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Vitamin D
Wednesday, May 23, 2012It's summer time and hopefully we are all getting a good dose of Vitamin D from the sun. Did you know there can be serious complications from a Vitamin D deficiency? Such as: unhealthy bones, upper respiratory tract infections, cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, depression and autism, to name a few. Recommended levels for starting supplementation appear to be around 10,000IU per day and then after 4-5 weeks reduce to 5,000IU per day. Check out this article to learn more:
http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2009/10/a-closer-look-at-vitamin-d/
The Second Brain
Friday, May 18, 2012The author of The Maker's Diet, Jordan S. Rubin talks about the fetal development of the brain, and the gut - that is before we are even born. Turns out, that the same lump of nerves splits to form the central nervous system (the brain, and spinal cord) and the enteric nervous system (the system of nerves that control our gut (stomach, and intestines). I vaguely remember learning all of this in school, but I never paid much attention to the fact that there is an immense collection of nerves in our gut. There are as many nerve ending in our gut as there are in our brain! Not only that, but they are connected to the brain by the vagus nerve after this split during development.
What does all of this mean, you might be wondering...ALOT! Have you ever heard the term "gut instinct" or had "butterflies in your stomach" (like before a WOD)? Ever wonder why being stressed out can make you feel sick to your stomach? Well, this is why! Dr. Rubin goes on to point out that many of the "neuropeptides" (chemical) found in the brain are also found in the gut in high concentration. Many of these are chemicals found in recreational drugs like opiates and popular mood controlling prescription medications! The gut is a powerful place that can make or break not just our weight but our mood, feelings, and overall well-being. No wonder a big-old-greasy-burger can feel like a lump in our stomach and weight-on-our-minds, or a WOD can trigger a "gut-wrenching" sensation just before we start. For more information, check out The Maker's Diet by Jordan S. Rubin. There is a wealth of information presented there that will change the way that you view your diet and your health.
Grains - Why they are unhealthy
Wednesday, May 09, 2012One of my favorite sayings is "Bread is the enemy!" At least for me it is! Over the years I have figured out that if I want to enjoy a piece of bread I might as well just go ahead and paste it to my thigh! That's the way my body handles grains. But there are several other reasons to avoid grains all together.
Mark's Daily Apple posted a very informative article on November 5, 2009. Here are a few misconceptions about grains:
"You need the fiber" - no you don't.
"You need the vitamins and minerals!" - not from a grain source.
"But it forms the foundation of the governmental food pyramid!" - we already know the government is certainly no expert on what we should really eat!
Click this link to find out about the toxic anti-nutrients found in grains:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/#axzz1uNbBBod2
Posted by: Michele Deaton
Celiac Disease and a Gluten-Free Diet
Friday, May 04, 2012The May issue of Baylor Health magazine has an article on Celiac Disease. 97% of people with celiac disease go undiagnosed. Celiac disease is basically an intolerance to gluten. Gluten-free foods reduce the painful, embarrassing and harmful symptoms of celiac disease. Symptoms include inflammation in the lining of the small intestine, diarrhea and malabsorption, abdominal pain, bloating, iron deficiency, osteoporosis and fertility issues.
Celiac disease is often diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40. Some children show signs of celiac disease. One sign in children is improper development. Diagnosis can be determined by a blood test or endoscopy, or both. One of the best ways to begin a diagnosis is to keep a food journal.
If you suspect you may have celiac disease, you can start by avoiding food with the following ingredients:
- Barley
- Rye
- Triticale (a wheat-rye hybrid)
- Wheat (also durham, graham, khorasan, semolina, spelt)
- Malt, malt flavoring, malt vinegar
Avoiding Genetically Modified Foods
Sunday, April 29, 2012What is "genetically modified"? GMO (genetically modified organism) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. Unfortunately, there is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into food plants may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health. For optimal health it is recommended to steer clear of GMO's.
Here is an article by Frank Lipman, founder and director of Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City. He gives tips for avoiding GMO's.
http://www.drfranklipman.com/what-practical-tips-do-you-suggest-to-avoid-gm-foods/
1. Avoid “At Risk” Ingredients
The commonest crops that are genetically modified are Soy (91%) Canola (88%) Corn (85%) Cotton (71%) Sugar Beets (90%) and Hawaiian papaya (more than 50%). So in general, avoid foods with ingredients derived from corn or soybeans. Fortunately there is no GM popcorn or blue or white corn.
2. Avoid Processed foods in general
This is the most reliable way to prevent purchasing GM foods as most processed foods have GMO ingredients in them. Processed foods using products made from corn and soybeans contain the most GM ingredients.
3. Buy Organic
Organic foods can be labeled in 3 different ways
a) “100% organic” – all ingredients are organic.
b) “organic”- at least 95% of ingredients are organic. The remaining 5% has to be non-GMO.
c) “made with organic (name of ingredient)”- 70% of ingredients are organic. The remaining 30% has to be non-GMO.
4. Look for “non-GMO” labels
- Companies may voluntarily choose to label their products as “non-GMO” .
Some labels are non specific and just state “non-GMO” while others are more specific and spell out “made without genetically modified ingredients”.
Some products may specify a particular “At Risk” ingredient and list it as “non-GMO”
5. Use shopping guides
Download these non-GMO shopping guide which provides information directly from food producers.
http://truefoodnow.org/2010/07/15/shoppersguideapp/
6. Avoid factory farmed animal products
Most factory farmed animals and fish are fed GM feed. Buy “organic”, “wild caught” (fish) or meat and dairy from 100% grass –fed animals. Do not buy dairy products from cows injected with GM bovine growth hormone (rbGH or rbST)
Visit www.responsibletechnology.org for brands
7. Avoid the sweetener Aspartame
- Also called Nutrasweet® and Equal®, it is a GMO derivative and is found in over 6000 products including soft drinks, gum, candy, desserts, mixes, yoghurt, tabletop sweeteners and some pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.
8. When eating in Restaurants…….
- Try to go to restaurants that prepare foods from fresh whole ingredients rather than from packaged processed mixes that more than likely will contain GM ingredients. Try to find out what kind of oil the restaurant cooks with. Many cook with vegetable oil which is usually made from GM soy, corn, cottonseed and canola. If that is the case, then ask if your food can be prepared without oil or if a non-GMO oil like olive, sunflower of safflower oil can be used instead. Make sure the olive oil is not blended with canola oil which is common in restaurants.
If you are not sure which items on the menu are GM, ask your server or the chef. GM foods may include salad dressings, bread, mayonnaise and sugar from GM sugar beets. In addition, when ordering a dairy item, find out if the dairy is organic or rbGH free. Bottom line, don’t be shy to ask questions!
- Posted by: Michele Deaton
CFFTW Cookbook Project
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Calling all cooks! We are collecting your favorite Paleo-friendly, Zone or just plain healthy recipes for our CrossFit Fort Worth cookbook!
We currently have the Recipe Book Forum on our website, but it's a little hard to locate and doesn't seem to be getting much traffic. So, just in time for Mother's Day, we decided to make a hard copy!
Get those recipes in to us ASAP, along with a picture of your dishes and nutrition information, if possible.
Deadline for submissions is Friday, May 4th, so please send them in to Missy at md3deaton@yahoo.com. The completed book will be $10, preordered, so send in your submissions and let us know how many you want to order!
Posted by: Michele Deaton
Eating Out on The Zone
Friday, April 20, 2012If you follow The Zone Diet you know that each meal consists of "blocks" of protein, carbohydrates and fats. For more information on "blocks" and to calculate the number of blocks you need, go here http://www.zonediet.com/tools/zone-classic
Dr. Barry Sears, Ph.D. has suggestions for going out to eat and staying in The Zone. These tips come from his books A Week in the Zone and What To Eat in the Zone.
- Never eat the rolls or chips
- Always choose low-fat protein entree from the menu first
- While waiting for dinner, enjoy a glass of red wine or bottled water instead of munching on bread or chips
- If the protein entree is greater in size than the palm of your hand box up the extra and take it home for later
- If you eat zone-favorable carbohydrates you can have double the volume of carbohydrates compared to the protein portion
- If you really want to have dessert, skip the carbohydrates at your meal. Enjoy half of your dessert, unless it is fruit and then you can have the whole thing
Sleep - How it relates to Nutrition
Sunday, April 15, 2012This week ABC News reported on the results of a new sleep study. We have all heard that sleep is important for our overall health. But did you know a lack of sleep could contribute to weight gain?
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/04/11/sleep-problems-linked-to-obesity-diabetes/
Lack of sleep puts people at greater risk of obesity and diabetes, a new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine confirmed. Sporadic and irregular sleep may cause a decreased metabolic rate, which could contribute to weight gain and a myriad of long-term health problems.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that disrupted sleep patterns raised blood sugar levels and slowed the body’s metabolic rate, or the rate at which the body burns calories while at rest.
While several studies have analyzed sleep patterns in humans through observational epidemiological studies, this is the first to examine sleep behaviors in a completely controlled laboratory environment by mimicking jet lag and typical shift work sleep hours over a significant period of time.
The study included 21 health people who underwent sleep cycle tests for six weeks. Not only did researchers control how many hours of sleep each participant had, but they also controlled when they slept and other lifestyle factors, including activities and diet. Researchers varied the participants’ sleep patterns. After a period of optimal sleep, or 10 hours, study participants then only slept about 6 during a 24-hour period. The sleep was sporadic throughout the cycle and intended to mimic a rotating shift work pattern. Participants ended the study with nine nights of recovery sleep.
In the study, researchers found that the pancreas insulin response to a meal was lower in people who had not slept properly. Because of the slowed response, glucose levels rose higher and for longer after a meal, slowing the resting metabolic rate.
In other words, blood sugar went up and metabolic rate went down, putting people at greater risk of obesity and diabetes.
I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep now!
Posted by: Michele Deaton
REAL Food
Thursday, April 12, 2012A friend shared this with me today and it's amazing! If you haven't already watched it on our Facebook page, you've got to watch it now! It's about 18 minutes and worth every minute!
http://www.wimp.com/realfood/Nutritional Do's and Don'ts
Saturday, April 07, 2012I ran across some excellent guidelines for nutrition at http://www.gotrimax.com/TriMaxNutritionForDummies.htm
They are in no particular order, but all equally important!
10. Drink half of your body weight (in oz) of water each day (i.e. you weigh 150 lbs, drink 75 oz of water each day—incremental to the liquid consumed during a workout). Proper hydration is like proper oil levels in your car, fueling and muscle repair demand appropriate hydration levels.
9. Eat every 3 hours—regardless if you feel hungry or not. To keep your metabolism turned ‘on’, you must introduce fuel every 3-4 hrs. Such frequency tells your body that more fuel is coming and there is no need to store (create fat stores) calories.
8. Eat to train, don’t train to eat. The mentality of ‘eating to train’ ensures that you are thinking about how to fuel a training session—how much fuel do I need for a successful session?. Training to eat says, “I’m going to eat this massive bowl of ice cream, then train for two hours to burn it off”.
7. Eat 3-4 blocks of each nutrient source at every meal. It is vital to fuel your body with muscle repair elements (protein), muscle fuel (carbohydrates) and fat (long term energy store, foundation for virtually every cell in your body). If you do not ‘fill’ all 3 of these buckets, you will shortchange your body’s ability to fuel and repair itself.
6. Have a glass of chocolate milk after every workout! Yes. Chocolate milk. After a workout, your body is craving fuel (carbohydrate) and muscle repair elements (protein). Chocolate milk has the perfect 4:1 carb to protein blend to make sure your body receives the fuel and restorative proteins used for successful recovery.
5. Pig out for one meal every 5 days. Once your body becomes acclimated to fueling with a quality diet, it can become ‘lazy’ in how it processes calories. A high calorie meal (pizza, cheeseburger and fries, fried chicken, etc.) The introduction of a high calorie, high fat meal can shock your body into high gear as it is surprised with a new style of nutrition.
4. Eat more to lose weight. Not more calories, more frequently. When you restrict your calories, your body immediately thinks that food intake is threatened and stores all available fuel into fat. When you increase your frequency, (5-7 meals a day) your body continues to burn calories as the meal frequency is telling your body that fuel plentiful and can continue to be burned.
3. Eat more to work out more. As you tax your body with longer or harder workouts, it is vital to up your caloric intake—especially with complex carbohydrates (potatoes, oatmeal, etc). Your body needs this fuel to continue to produce the efforts you are aiming for. Even if you are trying to lose weight, you should only aim for a 300-500 calorie deficit per day.
2. Don’t punish yourself. Miss a meal? Eat too much at the Memorial Day picnic? Don’t worry about it. Just get right back on track and move on. It takes almost 3500 incremental calories to add a pound of fat, so one would have to work pretty hard to get significantly off track.
1. Have fun! Remember our cheat rule? Got a wedding reception coming up or a night out on the town? Enjoy it! Make sure you plan ahead to enjoy the simple things in life without compromising your nutrition lifestyle. By planning for such events, we can be motivated to reward ourselves with such meals that do not compromise our overall goals.
For more information on "blocks" click here: http://www.gotrimax.com/TriMaxNutrientSources.htm
This follows The Zone Diet recommendations.
Posted by: Michele Deaton
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