There are plenty of foods out there that are perceived as healthy…but really don’t have too many redeeming qualities. We are going to review 3 of the biggest unhealthy “health foods” out there:
Unhealthy Health Food
Category Archives: Nutrition
Processing…
Processed food – a phrase we encounter often in the media, usually accompanied by warnings or dangers. Do you know what processed food really is? Or why you should be worried about it, or if you should be worried at all? Let’s take a closer look… Continue reading
What's Up With Carbs?
Long after Dr. Atkins and the Low-Carb Diet have faded into the media static, the conversations about the relative benefits of carbohydrates linger. Do we eat carbs, or don’t we? Are there good carbs? Are all carbs sugars? Are all sugars carbs? Let’s try to put this one to rest. Continue reading
Banishing Belly Fat!
Belly fat typically comes in two different varieties – subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous fat is the fat under your skin. This fat is distributed all over your body, and isn’t normally dangerous unless excessive quantities are present. Visceral fat surrounds the organs within the abdominal cavity. This fat in normal amounts cushions the organs and serves a protective role. High amounts of this fat have been linked to high cholesterol, high insulin, high triglycerides, high blood pressure and other problems. High amounts of belly fat are not only aesthetically bad, but especially unhealthy as well. Continue reading
Multivitamins
One of the most common supplements in the United States is a simple multivitamin. Marketed to everyone from schoolchildren as Flintstones Chewables, to senior citizens as Centrum Silver, the multivitamin has successfully entered the American household as the most common and accepted form of nutritional supplementation. Most all of us know that we are supposed to take one a day, but do we know why? Continue reading
Quality vs. Quantity
If you have been reading these newsletters for long enough, you have probably heard me mention the energy balance equation. More specifically: Energy in + energy out = net change. To simplify and explain: Think of the body as a big savings account. You make deposits (meals, snacks, etc) and you make withdrawals (daily activity, exercise, recreation, etc). If your goal is weight loss, you need to make more withdrawals than deposits. The idea that you must eat less to lose weight is a sound one. Portion control is emphasized by nearly all dieticians and nutritional counselors, even franchised weight loss centers like Weight Watchers. The one thing that is often left out of the lesson is the concept of quality vs. quantity. Continue reading
Protein Supplementation
Spend even a little time in a gym, or fitness setting, and chances are good you have heard about “taking protein,” or consuming a protein supplement. Many lifters will swear by it, and some will look at taking a supplement as “cheating.” Most everyone could use a little more information…
Insulin
This entry is the second in a 9 part series. This entry expands on the basic principles of what to eat with the introduction of the Glycemic Index. This is a relatively complex topic, but we have simplified it to the basics. Please feel free to ask us to clarify anything, or expand on anything you might be curious about.
Energy Balance
This entry is the first in an 9 part series. Over the course of the series, we will try and teach you the basics of nutrition, and arm you with the ability to make great nutritional decisions. Please feel free to ask us to clarify anything, or expand on anything you might be curious about. Our first entry sets the stage with The Energy Balance Equation.