Paleo Trial

I think it's about time for a personal update. As this is a health journey that I am undertaking, there are bound to be some bumps in the road and even some adaptations in direction. I fell off the wagon for a few days last week. I didn't stick to my weekend treats only rule. I felt disappointed in myself. This is not the first time this has happened. In fact, it happens every time. After contemplation, I decided not to think of it as a failure, but rather, as a temporary detour. I'm always talking about moderation and forgiving yourself, so I decided to apply those principles to myself. Overall I've been doing very well, so a few days isn't going to kill me.

I also decided to step things up a bit on the diet side. I had been burning out from working out too hard and I wasn't eating enough to sustain that activity level. My fiancee is a vegetarian, so I eat a lot of vegetarian meals. I eat meat when I go out, but very rarely at home. My body requires meat in order to sustain hard exercise. This is not true for everyone. Everyone has an optimal diet that is unique to their body. 

I had been exposed to a a way of eating called the Paleo Diet when I was doing Cross-fit last summer. Most serious Cross-fitters eat this way and it intrigued as to why. When I looked into the diet, I thought it seemed very rigid. The idea was well executed and it included a good ratio of food groups so I knew that it was a healthy way to eat, but I wasn't sure I could apply it to my life. 

Paleo is a diet that is based on the concept that our bodies are designed to eat the same foods we ate during the Paleolithic Period. For 70 000 years we ate this way. The agricultural revolution only began 10 000 years ago. Logistically, it makes sense that our bodies are not adapted to our new food sources given the ratio of time. 

So what does the diet entail? Eating free range, organic, high quality meats, fish, eggs, and seafood, vegetables, nuts, limiting fruit consumption, and eliminating all foods that did not exist over 10 000 years ago (sugar, grains, beans, legumes, processed foods, dairy, etc). The basic underlying principle is that if you couldn't theoretically hunt or gather it, then you shouldn't be eating it. The approximate ratios are 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbohydrate.

Sounds rigid right? Sounds like you would feel deprived pretty soon right? Yeah, that's how I felt. However, given my long standing curiosity, I've decided to give it a go. I'm doing it on a trial basis for 30 days and then I'll report as to whether I think it is sustainable.

By the way, I've already started. Today is day 3. Here goes!

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How to up your water intake

We are always being told to drink more water. For some people, this is easier said than done. Either we forget while going about our daily routine or we simply don't feel thirsty. As with any change, it takes a conscious effort. I remember when I first started introducing a higher water intake into my diet many years ago. If you are trying to incorporate more water into your diet, hopefully some of the following suggestions will help.

Firstly, there are thermoreceptors in your mouth and throat that respond to changes in temperature. Drinking cold water stimulates these receptors to send a signal to your brain that your no longer thirsty, whether you are or not. To bypass this reaction, try drinking lukewarm water. It has been found that those who drink lukewarm water can drink twice at much as those drinking cold water. If you love cold water (like me), try starting out with lukewarm until you become more accustomed to drinking water and then switch to cold.

When I first tried uping my water intake, I would take a 500ml (apx 16 oz) bottle of water with me everywhere I went. I would then set times during my day when I would have to be finished one full bottle. For example, I would have to finish the whole bottle by noon, and then another by 4pm. This way I was drinking 2 full glasses every 4 hours.

On top of this, I would always have a full glass with meals. I worked it out so that I would have at least 8 glasses each day. At first, I needed to run to the bathroom often. This is to be expected as my body wasn't used to utilizing that amount of water. But after a few weeks, I noticed my bathroom runs were fewer and fewer. 

Another way of getting more water into your body is by drinking tea. This works especially well if you don't like plain water and you need a little flavour. I would not recommend drinking coffee or juice as coffee actually works to take out water from your body and juice is mainly sugar. If you want to drink coffee, I would suggest drinking 2 glasses of exactly the same size directly after. The first glass will bring your water level back to even after drinking the coffee, and the second glass will hydrate you. I personally don't drink juice at all, but if it's something you really enjoy, try limiting your intake and drink it on top of your usual water intake.

Happy drinking!

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Eating Healthy on a Budget

I wanted to share a nutrition newsletter I wrote for a local nutrition project that I'm volunteering for.
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                                                                                                                                   February, 2012

Nutritious is Delicious

Eating Healthy on a Budget

When you're on a tight budget, the thought of preparing tasty, nutritious meals on a regular basis can seem daunting. Often, many of us fall into a meal-routine rut, eating the same meals over and over. But it doesn't have to be this way. You can save money and still eat quality, nutrient rich foods. All it takes is a little organization and creativity.

Plan out your meals for the week ahead of time and make sure you set aside time for preparing these meals. If you're very short for time, you could even choose 2 or 3 days per week to cook a large meal that will last several days. You could also make extra to freeze for a later day.

Purchasing goods on sale is another way to save money. Grocery stores often mark down food items such as breads and meats as they get closer to their best before dates. Try picking up one of these items and cooking it right away. Also, keep an eye out in the bulk section of the grocery store as buying bulk is almost always cheaper. To avoid bulk items going bad, try freezing perishable items such as meat and breads.

When grocery shopping, choose generic or store brand as they are usually lower in price. These items are usually located on the bottom or top of store shelves as the most expensive brand-name items are located at eye level.

Stock your cupboards with food items that are inexpensive and also quick and easy to prepare. Some examples include:

• Beans and lentils come in canned or dried form so they can be stored for longer periods of time. Preparing a large pot of hearty bean or lentil soup is a sure way to fill your stomach and get some great nutrients.
• Pasta is simple to prepare and can be a great addition to any meal when paired with vegetables and meat or some other protein alternative. Try to choose whole wheat pasta more often.
• Frozen vegetables are often more cost effective than fresh vegetables and just as nutritious. They also last much longer and often they are pre-cut which can be another time saver.
• Soups come canned or in packets and they are definitely inexpensive and convenient. Try and choose soups that are lower in sodium and contain little preservatives. Adding meat and vegetables to premade soups can make a hearty healthy meal.

Eating on a budget does take a little work as you need to plan ahead and be creative, but the rewards are worth the effort. Try these simple strategies to help your family save money and eat better! 

Hearty Lentil Stew

This hearty lentil soup is chalk full of vegetables and will keep your tummy and your wallet  satisfied.

Makes 6 servings.

1 onion, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 cups dry lentils

8 cups water

1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons vinegar

Salt to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.

2. Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, add more vinegar if desired

Quick Chicken Noodle Veggie Soup

This recipe takes chicken noodle soup to the next level. It's nutrient rich and easy to prepare.

Makes 4 servings.

1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed basil

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups frozen vegetable combination (eg. broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)

2 cups uncooked whole wheat pasta (eg, fusilli, penne)

2 cups cubed cooked chicken

1. Mix broth, basil, pepper and vegetables in skillet. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

2. Stir in noodles. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken and heat through.

Health Risks of Diet Soda

Trying to cut calories by drinking diet soda? Think again. According to a new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, drinking diet soda daily may be linked to significant increases in the risk of developing a stroke, heart attack and other serious vascular issues. The study was conducted by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Columbia University Medical Centre. Researchers observed the soda drinking habits of over 2500 individuals over a 10 year period. Results concluded that those who drank diet soda on a daily basis were 43% more likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack than those who did not drink any diet soda, even if pre-existing vascular conditions existed. See huffingtonpost.com for more details.

But is this newfound evidence really surprising? Aspartame has long been questioned in regards to its adverse affects on the body. Aspartame is made up of 3 chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol.

Aspartic acid is an amino acid (building blocks of protein). Sounds okay right? Well, excessive ingestion of this amino acid can cause serious chronic neurological disorders as well as numerous other acute symptoms. In its free form (unbound to protein), aspartic acid significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate (these act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron). Too much of either of these substances in the brain kills certain neurons and as a result, triggers excessive amounts of free radicals (which kill cells).

Several chronic diseases that have been shown to be contributed by long-term exposure to excessive amounts of aspartate and glutamate include: multiple sclerosis, brain lesions, hormonal problems, Parkinson's disease, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, and a list of others.

Ingesting aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates, can also lead to high levels of phenylalanine (another amino acid found in the brain). This can cause serotonin levels to decrease which can lead to emotional disorders like depression.

Methanol is a deadly poison that is gradually released into the small intestine. When absorbed into the body, it is broken down into formic acid and formaldehyde, both of which are toxic. It is recommended to limit methanol consumption to only 7.8mg/day, yet 1L of aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56mg! I know several people who drank this amount in one evening (like a movie night out with friends).

Furthermore, diketopiperazine (DKP) is a byproduct of aspartame metabolism that has been shown to cause brain tumors. Aspartame consumption is even linked to weight-gain! These are only a few bits and pieces of evidence that prove how bad aspartame is.

I know this post has more of a scientific feel to it than usual, but I thought it was necessary to explain why aspartame should not be a part of anyone’s diet. If you’re going to drink soda once in a while, just choose regular soda. To be clear, I am in no way endorsing any type of soda. High fructose corn syrup is another culprit to watch out for (which I will discuss in a future post), but in my opinion it is the lesser of two evils. 

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Consistency

Consistency is defined as the achievement of a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over time. Sounds simple enough right? Then why does it become so complicated when applying it to our lives? The phrase, "easier said than done" comes to mind.


Life is busy, so there will always be days when you really are maxed out for time and it really is impossible to fit a workout in. That is, unless you wake up at 5am and sacrifice sleep. Exercising some forgiveness for your schedule is necessary at times, but it should never be an excuse for neglecting consistency.

If you can't make it to the gym one day, then be more diligent with your food choices and make adjustments to your routine such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator (yes, even if it's 8 flights!) and parking your car farther away. Small strategies like this will not make up for a missed workout, but they will help.

That being said, it is very important to remain consistent with your diet and your workouts. This principle doesn't just apply to those trying to lose weight or hit a fitness goal, but to everyone. Living a healthy lifestyle is exactly that - a lifestyle.

I must remind myself of this each and every day. Especially first thing in the morning when I'm scheduled to wake up early for a workout and all I want to do is sleep. Morning workouts have never been my favourite, but that's what works with my schedule at the moment, so I've gotta deal!

Consistency becomes even more difficult when you're not seeing results. I can completely relate to this as my body takes a little more time to show results than the average person. I can be working out hard for a month and not see any changes in weight or inches. When this happens, I try not to get upset (although it can be unavoidable), and I remind myself of my reasons for doing this. Lifestyle first, wedding weight loss second. I know that with consistent hard work, my lifestyle will lead to changes in my body. I just have to be patient.

Keeping your true priorities in mind will help in overcoming obstacles. Just keep talking to yourself and reminding yourself of why you are doing this and consistency will result.


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The Secret to Weight Loss is Not So Secret

What kind of routine is best for weight loss? I'm sure many of you have asked this at some point. I know I have. Well, in this post, I will give you the magic key to weight loss wonderland!

Just to set the record straight, I believe that your focus should not be on the scale, but rather on the day-in-day-out lifestyle of making good choices and ensuring there is balance. That being said, I know many people do have their main goal centered around weight loss so hopefully I can help.

Weight loss is easy in theory, but difficult in practice. All you have to do is sweat buckets and eat clean! But what does that mean in terms of action? I'm going to focus on the sweat aspect since I've already touched on the clean eating aspect in an earlier post. Sweating buckets means making sure you keep your heart rate up the entire time during your workout. So, between sets you should be doing a short burst of cardio - running on the spot, jumping jacks, burpees, skipping rope, etc. This means you are constantly moving the entire workout with only 30 second breaks to drink water.

As a side note, weight lifting is absolutely necessary for weight loss. Many women believe that it's all in the cardio, but that's not true. Cardio is great for helping you lose weight, but without the added benefits of weights, you will not reach your goal as fast nor look as toned. Weight lifting allows you to burn calories long after you've stopped exercising. This isn't the case with cardio. Those micro-tears in your muscles that occur as a result of a weight routine, force your body to repair and make them stronger. This does not mean you will look masculine. Women have way too much estrogen and not nearly enough testosterone to bulk up like a man from a simple weight routine. So please do not limit yourself based on such myths.

I would suggest alternating weight and cardio days in a way that works best for your schedule. For the cardio session, interval training works best for weight loss. You will get a bigger bang for your buck if you do 10 30sec sprints over 10min than you ever could running for an hour straight! Time saver? I think so! The key is to keep changing the insult to your body as often as possible. If you have a heart rate monitor, you could base your rests on your heart rate rather than time - as soon as it slows down to a certain point, you can start your next sprint.

So as an example weight loss routine, I would do something like this twice through::

warm up 10 min - cardio (make sure you sweat)
perform some dynamic stretches to prepare you body for your workout

20 wide grip lat pull-downs
20 underhand pull-downs
10 burpees
(30 sec rest to take a few sips of water)

50 squats with overhead presses
20 low dumbbell rows
1 min hill run at speed 6.0, incline 10.0
(30 sec rest to take a few sips of water)

20 dead lifts
30 sec hold boat pose
50 bicycle crunches
1 min skip rope
(30 sec rest to take a few sips of water)

50 lunges with lateral shoulder raises
50 step ups

cool down 5 min - fast walk at speed 4.0
15 min stretching

Remember, this is just an example. It should be adjusted for your specific fitness level and capabilities. The point is that you need to be moving constantly with very little rest. And you need to SWEAT!


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