The "Great" Nutrition Debates Part 1

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Article By:Dr John M Berardi, CSCS

While displacement foods (unhealthy foods that fill us up, knocking healthy foods out of our diets) are probably at the root of many of our health and body composition crises, what I call "displacement debates" have also become a real problem in today’s information age.

For example, the average North American barely knows what a carbohydrate, protein, or fat is, yet when they hear well-respected experts at the ADA recommend high carb diets and the highly (though not universally) respected Atkins group recommend low carb diets, they get so confused and frustrated they ultimately do little or nothing proactive to improve their health.

This argument is an example of a displacing debate: an academic argument that pushes the more important problems out of the public discourse. For the average North American, following either the ADA recommendations or the Atkins recommendations would go a long way toward improving their health. But instead of suggesting that people just do something, these groups continue to bicker about who’s right at the expense of an ever-growing obesity rate.

Below I’ve presented six of the interesting displacing debates I’ve heard argued lately. Hopefully by discussing them I can put to rest the idea that these issues are of critical importance to your overall health and body composition. I’d like you to understand that these represent small, fine tuning details which are only relevant to a small percentage of the population, if that. On the whole, these debates do more to confuse and paralyze people than to encourage them to take their health into their own hands.

The Top 6 Displacing Debates

1. Fruit is Bad Now?
We all know fruit provides fiber, vitamins, minerals, and low glycemic index carbohydrates, so it should be no surprise that many experts recommend eating a few servings of fruit each day. Heck, this notion has even been turned into a clichéd rhyme:

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away!"

Yet some experts out there actually suggest that fruit might be bad for us! That’s utter nonsense. So, imagine you’re someone with a lifetime of eating habits that are less than optimal (for some of you, it might not be so hard to do) and you’re exposed to this debate. What do you do? Well, nine times out of ten, you figure that if there’s a chance fruit is bad for you, you might as well stay away from it — probably better to reach for a Big Mac instead. After all, it does taste better.

What to do? Eat the damn fruit – but, as with everything else, don’t overeat!

2. Raw? Organic?
Speaking again of fruits (and vegetables), it’s recommended that the average person consume two pieces of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day as a bare minimum. I recommend 10-15 servings per day. Yet most North Americans (athletes included) consume far less than the standard recommendation of five servings of fruits and vegetables.

However, rather than simply recommend more fruit and veggies (no matter how you can get them, for any fruits and vegetables are better than none), experts spend their time fighting about canned fruits and veggies vs. raw fruits and veggies. And then they fight about raw fruits and veggies vs. organic fruits and veggies! Sure, I agree that raw, organic fruits and vegetables are best since they probably have a higher micronutrient count, but let’s face the facts: any fruits and veggies are better than none!

So again, imagine you’re someone with a lifetime of bad eating habits and you’re exposed to all this bickering. What do you do? Well, you'll probably avoid the fruits and veggies, wait for the experts to finish dueling it out, and reach for a Snickers bar instead.

What to do? Get sufficient fruits and vegetables in your diet before worrying about whether they’re organic or not. Once you’ve done that, worry on.

3. Raw Milk vs. Regular Milk
What about milk? In my opinion, it’s not necessary, doesn’t always "do the body good," and should be minimized in the diet (although I see no need for total elimination unless you’re lactose intolerant).

However, if we could simply get more people to drink milk instead of sugary soda, we’d have less obesity and disease. But instead of focusing on healthy behaviors, experts will bicker on and on about regular milk vs. raw milk. Of course, all this does is serve to draw negative attention to milk and away from the other healthy decisions people could be making.

Sure, if it were possible to get raw milk that was guaranteed aseptic, it would be better than processed, pasteurized milk. But faced with the confusion, what do you, the hypothetical sub-optimal eater, do? Well, nine times out of ten, you avoid both kinds of milk and drink another Coca-Cola instead.

What to do? Limit milk, and drink calorie-free beverages like water and green tea instead.

Part 2 to come...

SEE ALSO:
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Follow the Path of MOST Resistance!

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Why weight training is the fast track to sculpting your body.

Resistance is NOT futile! When it comes to changing your body for the better quickly and permanently, nothing comes close to good old-fashioned weight training.

The shape of your body is determined by three things: muscle, bone and fat. While there's really nothing you can do about changing your bone structure, there is a whole lot you can do about muscle and fat. This ratio of muscle to fat is commonly known as your body composition.

And what is the fastest way to change your body composition? Weight training. Why is it so effective? Because it builds muscle.

Muscle is the key to changing your body. While fat certainly gives your body shape, muscle is what gives you the shape you actually WANT!

One of the greatest things about muscle is that it burns calories all day long, even when you're lying on the couch. What this means is that the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn during the day and the more you'll be able to eat without gaining weight. Sound interesting? There's more.

Weight training stimulates your metabolism more than aerobic training such as cycling or walking. This means that you'll continue to burn calories long AFTER you've completed your weight training session. The calorie-burning effect of aerobic training generally declines rapidly once you stop the exercise.

Beginning trainers, who are just starting with exercise, are often under the impression that they should stay away from weight training because they might gain weight before they start losing it.

I like to use a car as an analogy. Imagine your body is a car, your muscles are the cylinders in the engine, and your bodyfat is the gas.

With a four-cylinder car, you only burn a minimum amount of gas/fat. Weight training and building more muscle is the equivalent of putting more cylinders into your engine. As you can imagine, you'll burn a whole lot more gas even while idling! And, just like a car with more cylinders, you'll be a lot more powerful too!

The bottom line to you is this...with more muscle, you'll get greater fat loss with less effort.

While it certainly is a possibility that you could gain weight before losing it, if you gauge your success solely by numbers on a scale then you're not getting an accurate picture of yourself. Measure your progress by how you feel, how you look and how well your clothes are fitting, not by which direction the needle on a measuring device is moving.

At the end of the day, I'm not suggesting for a moment that you should eliminate cardiovascular training from your exercise routine, but, if you are struggling to lose fat and keep it off, weight training may be just the thing you need to lose that fat and keep it off for good!

For more information on resistance exercises you can do at home, go to:

http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Begin/exercises.htm

For more information on weight training exercises you can do at the gym, including optimized exercise technique, tricks for improving the exercise and common errors, go to:

http://www.fitstep.com/Library/Exercises/Exercises.htm

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Nick Nilsson is Vice-President of the online personal training company BetterU, Inc. He has a degree in Physical Education and Psychology and has been inventing new training techniques for more than 16 years. Nick is the author of a number of bodybuilding eBooks including "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss," "The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of," "Gluteus to the Maximus - Build a Bigger Butt NOW!" and "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of" all available at (http://www.fitness-ebooks.com). He can be contacted at betteru@fitstep.com.

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Sample Workout

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Full Body Workout

The workout below is an example of what a full body workout looks like. No equipment or gym is needed so you can do it while traveling for business or vacation. The workout is easy to modify for all fitness levels. A beginner can take their time as they go through the workout, resting 30 - 60 seconds between each exercise. An advanced person could do 50 reps of each, go through the circuit multiple times. At the advanced level, no matter what they decide to do, the circuit will always be done as fast as possible. For those past the beginner stage but not yet advanced can a mixture of things. Reps can be increased allowing rest between exercise, repeat the circuit multiple time with a short rest between circuits, or see how fast the circuit can be completed.

The variables are endless allowing a different workout each time and that progresses as you do. Just because you are traveling or do not have access to a gym there is no excuse not to get a great workout in. Have fun and burn some fat.

5 Bodyweight Rows

10 Bodyweight Sumo Squats
15 bodyweight squats
15 Pushups
50 jumping jacks
10 spiderman climbs
10 reverse lunges, per leg
25 bicycle crunches

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What You Should Know About Tea

by Ryan Andrews

Nowadays, pretty much everyone has accepted that tea (especially the green kind) confers some tremendous health benefits.

Indeed, as recent as two years ago, you could hardly find green tea in most grocery stories, convenience stores, or restaurants.

Now, the stuff is ubiquitous. Anywhere you turn, if you want a green tea, you can find it. You can even find it in some fast food restaurants.

So in this newsletter, we'd like to talk about tea - what it is, why it's good for you, and what benefits it offers.

What is tea?

Tea is a beverage made by steeping leaves, twigs, or buds of Camellia sinensis, the common tea plant, in hot water for 1 to 5 minutes.

The fermentation of a tea determines its color. White tea is the least fermented form. Black tea is the most fermented form.

Interestingly, when the tea is fully dried, fermentation stops, and that's how tea leaves retain their color (white, green, black) once dried.

So how does a tea leaf go from its natural state to your tea cup? Well, the leaves undergo fermentation, and are then heated and dried. During this process, flavor enhancers such as herbs, spices, fruits and flowers can also be added.

Note: when the label describes the tea as “herbal tea,” it’s referring to a beverage that contains only fruits and/or herbs with no actual tea leaves. So don't get duped. Most "herbal teas" contain no actual tea.

Tea contains no calories and is a rich source of phytochemicals as well as a specific group of chemicals called methylxanthines (e.g., theophylline, caffeine, etc - although the methylxanthine content is much lower than in coffee and other caffeinated beverages).

How tea works in the body
Tea offers a host of health benefits, which will be outlined shortly. Many of the beneficial effects of tea are due to the flavonoids it contains.

Flavonoids belong to a grouping of chemicals that have strong antioxidant properties and can reduce free radical damage (free radicals produce what we call "oxidative stress" and can contribute to chronic disease).

When thinking flavonoids, think of catechins, specifically EGCG. The catechins are one type of powerful flavoniods that occur naturally in tea. And many believe it's these flavonoids that contribute most of the benefits associated with tea.

In addition to the flavonoids, as mentioned above, tea contains methylxanthines (caffeine is a methylxanthine). The caffeine content in tea is lower than that of coffee and does not have an abrupt effect. Prospective jitters and withdrawal symptoms are unlikely.

How Milk May Ruin Tea
Interestingly, milk has long been added to tea to neutralize tannins (which are the most bitter components of tea) and reduce their acidity - leading to a smoother taste.

However, research has indicated that casein in milk will negate many of the beneficial components of tea. So don't ruin your tea by adding milk. Order it straight up. And if you don't like the flavor, mix your regular tea with a mint or herbal tea.

JB's favorite is a mixture of loose green tea leaves and a bag of mint or pear flavored green tea.

Loose Tea vs. Bags
Tea is commonly packaged in “tea bags” for convenience. Among tea experts, this tea is known as “dust,” due to its poor quality.

The tea in bags is considered a waste product left over from sorting the higher quality loose leaf teas. Furthermore, tea in bags may be prone to oxidation and not steep as well due to the restricted form of the bag.

Now, if you enjoy tea that comes in bags – don’t stress – it can still offer similar benefits. However, we encourage you to try loose tea (or some combination of loose and bagged) to see how you like it.

If you're new to loose tea, check out these infusers below or even a tea press. They'll help you avoid picking leaves out of your teeth!

Tea Infuser A

Tea Infuser B

Tea Infuser C

Tea Press

The shelf life of tea varies based on the degree of processing. Black tea has a longer shelf life than green tea. The shelf life of herbal tea is usually the shortest.

To prevent oxidation, tea should be stored in an air-tight container and placed in a dry, cool and dark location.

Tea Temperature

Recommended water temperatures for steeping tea are as follows:

White tea: 140-165 degrees
Green tea: 170-180 degrees
Oolong tea: 190-205 degrees
Black tea: Above 200 degrees

Don’t get stressed if you don’t feel like breaking out the thermometer every morning. Bring water just short of boiling. That will usually do the trick.

Note: The more fermented teas require higher water temperatures. When water temperatures are too low, the leaves can be devoid of oxygen and the taste can be bland and flat.

Supplements and Extracts

While we're not against using green tea supplements, we want to make sure you don't go getting too happy with green tea extract consumption.
Case reports have been published indicating that a very high consumption of these extracts can induce liver damage. This has yet to be validated in well-controlled studies but it's worth thinking about.

Here's some additional info on this:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/me...ead.php?t=6771

The Benefits of Regular Tea Consumption

Now, let’s outline some of the benefits attributed to regular tea consumption.

Note: These benefits were outlined at the 2007 "Tea and Health" symposium, a conference in which tea researchers world-wide got together and provided some definitive answers on what tea does and what it doesn't do - at least, according to what we know today.

We'll list these benefits by category...

Tea and body composition

• Green tea increased 24-hour energy expenditure and fat oxidation
• 3-months of tea consumption decreased waist circumference by 4.5%

Tea and cardiovascular health

• Tea increased lipid oxidation
• Tea improved blood vessel function
• Those who consumed 3 or more cups of black tea per day had a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
• Drinking 6 or more cups of black tea per day was associated with decreased serum cholesterol and triglycerides
• Those who drank a cup or more of black tea daily had a 44% reduction in the risk of heart attack compared to non-tea drinkers
• Those who consumed tea during the year prior to a heart attack were up to 44% more likely to survive following the cardiac event
• Japanese men and women who consumed just over 2 cups of green tea per day reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 22 - 33%
• 5 cups of black tea per day reduced LDL cholesterol by 11% and total cholesterol by 6.5% compared to placebo beverages
• Those who consumed 4 cups of tea per day had a 69% lower risk of atherosclerosis
• Tea restored blood vessel function in those with coronary artery disease
• Tea helped to prevent atherosclerosis
• Tea enhanced dilation of blood vessels
• Regular tea drinkers had a 65% reduced risk of developing high blood pressure

Tea and cancer

• Tea inhibited oxidative damage
• Tea decreased the growth of abnormal cells and inhibited uncontrolled cell growth
• Drinking tea combated free radical damage
• Tea boosted the immune system
• Tea helped prevent prostate cancer
• Those who drank tea had a reduced risk of skin cancer
• Tea assisted in the regression of oral cancer
• Tea drinkers had decreased ovarian cancer risk

Tea and immune function

• Tea boosted natural resistance to microbial infection

Tea and oral health

• Tea inhibited the plaque forming ability of oral bacteria

Tea and bone health

• Although caffeine intake has been suggested to be a risk factor for reduced bone mineral density, research indicated that drinking tea does not negatively affect bone mineral density
• Older women who drank tea had a higher bone mineral density than those who did not drink tea

Tea and kidney stones

• Those who drank tea had a lower risk of developing kidney stones

Tea and neurological decline

• Drinking tea resulted in a reduced risk of Parkinsons disease

Tea and spouse selection

• Those who drank 5 cups of green tea each day had a more attractive spouse (are you still paying attention to my article? This one has yet to be confirmed by research - but you never know).

Tea Recipes

When talking to folks who don't consume enough tea, their excuse is usually that they don't like the taste. However, this excuse is fairly lame.

Just like with other healthy meals and drinks, you've gotta be a little creative. To this end, here are a few recipes that can make including tea in your diet a delicious proposition:

Mint Chocolate Shake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strongly brewed green tea with mint
1 cup ice
2 scoops chocolate whey protein
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 tbsp flaxseed oil or vanilla flavored fish oil
1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips or cocoa nibs

Instructions:

Prepare green tea by steeping for 5 minutes or using tea press/infuser. Allow to cool.

Pour tea in the blender and add 1 cup of ice.

Add to the blender, protein, yogurt, oil, and chocolate.

Blend on high until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Nutrition Information:

Makes 1 large 593kcal shake (22fat, 36carb, 61 protein) or 2 small 296kcal shakes (11fat, 18carb, 30 protein).

Blueberry Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strongly brewed green tea with berry flavor
1 cup of water
1/2 cup Old fashioned large flake oats
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp pure honey
1/4 cup low fat milk or soy milk
1 scoop vanilla protein
1/4 cup frozen berries

Instructions:

Prepare green tea by steeping for 5 minutes or using tea press/infuser. Allow to cool.

Pour tea and 1 cup water into a pot.

Bring pot to a boil on high heat and add the oats.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed (approx 7-10 mins).

Remove from heat and stir in flax and honey.

Combine milk and protein in a blender and pour over oatmeal.

Add frozen berries.

Nutrition Information:

Makes 1 large 472kcal serving (10fat, 60carb, 35 protein) or 2 small 236kcal servings (5fat, 30carb, 15 protein).

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Final thoughts
Most benefits are seen with around 3 – 4 cups of green or black tea per day. So make sure you start there there.

In the research, regularly steeped tea was used in most trials. To this end, be careful with pre-bottled teas as they may have excessive amounts of added sweeteners and degraded beneficial compounds. Therefore they may not offer the same benefits as regularly stepped tea.

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Great fat loss and nutrition recipe

For more Nutrition Tips:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition - our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want -- guaranteed.

Pan-Seared Salmon with a Citrus Mint Sauce

There are limitless possibilities for cooking and flavoring salmon. Here is an out of the ordinary twist that combines citrus and mint to compliment that ever-gratifying crispiness of seared salmon. For this recipe, prepare the sauce first so that you can serve the salmon when it's hot and crisp. And don't forget to add a nice helping of veggies to this dish. Try some grilled asparagus for an extra special treat. Now on with the show . . .

Part 1: Citrus-Mint Sauce

2 tablespoons grapefruit juice squeezed from ½ fresh pink grapefruit

½ pink grapefruit, cut into sections for serving
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tbsp)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
Salt & pepper, to taste
Dash of Splenda (equivalent to 1 tsp sugar)

Make sure to remove all of the membrane from the grapefruit sections. Combine the grapefruit juice, lime juice, shallot, and Splenda in a medium bowl. Mix well, and then gradually stir-in the olive oil, mint, and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside while cooking the fish.

Part 2: Pan-Seared Salmon

Two 8-ounce salmon fillets, without skin
1 tbsp Smart Balance butter spread or coconut oil
Salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

Pat the salmon fillet dry with a paper towel, and then season both sides of each fillet with salt and a generous amount of pepper.

Heat the butter or oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add fillets to the skillet and cook until edges are opaque and bottoms are golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes for 1-inch thick fillets. Gently flip the fillets with a spatula and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is firm yet tender and moist, and the flesh has become opaque with a slight translucence.

Before serving, whisk the citrus mint sauce to recombine, and drizzle it over the fish fillets. Serve immediately garnished with grapefruit sections.

Serves two.

Nutritional information

	Per Serving
Total Calories	529	k/cal
Protein	46	g
Total Carbohydrates	12	g
Fiber	0.13	g
Sugars	8	g
Total Fat	33	g
Saturated	5.3	g
Monounsaturated	16	g
Polyunsaturated	9	g
Omega-3	4.2	g
Omega-6	3.2	g

Tip: When is salmon cooked just right?

Cooking your salmon until it's 'flaky', as commonly suggested, can result in overcooking. Here's how to cook it just right: use a paring knife to peek inside the middle of the fillet. If the flesh is translucent, it is undercooked. If it is opaque and slightly flaky but still juicy, it is ready to serve. It is overcooked when the flesh falls apart and looks dry.

Food Fact: Are all omega-3's created equal?

Plants provide a form of omega-3's called alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA). Flax seeds are one of the best sources of ALA. But it's becoming clear that some of the best health benefits come from docosahexaenoic acids (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are found in fatty marine fish, like salmon and mackerel. DHA is particularly beneficial, and contributes to better body composition, brain health, stress relief, and has even shown potential in preventing dementia. Granted, some ALA can be converted into EPA and DHA, but the conversion rate is low, particularly in men.

What's the lesson? Go ahead and eat your flax, but don't skip the fish!

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