Read time: 4-5 minutes

You’ve heard that saturated fats are “bad” fats that raise your blood cholesterol level increasing your risk of heart disease, right?  But what if I were to shake things up a bit and tell you that these so called bad fats were actually good fats? In fact, not only are they ‘good’ but they may even be necessary for optimal health! Saturated fats really are your friend rather than your enemy. Am I starting to provide you with a little food for thought?

So What Are Saturated Fats?

Saturated fats are found mainly in animal fats such as red meat, poultry, full-fat dairy products (e.g. butter, cream, full-fat milk and cheese) and tropical oils such as coconut oil.

But let’s cut to the chase – why are they good for you?

The Palaeolithic Diet

If we look at it from an evolutionary perspective, humans are hunter-gatherers who eat animal protein and its fat. For millions of years, hunter-gatherers lived off animal meat (including the animal’s organs and fat) as their main energy source and consumed edible vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds depending on the season. Interestingly, during this time, ailments such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases were non-existent.

In terms of our physiology, the human genome can only evolve around 0.2 per cent every 10,000 years.

It wasn’t until the Neolithic Revolution that the shift from nomadic hunting and gathering communities to the farming of plants and animals began, and this was when our diets started to change.  Since the Industrial Revolution, substances such as sugar, salt, colourings, additives, preservatives, pesticides, herbicides etc, have entered the Western diet and the diseases mentioned above have become of serious concern.

Trans Fatty Acids

Saturated fats are digested and metabolised far better than polyunsaturated fats.  But it’s polyunsaturated fats such as corn, soy, safflower and sunflower oils that have found prominence in our foods.

However, the fats you really need to be scared of are trans fatty acids (TFAs). These are found in manufactured foods such as popcorn, fast foods, margarine and chips.  They are the result of a process called partial hydrogenation, a process that occurs artificially by bombarding polyunsaturated oils with hydrogen in order to rearrange the fatty acids into TFAs in a bid to create a longer shelf life.

Saturated fats, particularly coconut oil, provide our bodies with a slow burning, longer lasting energy and leave us feeling full and satisfied for longer.  This is in comparison to diets loaded in commercially processed grains and starchy vegetables, which quickly convert into glucose in our blood causing an increase in insulin known as an ‘insulin-spike’.

In Eat Fat Lose Fat (Enig and Fallon 2006:7) the authors describe how when we eat saturated fats – particularly coconut oil – we are providing nourishment to every cell in our bodies that  supports optimal function of your nerves, brain, hormones, immune system and metabolism. And if that’s not good news enough, Enig and Fallon (2006:7) go on to explain how eating these healthy fats will

‘… trigger a powerful mechanism that is key to success in permanent weight loss: satiation. When you eat coconut oil (and other healthy fats like those found in butter, cream, nuts, meats and eggs), your body produces a hormone in the stomach and small intestine that signals that you’ve eaten enough. When you feel satiated, cravings, and the persistent hunger you experience on most diets, are banished.’

And they describe an added bonus too; namely, that eating these healthy fats will give us more energy and a far more optimistic attitude towards life! So, do you need more reasons to add coconut oil to your next shopping list?

The Catch

Okay, there’s always one, isn’t there! But trust me, once you start with this lifestyle modification you won’t look back.

The catch is these saturated fats must come from organic produce. They must come from certified organic and grass-fed (rather than grain-fed) animals that are free of harmful chemicals such as fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that are typically found in conventional farming. Because when we eat these meats and dairy from conventional farming, we are ingesting these extremely toxic chemicals.

Dairy

Dairy from an organic source definitely has added health benefits due to its ‘healthy’ saturated fat content. And wherever possible buy raw dairy, which you can usually find at your local farmer’s or organic market. Of course, if you suffer from dairy intolerance then keep away from it!

In The Metabolic Typing Diet, the authors (Wolcott and Fahey 2002) explain that we all have our own unique metabolism and as a result require different diets. Discovering your metabolic type will determine which diet is best for you. For example, you may require a diet high in protein and fat and low in carbohydrate.  Alternatively, you may require a diet high in carbohydrate and low in protein and fat; or perhaps somewhere between the two.

Important!

Although you now understand that saturated fats are ‘healthy fats’, this does not necessarily mean that everyone can indulge in the same ratios.  Sorry! This is because for someone who is more of a ‘carb type’, eating lots of cream, cheese, butter and animal fat, will most likely cause weight gain and digestive and/or emotional imbalances.  However, a ‘protein type’ functions better on higher amounts. It really does come down to learning about your body and listening to it!

So now you know how the French remain relatively trim and have the second lowest incidence of heart disease in the world, even though their diets are rich in butter, cream and cheese!

A note from Kat

Until the end of October, whilst I’m living it up on my holiday, I’ll be introducing a series of posts from fellow Personal Trainers, BioSignature coaches, and wellness gurus. These are some of the most inspiring and useful people I know both on and offline, and I trust you’ll enjoy what they have to say. I’ll still be dropping by once a week with my own post and will be in touch via comments and email, so don’t be shy! Get in touch with Liz at liz4betterhealth@gmail.com

Tweet This Post

Some Other Articles You May Enjoy

• 57 Quick’n'Easy Ways To Boost Your Energy And Lose Weight
• The X-Factor: Why Some People Effortlessly Stay In Great Shape
• Carb Free Dieting The Right Way
• The Truth About Superfoods
• My Book Reviewed! Plus Last Chance To Purchase At Discount Price

I feel like I’m kind of starting to re-hash well trodden ground here, so let me preface this one by saying I’ll back off for a bit after this! In the past few weeks I’ve told you how to tell if you’re addicted to carbs (hint: if you are, then this one is for you), asked you if your cardio habit is fueling your carb addiction, spoken about why I think it’s a myth that your body ‘needs’ bread or other carbs, told you when to break the rules on a low-carb diet, and explained low-carb nutrition once and for all (although obviously not, given how I’m still writing about it!)

I’ve also harped on about sugar a fair bit, with this brilliant You Tube clip Sweet, my confession on sugar addiction, and finally, a how-to guide on breaking up with sugar (which was even featured on the front page of The Daily Brainstorm!).

Hmmm. Is it just me, or am I a little fixated on this topic? In my defense, breaking free of sugar and carb addiction is one of the SIMPLEST ways to improve your health and energy and burn stubborn body fat, so please bear with me one more time.

A Simple Guide To Escaping Carb Addiction

1. Start one meal at a time, and absolutely make it breakfast. The food you eat first thing in the morning dictates your energy for the day ahead, as well as food cravings, and you know that the more carbs you eat the more carbs you eat, so it makes sense to hold them off.

2. Choosing a protein and smart fat breaky such as lean meat with a handful of nuts will optimise neurotransmitter function for the day ahead (keep you happy and motivated!) and is also ideal for fat loss and health (unless you’re lucky enough to tolerate carbs, in which case you could have some fruit and protein for breaky, or a small serve of oats with protein).

3. There is NO WAY you will escape carbohydrate or sugar addiction if you fail to eat adequate good fat. Great choices include flaxseed oil, quality fish oil, and small serves of nuts, seeds, avocado, olive or coconut oil.

4. Once you’ve dealt with breaky, think about the rest of the day. My best advice for a mid-morning snack is to choose some protein (a boiled egg, a small piece of meat, half a protein shake), along with some raw green veg. You cannot overdose on green vegetables and they are a great source of nutrition and fiber, so the sooner you start eating them each day the better!

5. Lunch: don’t think that you have to cut out all carbs (unless you prefer to jump in headfirst with a low-carb bootcamp), but why not think about smart carbs? Rather than processed grains – yes, even wholegrains – choose low GI starch like brown rice, sweet potato, or a yummy stone fruit after your protein and green veg.

6. Be smart with snacks. By this I mean the obvious (choose snacks that are real food based, such as nuts or nut butter with a small piece low GI fruit, or – even better – more veg, full fat dairy if you tolerate it, some leftover protein), but I also mean be smart by being prepared. It’s all very well to know what you should or could eat, but how likely is it that you’ll nip out to the supermarket to buy a healthy snack when something more tempting is more convenient? Keep healthy snacks with you (out of sight) at all times and you’ll find it easy peasy to stick to your health goals.

7. If you really feel that you’re eating well and you still struggle with carb or sugar cravings, try this neat trick. It has worked in 100% of the cases I’ve tried! Combine 1-2 teaspoons of full-fat organic cream with a teaspoon of the immune-boosting amino acid glutamine. You can do this several times each day if necessary! Personally I’ve noticed that since using glutamine regularly each day I couldn’t care less about carbohydrate treats.

8. Sleep more! A sleep debt disrupts your circadian rhythms, which can in turn put you on an insulin-cortisol seesaw whereby you constantly crave carbohydrates. It’s a vicious circle, because a lack of sleep also inhibits growth hormone production, which is crucial to building lean muscle and burning body fat. If you feel you’re doing everything right and yet still crave sweets all the time or struggle to burn fat, this may be the missing link.

9. Take fish oil. Fish oil is one of the smartest fats around, and in my opinion it is a ‘must’ supplement for everyone. Google fish oil (actually, omega 3) and any possible illness or ailment you can think of, and there will be a benefit. Myself and my clients notice that taking fish oil really helps to knock cravings on the head and keeps us fuller for longer. I’d suggest using one of these ones.

10. Get your head in the right place. There’s no way you’re ever going to jump off the carb rollercoaster if you’re not strongly motivated to do so, and if you don’t believe you should or you can. Mindset is in some ways even more important than knowing what to do nutritionally. As Tony Robbins would say (I love Tony Robbins!) make it a must.

What would you add to this list? What has or hasn’t worked for you? Please share below!

Tweet This Post

Some Other Articles You May Enjoy

• My Take On Vegetarianism – Part Two (What To Eat)
• Can You Beat Me At This Riddle?
• What Are Your Weekends Doing To Your Body?
• How I Set Truly Inspiring and Value-Driven Goals
• Can You Face Your Own Reality?

It’s 6.08am and I’m just sitting down to my first coffee of the day. I use the word ‘first’ with absolute certainty – with a 15 hour turnaround from home to home again, Tuesday is most definitely a high coffee day for me.

I drink long macchiato’s, mostly. Or, if I’m feeling a bit tender around the edges, I’ll go for a latte. My take on a latte is to pump up the coffee (double shot), and ask for just 3/4 milk. And yes, I know, it’s practically a macchiato, but there IS a difference. The amount of milk I might get across the day (even on a Tuesday) from coffee would be around 50-60ml max. I’m not a huge milk fan.

Anyway. The point of the post. This morning I went somewhere I haven’t been for awhile, and the barista had to check with me.

“Is it skinny?”

No, it’s not. And if you want to support healthy digestion and fat loss, then nor should yours be. In some ways it still amazes me that people double take when a woman asks for full-cream milk in her coffee and yet wouldn’t flinch one bit were I to ask for 3 sugars. Is it just me or is that extremely messed up?

I could explain in great detail why I believe full fat is best, but it’s early and there’s coffee to be had. So I’ll save for another time issues of dairy intolerance or whether we are in fact supposed to drink milk after babyhood and leave it at this – eat real food.

That is all

Tweet This Post

Related Posts:

• 3 Simple Ways To Lose Fat Today
• Have You Been Sucked In By These Healthy Food Myths?
• Change Your Kitchen – Change Your Life!
• Drinking Coffee And Tea Cuts Heart Disease Risk! Yes!

Let’s talk about exercise. Ideal exercise, I mean, not long grinding workouts that do more harm than good and leave you beating your head against the wall because you can never quite keep up. We now know that chronic cardio fits into this category, and we know that weight training is important for health reasons as well as aesthetic, but does that mean you need to go out and mark the calendar for your first bodybuilding appearance? Well, perhaps, if that’s your goal But how about an in between ground? Surely there’s an approach to exercise that is based purely around being fit to live and enjoy your life, and surely it’s not too much to ask that such a style of exercise also allows you to look and feel your best?

Well. The folks over at Pay Now Live Later have come up with another brilliant nutshell video. It’s eye-opening, it’s compelling, and it’s quite motivating. If you want to get off the merry-go-round and feel good about training well and training hard but also giving your body a break now and then, you must check this out. And if you’re stuck in the grind of repetitive and unsuccessful exercise habits, then this is 5.5 minutes of pure inspiration and relief. Enjoy.

Want to know what to eat, in a nutshell? Check out part one of this series “Paleo Eating In A Nutshell”

Comments? Thoughts? Do tell!

Tweet This Post

Related Posts:

• Paleo Eating In A Nutshell
• How To Tell If You’re Addicted To Carbs
• Is Your Cardio Habit Fueling Your Carbohydrate Addiction?
• My Name Is Kat And I’m A Sugar Addict
• The Cardio Myth Revisited

Last week I spoke about the connection between excessive amounts of cardio exercise and carbohydrate ‘addiction’, and how these two behaviours more often than not lead to dietary and fat loss failure. As far as generalisations go, this is one that I’m quite happy to put my name to. I base this not only on my own personal exercise and food history, which I’ll grant has been more tumultuous than the typical person looking to slim down and tone up, but rather on the experience of many frustrated clients and gym goers who’ve crossed my path over the years.

So whether you suspect you could be in cardio overload or addicted to carbs – or both (as they tend to go hand in hand), or if you just can’t figure out why you don’t get results despite all your good efforts, then this article is for you.

Which came first; the cardio or the carbs?

The long and short of it is that it doesn’t really matter. As we’ve discussed previously, if cardio overload is coupled with a diet predominantly high in carbs – even clean ones, such as fruits and wholegrains – and it’s at the expense of adequate protein and good fat, then you’re going to find it very tough to lose body fat or ever feel your best. More likely than not you live on a roller-coaster of energy ups and downs. And the truth is that I really can’t say for sure whether it’s hormonally based and all that cardio is jacking up your cortisol and causing you to constantly ‘need’ carbs as the authors of this book indicate, or if it’s more psychological and your frequent scarfing down of starchy grains and bananas by the bunch is guilt-tripping you into upping your weekly cardio requirement. And really, who cares? Let’s focus on how to identify if your cardio and carb habits are holding you back from your health goals, rather than how those habits became established in the first place.

Totally addicted to carbs: a checklist

These are my red flags for carb addiction.

1. You have a very foggy mind and struggle to get going in the morning – until you have something like yogurt, muesli, or fruit. Or sugar with your coffee
2. Speaking of which – the idea of coffee without sugar horrifies you
3. You use sports drinks like gatorade, because you feel you need them to get through your workout or because you get dizzy or nauseous without them
4. You would rarely eat something like a salad with meat/chicken or soup or indeed anything for lunch without adding some form of grains
5. You crash mid-afternoon and the only thing that perks you up is fruit, yogurt, or some kind of sweet temptation
6. Dinner always includes potato, rice, pasta, noodles, or bread – or a big bowl of fruit for dessert. The idea of just green vegetables and protein seems crazy at worst, or just plain unsatisfying at best.
7. You suffer frequent low blood sugar related attacks like dizziness, black spots, or nausea.
8. You often feel physically weak and drained, despite having adequate sleep and ‘eating well’.
9. You eat the healthiest diet of nearly anyone you know – according to conventional standards. Yet for some reason you just can’t get in shape.
10. You frequently experience extreme energy highs followed by extreme energy lows
11. You just never quite feel full or satisfied; you seem to need to eat all the time
12. Your exercise regime is cardio based with just a small amount of weight training (or none), and you always fuel yourself before and after training with a carb-based meal or snack!

If 6 or more of these apply to you, and – most importantly – if you’re struggling to meet your health and fat loss goals, then you could well have a carbohydrate addiction.

Does this sound like you?

My disclaimer

A few points that I think I need to make on this topic:

• I most definitely do not think all – or any (real) carbs – are ‘evil’.
• Whilst I typically eat and advocate a low-carb diet I recognise that there’s a time and a place for any food to be used in moderation, and carbs can even be deliberately used to your advantage post weight training (for example)
• I know that some people tolerate a carb-based diet very well, and would do poorly without grains, sugary fruits etc. This article is for those people (the majority of people) who do NOT tolerate carbs well.
• But mainly it’s for those who are stuck in a cycle of following mainstream nutrition and exercise advice and wondering why they never get anywhere
• My thoughts and theories are – as ever – based predominantly on my personal and clinical experience. If your experience is different (or the same!) please share.

Tweet This Post

Related Posts:

• Is Your Cardio Habit Fueling Your Carbohydrate Addiction?
• A Simple Approach To Exercise That Really Works
• My Name Is Kat And I’m A Sugar Addict
• The Cardio Myth Revisited
• Be Inspired: How This Reader Rapidly Lost Fat

About 10 years ago, I was the queen of ‘healthy carbohydrates’. Typically I’d start my day with a wholesome bowl of bircher muesli, usually with some plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt, and a good heaping of fruit on top. Yummy. And a coffee of course! Mind you, it’s not as though I just rolled out of bed and started eating. Quite the contrary. Most mornings I’d either hit the streets for a brisk 45-60 minute early morning walk, or I’d do some ‘real’ cardio. For me, real cardio was usually 40-60 minutes on the cross-trainer. Intervals of course. To tell the truth, I’d feel pretty guilty if I only managed 40 minutes first thing, and so most days would find me back on the cross-trainer – or maybe doing some tready sprints – by mid-afternoon at the latest. I offset the exhaustion I often felt with the happy knowledge that after my cardio I’d get to eat something yummy. Healthy yummy, but still. Something to look forward to. A big bowl of fruit salad, perhaps, and maybe some more yogurt. Of course I would have already eaten lunch earlier. My favourite mix was tinned tuna, with a small tin of mixed legumes, 1/3 an avocado, oil and balsamic, and a small tin of sweet corn. Sometimes I’d have a piece of rye toast with it. Tuna and chili pasta was another favourite post workout meal. If I was at home I’d often eat a couple pieces of bread and honey with banana – still something I love, I must admit.

Cardio = carbs = cardio = carbs: where does it end?

Anyway, after my afternoon cardio it was often time to train a few clients and so I wouldn’t quite manage a proper dinner. A ‘fat-burning’ protein shake would tide me over through the evening sessions, which usually finished at around 7pm. Given the fact that I was in my early 20’s and had no responsibilities to anyone but myself – along with the fact that all my friends were pretty much gym friends and equally obsessive – it made sense to stay back for an hour and pump out some more cardio. After all, the more the better, right? And I’d be heading home soon for a ‘real’ dinner anyway. Baked beans with cheese on toast were a favourite, and I definitely remember downing massive plates of pasta a couple of times a week, smug in the knowledge that I’d ‘earned’ it and was using it. Back then the typical day for me was rounded off with up to a block of Cadbury’s chocolate (I know, MAJOR sugar addict, as I confessed over here), but I didn’t let it get to me. I’d be back on the pavement the next morning, after all. And I was pretty skinny anyhow.

Cardio addicts not so anonymous

The problem with this sort of approach, as I’ve since found, is that it’s unsustainable from an energy point of view, but – to add insult to injury – it really just doesn’t work. The typical so-called healthy approach of a carbohydrate-based diet coupled with as much cardio as you can manage just doesn’t get results. Worse, it often results in people gaining weight. And yet still the cardio addicts abound. If you’re a closet (or proud) cardio addict you’ll know that it’s pretty normal to crave carbs regularly, and if you don’t eat them you feel lethargic and listless. Of course you may not be averaging 2-3 hours of cardio per day like I was. For me, it helped that I worked at the gym and could afford to be this obsessive about my exercise. Still, it’s not uncommon for me to notice some gym members come in morning and night – sometimes even noon as well – to get their cardio points ticked off. In your case, it could be as simple as being ‘committed’ to a set amount of cardio sessions per week. I find that us cardio junkies (I say us even though these days I do precisely 30 minutes cardio a week, which is kickboxing) tend to become fixated on certain figures. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? You ‘have’ to finish 20 minutes, or 40 minutes, or whatever your number is. God forbid you stop a minute short – that might mean you don’t get lean and fit!

so just how lean and fit are you from all that cardio?

As one of the top ‘cardio queens’ back at Wantirna Health & Squash a decade or so back, I was extremely lean. In fact, I weighed nearly 10kg less than I do now. Impressive, huh? Well, not really. The truth is I was EXHAUSTED all the time, I was bordering on having an eating disorder, and – of course – it took 2-3 hours per day to maintain my ‘healthy’ cardio habit. In fact, pre-competition I’d often get up to 6 hours. Not really a sustainable approach to exercise, but I was so scared to decrease my cardio in case some fat rebounded back. And the reality was that although my scale weight was low, my body fat was in the mid-twenties – over 10% higher than what it is now. I had virtually no muscle. Skinny fat. I have a suspicion that had I kept these habits going I would have ended up quite a bit larger than what I am now. The reason I believe this to be true is because, without fail, if I want to find the most overweight group of people in any gym, I look to the cardio equipment or the spin classes. And most of the time what I see are tired and desperate faces. Most of those faces are noticeably chubbier than what they were 5 years ago when my current health club opened.

cardio and carbs: a nasty cycle

I have a theory on this. In my personal experience, as well as my experience with clients and gym members, cardio junkies are almost always also carbohydrate addicts. Which is interesting when you consider that both habits slowly but surely train your body to become more efficient at storing fat. Don’t be tricked by the effects of a fantastic cardio ’sweat’. It may well feel intense and exhausting, but that does not necessarily mean it’s a good thing. Nor does it mean there is any ongoing metabolic benefit, unlike the increased metabolic response to a proper weight training session. Even more interesting than this is the fact that most weight trainees are well and truly in the protein camp, or at least halfway in and therefore not as carbohydrate addicted as they might otherwise be.

The problem with a carbohydrate based diet – even a healthy one – is that the more carbs you eat the more carbs you eat and the more carbs you eat. I remember reading about the link between cardio and carb intake on more than one occasion. It seems that the more cardio you do, the more your body thinks that survival must be threatened or that food is scarce. Why else would you be so constantly on the move? The result is a natural urge to increase fat stores by dosing heavily on carbohydrate based foods. Which as you know, just makes you want to eat more of the damned stuff. And so you go back to the treadmill, and you run, and you run, and you run and you run. And then you eat. And sooner or later you get sick of not getting or maintaining results and so you do more cardio. And you eat more. And eventually maybe you just give up, or you decide that you must have unlucky genetics. Or – if you’re lucky, like I was – maybe someone teaches you about weight training and how to break the carbohydrate cycle. And you realise that exercise doesn’t have to be a never-ending chore with no true sense of control.

If you’re a carb or cardio addict now, or have been in the past, I’d love to hear from you. Please share your experiences in the comments below!

Tweet This Post

Related Posts:

• How To Tell If You’re Addicted To Carbs
• My Name Is Kat And I’m A Sugar Addict
• A Simple Approach To Exercise That Really Works
• The Cardio Myth Revisited
• Be Inspired: How This Reader Rapidly Lost Fat

The following post includes a book review. Read time 2-3 minutes.

As you may have read last week, I’m a huge believer in support from quality supplements for health and fat loss. In case you missed my post, I spoke about the theory that we shouldn’t need supplements if we eat well, and the reality of nutrient depletion simply through life in an imperfect and stressful world. I consider good supplements to my nutritional insurance, and I know they’ve made a huge difference in the way I look, function, and feel. Personally I take supplements not only for general health, digestion, sleep etc, but also to ensure I’m getting the most out of my workouts. In fact, you could even say I take supplements to help me be a better writer, given that Omega 3 fatty acids, along with the amino acid L-Carnitine, are both known to boost brainpower and mental focus.

Anyway, you can probably tell that supplementation is a subject I’m passionate about, but let me tell you how that relates to you. The thing is, when I discovered the ‘real deal’ about supplementaion and nutrition my body results went through the roof. Prior to having a baby I was in good shape, and worked hard (mainly through exercise and nutrition) to get there. Now, 9 months post baby, I can honestly say that I’m slowly but surely getting in the best shape of my life. I credit a lot of this to my education from Charles Poliquin as a BioSignature practitioner. I’ve changed aspects of my training and nutrition to better suit my hormonal needs and it’s made a huge difference. But one thing I’ve also changed – you could even say introduced – is admitting that properly chosen nutritional support makes a huge difference.

In the past 4-5 weeks particularly I’ve been burning fat and building muscle like nobody’s business and I credit much of that to the fact that I’m finally using supplements as a primary and structured part of my training. Through BioSignature I’ve learnt a lot about choosing supplements for myself and my clients, and I’m also lucky enough to have the help of some great trainer friends in this area, so I feel confident in where I spend my supplement money. But I can understand what a maze the world of supplements can be when you haven’t specifically studied that area of health. And why would you have? It’s tough enough knowing where to start when it comes to sound nutritional advice. But this is one are where you do need to either work with someone who knows what they’re on about, or do your homework. Otherwise you risk spending money on trashy gimmicks that look impressive on your kitchen bench but do little else.

A couple of months ago I came across a tool by a fellow BioSignature practitioner that really impressed me. It’s a book called The Truth About Supplements and it sums up 90% of my own knowledge on the science and application of supplements, and even taught me a bunch of stuff I didn’t know. When it comes to supplements there are just so many products that promise the world but don’t deliver. On top of that, everyone you speak to has an ‘opinion’ about which supplements are best which can be incredibly confusing, with an end result that you’re wasting your hard earned money and time on stuff that just doesn’t work. As you know I use and recommend Poliquin supplements, but that’s not to say I don’t recognise there are other great brands out there. And the truth is that since reading the Truth About Supplements I now know so much more about which supplements are best for achieving my (and your!) specific goals – based on science – and which ones are useless or even dangerous.   My conclusion: If you want not just results but the sense of control that comes with detailed knowledge, then this book is the bomb! It covers everything from supplement fundamentals, to laws and regulations that affect ingredients, to your essential nutrient needs and then how to choose the best supplements for your training goals such as fat loss or muscle growth. Author Mark Ottobre has really done his due diligence here, covers a range of popular brands with no apparent bias toward any one brand, and also uncovers a bunch of very interesting myths.

I think you’ll enjoy what you read and good luck with your training!

Click here to learn more about The Truth About Supplements

Disclaimer: The links above are all affiliate links, which means that should you click through and purchase then I’ll receive a commission. If you’re happy to support me and the time I spend on BodyIncredible.com then thankyou! But if you’d rather not, I understand, and you can always google ‘The Truth About Supplements” and buy the book without using my links. As you know, I rarely review a book or a product – I really do recommend reading this one if you’re the kind of person who likes to be well informed and in control of your nutritional choices.

Tweet This Post

Related Posts:

• Is Supplementation Really Necessary For Good Health? You May Be Surprised What You Read …

As you already know, fat loss is a science, and a pretty advanced one at time. Addressing or trying to understand hormonal imbalance, for example, can be confusing and overwhelming, and sometimes it’s only natural that you feel like you want to give up. When this happens it’s good to get back to basics and remind yourself that you do have the power to transform your body. Sure, maybe not as fast as you’d sometimes like, but then let’s be honest. Maybe you’re not as consistent as you know you can be.

When all is said and done the science of fat loss is one that is made up of tiny, but steady, steps. Here are 3 for you to follow today.

lose fat fast with these 3 easy steps

1. Have your coffee before training, not after. According to Coach Poliquin, caffeine and other stimulants spike the hormone cortisol, which is your ‘stress’ hormone and can help drive you to action. For this reason it’s great pre-workout (early in the day), but for the same reason it’s devastating post-workout. Elevated cortisol for a prolonged period of time can impair muscle recovery and tip your body into fat-storing mode rather than burning.

2. Change the tempo of your reps when lifting weights. If there’s one thing that’s a sure-fire method to weight loss failure it’s never varying your training style. Having said that, one of the most effective methods to cause muscle breakdown and therefore boost lean muscle and metabolism is a slow and controlled tempo. Try ‘powering up’ strong on the concentric (lifting) phase of each exercise, and controlling down for 3-4 seconds on the eccentric. If you’re used to high-speed circuit style training this may seem boring at first, but I guarantee you you’ll be wiped by the end of it – physically and mentally.

3. For God’s sake, refuel properly after training. You know that whole idea of having some quality protein post-workout? It’s not just a suggestion. The timing of your post-workout nutrition will dictate whether your session results in improved lean muscle and lowered fat, or just broken down muscle and an overt cortisol reaction. A smart approach to post-workout nutrition is to have something protein and recovery based immediately after training (click here to see what I use and recommend after a weights session), and then eat a meal about one hour after that. Include solid food protein such as eggs, chicken, fish or red meat, a whole lotta green veg, and some organic butter. If you’re lean you most certainly should be eating starches (healthy choices such as brown rice, low GI fruits, sweet potato) at this time. If you’re not lean then this is the one time of day you can kinda get away with a small amount of starch.

Tweet This Post

Related Posts:

• Is It Skinny?
• Drinking Coffee And Tea Cuts Heart Disease Risk! Yes!

Read time: 6-8 minutes

Let’s cut straight to the chase. If you want to look hot and feel fantastic then I believe that some form of supplementation is necessary for you. Given the fact that I have links to Poliquin supplements in my sidebar, I realise that this is not much of a revelation, but perhaps what I have to say next will be. Which is this – I absolutely do NOT believe supplementation should be necessary if you eat well. For example. You’ve probably heard it argued that we don’t need to take supplements because we should be able to get all of our nutrients from food. Very true. But there’s just one teeny problem. It’s not going to happen. Let me explain.

If you were living a couple of hundred years ago, then maybe this would be possible. Assuming, of course, that you were wealthy enough to access good food, knew what it was anyway, and enjoyed only a healthy amount of stress in your life. You know where I’m going with this, don’t you? The thing is, a few years back I poo-poohed the idea of supplements (even protein powder) to all and sundry. “It’s a scam”, I said. “Companies just want to make money from you, and there’s really no benefit. As long as you eat well (organic of course), you’ll be fine”.

I take it back. And here’s why.

eating well is a good start – not a health cure

I believe that even the most optimal nutrition choices fall short of meeting our required vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, and enzyme needs. These days I actually find it quite shocking that some health practitioners still that a healthy diet alone can be even adequate for nutritional fulfillment, let alone ideal. There are two main reasons for this: nutrient depletion due to a stressful life, and quality of food. I’ll expand.

Is Your World Perfect? Mine Sure Isn’t!

It’s true that nature has given us everything we need, and in a perfect world we wouldn’t need to take supplements. But this ain’t no perfect world, is it? And therein lies the rub. Anyone who tells you that you can get not only all the nutrition your body needs from your food, but also enough to replace nutrition lost through stress, poor food choices, lack of sleep and so on, has no idea about being healthy in the modern world.

You face stress every day of your life. For sure, your body is designed to cope with stress and in fact overcoming challenge is a very positive thing, but how about all of this:

• lack of sleep or poor quality sleep
• processed foods
• unwittingly eating foods that you may be intolerant to
• exposure to plastics
• exposure to environmental toxins such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides
• relationship anxieties
• everyday worries about life, money, safety, happiness, peace and so on
• living outside of your innate value system
• medication stress
• spiritual or emotional stress
• work stress
• information stress: knowing how to cut through the info overload that is our healthy system today and figure out what’s right for you!

So how is all this relevant? Well, stress depletes nutrients. It’s that simple. Any overt and ongoing form of stress (whether it’s a little stress about a lot of things, or a lot of stress about one or two things) requires extra energy. Energy comes from nutrition. And the nutrition you get from food – even from a great diet – is not enough to combat that which is robbed from you when your life is unnaturally high in stress. And the thing is, even if you absolutely love and feel secure in your life, there are elements of modern-world stress that you simply cannot avoid.

stress and nutrient depletion

Here are just a few things you may be lacking due to stress, and a little on how that could be affecting you.

• Hydrochloric acid (HCL). HCL is what your stomach should produce every time you eat. It helps you digest and assimilate your food. Stress of any kind, and in particular unhealthy food choices, robs your body of HCL. This means that although you may be shelling out for quality organic food, you may not be digesting it fully.
• Magnesium. Charles Poliquin has recently written a brilliant blog on magnesium and fat loss for women. It’s equally relevant to men. You should check it out here. Magnesium has a lot to do with quality of sleep and your ability to rest and recover effectively.
• Methylators (B6, B9, which is folate, B12). Methylators are depleted when you suffer emotional stress, when you take The Pill or indeed any medication, and you may even be genetically poor at methylation (around 65% of people are). Poor methylation makes it hard to detoxify, which means hard to lose fat. It is also correlated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s and every type of cancer, and plays a large part in emotional stability and mental acuity.
• Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3’s are crucial to every element of your health, and help to combat every possible type of ailment you can think of. An excess of Omega 6 in your diet (which is common amongst Westerner’s) can mean that you are automatically low in Omega 3. Most people don’t eat enough of these essential fats anyway, which is why they must be taken in supplement for for as long as you’d like to be healthy. You can read more about Omega 3 and it’s effect on fat metabolism here.

There are literally scores and scores of other nutrients that you lose through stress. Some of the key ones include vitamin c, vitamin e, and zinc. A lack of these – or indeed any – vital nutrients is a sure-fire recipe for health disaster and disorder.

But seriously – can’t I get all of these from healthy foods?

The short answer is yes, of course. You can get all of those nutrients (except HCL which your body produces itself) from eating good foods. But first things first. Let’s be honest about how many meals a week are actually bang-on. By that I mean they’re completely unprocessed, 100% organic or bio-dynamic, and actually have the right macro-nutrient breakdown (proteins, fats, carbs) for your body’s needs. Even if most of your meals do fit that category (and well done to you!), do you eat enough? Too much? Do you eat too fast? Are you drinking too much water with your meal and affecting your digestion? Are you dehydrated? Do you use too many stimulants? You see what I’m saying, don’t you?

but, but, but …

There are still so many health practitioners teaching that you don’t need any form of supplementation, and there are some very convincing arguments out there. Here are a few of the ones I’ve heard regularly, and my take.

• Supplements are prescribed like drugs and are created by the same drug companies. Well, yes, that’s true in some cases, and is one reason I personally only use practitioner lines from companies that specialise in supplements not drugs. But whilst I’m not one to be pro-drug-companies, my first response would be – and? Does that make them inherently bad or unnecessary? Yes, someone somewhere is going to make money when you buy supplements. And food. And, of course, when you pay for medical treatment. Let’s all accept that and get over it.
  

• There is no such thing as wonder cure all or super food that is better than other foods. E.g. cancer is not a superfood deficiency. To me this argument, which I read recently on a naturopathic website, just makes no sense. Of course there are foods that are better than others. I agree that the blanket term ’superfood’ can be confusing, and indeed many foods are super and not necessarily labeled as such, but does that mean all foods are equal? The only way I could begin to accept that idea is if we completely eliminated all foods from our diets that are, in fact, not food (packaged, processed, stripped of natural fat etc).

• Even if organic supplements they are processed food products in a pill. True. Life isn’t perfect. Get over it. And really; is an organic food supplement (I do recommend organic supplements) any more processed than making your own organic almond and cacao cake? Or gravy? Or soup? We all use processing to an extent; it’s how we use it that is important. The reality of being healthy in a modern world is that we have to admit failure in some instances. I’m not saying your own failure, but rather the failure of the world we live in to keep up with your innate nutritional requirements.

• Supplements are sold on the belief that our soil is too depleted of nutrients. So who are we going to support the farmer that takes care of our soil or the supplement company? Why not both?
  

• Synthetic supplements (often used to fortify flour for bread, for example) are not how we are supposed to get our nutrition. This is an important point about supplements. Synthetic vitamins and minerals, in my opinion, have no place in a healthy pantry. The most common offender are cereals and other grain products. Eat real food instead, and add your healthy organic supplements to that base, rather than to a base of junk food posing as healthy food.
  

• Vitamins and minerals or single nutrients do not exist on their own in nature. They require cofactors for absorption. There is no such a thing as a vitamin C fruit or B3 plant. This is also true, and is a great argument for using only quality practitioner supplements that have been blended based on your body’s actual requirements, are reputable enough to use only the active ingredient form of a particular nutrient rather than the typically cheaper versions you find on the shelf, and are able to be fully digested and assimilated by your body.
  

a word on quality

If you’ve been buying your supplements off the shelf then I’d suggest you switch to a practitioner brand such as Poliquin, Metagenics, or Usana (although I find it quite pricey comparatively). If it comes down to off the shelf or nothing, I’d choose nothing.

London personal trainer and BioSignature Coach Nick Mitchell has a great article on his site which further sums up how to recognise and choose quality supplements. You can view it here.

Personally I’ve heard too many instances in which companies have marketed a cheap concoction of shadow nutrients on the actions of far superior and active ingredients used in scientific research. Shopping with a brand you trust eliminates this problem. When you buy off the shelf you face issues of chemical toxicity, of synthetic ingredients such as petroleum coal tar for B vitamins rather than food-based, of GM (genetically modified) binders and additives, and of natural ingredients being so highly processed and refined that they can no longer be considered healthy.

where should you start?

If you haven’t used supplements before, or have used them but aren’t really sure if they worked or which ones you should take anyway, then it can be an overwhelming world to consider. I wouldn’t suggest rushing out and buying one of everything! The best way to introduce supplements, or any food and lifestyle change, is one or two steps at a time. That way you can experience the change they make and allow your body to adjust.

Here is what I’d suggest to start you off:

1. A good multi-vitamin for all round nutrition. With iron for women, and iron-free for men.
2. Omega 3 fatty acids – your body can’t make them and they’re essential to healthy and metabolism.
3. A B-complex such as Poliquin Methylator. This will ensure proper detoxification.
4. Magnesium in the evenings for recovery and quality sleep.
5. Zinc – a foundation mineral, meaning that every other nutrient does its job more effectively when zinc is present. Zinc also has a lot to do with hormone production and metabolism.

My recommendation would be to introduce them one at a time, waiting 4-7 days before adding the next, and observing changes.If you’d like to know more about which supplements are right for your body and how to more comprehensively try them out then you may like to consider a BioSignature assessment.

Whew! A lengthy post today, but it’s one that I’ve been wanting to cover for some time now. I do find these research based posts take me a lot longer to write than my typical posts,and I hope I haven’t lost my usual flow. I’d be interested to hear your feedback – please comment below. Have you tried supplements? What has or hasn’t worked for you? And do you have any questions or points that I missed?

Thanks for reading!

Tweet This Post

Related Posts:

• Supplement Facts And Fads: How To Know What Really Works
• When To Break The Rules On A Low-Carb Diet
• 5 Overlooked Reasons To Hit The Gym Tonight!
• How To Enjoy Fresh Fish Without A Hefty Dose Of Mercury
• The Startling Truth About Grass vs Grain Fed Meat

When it comes to eating well and looking after your body, it’s tough to know who to listen to. Perhaps you see a nutritionist, maybe you follow a favourite health coach or adviser online, or perhaps book learning is your thing. Or maybe you prefer to listen to the well-executed health education hype and marketing of a large conglomerate. No? You’re sure of that, I assume?

In first place for the ‘most glaringly obvious unhealthy ‘healthy’ food award’ is Coca-Cola’s athlete-endorsed Vitamin Water. According to John Robbins of The Huffington Post:

“lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit (which has been brought against them for making false health claims) by asserting that ‘no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking Vitamin Water was a healthy beverage.’ “

You really do have to give them points for courage, don’t you? Not only do Coke acknowledges that its advertising for a particular product is ‘ridiculous and obviously not true’, but actually admits it publicly and then uses it as a defense for why they and how they’ve sold said product. It’s actually kinda funny. If it weren’t for the fact that untold thousands of poor suckers will have bought into the idea and been guzzling down their Vitamin Sugar Water like there’s no tomorrow, telling themselves they’re ‘re-hydrating’ or ‘replenishing their electrolytes’. Hopefully you weren’t one of them

Of course it’s not the first time junk food as masqueraded as healthy, and it won’t be the last.

Junk Food You Thought Was Healthy

1. Peanut butter. I know. Tears. I could easily down an entire tub of the stuff if you give me half a chance (there’s the first problem), but these days I’ve switched to almond or cashew butter. Peanuts are actually a legume, not a nut, and they inherently contain a type of fungus.
2. While we’re on it – legumes. Not awesome. Legumes contain anti-nutrients; substances that latch onto real nutrients and drag them out of your body. They are also difficult for your body to digest due to their starchy coats.
3. Whole-grains. Whole or processed, grains are NOT your friend. Our bodies don’t know how to cope with them, given as how they’re relatively new in the span of our evolution. They also contain anti-nutrients, are highly allergenic, and often create insulin imbalances which – when taken to the extreme – lead to hypoglycemia and obesity.
4. Soy. No no no! The soy that we know as soy is nothing like soy in its natural state, and it is highly estrogenic. Soy beans also contain anti-nutrients! This wreaks havoc with your hormonal system, and has been correlated with increased duration of menstrual cycle and increased risk of every type of cancer. Soy also naturally lowers the libido and fertility. This is a great article on soy, whole-grains and legumes. I just found it while writing this article, but – as you will know from reading this blog – was already very much on board with that way of thinking.
5. Low-fat dairy. First off. The difference between full and low-fat dairy is around 2%. That should be ’nuff said. But the reason why I’d go so far as to say low-fat is unhealthy is because stripping the natural nutrition from a food (any food) makes it tough for your body to recognise and effectively digest. This can lead to gut irritation, bloating and stomach upsets, and food intolerance.
6. Margarine, artificial sweeteners, textured proteins, low-fat foods in general. One of my favourite quotes from Michael Pollan, author of the brilliant book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, is “never eat anything pretending to be something else”. Don’t you love it?

Have I missed anything? Please leave a comment!

Tweet This Post

Related Posts:

• Change Your Kitchen – Change Your Life!
• My Take On Vegetarianism – Part Two (What To Eat)
• Is It Skinny?
• I Can’t Give Up Bread! My Body Needs It!
• Best Steak Marinade Ever!