Vegan vs. Carnivore

Thoughts? Comments?

Survival of the Fattest

" All God's creatures get fat and have high cholesterol and high blood pressure and then go to sleep, or at least starve for sugar for a while. That's why only our pets have heart disease, get too fat to walk, and have cancer. They live with us." T.S Wiley, Lights Out

In nature you could not live off sugar for very long, seeing as plants only fruit in one season and flower in the next. With seasons leaving food supply unpredictable we only had one option-obesity. A major killer now was once the key to survival. In order to put on enough fat to live off of during winter months you had to become insulin resistant when the carbohydrate (sugar) supply was available. The goal was to eat so much sugar that your muscle cells would close up shop (become resistant) to the effects of insulin and therefore store all incoming sugar as fat or pumped into cholesterol production. The evolutionary purpose of insulin is insulation.

" The point of being really fat is to keep you from starving and freezing. Insulin stores excess energy as internal fat around your vital organs first, before you ever see it ripple under your skin. The purpose is to insulate your heart, lungs, and digestive system from the cold, just as the fetus in a pregnant women is protected with a layer of fat energy."

This higher than normal insulin would flip the switch on increased cholesterol production to keep your cell membranes from freezing. The greatest evolutionary edge would come with the out of control high blood sugar seen in type 2 diabetics .

" A higher than normal concentration of blood sugar would keep the interior of your cells from freezing because of the effect carbohydrates have on water molecules. All anti-freeze, even what you use in your car, tastes sweet."

Type 2 Diabetes is truly the end-state of the vestigial hibernation instinct. The problem is we don't live in the real world anymore, the food supply (sugar) never runs out and we never turn the lights off!

" As a mammal, you are hardwired to eat sugar, make babies, store fat, and then sleep it off, and then do it again and again."

Cheaters Guide to Success - Lesson 2: "Watching the Game"

Now, as I am a proud Canadian I thoroughly enjoy watching hockey with my buddies. With the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs nearing many of us will venture out to our local watering hole to catch the rest of this exciting series. It is important to remember that in our stupid western civilization dieting (or more appropriately eating healthy) among men especially is somewhat shunned and as to not look like a "pussy" one must conform to the norm. The best way for us "manly cheaters" to achieve this is to stick with the classic "wings and beer. Here is the cheaters guide to wings and beer at the pub: Sticking to a 4-5 block zone portion (probably 2-3x fat), you can eat 1pound (10-15 wings) with 2 pints of beer (not cider, which you shouldn't be drinking anyways - man up Nancy!). For the wings try to stay away from the sugar filled saucy ones - BBQ, Honey garlic and go with teriyaki, salt & Pepper or Hot. Mild and Medium sauces are for wussies and they are mainly ketchup based which means full of sugar. This is a solid cheat meal if you stick to the proportions as this is key - PROPORTIONS! Now this doesn't mean you should eat like this everyday but if you are going to cheat, do it wisely.

GO WINGS GO!

Note: If the game goes into OT you can have 5 more wings and another pint, just workout a little extra the next day.

Post Workout Feeding!

Eating post workout is possibly the funnest and most important times to eat. During this time we can get away with certain foods that otherwise may not be the best choices. As we discussed in our article with the 4 hot babes in bikinis, to burn fat your diet must manage insulin. Bottom line.

Usually we try to stay away from carbohydrate sources that rate high on the glycemic index scale, but during the post workout window we actually want to consume these foods. During exercise and shortly after our cells have the ability to absorb glucose from the bloodstream without the need of insulin. This is a state called "non-insulin mediated glucose uptake." This is key for quick recovery and also protects you from messing up your insulin sensitivity. This state rapidly slows down after exercise and is completely shut off after about an hour.

By no means is this a free for all to consume crap like cookies, pasta, ice cream etc. The best carbohydrate sources are starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes being my favourite). A quality protein source is also essential for muscle repair. Go with a lean cut of meat, fish is possibly the best source in this instance. Try to avoid foods that contain fat and fiber as they slow absorption. As I said before you want to digest the food as fast as possible pwo as this "state" is completely shut off after an hour.

Bread Anyone?

In our article "The Foundation" we outlined the foods that we try to avoid at all costs, one group being grains. Why would we do that? Aren't grains an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and minerals? NO, they are not! They aren't even on the same playing field when compared to fruits & vegetables. But the lack of nutrients is the least of our worries when we think about grains. The real problem with grains is their ability to promote chronic high levels of insulin and insulin resistance (hyperinsulinemia); and their toxic/irritant effects on the body.

What was that about insulin?
Grains for the most part are entirely carbohydrate, usually consumed in large quantities. Starch, the primary carbohydrate in grains,consists of a large number of glucose molecules joined together by glycosidic bonds. These bonds are easy broken upon digestion causing a significant insulin response in the body. Why is this bad? Because chronic spikes in insulin lead to the down-regulation of insulin receptors (found on every cell in the body). As these receptors become more resistance to insulin, the pancreas will need to secrete even more insulin to get the job done (hyperinsulinemia). Hyperinsulinemia has been linked to every disease associated with the Metabolic Syndrome, increasing your risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer etc. It should be noted that the more refined the carbohydrate source the easier they are to digest=greater insulin response. Whole grains are also the problem because of the large quantities in which we consume them, also causing high levels of insulin.

Anti-Nutrients
Anti-nutrients are plant compounds that actually decrease the nutritional value of a plant food. One anti-nutrient in particular, Phytic Acid or "phytates" actually bind to metal ions (calcium, magnesium, zinc)from the plant source and rob your body of them as well!

Gluten, part of the lectin family, is a protein found in wheat and other grains. Gluten plays a significant role in the issues with grains by damaging and destroying the gastrointestinal tract. Microvilli are structures found in the small intestine which are covered with enzymes that aid in the digestive process and transport nutrients from food into the various tissues in the body. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder when all of the microvilli are completely destroyed, making it impossible to absorb fats, minerals and many vitamins into the body.

Of course everyone isn't going to be diagnosed with Celiac but all grain consumption has been shown to cause irritation (digestion, stomach aches, IBS). Lectins are found in many foods including legumes and eggs. But you would have to consume a large number of raw eggs for them to take any effect, as the lectins found in eggs are destroyed during cooking.

There seems to be this false idea that grains should play a major role in our diets, but that is just not the case. You can find more nutrients in fruits & vegetables without the side effects that grains give you. In paleolithic times we couldn't have possibly consumed these foods, you cannot just pick up wheat and eat it and for legumes to be edible they have to be cooked.

Don't believe me? I don't give a shit! Everyone I know who cuts these foods out of their diet feels, looks and performs better! It's up to you to try it out!

Chasing the White Dragon - Our addiction to sugar

Sugar is like crack! Plain and simple, when you're addicted to it you need it to function. As a recovering sugar junkie I know all about the sugar highs and lows. From the need to have a can of coke as soon as I got home to the mid-afternoon crash I experienced after I slammed down my carbo-loaded lunch. Like any good drug, after a hit of sugar (the pancreas releases the hormone insulin into your blood and) the brain releases "feel good" chemicals (increased serotonin levels = euphoria) into your blood stream, making that brownie taste even better. The problem is that eventually we build up a tolerance to this like every other drug as our body was designed to adapt to change to minimize deviations from homeostasis. What this means is that the can of coke you had isn't as sweet anymore and you need two cans to satisfy your sweet tooth. Your body beings to increase it's tolerance to insulin in the blood stream and it takes more and more sugar to hit the "high" and release those feel good chemicals, this high also starts to decrease in length. Before you know it you are just plowing through a bag of skittles and a Fruitopia just so you can make it to lunch. Your cells have actually become increasingly resistant to insulin and your blood sugar levels begin to elevate. This constant state of elevated blood sugar and insulin levels result in hyperinsulinism and is correlated to almost every disease you can think of (diabetes, cancer, heart disease, etc) and obesity. Now all those calories are floating around in your blood stream and the massive amount of insulin that goes along with it is telling your body to "store, store, store" it all as fat! The good news is that this sugar addiction can be cured. With a slow tapering of refined carbohydrate foods (sugars/grains) towards more natural sugar sources (vegetables/fruits/berries) you can start to get the situation under control. This is followed by monitoring not only the quality but more importantly the quantity of sugar you are ingesting everyday. I recommend "the Zone" diet for this sort of portion control but the easiest way is to just start eating natural foods mainly vegetables. The result is that by monitoring the type and amount of sugar (carbohydrates) you put into our body you can start to control the amount of insulin your pancreas releases. You will slowly decrease your cells insulin tolerance and get back to normal levels of function. You will begin to find out what it's like to not have 11pm sugar cravings and to be alert and not feel hungry throughout the day. You will have essentially kicked the sugar habit!

The Cheaters Guide To Success – Lesson 1: “Get the door it’s Domino’s!!!”

Cheating while doing paleo or zone is almost human nature and is neccessary. Every once and a while we need to indulge and we should, but there are ways to do it wisely. Today’s lesson is all about Pizza, my favourite treat/drunk food. First and most important tip – don’t eat the crust!!! This is by far the easiest way to minimize the carb intake for your cheat meal (remember carbs are the enemy). By not eating the crust (See above Pic) you cut out a good 20-40+ grams of carbs (about 1-2 slices of bread worth depending on how thick the crust is) for a typical 8-10” personal pizza. Remember the crust is just there so you don’t get grease on your fingers. Tip #2 always, always get thin crust! This is another way to keep all the taste and lose upwards of an excess 600 calories (for a 12”) from the meal. Tip #3 say no to dipping sauce – you aren’t eating the crust so you don’t need the dipping sauce (and you don’t even want to know what it’s made of). Tip #4 don’t drink pop with your pizza. This seems to be a big thing, as almost every pizza vendor has a pizza and pop deal it might seem a little economical to grab a can of pop (40g carbs) with your slice but it isn’t worth it. If you absolutely have to drink a soda then at least grab a Diet soda but remember although it doesn’t have any sugar it will still spike your insulin levels and that is what we are trying to minimize. The Last tip is mozzarella is always better than cheddar as it has more protein and less fat, plus everybody likes the stringy cheesy pizza that only mozzarella provides. It makes eating the pizza fun and that’s what cheats are supposed to be all about. As far as toppings go nuts, the more the better! Believe it or not the toppings are the best part of the pizza because that’s where all the good meat and vegetables are. I’m not going to say one is better than another because taste is why we have the cheat if it didn’t taste just the way we wanted it wouldn’t be a satisfying cheat. So on your next cheat day, go grab a slice of heaven!

Eating Primal

                                            (House warming gift my amazing girl gave me)    

When people ask what type of diet I follow (a common question in the Crossfit circles), I usually respond Paleo. But that is not entirely the truth. I actually follow more of a Primal Blueprint way of eating. 

At first glance you will most likely think that Primal and Paleo are the exact same, but there are some differences. You can find The Primal Blueprint here, at Mark Sisson's Blog (the author). Mark's blog covers some great topics and is an excellent source for knowledge on overall health and wellness. 

"Pick up any book on nutrition, flip to the index, and look up insulin and hyperinsulinism. If there is nothing there the book is pure bull-shit, put it down."- Greg Glassman

Is Light Killing Your Diet?

After reading our post on nutrition (The Foundation), it is easy to see that we recommend following a low to moderate carbohydrate approach. Why? Because this approach closely resembles that of which we have evolved to feed ourselves. Carbohydrates are not a necessary nutrient for the body, that is why there are NO essential carbohydrates, but essential proteins and fats. They are also not the preferred fuel source (http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/ketones-and-ketosis/metabolism-and-ketosis/#more-719). There are many reasons people fail/cheat with a low-carb approach, sleep and most importantly light is a huge one, let me tell you why.

Light controls everything our body does, light tells you when to get up in the morning, and the disappearance of it tells you when to go to bed at night, or at least it use to. We were only intended to eat carbs and plenty of them (especially fruits) during the long days of summer. During these months fruit was plentiful and winter was coming. When winter hits so does famine. We would consume copious amounts of fruits and vegetables during these months to gain weight (fat) to live off during the winter months. Carbs release insulin, insulin stores fat.

With the invention of artificial light we never get out of summer mode. We have lights on in our homes well past sun-down, television and computer screens dominate most past times and street lamps are shining in our bedroom windows even when our lights are out. This prolonged exposure to light makes your body believe its constantly summer, wanting to eat carbs to store fat for the famine. This is why when you do cheat it is usually late at night, and usually its something sweet (cookie, ice cream, fruit, chocolate).

Getting back into your body's natural cycle is key for optimal health. This means getting to bed earlier during the winter months, and staying up later during the summer. You could potentially sleep up to 14 hours during the winter! I know, not going to happen, but getting to bed as close to sun set as possible will be most beneficial.

The smallest amount of light exposure during sleep has a significant effect of the level of melatonin your body produces during that time....but no worries, its only the most powerful anti-oxidant in your body.

Keys to Success:

• Sleep a minimum of 9.5 hours a night in a completely dark room
• Reduce exposure to light as much as possible after 6pm during the winter
• Keep Fruit intake low during winter months
• STOP EATING SUGAR!

Caution: If you do have trouble sleeping NEVER take over the counter melatonin! Stop your exposure to light and your body will produce the melatonin needed by itself. If you begin to rely on supplementing melatonin your body's natural production will decrease significantly even when you are off it.

The Foundation

When looking to maximize performance and most importantly health, you need to make sure what your eating is something that can be classified as food. If it needs to be fortified with vitamins to be "healthy" it is not food. People are so obsessed with fat, calories, and vitamins that they are totally missing the point. If you are eating properly those things should take care of themselves. Do you look at nutrition labels? Well then what your holding in your hand is not food! If you cannot kill or harvest it and have it on your plate in under an hour then you should not be, and were never meant to be eating it.

Human evolution has not kept up with the advances in agriculture and it has left us being the most overweight and unhealthy we have been in existence. We were never meant to eat wheat, nor were we meant to eat refined sugar or any other ingredients you see on the boxed foods that are unpronounceable.

What were we meant to eat?

Whole foods! Meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts & seeds, and leaves. Forget the low-fat, high carb diet unless you want; diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, cancer or any of the western diseases associated with a diet high in refined carbohydrates.

Escaping the western diet

It can certainly be a difficult change for some people, and for others just a bit of tweaking and your there. Here are some easy ways to escape the western diet and all the fun diseases that follow;

• Eat a diet of; meats and vegetables, nuts & seeds, some fruit, little starch and NO SUGAR
  

• Shop the peripherals of the grocery store.


• Get out of the supermarket whenever possible, you won't find high-fructose corn syrup at the farmer's market.


• Buy grass fed meat/eggs; you are what you eat eats!(Note: just because its free range does not mean it is grass fed, make sure it says grass fed).


• Buy meat in bulk; cook extra for snacks and freeze what you don't cook. Buying in bulk is also much cheaper.


• Be the kind of person that takes supplements; a fish oil capsule and a multivitamin can go along way.

What to stay away from;

• All flour/grain products


• All dairy; pasteurization destroys the milks genetic make-up, what your left with barely represents what it would look like if it came straight from the cow. Unless your getting your milk from a grass fed cow before it goes through processing, then it is fine. If not, you need to eliminate your milk consumption


• No sugar or artificial sweeteners


• No beans, lentils or legumes (we will leave the reasoning for another post)

These changes to your diet will drastically improve the way you look, feel and perform in all aspects of life. Proper nutrition is the foundation of human performance, health and longevity. What you doing isn't working, never has worked and never will. Acknowledge, accept and move on.