| As Featured In: |
     |
 |
  |
|
Master the King of All Exercises
Deadlifting Secrets 101 Everything you need to know about this complex exercise. Free Video Training |
 Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better |
|||
Subscribe to my Feed
The Skinny on Sodium Intake: Is Salt Bad for You?Written on January 26, 2012 at 7:22 am, by Eric Cressey Today’s guest post on sodium intake comes from current Cressey Performance intern, Jordan Syatt. Sodium intake is a highly controversial topic within the fitness industry, mainstream media, and even the medical community. Very simply, everyone wants to know: “Is salt bad for you?” Nobody seems to have a clear-cut answer.
While many are quick to demonize the tasty mineral, I’ve long wondered if the evils associated with salt are the result of poorly constructed and misinterpreted research or actual cause for concern. In an attempt to settle the debate once and for all, I began to dig up all the research I could find pertaining to sodium intake, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and general health. To make things as simple as possible, I’ve outlined my findings below. I think the results may surprise you! Sodium Intake: What Does the Research Say? First and foremost, high-blood pressure is perhaps the most prevalent risk factor associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Bearing in mind that CVD is currently the world’s leading cause of death, any information we can find to aid in reducing the risk of CVD is of the utmost importance.
Therefore, considering it is well established that diets excessively high in sodium may result in increased blood pressure (BP), it should come as no surprise that doctors and health professionals alike strongly encourage maintaining a low-sodium diet in the long-term. Epidemiological research suggests high-salt diets may not only affect blood pressure (BP) and thereby cardiovascular disease (CVD), but could also “increase the risk of stroke, left ventricular hypertrophy and renal disease.” Perhaps worst of all, great sodium consumption tends to cause water retention, thus giving leaner individuals a noticeably “softer” appearance. In other words, their abs won’t appear to be as cut-up. What the hell, salt!?!? Based on the information provided above, it would appear as though high-salt diets are the primary cause of illness, death, and guys making excuses for why they don’t look as lean as they should.
We should probably cut it out of our diet, right? Not so fast. While high BP is certainly a major risk factor of cardiovascular disease, recent research has clearly shown the ratio of sodium intake to potassium intake within the diet has a much greater effect on BP than sodium (or potassium) alone. Other studies have confirmed this finding and even the USDA recommends individuals place an emphasis on increasing potassium-rich foods and/or lowering sodium intake in order to lower BP. While excessive sodium consumption can have a negative impact on BP (thus increasing one’s risk of various diseases), simply increasing the amount of potassium consumed on a daily basis holds the same benefits as lowering salt intake. As low-sodium diets are rather difficult to maintain in the long-term, placing an emphasis on potassium-rich foods may help individuals keep BP in check without causing undue stress notably in social situations. In addition to the ratio of salt to potassium within the diet, other factors such as age, gender, genetics, activity level, and body fat are tremendously significant in determining ones risk of high BP, CVD, and other related illnesses. Not surprisingly, exercise and weight loss significantly reduce the risk of CVD. As such, rather than solely focus on reducing salt intake, beginning an appropriate training routine and maintaining a healthy body weight would most likely be the ideal first step in preventing CVD.
Finally, one need only look at the extremely high amounts of sodium in processed foods to understand why greater sodium consumption is associated with high BP and CVD. I’d venture to guess that those individuals who base their diets largely on processed foods are not only consuming too much salt, but are also not eating enough potassium, neglecting to exercise, failing to get an adequate amount of sleep, not maintaining an appropriate body weight, nor living a healthy lifestyle in general. Taking the above into consideration, is it really the heavy sodium consumption causing high BP and CVD? Or, could it possibly be the overall sedentary lifestyle, overconsumption of processed foods, being overweight, etc? I bet it’s the latter. If otherwise healthy individuals are eating a diet largely consisting of whole/unprocessed foods, consuming adequate potassium, regularly exercising, and maintaining a healthy bodyweight, they can probably stop worrying over the minutia and feel free to add a dash, or two, of the ever-so-tasty mineral. My General Recommendations: Individuals should maintain a diet largely consisting of whole/unprocessed foods and make a concerted effort to acquire enough potassium on a daily basis. Examples include, but are not limited to, baked potatoes, cooked spinach, bananas, oranges, and cooked beans. For a detailed list of potassium-rich foods, click HERE. Additionally, I encourage individuals to follow an appropriate strength and conditioning program designed specifically for their individual needs. Note: those who already have high blood pressure, first and foremost, you must consult with your primary care physician and follow his/her directions, as various anti-hypertensive medications can interact differently with food and exercise. Plus, you want to find out why you are hypertensive in the first place in order to individualize your treatment approach. I hope you enjoyed this article, and if you have any questions please feel free to leave them in the comments section below. About the Author Jordan Syatt is a strength training and nutritional consultant out of Boston Massachusetts. He is Westside Barbell Certified, currently interning at Cressey Performance, and studies Health Behavior Science at the University of Delaware. In addition to actively competing in various Powerlifting Federations, Jordan works with a diverse population of clientele, focusing on fat loss, mass gain, and athletic performance. Jordan is the owner and operator of www.syattfitness.com. Feel free to contact him directly at: jsyattfitness@gmail.com. Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift! Coffee Consumption and Health: The Final Word – Part 1Written on November 13, 2011 at 7:44 pm, by Eric Cressey I’m excited to present to you an awesome guest post on coffee consumption from Brian St. Pierre. I learned a lot reading this two-part series over, and I’m sure you will, too! Coffee is the second most popular drink in the world, trailing only water (and debatably, tea). As you all know, caffeine is a key component of coffee and is a compound of great debate. It is the world’s most consumed psychoactive drug, with 90% of North American adults consuming caffeine daily. However, is this such a bad thing?
Many health advocates would try to convince you to give up coffee and possibly even caffeine altogether. However new research has certainly raised the question, should we actually give up our beloved Cup o’ Joe? Does Metabolism Matter? There is a lot of conflicting research on coffee consumption, and it seems to be because people have different clearance rates for caffeine. On one hand, you have the “slow” metabolizers of caffeine: people who are adversely affected by caffeine, get the jitters, and are wired for up to nine hours. Then, there are those who simply have an increase in energy and alertness that wears off within a few hours; they are considered “fast” metabolizers of caffeine. This seems to be a defining difference in whether or not coffee will help you or hurt you, as those who are slow metabolizers may be at an increased risk for a non-fatal heart attack, while the fast metabolizers may not.
If you are a slow metabolizer of caffeine and coffee, steer clear. It’s not for everybody, and it is not for you. In your case, it can do more harm than good, and this may explain why coffee consumption has been associated with:
Fortunately, this seems to be a minority of the population. For those lucky enough to be fast metabolizers, there is good news – and lots of it. Why Coffee Rules Coffee has more antioxidants than dark chocolate or tea, and may make up as much as 50-70% of the total antioxidant intake for the average American! A recent study found that men who drank the most coffee (6 or more cups per day) were nearly 60% less likely to develop advanced prostate cancer than non-coffee drinkers. In fact, at least six studies have found that regular coffee drinkers have up to an 80% decreased risk for developing Parkinson’s. In addition, other research has shown that when compared to non-coffee drinkers, people who regularly consume two or more cups per day may have a 25% decreased risk of colon cancer, up to an 80% decreased risk for cirrhosis, a 35% decreased risk of type 2 diabetes, and up to a 50% decreased risk for gallstones! In terms of the gallbladder protection, it was only seen in people who drank caffeinated coffee. So, if you drink decaf, it’s not doing much for the gallbladder.
The final verdict on coffee and cancer is that coffee consumption is associated with a lower overall risk of cancer. Period. Specifically, coffee consumption has shown to be associated with a lower risk or oral, esophageal, pharyngeal, breast (in post-menopausal women), liver, colon, and aggressive prostate cancer. Sounds good to me! Beyond the health benefits, there are many noted mental and physical performance benefits as well. Caffeine has been shown to reduce the rate of perceived exertion, so it doesn’t feel like you are working as hard as you really are. In addition, people who regularly drink coffee have been found to have better performance on tests of reaction time, verbal memory, and visuo-spatial reasoning. Taking it a step further, another study found that elderly women over the age of 80 performed significantly better on tests of cognitive function if they had regularly consumed coffee over the course of their lifetimes. In addition, many people think of coffee as increasing their risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the reality is that coffee consumption has been found to moderately reduce the risk of dying from CVD. Another study, done in Japan, followed 77,000 individuals between the ages of 40 and 79. Researchers found that caffeine and coffee consumption were also associated with a reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
One other coffee/caffeine myth is the idea of dehydration. It is widely believed that caffeine-containing beverages like coffee and tea cause the body to expel more fluid than they provide, but does the research actually back this up? Nope. A recent review of 10 studies found that consuming up to 550mg of caffeine per day does not cause fluid-electrolyte imbalances in athletes and fitness enthusiasts. Another review the following year found that consuming caffeine-containing beverages as part of a normal lifestyle does not lead to fluid loss in excess of the volume of fluid ingested, nor is it associated with poor hydration status. Myth busted. That seems like an awful lot of awesome with respect to coffee consumption, but does it continue? Check back soon for part 2 to find out! About the Author
With his passion for seeing his clients succeed, Brian is able to use his knowledge, experience, and energy to create highly effective training and nutrition programs for clients of any age and background. For more information, check out his website. Related Posts Healthy Food Options: Why You Should Never Take Nutrition Advice from Your Government Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!
References Cornelis MC, et al. Coffee, CYP1A2 Genotype, and Risk of Myocardial Infarction. JAMA. 2006;295(10):1135-1141 Wisborg K, et al. Maternal consumption of coffee during pregnancy and stillbirth and infant death in first year of life: prospective study. BMJ. 2003 326 (7386): 420. Richelle M, et al. Comparison of the Antioxidant Activity of Commonly Consumed Polyphenolic Beverages (Coffee, Cocoa, and Tea) Prepared per Cup Serving. J. Agric. Food Chem., 2001, 49 (7), pp 3438–3442 Leitzmann WF, et al. A prospective study of coffee consumption and the risk of symptomatic gallstone disease in men. JAMA. 1999 281:2106-12 Leitzmann MF, et al. Coffee intake is associated with lower risk of symptomatic gallstone disease in women. Gastroenterology. 2002 Dec;123(6):1823-30 Webster Ross G, et al. Association of Coffee and Caffeine Intake With the Risk of Parkinson Disease. JAMA. May 24, 2000, 283:20 Hancock DB, et al. Smoking, Caffeine, and Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs in Families With Parkinson Disease. Arch Neurol. 2007;64(4):576-580. Klatsky AL, et al. Coffee, Cirrhosis, and Transaminase Enzymes. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166:1190-1195. van Dam RM, Hu FB. Coffee consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review. JAMA. 2005 Jul 6;294(1):97-104. Tavani, A, et al. Coffee and tea intake and risk of oral, pharyngeal and esophageal cancer. Oral Oncol. 2003 39 (7): 695-700. Ganmaa D, Willett WC, Li TY, et al. Coffee, tea, caffeine and risk of breast cancer: a 22-year follow-up. Int J Cancer 2008 122 (9): 2071-6. Inoue M, Yoshimi I, Sobue T, Tsugane S. Influence of Coffee Drinking on Subsequent Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Prospective Study in Japan. JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 97 (4): 293-300 Nkondjock A. Coffee consumption and the risk of cancer: an overview. Cancer Lett. 2009 May 18;277(2):121-5. Arab L. Epidemiologic evidence on coffee and cancer. Nutr Cancer. 2010;62(3):271-83. Somoza V, et al. Activity-Guided Identification of a Chemopreventive Compound in Coffee Beverage Using in Vitro and in Vivo Techniques. J Agric Food Chem. 2003 51 (23), pp 6861–6869 American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, Houston, Dec. 6-8, 2009. Jarvis MJ. Does caffeine intake enhance absolute levels of cognitive performance? Psychopharmacology. 2 December 2005, 110:1-2, 45-52. Johnson-Kozlow M, et al. Coffee Consumption and Cognitive Function among Older Adults. Am J Epidemiol 2002; 156:842-850 Lopez-Garcia E, et al. The Relationship of Coffee Consumption with Mortality. Annals of Internal Medicine 2008 Jun 17;148(12):904-14. Koizumi A, Mineharu Y, Wada Y, Iso H et al. Coffee, green tea, black tea and oolong tea consumption and risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease in Japanese men and women. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2011 65: 230-240. Armstrong LE. Caffeine, body fluid-electrolyte balance, and exercise performance. Int J Sport Nutr Exer Metab. 2002 Jun;12(2):189-206. Maughan RJ, Griffin J. Caffeine ingestion and fluid balance: a review. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2003 16(6):411–420. Healthy Food Options? Why You Should Never Take Nutrition Advice from Your GovernmentWritten on August 18, 2011 at 9:30 pm, by Eric Cressey Today’s post is a guest blog from current Cressey Performance intern, Tyler Simmons. I had a super busy week, so when Tyler brought up this topic at CP the other day, I jumped at the opportunity to get him to write about it. You won’t be disappointed.
Many people don’t know this, but before 1979, there were no public health guidelines for what foods our citizens should eat. So where would we be now without a food pyramid? In the 1950s, a researcher named Ancel Keys developed a theory that certain dietary fats were a major cause of heart disease. Although the support for this theory was weak, it would eventually become the basis of nutritional recommendations for the entire country. This eventually morphed in to the theory that dietary cholesterol and saturated fat cause heart disease, and for the public it was easy to make the jump that these also cause weight gain and obesity. So the US government decided to step in for the benefit of the uneducated masses and save us from imminent death and obesity. The result? Since 1979, when the McGovern Committee made the first “Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” we’ve been encouraged to eat less animal fat, less cholesterol, and more grains. And, we were pretty successful at it; Americans adopted our new food guidelines and embraced a low-fat way of eating for the last 30 years. Here’s a chart of how are diets have changed over the last 100 years:
Source: Changes in consumption of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the United States during the 20th century. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 May;93(5):950-62. We did a pretty good job. We’ve eaten less fat, less beef, less pork, and less dairy (fear the butter!) At the same time, we’ve eaten more chicken, more shortening, and drastically more soy oil (healthy fat right?).
Source: 2010 Dietary Guidelines Scientific Advisory Committee Who can tell me when it the obesity rate really starts to rise? Oh wow, 1980…but that’s when we got all the good advice to eat less animal fat, more grains, and more vegetable oil. So what can we take away from this? A couple of things: 1. Eating more soy oil was a bad idea. 2. “Healthy whole grains” may not be so healthy after all. 3. Maybe the animal fat and red meat wasn’t actually the problem after all. Numbers two and three here could span several articles in their own right. But for now, let’s just look at one, the soy oil. You’ve probably heard about the “heart-healthy” fats called polyunsaturated fatty acids a.k.a. PUFAs. These include soy oil, canola oil, corn oil, and peanut oil. The high intake of omega-6 PUFAs is one of the most dramatic shifts in the American diet since 1909 with an especially large jump after 1970. I think that the evidence shows that eating soy oil is about as smart as playing in traffic. The graphs above suggest that PUFA’s aren’t particularly good for us and that we’ve been tricked in to becoming obese. What we’re looking at is epidemiological data, which can only show associations. We can see that eating at the same time we started eating way more PUFAs, we saw a striking increase in obesity. This is just association; it doesn’t show cause and effect. So let’s look at a couple pieces of more direct evidence for why we should avoid PUFAs in our diet if we want to get jacked, stay lean, and rock a six-pack into old age. Studies on rodent and humans demonstrate that the more omega-6 PUFA you eat, the more fat you gain. In a rodent study, three groups of rats ate diets with identical amounts of fat, protein, and carbohydrate, differing only in the type of fat they were eating. One group had beef tallow (low omega-6), the second had olive oil (moderate omega-6), and the third had safflower oil (tons of omega-6). Compared to the beef tallow group, the olive oil rats gained 7.5% in total body weight, and the safflower oil grouped gained 12.3% total body weight. The more omega-6, the fatter they got. In another study, 782 men were split in to two groups that ate isocaloric diets (they ate the same amount of calories) for 5 years. The only difference between the two groups was that one ate animal fats and the other ate vegetable oils (very high in omega-6). Compared to the animal fat group, the vegetable oil group had consistent increases in body fat and body weight. By the end of the study the vegetable oil group weighed 5% more on average.
I have found that when working with athletes and people who just want to look better, modifying omega-6 intake is a critical factor in fat loss. Keep in mind that fat gain is mult-faceted in its causes. I’m not suggesting that omega-6 is the sole reason for fat gain, just that it is a significant factor. There are a variety of reasons to eat less omega-6 fats beyond the fat gaining characteristics, so limit the vegetable/seed oils and don’t be scared of animal fats. And be skeptical of any advice you get from the government. Tyler Simmons is completing his degree in Exercise Science with a focus in Nutrition at Humboldt State University. He designs individualized nutrition programs for athletes and people working to look, feel, and perform better. He can be reached at simmons.tyler@gmail.com or at www.evolutionaryhealthsystems.blogspot.com. Related Posts Metabolic Cooking: Making it Easier to Eat Clean with Health Food Options Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a deadlift technique tutorial! The #1 Cause of Inconsistent Pitching VelocityWritten on July 30, 2010 at 5:05 am, by Eric Cressey As anyone who reads my blog regularly surely knows, I’ve devoted a significant portion of my life to figuring out how to make guys throw baseballs faster. Sure, having a great change-up and a filthy curveball is nice, but let’s be honest: throwing gas is what gets scouts’ attention and earns you fame, fortune, chicks, scholarships, and, of course, intimidation on the mound (think anyone in MLB is afraid to brawl with Jamie Moyer?). However, my interest in velocity isn’t just limited to how to get to “X” miles per hour; it also extends to understanding how to stay (or improve upon) “X” miles per hour over the course of a single appearance, season, or career while staying healthy and developing the rest of one’s pitching arsenal. Erratic radar gun readings are as much a problem as “insufficient” radar gun readings. My foremost observation on this front has been that velocity is much more erratic in high level teenagers than any other population. At Cressey Performance (here in snowy Massachusetts – not exactly the baseball capital of the world), we have ten high school guys throwing over 90mph. While some of these guys are quite consistent, I find that they tend to have more 4-6mph drop-offs here and there than any other population with which I’ve worked. A guy that is 90-94 on one day might come back at 85-87 five days later – seemingly out of the blue.
However, I don’t think it’s just a random occurrence. Rather, in my experience, EVERY single time it happens, it’s because he has let his body weight drop – usually due to being on the road for games and not packing enough food. We see it all the time in kids who throw great up here in New England, but then head down South for tournaments. All of a sudden, they are living out of hotels and eating out of restaurants multiple times per day – which certainly isn’t going to be as conducive to maintaining body weight as “grazing” around the house and chowing down on Mom’s home-cooking multiple times per day. To make matters worse, a lot of kids lose their appetites when they get out in the heat – and not many people from across the country are prepared for the weather in Georgia or South Carolina in July. So, insufficient caloric intake becomes completely inadequate caloric intake – and that’s not exactly a recipe for throwing the baseball faster.
Beyond just the body weight factor, though, you also have to look at the fact that the advanced teenage pitchers are generally also the best athletes – so their coaches almost always have them out in the outfield or at SS/3B when they aren’t pitching. Playing a position interferes with a solid throwing program and just doesn’t give a kid a chance to rest. There are more calories burned, too! What’s interesting, though, is that kids who don’t throw as hard – say, 70-82 – never have variability in their velocity readings; they are super consistent. Why? Well, for one, they usually aren’t quite good enough to get on travel teams and in competitive scenarios that would require them to have to consciously consider how to maintain their weight. Rather, it’s Mom’s home cooking all the time – so it’s easier to maintain their weight. And, they may not be talented enough to be able to play other positions when they aren’t pitching. This difference is really interesting because both populations – independent of strength and conditioning – are at ages where their bodies are changing and (presumably) getting heavier naturally as they go through puberty and gain muscle mass. As this picture shows, however, their strength coaches are apparently getting shorter and balder at the same time!
This rarely applies to anyone who has pitched in the professional ranks for more than a year or two. You never see a professional pitcher go out and throw 5-7mph slower than normal unless he is hurt or coming back on very short rest. These guys have found their “set points,” and have learned over the years how to get in enough calories when on the road (out on their own means cooking for themselves, plus eating whatever their clubhouse dues gets them at the park). Plus, they aren’t playing the field. All that said, regardless of your age, experience level, and current velocity, don’t skimp on calories. If you look at every bit of research on the pitching motion, body weight predicts pitching velocity. If you’re on the road, make sure you pack some shakes, trail mix, bars, fruit, nuts, jerky, or whatever other convenience food helps you to get in the calories you need to light up the radar gun. I love Precision Nutrition as a resource on this front. It doesn’t just help you to eat healthy foods; it helps you with strategies to make getting in enough qualities calories conveniently when you may be pinched for time or kitchen access.
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive a Copy of the Exact Stretches used by Cressey Performance Pitchers after they Throw! Stuff You Should Read: 5/26/10Written on May 26, 2010 at 9:36 am, by Eric Cressey In this week’s list of recommended reading, we’ve got some training and nutrition tips: Training Basketball Players – Here’s an excellent, “outside-the-box” post from Charlie Weingroff about what he looks for in dealing with basketball players. If You Like Steak, Read On – This great blog from Brian St. Pierre highlights some recent research that helps to bury the myth that all red meat is bad for you. Oh, and you need to watch this. If it doesn’t get you a little fired up for the World Cup, nothing will. Stuff You Should Read: 1/11/10Written on January 11, 2010 at 2:38 am, by Eric Cressey We’re back on track with our next list of recommended reading. Here are some things worth checking out: 13 Tips for Fitness Blogging Success – I know a lot of you have blogs of your own, and I’d encourage all of you to check out this great collection of advice from Mike Robertson. A lot of it parallels exactly what I’ve tried to do with EricCressey.com. Never Eat Alone – This is one of the better business books I’ve ever read, as it focuses a ton on how to build and maintain a network in the business world. I came across the title in some reading I was doing the other day, and it reminded me of just how much it has helped me since I read it in March of 2007.
Vanilla Pumpkin Pie: Best Smoothie Yet? – Another great shake recipe from Brian St. Pierre. Dude does a face plate into a bunch of iron after a one-rep max deadlift attempt – Okay, I gave this one away. It was too good to not repost. Sorry, dude. That’s what you get for celebrating like a weenie. Random Friday Thoughts: 8/14/09Written on August 14, 2009 at 6:23 am, by Eric Cressey 1. I work about 315 days per year at Cressey Performance, so when I can get a weekday off, it’s pretty darn special – and that’s the case today. I got in a great squatting session last night, so I don’t feel quite so bad about staying home today to sit on my duff and catch up on writing, programming, reading, and planning Tony’s Sweet 16 Party (he’s 32, so we’re going to have double the fun with both Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers as themes; isn’t he lucky?). Actually, it won’t be that exciting; the goal is to get all of the following done before noon (and I’m writing this at 7:13am): a. this blog I’m hoping that by mentioning all of this to you that it will make me more accountable to going into tunnel-vision-mode to get it all done. We shall see… 2. Congratulations to Chad Jenkins of Kennesaw St. – and now the Toronto Blue Jays, who signed a good ol’ $1.359 million contract on Wednesday after being drafted in the first round back in June. Chad’s been an incredibly hard worker on my programs and deserves all the success that comes his way. Nice work, buddy! 3. Here’s a pretty good article about why eggs are actually GOOD for you. I say “pretty good” not because I think it’s new information to those of us in the know, but because it comes from a registered dietitian in a mainstream publication, who are normally brainwashed to adhere to stupid guidelines. Kudos to Yahoo on this one, but I’m sorry to say that Dr. John Berardi and others have been preaching this for over a decade. 4. Here is a landmark study on how athletes have gotten taller, heavier, and faster during the past century. You can tell that the study was done by an engineer, because any strength coach could have easily told him that this was the case because resistance training and better nutrition habits were implemented over the course of that time. 5. Right now, in addition to a more geeky textbook, I’m reading Blunder, by Zachary Shore, on Gray Cook’s recommendation. So far, so good, although I haven’t gotten too far into it (hopefully will this weekend).
Have a great weekend! Building Vibrant Health: Part 4Written on August 11, 2009 at 6:55 am, by Eric Cressey Today is the fourth part of a guest blog series from Eric Talmant. In case you missed them, check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Building Vibrant Health: Part 4 By: Eric Talmant
There are several options for getting started with Bill Wolcott’s Metabolic Typing®. The first option, what I would refer to as the “Entry Level” option, is to buy The Metabolic Typing® Diet. This involves taking the self-test, which allows the reader to identify his or her general Metabolic Type® category and follow the appropriate Metabolic Type® dietary recommendations. It also provides additional self-tests to further customize the diet.
The advantage to this option is that it involves a minor financial commitment, and it is certainly much better for you in terms of following a diet plan rather than just arbitrarily eating ‘healthy foods’. I feel so strongly about this that I believe there really is no reason every single person should not know their general Metabolic Type®. Once you know your general type, it is very much like turning on a flashlight in a dark room. Since you know what foods you should generally be eating to push body chemistry in the proper direction, you can actually begin to build health. The very first thing you will notice is improvement in energy levels; followed shortly by the disappearance of food cravings. For a cost of probably $10 or less for a used copy, it just does not make any sense to me NOT to at least take this basic first step. The second option is to take the Advanced Metabolic Typing® Test from a certified Metabolic Typing® advisor. You are certainly welcome to take the test from me, or if you feel more comfortable working with a local Metabolic Typing® advisor, then visit this link for a list of advisors in your area. The Metabolic Typing® Test offered by Certified Metabolic Typing® Advisors is the most specific test you can take to determine your Metabolic Type®. The HealthExcel System of Metabolic Typing® analyzes 11 Fundamental Homeostatic Controls (FHC) to determine and define one’s Metabolic Type®. These FHCs are: 1. Autonomic Nervous System (NeuroEndocrine-Sympathetic/Balanced/Parasympathetic) The Metabolic Typing® Test is the most accurate method of determining Metabolic Types® available in the world today. It is the result of an evolutionary process spanning nearly 30 years, and is based on the input of thousands of practitioners around the world and hundreds of thousands of users. This online test contains a series of questions about physical traits, diet-related traits, and psychological traits that will identify your dominance and sub-dominance, as well as your endocrine type. There are 9 possible Metabolic Type® combinations involving the pairing of the Autonomic and Oxidative systems. Within each type, one Fundamental Homeostatic Control will be dominant and dictates how nutrients behave in your body. Knowing your dominance and sub-dominance will guide you in choosing the best foods for your type. The endocrine system plays a role in shaping external physical features and therefore should be considered as you select the best foods for you from the approved food list. Consulting with your Certified Metabolic Typing® Advisor will help you fine-tune your meals for optimal health.
(Example of Part of one Metabolic Type’s® Food List that you would get with the Advanced Test) If you do not have access to a computer, the test can be mailed to you and returned to your advisor for data entry. Services with the Metabolic Typing® Test often include:
These resources are extremely helpful in putting you on the right path to a Metabolic Typing® lifestyle. Consultation sessions are also available with the Metabolic Typing® Program, so contact you advisor to find out their rates. In my practice, I have found that it is not uncommon for someone to take the test and put all of the pieces together for a relatively inexpensive initial investment (on my site this whole package is only $50). However, when it comes to fine tuning one’s diet and supplements, a Metabolic Typing® advisor sometimes can make all of the difference. Try the program out for yourself at first and see how comfortable you are with the whole thing. Then, decide whether working with an advisor would be right for you. Finally, if you would like to really get serious about building and maintaining vibrant health, then most Metabolic Typing ® advisors offer what can be referred to as a “Comprehensive” Metabolic Typing® program. Comprised of the Metabolic Typing® Program, in addition to the Signet MRT food sensitivity blood test, the BioHealth 205 saliva functional adrenal stress profile, the BioHealth 101 urine metabolic assessment profile, a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis from Trace Elements, Inc. and if necessary Neurotransmitter testing for the brain. This program analyzes all 11 Fundamental Homeostatic Controls and makes appropriate the Metabolic Type® diet, Metabolic Type® supplementation and detoxification, exercise, and lifestyle recommendations. The Comprehensive Metabolic Typing® Program is designed as a complete lifestyle and advanced health-building program. It is intended as an “optimum health-building program” to help your body rebuild and regain its health, if you’ve lost it, or maximize your potential and keep your good health, if you already have it. The program typically includes the following components:
This is absolutely the most individualized and advanced program for building health that caters to your unique biochemistry that you will find anywhere. Now that you all have a basic understanding of the three main options for getting started in the Metabolic Typing® lifestyle, I encourage you to go out and do some more research on your own and perhaps contact a local advisor. Begin by asking questions about their services. Then, describe to them where you currently are with your health and diet including your level of commitment. Your advisor will be able to recommend the best options for you. In Part 5, I will discuss some of the tests mentioned in the Comprehensive Metabolic Typing® program, describe what each one “does”, and discuss why they are important pieces in the puzzle of building and maintaining vibrant health. About the Author Eric Talmant is a top lightweight powerlifter and has a “passion for all things nutrition.” A 1996 graduate of the University of Evansville, Eric is a certified Metabolic Typing® advisor. Talmant is certified to offer the Advanced Metabolic Typing® Test as well as order blood work (the Signet MRT Test, U.S. BioTek ELISA IgG allergy test, the High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein heart health test); as well as the BioHealth Diagnostics Adrenal and Hormone saliva test Profiles. Eric has competed in the ADFPA, NASA, AAPF, APF, APA, the WPO, and the Raw Unity Meet. He holds the APF Florida state men’s open equipped squat record of 678 pounds. He has been ranked in the top in the 75K class among all raw lifters in the United States for the past two years and he was a top equipped lifter in the two years before that. His best equipped lifts are a 683 pound squat, 391 pound bench press, and a 650 pound deadlift in the 75K weight class. His best raw lifts to date are 485 pound squat without knee wraps, 290 pound bench press, and 635 pound deadlift. He is also the founder and contest director of the Raw Unity Meet, which experienced great success in 2008 and 2009. Talmant brings a unique skill set and 16 years of nutritional experience to his sponsors BMF Sports, Ultra Life, Inc., Critical Bench, and Titan Support Systems. He lives in rural Spring Hill, Florida, and can be reached through his web site at www.EricTalmant.com. Vitamin Water: My New NemesisWritten on May 14, 2008 at 10:43 am, by Eric Cressey Vitamin Water: It drives me crazy. High-school kids drink it non-stop and think the added nutrients to it outweigh the problems associated with downing those nutrients with a bunch of simple sugar. Actually, most kids don’t even know that it’s loaded with “crystalline fructose;” they just think it’s regular water and someone just dissolved a Flintstones chewable into it and made it taste good. You know what? Even though most young athletes eat terribly, they still get plenty of vitamins, for the most part. They also get plenty of fructose – so there’s certainly no need to supplement that. As Dr. John Berardi has said in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective Nutrition Programs, “Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.” Why I’m an Idiot…Written on March 11, 2008 at 11:33 am, by Eric Cressey In about eight hours, I’ll be hopping on a plane to head to Ireland for a week. In my infinite wisdom, though, I’m going to complete a lower-body training session before I head to the airport – probably not the brightest thing to do when you’ve got a overnight plane ride ahead of you. On the bright side, my girlfriend whipped up a batch of Apple-Cinnamon Bars from JB’s new Gourmet Nutrition Cookbook Version 2.0, so I’ll have something delicious to keep my mind off of the ridiculous soreness I’m going to be experiencing – and it’ll keep the diet clean while we’re across the pond. (Don’t worry; I’ve got some blog content “in the well,” so we’ll keep updating in my absence.) |
|
