So I’ve been thinking… I’ve come to realize that I really like this whole writing thing. Furthermore, I’ve always wanted to live on a campground for an extended amount of time (e.g. 3months-1 year), but I was leery about doing it because I wouldn’t be getting the 2 years of experience most employers want when hiring. So here’s the thought; I go to either Kentucky, Lionshead (Ontario) or Quebec (or all three in that order from may on until it’s too cold… and then back to Kentucky? lol), live on a campground and climb fulltime and continue getting experience through writing articles! What do you guys think? I’ve been on the lookout for nutrition or health writing jobs but as it stands, I could just continue writing here and for Sunwarrior… lol (My mom loves this idea… sarcasm :p).

Aside from looking for writing jobs, my week has been pretty uneventful. Have been spending about 6-8 hours in the library every day, I really am going to miss that place when I’m graduated; it’s almost like home at this point :p. I gave a group presentation on a grain-free vegan diet yesterday; it was pretty funny to see both my professor’s and classmates’ faces when I described daily meal plans lol. Oh and my computer crashed yesterday (in the middle of writing an article too! :p)! Apparently I’ve been watching too much TV on here; either way, lesson learned! I am now going to start saving my work before it’s done (lost the whole document) :p.

Here’s a picture of me climbing in Ontario in the summer

This article can also be found on the Sunwarrior website http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/weighing-in-on-caffeine-are-you-addicted/

Modern life is faster-paced than ever, and as a result, people are now turning to caffeine to keep up with their demanding schedules. Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant today, popular among all age groups. Presently, about 54% of American adults have an average of 3 cups of coffee per day. These statistics make it pretty clear that we are, as a nation, dependent on coffee. Do you need your coffee to wake up in the morning? I know I do! Worse yet, do you rely on energy drinks from time to time? This article will give you something to think about as you drink your morning cup, and who knows, maybe even give you the motivation to limit your caffeine consumption.

Nowadays it’s pretty hard to get away from caffeine; it’s in almost everything from soft drinks to chocolates, even to bottled water, gum, and medication! Caffeine is naturally derived from a variety of plants including the coffee bean, tea leaf, kola nut, and cocoa bean; in nature, caffeine often acts as a natural pesticide. In the USA, the top three caffeine sources are coffee (70%), soft drinks (16%), and tea (12%). With consumption being so common, it’s important that consumers understand the risks involved with too much caffeine.

So what actually happens when we drink a cup of coffee? Caffeine is absorbed quickly in our digestive tract, and it is absorbed faster in warmer beverages, making coffee more potent than soft drinks. In just 15–29 minutes, peak blood caffeine concentrations are reached. About 99% of the caffeine ingested is absorbed within 45 minutes. It moves throughout the body, penetrating cell membranes, crossing the blood-brain-barrier, and so on. The duration of efficiency is dictated by a number of things. The following are some striking examples. In males, the duration is decreased by 30–50% in smokers. On the other hand, it`s doubled in women who are on birth control pills or pregnant and also in patients with ongoing liver disease.

Caffeine doesn`t accumulate in body tissues and is eliminated overnight. Some metabolites associated with caffeine do however remain, examples include theobromine, paraxanthine, and theophylline—they are actually found in all body fluids. Caffeine induces a variety of effects including increased alertness, increased respiratory and metabolic rates, and vasodilation. These effects make caffeine a good go-to pick-me-up.

Since Red Bull`s introduction in 1987, energy drinks have become more and more popular each year. Energy drinks are now the fastest growing beverage market in the states; about $744 million was spent by consumers in the USA between 2006 and 2007 (a 34% rise from the previous year and 200% from 2000!). Energy drinks have become a yearly $3.5 billion industry. Developers market their products to students, athletes, youth, and people who lead high-stress lifestyles. These drinks have no age restrictions or health warnings, and have addictive properties.

The U.S. FDA reports that 300–500mg of caffeine consumption is safe as a daily intake. With the rise in popularity of energy drinks, caffeine consumption is frequently much higher. This problem is enhanced by the aggressive marketing of energy drink producers as well as the poor risk awareness of consumers. An overdose can cause things like panic attacks, hallucinations, seizures, heart arrhythmias, psychosis, and sometimes (but rarely) death. More common features include anxiety, insomnia, digestive upset, tremors, etc. A sensitization of the cannabinoid receptors (similar to morphine, heroin, cocaine and alcohol) to decrease stress may also occur with ongoing consumption; this may enhance caffeine dependence. The addictive nature of caffeine as well as our increasingly busy lifestyles and chronic fatigue, possibly due to our westernized diets, are driving forces for the rise in caffeine consumption.

A typical energy drink may report to have up to 300mg of caffeine. However, caffeine from herbal supplements including cocoa, kola, yerba mate, and guarana isn’t required to be included in nutrition facts. Varying energy drinks can actually contain caffeine anywhere from 50 to 550mg per can! The FDA is responsible (by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act) for ensuring all ingredients in products sold are safe and properly labelled. Despite this, it isn`t mandatory to include caffeine content or the health risks associated with caffeine. Labels should be enforced to include health warnings and maybe even poison control numbers.

Think you’re addicted and want to cut back? Firstly, withdrawal symptoms may occur when dependent on coffee. These symptoms include fatigue, headaches, irritability, muscle stiffness, etc. The best way to minimize these symptoms is to cut back slowly; maybe take out a half or full cup a week. If you drink caffeinated coffee, maybe opt for a decaf coffee or tea. Keep in mind these symptoms won’t last; in no time you’ll be waking up without the extra boost of caffeine. Try to get in a good night’s sleep instead to get more energy; it helps if you’re consistent with your bed times. When you wake up, drink water and don’t lie in bed when the alarm rings, get right up! The morning is also a great time for exercise! Cutting down on caffeine can be hard, but your body will thank you when you finally kick it to the curb!

Gunja N, Brown J (2012) Energy drinks: health risks and toxicity. doi: 10.5694/mja11.10838.

Persad L. (2011) Energy Drinks and the Neurophysiological Impact of Caffeine. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2011.00116.

Rath M. (2012) Energy drinks: What is all the hype? The dangers of energy drink consumption. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-7599.2011.00689.x.

My weekend was pretty uneventful; spent Friday studying and writing, Saturday I had a long shift at the nutrition place and today I’ll be meeting up with my sister to climb and eat lunch. I haven’t seen her in a month! It’ll be nice to spend some time with her. Midterms are around the corner; my first midterm is on the 6th… hard to believe that my final semester is close to half way!

I’ve been making a really delicious protein brownie I thought I’d share; makes for a really yummy post workout snack! I put 1 tablespoon of almond butter, 1 serving of sunwarrior chocolate protein, 1 banana, 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds and about 3/4 cup of almond milk- soooo tasty!! I’m actually a little amazed with how you can bake with some of the vegan protein mixes! I made a similar cookie with organic chocolate hemp powder and also a pomegranate flavor… the version with the sunwarrior is my best concoction yet! I’ll have to post a picture sometime!

Here’s another picture of me at the climbing gym, taken by my friend Dan! Cannot wait to get back outdoors!!!

This post can also be found on the Sunwarrior website http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/winter-blues-heres-an-all-natural-way-to-feel-better/

North American guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise a week but only about 15% of Canadians and 30% of Americans report meeting this allotted time. About 36% of Americans report to have relatively sedentary lifestyles; this combined with the westernized diet may be an underlying mechanism in the recent rise of mental health disorders. Studies consistently show that people who are active are far less likely to have mental health problems than inactive individuals. Do you often feel blue? This article will give you (drug free) ideas to feel better. Exercise isn’t only great for getting in shape; it’s also good for your mind!

Why are some people frequently depressed while others seem to be stress free? Mental health is determined by a number of factors including diet, activity level, genetics, and past experiences. Your brain is remarkably plastic and can be remodelled by your lifestyle; hormones associated with stress drive adaptation in order to protect you. Were you brought up in a loving or abusive household? Are you eating a diet high in plant-based items or do you survive on fast food? Are you active or a couch potato?

Here are some striking examples of how lifestyles can shape your brain. Human hippocampi (a region in your brain) are actually shrunken in individuals with mental health disorders (and also Alzheimers’); chronic stress, diabetes, and lack of exercise reportedly decrease the size of hippocampal lobes. Up-bringing also plays a huge role in mental health; adversity (including chaotic households, abuse, and low socioeconomic status) early in life is also related with smaller hippocampal lobes, along with less prefrontal cortical grey matter and other physical changes. Clearly stress exposure, diet, and exercise levels are important determinants to happiness. Life experiences will ultimately influence the chemical and physical conditions of your brain because of your body’s attempts to adapt to stress.

If we go in to a doctor about feeling blue, antidepressants will commonly be the prescribed solution. Antidepressants are a huge market today, seen through their common appearance on TV. It seems like every fifth commercial will be one advertising a drug for mental health, followed by a long list of possible side effects. Antidepressants have significant limitations; only about 50-65% of patients with anxiety disorders even benefit from antidepressants. Why is this so commonly our first approach when lifestyle interventions have been proven to be both effective and safe?

A top-down therapy (i.e. without medication) can be a powerful approach to enhance mental health; regular exercise consistently shows improvements in mental health disorders. Healthy diets that are rich in fruits, vegetables, and omega 3s, as well as containing adequate macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) are also associated with improvements in mental health. Exercise programs along with a healthy diet are good, drug free ways to elevate your mental state.

Sleep improvements, success within a workout program, body composition improvements, social interactions, and distractions from daily stress make exercise a great treatment option. The mental benefits from exercise relate to our neuroendocrine systems, body temperature, endorphins, and our serotonergic systems following a bout of exercise. On an anatomical level, regular exercise will actually increase hippocampal size (by just walking an hour 5 days a week) in previously sedentary individuals.

A new exercise and diet regime can be challenging to start, but overtime your body will adapt to make things easier; the initial challenge is a common reason for people not to adhere to this treatment option. Regardless, with all of the benefits associated with general health (e.g. heart disease and diabetes prevention), exercise and diet should be the first consideration when addressing mental health. Listen to your body. How do you feel after you work out? How do certain foods make you feel? Instead of turning to drugs that mask our bodies’ internal messages, we should listen!

Starting from scratch and don’t know how to get going? Take the stairs more often, join a recreational team, or find a fun hobby (rock climbing anyone?). Once you find something you can enjoy or be passionate about, you’ll find improvements in all areas of your health, and not just mental health. It’s easy to get down on yourself or become overwhelmed with stress; while this is bound to happen from time to time, long term stress can actually change your brain in deleterious ways. Strive for positivity! Tell yourself that it’s ok, that you love yourself and try to avoid negative thoughts about others (hard at times, I know!). Lastly, remember that you are worth every hard effort you take!

Asmundson G, Fetzner M, DeBoer L, Powers M, Otto M, Smits J. (2012) Let’s get physical: a contemporary review of the anxiolytic effects of exercise for anxiety and its disorders. doi: 10.1002/da.22043.

McEwen, B. (2012) Brain on stress: How the social environment gets under the skin. doi:10.1073/pnas.1121254109.

Sarris J, Moylan S, Camfield D, Pase M, Berk M, Jacka F, Schweitzer L.(2012) Complementary Medicine, Exercise, Meditation, Diet, and Lifestyle Modification for Anxiety Disorders: A Review of Current Evidence. doi:10.1155/2012/809653.

Nothing too exciting has happened on my end this week; just school, work, writing… I was actually quite sick for the last 30 or so hours, but I feel so much better today!

Here’s a picture taken by my friend Dan! Oh boy, I cannot wait for the warm weather so I can start climbing outside again!

This article can also be found on the sunwarrior website http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/sweet-preferences-do-you-have-a-sweet-tooth/

Our desire for sweet food spans back throughout our evolution; sweetness would have helped our ancestors identify foods with more energy and essential nutrients. What was once advantageous is now a driving force behind our obesity epidemic and the rise of chronic diseases. Do you have a sweet tooth that you just can’t satisfy? This article will give you some of the science behind food preferences, with a focus on sweets.

Sweet taste receptors are located in both our mouths and intestines. When they are stimulated, a cascade occurs in our brain; pleasure is ultimately derived. Furthermore, the brain circuitry from sweets has some overlap with the response from addictive drugs such as opiates. Sweets also have pain-reducing properties; this can be easily seen in babies, where a sweet drink will reduce their response to painful stimuli. Sweeter foods can help alleviate PMS and stress, which is why they can be labelled as ‘comfort’ foods. Sweet preferences are associated with the sensitivity to their mood changing effects.

Many factors influence the development of food preference in kids, starting with the mother’s diet while in utero or breast feeding. The ability to detect levels of sweetness is present in newborns; babies will notably consume more liquid if it’s sweetened. When distressed, the face of a baby will relax (and often smile) while consuming a sweeter beverage. When a stranger feeds a baby something sweet, the baby will not only be calmed but also show a preference for that individual in the future; a secret way to win a baby’s affection. Behavioral controls with sweet tastes are clear even in early life.

Babies and young children base many of their choices of food off of sweetness and familiarity. Furthermore, early exposure to sweetened foods leads to an increased preference later in life. Development of food preference depends on past experience, energy density, taste, and social environments during our upbringings. Current estimates in the USA suggest that added sugar accounts for 15.9% of the caloric intake in children 2–5 years of age, and 18.6% for those aged 6–11. Most of this sugar is found in drinks, predominantly in flavored milk and pop. Our bodies have evolved to prefer, once rare, sweet and energy dense foods; this is intensified during childhood, maybe due to the higher energy needs during periods of growth (although the mechanisms are still widely unknown).

In adults, sweet preferences show a lot of variation; genetics may play a role in terms of taste receptors in our mouths and their sensitivity to levels of sweetness. Many of the attitudes we have toward food predominantly comes from our childhoods, this makes it especially important for us to not reward kids with food. Regardless of the large variation, hedonic (eating for pleasure) responses are universal. Obese individuals have a greater hedonic drive along with a decreased perceived sweetness; preference increases with increased sweetness as BMI increases.

Low-calorie sweeteners are often used to replace sugar, however concerns over the effect on appetite, taste response, and other factors has arisen. Furthermore, what are the long-term consequences of low-calorie sweetener consumption, especially when introduced during infancy? The role of sweeteners on food preference is an important research area; a better understanding of its consequences is needed.

It’s clear that our sweet preferences largely comes from our childhoods, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost if you have a sweet tooth. Try to eliminate refined sugars from your diet for a span; you’ll notice in just a few days that your cravings will subside. Focus on eating more vegetables and protein (Sunwarrior protein is great), the fiber and protein will help boost satiety, making it easier to say no to dessert items. Still drinking pop? Stop! The amount of sugar in one bottle is outrageous. If you want something fizzy, try carbonated water with lemon juice; this is a great alternative while trying to kick bad habits. The health effects of a high sugar diet are enormous, so remember that you’re worth it when you’re struggling with kicking a sweet tooth.

Sugar consumption has risen dramatically, especially in our youth; at the same time diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and obesity have also shot up. More and more evidence is linking our higher sugar diets with the rise of these chronic diseases. We have an especially hard time today with the increased availability of energy-dense sweet foods; our bodies have evolved to desire these food items. About 35% of Americans fall into a pre-diabetic range, while 12% have diabetes; the occurrence of obesity has risen to 35% of American citizens! Furthermore, people with diabetes are at a fourfold greater risk for heart disease. Don`t wait to kick your sweet tooth; there is no time like the present to start showing your body the love (in the form of a good diet) it deserves.

Drewnowski A, Mennella J, Johnson S, Bellisle F. (2012) Sweetness and Food Preference. J Nutr; 142(6):1142S-8S.

Goff LM, Cowland DE, Hooper L, Frost GS. (2012) Low glycaemic index diets and blood lipids: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2012.06.002.

Khardori R, Nguyen D. (2012) Glucose control and cardiovascular outcomes: reorienting approach. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2012.00110.

Sonestedt E, Overby N, Laaksonen D, Birgisdottir B. (2012) Does high sugar consumption exacerbate cardiometabolic risk factors and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease? Food Nutr Res.; 56: 10.3402/fnr.v56i0.19104.

Very, very busy week for me! Decided to start applying for jobs and was surprised that people were actually responding to me! lol I’m now going to be submitting articles to Sunwarrior vegan supplements! I’ll be doing 2 per week (and then post them here a few days later after they’re published!). Hopefully I’ll still be able to post things twice a week here; I’ll try my best!

Aside from that, had a games night with friends last night. Played Jenga for the first time ever and apples to apples for the remainder of the night; anyone ever play that one? Lot’s of fun! School is starting to pick up; still really enjoying my classes. Hopefully I can keep all of this up between work, school, climbing, Sunwarrior and this blog (without having a nervous breakdown that is haha :p)!

Here’s another picture of me taken by my friend Dan! (Like his work? Check out his website at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nvee/)

This article can also be found on the Sunwarrior website http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/are-you-getting-enough-sleep/

Sleep is a vital factor towards our well-being, but within the last 50 years Americans have reported a 1.5-2 hour reduction in sleep per night. Modern life continuously devalues sleep; our increasingly busy lifestyles are leading to widespread sleep deficiencies. At the same time; obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases have sky rocketed. Are you one of those people who are always tired? Is your life just too busy to fit in a good night’s sleep?

Here’s an overview of what happens metabolically throughout a good night’s rest. While we sleep, our metabolisms are slowed; breathing, digestion, heart rate and movements are decreased so that our energy needs are much lower. In turn, blood sugar levels remain relatively stable throughout the night. If individuals are, on the other hand, kept awake while fasting for about the same time frame, blood sugar levels would fall significantly. Our metabolisms reflect our energy requirements while we’re either awake or sleeping; our metabolisms appear to follow diurnal rhythms. Sleep is a necessity in recovery; when we don’t get enough, our health will ultimately suffer. Research indicates a strong relationship with sleep deprivation and, in addition to cognitive function, chronic diseases.

Shortened sleep can result in weight gain, which can then interfere with sleep; a vicious cycle is created when we miss out. Sleep deprived individuals reportedly have a 35% greater chance of gaining more than 5kg over the course of 6 years. There are so many of us out there who just keep gaining weight year after year. While there’s obviously a number of things causing this weight gain, sleep is likely one of the factors. Lack of sleep (less than 6 hours per night) alters our metabolisms in profound ways, the end results are dramatic; insulin resistance, decreased energy requirements, enhanced appetites and damaged immune systems. What does that mean? Weight gain and chronic disease!

Why would our bodies have a worsened glucose tolerance following a restless night? Well, let’s look at this through an evolutionary perspective. Our ancestors would have likely remained awake when there was some kind of threat; in this respect, a heightened glucose availability state would have been an advantage. Appetite stimulation would have resulted in an increased food intake which meant more energy and so on and so forth. Today, clearly what was once advantageous is now detrimental; studies consistently show an increase in BMI with decreased sleep. What more? Being overweight (BMI 25kg/m2 and higher) linearly increases our risks for chronic disease and death.

Resent research is linking sleep loss with our immune and inflammatory systems. Whole body, low-level, inflammation as well as an activation of our immune system occurs after sleep loss. Furthermore, one night of recovery sleep doesn’t reverse the lack of sleep the previous night; inflammatory and immune cell markers stay elevated. These inflammatory and immune cell markers do a number of things including raising our risks for heart disease and other chronic diseases. If you’re an athlete and have never understood why you can’t fully recover between workouts, sleep may be the answer.

What are some steps you can take to get more sleep? Naps are great! Short naps under 20 minutes will avoid a lot of the grogginess associated with longer naps. When these short naps follow coffee consumption, alertness will be even greater after the nap. Bright lights after a nap are also a good idea to avoid grogginess. Try getting into the habit of going to bed earlier. If you have problems falling asleep, it would be a good idea to avoid brighter lights (e.g. computer) before bedtime. It may be hard at first, but eventually you should be able to break your bad habits and get in more valuable sleeping time.

Sleep is a fundamental requirement for all mammals. Why? That remains to be a mystery. Whatever the reason, chronic sleep deprivation leads to a slew of health problems including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. By 2010, an estimated 33% of adult Americans were overweight and 36% were obese! Approximately 8.3% of Americans had diabetes and 35% fit into the pre-diabetic range. Clearly this isn’t just because of lack of sleep, but a variety of factors including exercise and diet; either way, sleep plays its part. No matter how busy you are, make time for a good night’s sleep! Your body will thank you for it!

Hope you all have a great weekend!
Jen

Faraut B, Boudjeltia K, Vanhammed L, Kerkhofs M.(2012) Immune, inflammatory and cardiovascular consequences of sleep restriction and recovery. Sleep Med Rev 16:137-149.

Kamdar B, Needham D, Collop N.(2012) Sleep Deprivation in Critical Illness Its Role in Physical and Psychological Recovery. J Intensive Care Med 27(2):97-111.

Killick R, Banks S, Liu P.(2012) Implications of Sleep Restriction and Recovery on Metabolic Outcomes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 97:3876–3890.

Lucassen E, Rother K, Cizza G.(2012) Interacting epidemics? Sleep curtailment, insulin resistance, and obesity. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1264(1):110–134.

I opted out of my nutrition symposium to surprise my family back home and have a better visit; the three days at home during Christmas were kind of spoiled by a stomach virus. So glad I decided to come home, it’s nice to spend time with my family and dog, especially before my school life gets busier. Oh, and if you haven’t already, I strongly recommend seeing Les Mis; such a great movie!

Here’s a picture of me at my climbing gym, taken by my friend Dan!

Overall, vegetarians have a tendency towards lower BMIs, better health, longer lifespans and reduced rates of chronic diseases, but is it the vegetarian diet itself that’s providing these positive outcomes? It’s still unclear if benefits are derived from; lack of meat, increased fruits and vegetables, or other components of the vegetarian diet. While there is some very clear health benefits derived from plant based diets, there are also risks in terms of adequate nutrients when following an unplanned vegetarian diet. This blog post will explore many aspects of the vegetarian diet, hope you enjoy!

What exactly does a vegetarian diet entail to? Vegetarian diets are traditionally defined as the absence of meat but there are many variations including lacto-vegetarians (includes dairy), lacto-ovo-vegetarians (includes eggs and dairy), pesco-vegetarian (includes fish) and vegan (no animal products). These diets are characterised by a high intake of fruits, vegetables, soy, nuts, legumes, etc. which independently provide many health benefits.

A pooled analysis of several cohort studies involving about 76000 individuals over about a decade reported that vegetarians had a 24% reduction in death from heart disease when compared to regular meat eaters. Further, people who were only eating meat occasionally had a 20% reduction compared to regular meat eaters in the development of heart disease. Current research indicates the reduction of meat will result in a reduced risk for heart disease. Much of this stems from the differences in BMI’s, cholesterol (reduction in both total and LDL cholesterol) and blood pressure between vegetarians and omnivores. Vegetarians, especially vegans, have significantly lower body weights than the general population; on average, the BMI of vegetarians are 1-2kg/m2 less than omnivores (gender and age matched). In the Adventist Health study, they found that BMI increased as meat consumption increased.

Research is limited on the relation between vegetarianism and cancer and diabetes but overall, epidemiological data suggests that cancer and diabetes rates are both lower in vegetarians. Furthermore, clinical vegetarian dietary interventions have shown significant reductions in fasting blood sugar, although these results may be due to the weight loss of the intervention groups.

So what makes plant based diets so effective against fighting and preventing chronic diseases? The answer to this question is multifactorial and complex and includes (but isn’t limited to) the following…

Vegetarian diets are characterised by an increased consumption of both fruit and vegetables which contain many healthy compounds including fibre, phytochemicals, antioxidants and vitamins that may offer protection from chronic diseases. Fruit and vegetable consumption consistently reduces risks for heart disease and other chronic diseases. Nuts, which are consumed in greater frequencies on average in vegetarians, are good sources of sterols (as well as antioxidants and minerals) and consistently show a reduced risk for heart disease. A meta-analysis showed that people who consumed nuts four or more times weekly had a 37% reduced risk of death from heart disease.

In several epidemiological studies, consumption of red and processed meat resulted in an increased risk for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Processed meat consumption was associated with a 42% increase in heart disease risk for each 50g/day increase in consumption. For more on this topic, see my blog post on processed meat.

While carefully planned vegetarian diets can provide enough nutrients, nutrient deficiencies can occur when diets are not carefully planned (like any other diet). The nutrients most likely to be deficient are iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and omega-3s.

Intakes of iron should be higher in vegetarians since plant sourced, non-heme, iron is less bioavailable. The bioavailability of non-heme iron can be enhanced by an increased intake of vitamin C.

Vitamin B12 is almost only found in animal based products, deficiencies can result in pernicious anemia and megaloblastic anemia. Vitamin B12 deficiencies are often hard to determine, especially in vegetarians, because folic acid (in plants) will mask a B12 deficiency. Frequently B12 will have to be achieved through fortification (in many yeasts, soy and cereals) or supplementation.

Dietary vitamin D typically comes from oily fish, fortified margarines and cereals; vitamin D can be a concern, especially in northern latitudes with less sunlight exposure or during the winter. Many vegan products are fortified with vitamin D, but a supplement may be required in some cases,
particularly in the winter.

Omega-3s are essential for good health (see blog post on omega-3s), but in vegetarian diets, omega-3s are often much lower (particularly marine omega-3s EPA and DHA) and higher in omega-6s. Plant derived ALA omega-3s, which is a common part of a vegetarian diet, need to be converted in our bodies after consumption to EPA and then DHA. The rate of that conversion is extremely low and therefore ALA omega-3s may not be sufficient. Vegan DHA supplements, which are derived from algae, would be a good idea for vegetarians.

And some concluding thoughts; a plant based diet can be a powerful tool in disease prevention, when done right, and an environmentally friendly way of life. Whether you’re vegetarian or not, hopefully this post has shed light on the many aspects of a plant based diet!

Hope you all have a great start to the week!
Jen

Fraser GE (1999) Associations between diet and cancer, ischemic heart disease, and all cause mortality in non- Hispanic white California Seventh-day Adventists. Am J Clin Nutr 70, Suppl. 3, 532S–538S.

Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Marchie A et al. (2003) Type 2 diabetes and the vegetarian diet. Am J Clin Nutr 78, 3 Suppl., 610S–616S.

Kelly JH Jr, Sabate´ J (2006) Nuts and coronary heart disease: an epidemiological perspective. Br J Nutr 96, Suppl. 2, S61–S67.

McEvoy C, Temple N, Woodside J. (2012) Vegetarian diets, low-meat diets and health: a review. Public Health Nutri., 15:12.

Hectic first week of school! Already spending way too much time in the library; spend about 12 hours over the last 2 days getting ahead in my Biochem class… hopefully that’ll make things easier for the rest of the semester. Outside of school work, a really cool symposium is happening at my school on nutrition and heart disease, a day event on Saturday with researchers from around North America coming in to give talks! Am pretty excited to hear them and talk with some of these people .

Anyways, here’s a picture of me taken by my friend Dan!

A lot of research has been done showing the effects of nutrient timing on the adaptive response to exercise. Nutrient timing is something athletes can take advantage of on their quests for performance gains from training; it should replenish glycogen stores, promote muscle growth and promote muscle repair. So with that said this post will be on eating for performance! Enjoy

First things first, why is glycogen so important? Glycogen is stored in our muscles and ultimately provides glucose, an essential fuel, during exercise. An inadequate glycogen store will result in a faster time to fatigue. Intakes of carbohydrates are important to maximize and replenish glycogen stores and therefore reduce the time to fatigue.

With that said, what should you consider eating pre-workout? Low glycemic (GI) and high GI carbohydrates would be suitable to consume before a workout to provide both immediate and sustained energy. More recently, studies have indicated that pre-workout ingestion of protein and creatine (before resistance training) are effective for enhancing training adaptations and decreasing muscle damage(further improved when combined with carbohydrates). The optimal protein and carbohydate content in a pre-workout meal depends on what your workout entails to, but general guidelines recommend 1-2g or carbs/kg and 0.15-0.25g of protein/kg 3-4 hour before competition.

What about during? Carbohydrate availability and muscle glycogen levels are key for optimal endurance performance; as exercise increases over 60 minutes, dietary carbohydrates become more important to maintain blood glucose and muscle glycogen (The recommended dose is 30-60g or carbs/hr). The addition of protein to carbohydrates (at about 3-4:1 carb:protein) has been shown to increase endurance performance even more in both the short and long term. Whether taking carbs alone or with protein during resistance training, both will increase muscle glycogen content, decrease muscle damage and enhance training adaptations.

And finally, what should you consider post-exercise? The first 45 minutes following a workout is considered the ‘window of opportunity’ for athletes. During this time there is a shift from catabolism to anabolism, replenishment of muscle glycogen, increased blood flow, growth and repair. During this time, there is also an improved insulin sensitivity (increased GLUT4 (glucose carriers) to cell membranes to take in glucose) and an increase in the activity of glycogen synthase (which promotes glycogen synthesis). The body can better handle high GI carbohydrates during and after physical activity.

The rate of glycogen synthesis post-training has been shown to be proportional to blood insulin; therefore higher GI carbohydrates will replenish glycogen stores faster than low GI carbohydrates. That rate and amount increases even more when carbohydrates are taken with protein. Athletes should select which carbohydrate they’ll have based on how much time they have to recover between workouts. Most athletes will be able to replenish their glycogen using a low-medium GI carbohydrate.

In the 3 hours following a work-out, it is vital to get your protein. Intake of protein within these first 3 hours is shown to improve muscle protein synthesis; the addition of carbs will give even better results. The addition of creatine (at 0.1g Cr/kg/day) to a carbohydrate and protein mixture may provide even greater adaptations when doing resistance training (note, this will cause a small weight gain).

If you’re like me and don’t eat grains, you might be asking; how do I get high GI carbohydrates? These can be found in foods such as bananas and sweet potatoes. GI tables are readily available online .

Hopefully this post has shed some light on the science of nutrient timing and eating for performance!

Hope you all have a great Friday!

Jen

Kerksick, C., Harvey, T., Stout, J., Campbell, B., Wilborn, C., Kreider, R., Kalman, D., Ziegenfuss, T., Lopez, H., Landis, J., Ivy, J., & Antonio, J. (2008) International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 5:17.

Robergs, R, Roberts S. (1997) Exercise Physiology: Exercise, Performance, and Clinical Applications. Dubuque, IA: William C. Brown Publishers.

And back to school! Had my first day of class yesterday, so far I’m loving my classes! Looking forward to my final semester, and of course being done! I can’t even imagine not having school, I’m up for some big life changes this year; hopefully for the best :p.

Here’s a picture taken of my friend and I leaving a Craig in Ontario

Flavonoids in our diets have been decreasing with the rise of westernized diets; today we are frequently missing out on the many health benefits that flavonoids can provide. This post will be about flavonoids and their many health benefits; enjoy .

Firstly, let’s start with the basics. What are phytochemicals? ‘Phyto’ is the Greek word for plant, so phytochemicals can be defined as plant chemicals. They are generally non-nutritive with physiologically active components. In plants, they serve as protection from things like pests but in humans, many of them have mechanisms for disease prevention. So far, there are over 900 classes of phytochemicals identified. Some identified phytochemicals include allicin (in garlic), flavonoids, phytoestrogens, lycopene, etc.

Flavonoids are a class of polyphenols (in all plant organs, traditionally considered an anti-nutrient) which are a class of phytochemical. Polyphenols are secondary metabolites of plants and are essential to plant physiology, contributing to plant color, growth, reproduction, protection, etc. The concentration in a plant is influenced by a number of things including light, ripeness, processing, storage, etc. Its presence can increase the sour or bitter taste in the plants we eat.

So what’s so special about flavonoids? There’s a lot of research currently being done on flavonoids showing support on their ability to reduce the risks for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. Essentially, any condition that is associated with oxidative stress would be a possibility for risk reductions with flavonoids. Flavonoids act as an anti-oxidant, hormonal or anti-hormonal (e.g. estrogenic or anti-estrogenic), anti-proliferative, anti-thrombotic, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, etc. Clearly, flavonoids are healthy additions to our diets.

Flavonoids are in all plants, concentrated in their outer parts and typically with only trace amounts found under the soil (with exceptions including garlic and onions). Over 5000 flavonoids have been discovered with six major subclasses based on structural variation; flavones, flavonols, flavanones, flavanols, anthocyanidins, and isoflavones.

While fruits, vegetables, tea, and cocoa are rich natural sources of flavonoids, alternative sources of flavonoids, using dietary supplements, have become increasingly popular. Consumers seem to have a misperception of flavonoid supplements, and other plant supplements, with the assumption that since it`s `natural` it must be safe. This is simply not true. While plant sources have a complex mix of other secondary plant metabolites, supplements contain only (or almost only) one flavonoid; purified flavonoids bring issues such as toxicity or drug interactions as well as nutritional interactions (e.g. may affect vitamin C status).

Why would we put ourselves at risk when flavonoids are widely present in our diets? Just by upping our fruit and vegetable intake, we can reap the rewards. In fact, a recent meta-analysis showed that fruit and vegetable consumption decreased the risks for heart disease in a dose dependant fashion; heart disease risks dropped by 4% with each additional portion of fruit and vegetables throughout the day. Consuming our nutrients in food complexes is definitely the way to go; the complete plant profile is more important in terms of health than only one plant compound.

And some concluding thoughts; eat your fruits and vegetables, it’s as simple as that. Flavonoids are just one of the many benefits we receive from eating plant based foods. Hope you all have a great day!

Jen

Dixon R, Pasinetti G. (2010) Flavonoids and Isoflavonoids: From Plant Biology to Agriculture and Neuroscience. Plant Physiol.; 154(2): 453–457.

Egert S, Rimbach G. (2011) Which Sources of Flavonoids: Complex Diets or Dietary Supplements? Adv Nutr.; 2(1): 8–14.

Grassi D, Desideri G, Ferri C. (2010) Flavonoids: Antioxidants Against Atherosclerosis. Nutrients.; 2(8): 889–902.

Is it already Friday? Where has the week gone?

My week has been pretty uneventful and consisted of; working, climbing, writing and finishing off Smallville lol; good timing because school resumes next week! My courses this coming semester include a pharmacology class, a biochem. Class, and two nutrition classes (one worth two credits). Looking forwarded to them !

Here’s a picture taken by my friend Will in Ontario

By the end of 2011, the UN stated that non-communicable diseases (including heart disease, obesity and diabetes), for the first time, have outpaced infectious diseases as a main threat to human health around the world. What is causing this shift? Today our sugar consumption has gone way up along with the consumption of high glycemic index foods. Could this be the answer? This blog will be on glycemic indexes (GI) and their implications towards our health, hope you enjoy!

Sugar consumption has dramatically increased, being especially prominent in our youth and children. At the same time, the prevalence of chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes has dramatically increased. Considerable evidence links low GI diets with good health while higher GI diets are associated with chronic diseases. Furthermore, recent work indicates that high-GI foods increase our hunger and decrease our satiety. Today, we have a great availability for energy rich foods. Approximately 35% of U.S. adults fall into the pre-diabetic range, while an estimate 12.0% have diabetes. Diabetes, when diagnosed during midlife, is associated with the loss of 10 years off of lives; much of this is related with diabetes relation to heart disease. Diabetics are at a two to fourfold higher risk for heart disease. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2009 to 2010, 33% of adult Americans were overweight and 36% were obese!

So how does GI work? GI is widely known yet, for some reason, is controversial in its use; it is a kinetic parameter describing a foods ability to raise blood glucose. Food can be categorized on a scale from 0-100 depending on blood sugar effects and then be put into 3 categories; 1) Low GI(up to 55), 2) medium GI(56-70) and 3) high GI(over 70). Lower GI foods have lower rates of glucose entrance into our blood and therefore a lower insulin response. Slower digested carbohydrate rich diets are associated with a reduced risk for heart disease, diabetes and cataract risk. Before I move on, I think that it’s important to mention that, while table sugar has a GI of 65, white bread’s average GI is around 71.

What determines the GI of a given food?

In order to understand GI’s we have to first understand carbohydrates. Carbohydrates (a.k.a. sugar) can be split up into the following categories; monosaccharaides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Monosaccharaides include glucose (the main sugar we use for energy), galactose and fructose. Disaccharides (two sugar molecules) include sucrose (table sugar, glucose + fructose), lactose (milk sugar, glucose + galactose) and maltose (a building block for starch, glucose + glucose). Finally, our polysaccharides include our starches (polymers of glucose), and non-starches.

Starch can be divided into rapidly digestible, slowly digestible and resistant; starches with higher amylose content tend to be more resistant to digestion than ones with higher amylopectin. Rapidly digestible starches will raise our blood glucose faster and cause an episode of hypoglycaemia (with an increased risk for insulin resistance and diabetes). Slowly digested starches provide a more sustained glucose release, without the spike associated with rapidly digested starches and with prolonged energy availability (with improvements in insulin sensitivity). And finally, resistant starch is not digested in our small intestine but fermented by our gut micro-flora (beneficial for our colon health). So why have I told you all of this?

Our body can only absorb monosaccharaides, so polysaccharides must be broken down into their monomers (single molecule) before we can use them. Glucose is the easiest monomer for our bodies to use since it doesn’t require further modifications (our bodies use glucose). Fructose and galactose on the other hand require further processing (in our liver) before we can use them. As a result, in sucrose and lactose (glucose + fructose, galactose + glucose), while the glucose can be quickly used, the galactose or fructose molecules will need to be sent to the liver for processing.The need for further processing results in a lower blood sugar spike. GI’s are dictated by the monosaccharaides present in carbohydrates as well as other factors including refinement.Since starches are strings of glucose molecules, depending on their refinement, amylose content and amylopectin content, they may result in a spike in our blood glucose.This is why breads can have a higher GI than sugar (which contains fructose and glucose); so does that mean all grains are high GI?

Grains consist of a large variety of foods, in turn there is a variety of GI’s associated with them. Generally, the more processed or refined a carbohydrate is, the higher the GI (lower GI grains include barley and bulgur wheat). Breads (both white and whole grain) are generally made with pulverized grains rather than cracked grains; as a result, their GI’s are quite high. If you want a lower GI grain, look to ones in a more natural state (e.g. cracked or whole) since it takes longer to digest. Pasta is a bit different, when cooked ‘al dente’ (just tender) and eaten in moderate amounts it has a lower GI than when well cooked (comes down to the ease of digestion). So my answer to the above question, like most things; it depends.

And some concluding thoughts, chronic diseases are reaching epidemic proportions in modern societies; clearly something’s going wrong. While the use of glycemic index is, for some reason, controversial, I believe that they should be used more frequently. Why is the use of glycemic indexes controversial? Why do our food guides continue to have such high refined grain content? Reduced glycemic indexes are associated with a reduction in chronic diseases (including diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart disease, etc.), and are therefore good concepts to incorporate into our diets (Glycemic index reference tables can be found pretty easily online). Hopefully this post has shed some light on glycemic indexes!

Hope you all have a great day!
Jen

Aller E, Abete I, Astrup A, Martinez A, Baak M. (2011) Starches, Sugars and Obesity. Nutrients; 3(3): 341–369.

Chiu C, Liu S, Willett W, Wolever T, Brand-Miller J, Barclay A, and Taylor A. (2011) Informing food choices and health outcomes by use of the dietary glycemic index. Nutr Rev.; 69(4): 231–242.

Foster-Powell K, Holt S, Brand-Miller J. (2002) International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2002. Am J Clin Nutr;76(1): 5-56.

Goff LM, Cowland DE, Hooper L, Frost GS. (2012) Low glycaemic index diets and blood lipids: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2012.06.002.

Khardori R, Nguyen D. (2012) Glucose control and cardiovascular outcomes: reorienting approach. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2012.00110.

Sonestedt E, Overby N, Laaksonen D, Birgisdottir B. (2012) Does high sugar consumption exacerbate cardiometabolic risk factors and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease? Food Nutr Res.; 56: 10.3402/fnr.v56i0.19104.

Happy New Year everyone!!

This New Year’s Eve might have been one of the best ones yet for me! After deciding I was going to just stay home and go to bed early, my roommate was able to talk me into going with her to downtown Toronto. So glad I went! Great times, people AND fireworks!

After a bit of thought, I have a few resolutions for 2013… 1) talk to my family more 2) be a bit less of a hermit lol and 3) climb outside even more than I did last year! Do you guys have any resolutions for 2013?

Here’s a picture of me climbing in Collingwood, Ontario

More and more research is reporting a lower rate of heart disease in individuals with higher dietary fibre intakes. Fibre effectively decreases total and LDL cholesterol, improves insulin sensitivity, improves satiety, decreases inflammation, etc. Are you getting enough? This post will be on the importance of fibre for heart disease prevention! Hope you enjoy!

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in developed countries. It is considered an inflammatory disease beginning with free radical deposition, an increased total and LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein remnants at the subendotheilia of our arteries. Local inflammation, calcification, arterial thrombosis, plaque disruption and vasoconstriction follow. Its development ultimately depends on the number of oxidized lipoproteins in, primarily, the arterial subendotheium. Diets alone can effectively lower the LDL and total cholesterol content, oxidation, blood pressure, thrombogenesis, etc.

So clearly a diet high in fibre protects us from heart disease, but what exactly is dietary fibre? Dietary fiber can be defined as edible plant material that’s resistant to digestion in our small intestine. It is considered a “complex carbohydrate.” Fibre can be categorized as either soluble or insoluble…

Soluble Fiber, like the name suggests, can partially dissolve in water to form a gel. This gel can slowly move through our digestive systems, trapping fat and toxins along the way, eventually removing them from our bodies. The heart benefits from soluble fibre are primarily due to the longer time it takes to digest and slower rates of absorption. Good sources include nuts, seeds, fruits, beans, lentils, flax, legumes, carrots, etc.

Insoluble Fiber, on the other hand, doesn’t dissolve in water and moves through our digestive tract undigested. It helps to provide bulk, strengthen the muscles of our colon and essentially sweeps the walls of our colon, keeping them clean. As a result, insoluble fibre improves regularity, reduces constipation, removes toxins through the colon, decreases colon cancer risk, maintains intestinal pH, etc. Good sources include vegetables, fruit skins, seeds, etc. While soluble fibre has positive effects on reducing heart disease factors, insoluble fibres has been the most consistently shown to reduce heart disease risks.

The average North American doesn’t get nearly enough dietary fibre; a study in 2005 by statistics Canada showed that the average Canadian only consumed about 13 grams of fibre a day. The suggested fibre intake is actually between 25-40grams per day (a very wide range!); the upper end (or higher) would be my personal recommendation for optimal health. A prolonged inadequate fibre intake leads to the accumulation of undigested food in our colon which ferments, essentially goes bad and ultimately has toxic effects which leads to poor health and chronic disease. Why are we consistently missing the mark for fibre intake? Is it our education systems? The cost for healthy food? Our westernized diets continue to prove unhealthy, something needs to change!

So a wrap up; fibre keeps our bowels healthy, helps manage blood glucose, controls appetite, acts as a ‘prebiotic’, protects against chronic diseases (including heart disease), decreases calories absorbed, helps manage and prevent digestive disorders and helps eliminate unwanted substances from our bodies. Hopefully this post has shed some light on the importance of getting enough fibre!

Happy New Year everyone!

Jen

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