time I had Togo’s, I would feel bloated and sleepy in the afternoon at my desk! Then I saw a presentation by a personal trainer who explained that some sandwich shops serve bread that gives you 10 TIMES the amount of carbohydrates you would need in an entire DAY!

I figured that I should start looking for thinly sliced bread. I started eating my sandwiches with just 1 slice of bread instead of two, and the results were amazing! No more bloating, not as much sleepiness, and best of all, fat melting off my gut!

Instead of letting your lunch work you over, make your lunch work for you!

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This morning I had my goat’s milk yogurt, and mixed in 4 tablespoons of the hemp protein (12 g protein). It’s green in color and thicker than the Designer protein. I REALLY didn’t like the idea of turning my yogurt green! But surprisingly, the taste was pretty decent! Not sure I liked it as much as Designer, but definitely eatable.

Then I was looking at the container it came in. I was shocked to see that this “protein powder” had 17g of carbohydrate, including 5g of sugar per serving!!! I definitely broke a cardinal rule- I failed to read the label before I made the purchase.

I can still put it to use, but knowing the info on the carb content will change how I am using it. Two positive things to mention is it also has 11g of fiber per serving, as well as 500 mg of Omega 3 fatty acids, so by itself it is definitely a healthy food item- but don’t be fooled like I was and think you are actually adding just protein to your meal or smoothie!

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Here’s what you need:
UNSWEETENED baking cocoa. I’m a big fan of Ghiradelli’s.
Stevia powder or stevia extract. This is a natural sweetener with no carbs and no calories.

2 teaspoons of cocoa, add stevia (the amount you need will depend on the concentration) to sweeten, add hot water, and you’ve got a healthy drink and chocolate in a cup!

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This is a journey! You don’t have to do everything all at once.

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Funny, because all I had done at that time was cut down on certain specific carbohydrates. I think the problem was that, like many people, they did not want to look at themselves and analyze their own eating habits- so it was much easier to categorize me and cast my eating habits aside (without even looking into the reasons or positive benefits a lower carb diet may provide!).

This Thanksgiving, I was reminded a bit of this while celebrating with friends. While I fully realize that Thanksgiving is not a time to preach or tell people how to eat, the subject of tryptophan came up at the dinner table. It always does! Many people think the amino acid l-typtophan in the turkey is what makes people tired after the meal. But of course as we know, it’s the carbs! So I pointed this out. “It’s not the tryptophan, it’s the carbs.” Well that was turned into the joke of the night, so everything after that was “No it’s the carbs!”. It was pretty funny, but at the same time, I think impossible for people to believe!

Not much of a chance of cutting out carbs at a Thanksgiving dinner, but some smart decisions can be made. Do you really need to pile on huge helpings of stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls, and have 2 desserts?

I believe the trick to avoiding most of the inevitable peer pressure at holiday meals is to fill your plate. But, fill it with the good stuff like green salad and turkey. Take small amounts of most of the other items, so you don’t have people asking you “didn’t you try the ________”? it’s SO good, you should try it!” For dessert, ask for a small piece of pie. Yes, you might still be mocked, but if you just tell everyone you are SO FULL from dinner, they will back down.

December here we come! The average American puts on 10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Stay tuned and don’t be one of them!

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I’m not going to take a lot of time to berate people over eating poorly on Thanksgiving.

But, here are a few quick tips to enjoy the day and keep you health:

1. Do some exercise, but don’t feel like you have to run a marathon to burn off all the calories you are about to consume. Just going for a walk in the morning and after dinner is great!

2. Enjoy dessert, but keep the not-so-fun carbs to a minimum. For example, it’s perfectly fine to skip the potatoes and rolls, since you will likely be getting plenty of other carbs in your meal!

3. Keep alcohol to a minimum. This will surely impair your judgment and you will almost certainly overeat!

4. Don’t skip meals. Even if you are eating your Thanksgiving feast in the mid-afternoon as many people do, don’t allow yourself to get super hungry in the attempt to enjoy your food more! You will definitely overeat and pay for it with an expanding waistline if you do.

Also, inevitably, someone will point out that eating all that tryptophan from the turkey is what makes you tired. Nonsense! It’s the carbs, not l-tryptophan that causes you to crash after Thanksgiving.

Have fun & enjoy the day!

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In yet another counter-intuitive aspect of fitness and weight loss, skipping breakfast is actually more likely to lead to weight gain than weight loss.

The reasons are:

1. By skipping breakfast you are ensuring that you will have less energy and more hunger throughout the rest of your day, and this will lead to more sugar cravings and overeating.

2. Eating breakfast will allow your body to feel more nourished and satisfied, making portion sizes smaller and easier to manage.

3. When you allow yourself to go without food for long periods of time (15 or so hours from the night before if you wait until mid-day to eat!), your body act like you are in starvation mode- and store calories as fat in anticipation of another long period of time before eating again.

Next up: What constitutes a healthy breakfast?

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Although I do love tea, I was pretty skeptical of what looked like another gimmicky-type diet with no scientific backing.

However, I think the author, Mark “Dr. Tea” Ukra, may be onto something.

He recommends drinking as much green, black, oolong, or white tea as you’d like. He claims that tea will “help us lose weight, reduce our cravings for sweets, suppress our appetite, increase our insulin’s effectiveness, lower our cholesterol, and stimulate thermogenesis, which helps the body burn fat for energy.” Sounds great! But the scientific studies showing this are lacking.

So is it bunk?

While the use of caffeine is a universal claim to help in weight loss, it’s actually another ingredient that the book discusses which was enlightening to me. L-theanine, actually counteracts the harmful effects of the caffeine in tea (which is already much lower than coffee and soda). This has been backed up by clinical studies referenced in the book.

Also, as we have covered before, green tea in particular contains EGCG, which increases the rate and efficiency of fat burning.

What about the diet part of it?

The author recommends eating 3 meals a day, and sticking with low fat and moderate carbohydrates, but no processed white carbs. Avoiding white carbs like rice and sugar is an excellent idea, but this is where Healthy Mind Fit Body will part with the Ultimate Tea Diet.

While the tea certainly can be a useful supplement to a healthy diet, ideally, you would want to eat much more fat that what Dr. Tea recommends. By going with a low fat diet, you are missing out on some important nutrients, as well as some tasty foods!

So my assessment is:

+ on the tea
+ on cutting out of the bad, processed carbs
- cutting down on fat

So drink up, but do not skimp on your fat intake!

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While a piece of bacon wrapped in chocolate sounds regrettably like something Homer Simpson would be drooling over, for fun, I checked the nutritional breakdown. Only 2 grams of protein per serving, 15 grams of carbohydrates, and 11 grams of fat.

If they were to add a little more bacon, take out some of the chocolate, and switch from milk to dark chocolate, I may be able to call it semi-nutritional- and okay to eat as an occasional treat. However, milk chocolate brings down the house here- too much sugar without the anti-oxidants to save it!
,
Still, the bacon aspect of the bar IS in fact fairly healthy, as it is not overly processed, and contains some good fat that will slow down the absorption rate of the chocolate into your bloodstream.

My conclusion? If you’re a bacon and chocolate lover, don’t deny yourself! Just keep in mind this is not exactly the stuff fit bodies are made of as part of a healthy diet on a regular basis.

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Here are 6 foods to consider when eating low carb:

1. Nuts. I can’t live without my nuts! They can help keep you satiated and provide you with great monounsaturated fats and protein. Great for snacking between meals. Almonds, walnuts, cashews, macadamia nuts…all good. Keep in mind that peanuts are not nuts, although they do contain a good amount of healthy monounsaturated fats as well.

2. Berries. Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are loaded with antioxidants, have fiber, and are some of the most healthy foods you can eat.

3. Eggs. Make sure to go for the free range kind. Eggs are loaded with nutrients. Don’t worry about dietary cholesterol in eggs- recent studies have proven that eating cholesterol does not cause high cholesterol.

4. Fish. We need omega 3 fatty acids and fish is the best place to get these. Mercury may be a concern with eating a lot of fish, so taking high quality fish oils can be just as effective.

5. Meat. The key with meat is quality. For beef, make sure you are getting grass fed beef, which has far more omega 3 fatty acids, more nutrients overall, and from far healthier cows than regular beef. For lunch meat, make sure you are getting the preservative-free kind of meat- no nitrates or phosphates!

6. Think Thin bars. Yes, I’m throwing in a non-whole food option (sometimes eating whole foods is just not convenient). I just discovered these last year. They have many great flavors and each bar has 20 grams of protein!

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And the anti-fat mania that started in the 1980′s is still believed to be true today by way too many people.

We should probably have two different words to describe these two things, since it doesn’t work like that. In fact, diets that are higher in fat have been shown to be much healthier than the traditional high-carbohydrate diet.

So how does eating fat burn body fat?

1. Dietary fat, along with protein, both tell your brain that you are full, and it’s time to stop eating. Carbohydrates don’t do this at all! You can continue eating carbs for as long as you want, and the part of your brain which tells you you’re full will not be activated.

2. Dietary fat also burns much slower than carbohydrates. This results in staying full for longer (as mentioned above), and having sustained energy for longer, eliminating the need to eat as many calories as with low-fat, high-carb diets, which rely much more on will power and exercise regimens than do low carb diets.

Lastly, fat tastes good! I know that traditionally, people believe that if something tastes good it must be bad for you. But, outside of trans fats, replacing carbohydrates with tasty fats in your diet, like almonds, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, etc. will allow you to burn more fat- and get down to your optimal weight.

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All the talk is about his stance on immigration and what he will do next.

I’m only singling Lou Dobbs out because he is making the most recent news, but it amazes me how many overweight men go on TV on a regular basis, being seen by millions of people, and this is completely acceptable. Women don’t have it so easy. It is much more difficult to carry extra weight as a woman and to become an anchor or reporter on a major television network.

Even more amazing is overweight men like Dr. Phil selling diet and nutrition books and supplements!

Why do we have double standard here? Should being overweight be okay for TV personalities, male or female, or should this be unacceptable?

As we have discussed on our podcast and in our book, carrying extra weight is often a psychological barrier that must be overcome- through self-analysis and understanding, rather than through grinding workouts and exercise routines. Nutrition, of course, also plays a huge role in fat loss or achieving optimal weight, however, even with the perfect diet prescription, it is very difficult to get down to or maintain this ideal weight.

Having this double standard doesn’t serve anyone. It makes it okay for men to be unhealthy, and puts far too much pressure on women to go above and beyond what men have to do to make it in TV land.

The issue here is the “should” that is involved. Should women have to be a certain size to get on TV? Should it be acceptable for men to be overweight in the public eye? We have to bring this down to an individual level. If someone wants to be healthy and fit, then yes, they should be concerned about extra weight they may be holding.

Can we make up universal rules for society to stick to in terms of health and fitness? No. But what we can do is understand the importance of our own personal health, and make decisions in our own lives that benefit us, both on the emotional and physical level. At the same time, it can help to stop worrying about television personalities and what they may look like, or what “society” thinks is acceptable.

To get back to the original point here: Dobbs, while not obese, is likely a great candidate for our plan. If he spent 1 week doing some of the written sentence completion exercises in our book, and two weeks getting rid of any carbohydrate addictions, he would be well on his way to having a fit and healthy body!

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While these two ingredients, along with the cheese, are made up of a lot of dietary fat, they are the least of your worries if you want to stay slim or lose fat from your body.

I checked out this fun site http://www.chipotlefan.com/index.php?id=nutrition_calculator

You can add and subtract ingredients and see what the nutritional content becomes.
A burrito bol can be a pretty healthy, low carb meal. However, adding in the 13″ totilla gives you another whopping 42 grams of carbohydrates! This is the major problem with burritos in general, not what is inside.

I did also notice another negative with Chipotle. Even with the healthier burrito bol, you are ingesting over 1000 mg of sodium! A little much for just one meal.

So does this answer the question, is Mexican food healthy? The answer is, like with many types of food, “it depends”.

A good rule of thumb when you’re not sure is to opt for the low carb option. Even if you are in a bind and fast food is the only option, taking out part of the bun or tortilla will result in lower insulin production and overall lowering the chance that your body will store extra fat from that meal. And don’t forget to hold the rice!

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1. When you exercise, you will often stimulate your appetite, and be tempted to overeat. I know from many years of experience as a competitive swimmer and distance runner, it is really hard to know how much to eat after a big workout (or even a little workout sometimes!). When I was in college, I was a swimmer and put in an average of 3 hours a day of working out. I was burning a tremendous amount of calories, but my diet was mostly carbohydrates- and I held onto a little extra fat around my belly the entire time. When I got out of college and learned about how to eat the low carb way, although I was exercising far less, my stomach finally flattened out!

2. A fitness program that is exercise-intensive and calorie-restrictive is not sustainable for most people. In order to succeed at losing weight via exercise, you will have to be incredibly meticulous about your workouts and your diet. Most people simply do not have time to constantly work out or have a set regime that they must do several times a week to keep the weight down. And counting calories is not at all something that most people want to spend their time doing. I know I certainly don’t!

3. Exercise can act as a band aid for psychological addictions to food or certain kinds of food. Some people use food as a mood altering drug- eating when they are happy, and eating when they are stressed or upset. Most people are addicted to carbohydrates in some fashion, whether it’s soda, bread, pasta, cereal, etc. that are keeping their insulin levels high and their bodies wanting to hold on to fat. Exercise can act as a band-aid to these addictions by actually allowing you to “get away” with eating extra carbohydrates, burning them off, and remaining thin. This often involves doing longer and/or harder workouts. I did this for many years, but found that it makes life much easier to stick to generally healthy eating most of the time, and not feel like I need to spend half my life on a treadmill!

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I even remember several years ago they were promoting on TV some kind of device that you put around your stomach that would create electrical shocks to get rid of the fat! Sadly, I knew smart people who fell for this nonsense.

Well this subject falls near and dear to my heart. Several years ago, I was a skinny guy with a gut. I exercised every day, often twice a day, but could not get rid of my tummy fat! Here are a few ideas on how to lose tummy fat as fast as humanly possible (and not have to spend lots of money or do massive crunches):

1. Cut the sodas completely out of your diet.

2. Get out of the habit of having desert after meals. You can replace the cookies with fruit. If you must have desert, consider a small piece of heart-healthy dark chocolate instead of a calorie-laden slice of chocolate cake.

3. Walk for exercise. Especially if you’re just starting out, there is absolutely no reason to think you have to complete huge monstrous workouts to lose tummy fat.

4. Replace carbohydrates with more protein and fat.

5. Skip the bread where you can. Making a sandwich for lunch? Cut out half the bread.

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1. Lower your sugar intake. A high carb/high sugar diet will lower your immune system and give you wrinkles. Studies show that high levels of sugar in the bloodstream can be just as damaging to the skin as nicotine and UV radiation.

2. Take fish oils. Fish oils can help lower blood pressure, improve mood and feed your brain, things that are all associated with healthier (and longer) lives.

3. Eat your greens. Many of the nutrients in dark leafy greens help to slow the aging process or prevent age-related illness.

4. Don’t stay out of the sun. Your body makes Vitamin D, but only when you’re exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D enhances performance, fights cancer and builds bones. 20 minutes a day of peak sunlight should be sufficient.

5. Drink green tea. Not only is it loaded with anti-oxidants, studies have shown that green tea is also effective in fat burning and lowering “bad” cholesterol levels.

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But I’m going to do it anyway!

While the benefits of exercise are widely known (I even exercise almost daily), and there are countless fitness plans all over the internet showing people how to burn fat and lose weight by exercising more and eating less.

This all sounds pretty reasonable, but is it effective?

Of course it’s not effective! Sure, these fitness plans often include the infamous before and after photos, where one is a blurry shot of the person frowning and slumped over in a bizarrely unattractive pose, while the second one is a professional picture where suddenly the person’s hair is combed, they are dressed nicely, and appearing happy and confident!

And yes, these before-and-after people probably did all lose some weight on the calories in/calories out plan, with lots of exercise and restricting of calories. But it will not last in most cases.

This is because the focus is in the wrong place. Many people have seen the fat melt away from their bodies by simply cutting way back on their carbohydrate consumption, but remaining sedentary! Now, I wouldn’t recommend a sedentary lifestyle; it’s simply not healthy. But most of your success in achieving a permanent fit body will come from your nutrition, not how many hours a day you can pound yourself into the ground and burn away calories.

How is this possible?

One problem is, when you exercise, you will often stimulate your appetite, and be tempted to overeat.

Another is that a fitness program that is exercise-intensive and calorie-restrictive is not sustainable for most people.

And finally, exercise can act almost as a band aid for psychological addictions to food or certain kinds of food.

In part 2 we will explore these 3 aspects of fat burning and fitness plans in greater detail.

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The show has gone international and a new diet has come out of it, equipped with specific diet plans and it’s own nutritional products.

No question, there have been some unbelievable and inspirational stories on the show over the years, and a lot of just plain successful weight loss goals being met.

Is this diet and exercise prescription the way to go? Could there be other factors at play here?

At healthymindfitbody.com, we have discussed the notion of exercise being far too much the focus of many people looking to get to their perfect weight. One certainly can lose weight on an exercise-focused program, but it is very difficult to make significant body fat losses, and more importantly, to keep them off by following the caloric theory of weight loss.

In an environment like The Biggest Loser, one thing that must be considered when looking at the effectiveness of the plan they are using is the competitiveness of the situation. Just like in using the caloric theory of weight loss, competition on the show to win will certainly lead to candidates using will power during their time on the show in the attempt to win. (for example, when I saw Season 2 Biggest Loser winner Matt Hoover give a talk about his experience, he said that his last 15-20 pounds were lost in the days leading up to the final weighing in, using techniques he learned in his wrestling days, where most of it was water weight that he gained right back within 48 hours of the show ending).

Let’s look at the basics of the Biggest Loser diet and fitness plan:

The book includes one-week sample meal plans for 1,200-, 1,500- and 1,800-calorie diets, along with some recipes. 45% of the total calories come from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 25% from fat.

The 4-3-2-1 Biggest Loser Pyramid sets the stage for number of servings from each of the food groups:

• 4 servings of fruits and vegetables
• 3 servings of protein — lean, vegetarian, or low-fat dairy
• 2 servings of whole grains
• 1 extra of fats, oils, sweets, alcohol, or your choice, equivalent to 200 calories

This diet is not bad. But, there are problems that will get in the way of someone looking for permanent weight loss and maintaining ideal weight:

1. They are including “fats” with alcohol and sweets! As we have shown in our podcast and book, eating dietary fat is an important aspect to achieving a fit body.

2. It is a restrictive diet where you are supposed to count calories. This goes against our plan and will not likely work long term for people who have not done either sentence stems (such as our 7-day plan in the Healthy Mind Fit Body Book), counseling, or at minimum, a two-week plan of getting rid of any carbohydrate addictions (also in the book). The problem here is the reliance on will power, not an effective strategy in achieving permanent weight loss.

3. The book also says:

“Dieters should choose whole grains that are less refined and have at least 2 grams of fiber per serving of bread or 5 grams of fiber per serving of cereal, with no more than 5 grams of sugar. Protein choices include lean meat or fish, vegetarian protein, or low-fat dairy. Your calorie level determines portion sizes and your protein options.
Still hungry? You can eat more than four servings a day of fruits and vegetables.”

This advice, while reasonable, is going to be difficult for most people to follow. The reason? More calorie counting! It is a great idea to cut back sugars and processed foods, and add in more protein from meat and fish. However, instead of encouraging extra servings of vegetables and fruits, a better way to burn fat would be to add more olive oil to your veggies or slap some almond butter on your apples!

Although the Biggest Loser Diet and meal plan people talk a lot about avoiding the word “diet”, what they are recommending is a low-calorie, highly restrictive diet. Just like in other diets we have reviewed here, there are some solid nuggets of advice that are good to follow, but overall, they are offering a very difficult path to achieving your perfect body.

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“How do I get rid of my love handles?”

The famed “love handles” or the fat the hangs over the sides is stubborn and annoying! I know because have struggled with handles myself. Unfortunately, there isn’t an exercise or a machine in the gym that will take them away. The good news is that there IS something you can do about this unwanted extra fat.

Follow these 5 steps as I did and you will be on your way to the best possible body you can achieve!

1. Cut the sugar. Ideally, end sugar altogether! Since many people I know tell me this is too drastic, cutting down on sugar should be your #1 priority when it comes to losing love handles. This extra fat around your waist is evidence of too many carbs. If you drink soda, quit, immediately. Only eat dessert on special occasion. Otherwise substitute fruit for your sugar cravings.

2. Don’t overemphasize working out. You can do 1,000 crunches a day, get on one of those machines in the gym that make you twist, do side lifts, back lifts, foot lifts until your ears bleed, but none of this will take care of your handle menace. Walking, running, biking, stairmaster, treadmill- all are great exercises for helping burn this fat away- but if your diet is bad, your workouts will do you little good. Strength training is also recommended, but don’t be fooled into thinking you can “spot reduce”.

3. Eat a lot. Okay, I don’t mean to eat more calories. I mean eat more often. Snacking will help you burn this fat! Shoot for 4-5 times a day (including meals). Just stick with the good stuff for snacks- fruit, almonds, cottage cheese, protein bars, etc. If you eat often your body will continue to burn fat all day long as it’s digesting.

4. Take the stairs. This isn’t hard. If you’ve only got a few floors to go don’t take the elevator or escalator. Something this little can make a huge difference in how much cardio you’re getting over the course of a week.

5. Eat fat. Yes. Eat fat to burn fat. Just be careful of what kind of fat. Nuts, olive oil, coconut oil, and avocados are all good for you and will help you to keep away pesky blubber. But stay away from trans fats or “partially hydrogenated fat” at all costs, as it’s terrible for your health and can stay in your body for months! I tend to eat almonds often throughout the day, and it keeps me satisfied and keeps me from overeating.

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As I mentioned on our last podcast, I went to the bookstore over the weekend and was perusing the Health section, only to find a massive cluster-F of diet books and all kinds of widely differing ways to lose weight. What is the right diet? I’m not convinced there is one right diet, but there are ideas in the nutrition world based on science!

I flipped through a few of the really trendy ones like “Skinny Bitch”, and found a few tidbits of helpful information, but for the most part, authors are relying on flawed studies and the many times debunked, caloric theory of weight loss (burn more calories than you consume to lose weight).

One book that caught my eye was The Paleo Diet for Athletes. The Paleo Diet looks at what our Stone Age ancestors ate and adapts that to what we humans should likely be eating today. This book particularly focuses on athletes, who they claim, do in fact need slightly more carbohydrates than non-athletes- but no where near the carbo-loading crazed status quo indicates! The key is what specific carbohydrates should athletes be eating, and when?

I can’t wait to read the entire book, since I work with triathletes and swimmers as well at peak performance, and do the occasional half marathon myself. I have eaten a fairly low carb diet for about a decade now, but when I get around other athletes, most are still obsessed with carbs. I think it’s time we finally moved beyond these old ways of thinking and relied on new scientific discoveries instead of remaining in our comfort zones!

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