Dealing with Food Cravings.

Instagram and food shows have made it harder to lose weight. I can’t even count how many times I’ve come across a video on YouTube teaching you how to make cookies and cream donuts only to find myself at the grocery store 20 minutes later looking for something similar to what I just saw.

The thing about all of this variety and access to tasty foods is that they aren’t necessarily the healthiest at times. Yes, I understand that a little bit of balance will allow us to enjoy our Pasta and Ice Cream while maintaining optimal health, but that’s easier said than done.

I always roll my eyes at people who talk about food strictly from a numbers standpoint and disregard the cravings aspect of it. I know I can have 5 cookies and stay within 50g of carbs, but what if its hard for me to only eat 5 cookies? What if I want more? What will numbers do for me then?

With that being said, here are my 3 tips to help you deal with food cravings.

1.     Create a set of rules that qualify you to eat something high in sugar. For example, I always tell clients to have your dessert match your activity level. Plan on meeting a friend for ice cream and waffles? Then plan to workout before going out.

2.     Distract yourself. In some cases, your going to simply eat whatever you have your mind set on. In most cases, cravings are another way of your body saying its bored. Have a random craving for mango sticky rice 2 hours after dinner? Go out for a walk at the mall, call a friend to chat or even better, go to the gym. Placing your focus on something else cuts the edge of the anticipation of something sweet.

3.     Understand that you can eat whatever you want, but you have a choice to decide what you eat. Framing foods this way will take power away from cheesecake. I have this idea that if Louis Vuitton purses were sold for $35 at Ross then the hype of having one would go away. This same thought process happens with food. The more you say you can’t eat it, the more you want to eat it.

And those are my 3 tips on dealing with cravings. Remember, food shouldn’t simply be looked at as bad and good, but instead over consumed and under-consumed.

how much of a role does food play when addressing pain and inflammation?

My goal isn’t to breakdown inflammation at the cellular level in this post. I’ll admit that the title sounds pretty broad and general. I’m also not here to tell you that your goji berry, mint and arugula salad will magically heal your nagging knee pain.

Mostly because I don’t see the combo of those ingredients tasting good together (in my opinion) but most importantly because there are so many factors that come into play when addressing an injury and saying that food alone will heal everything would be untrue.

What I will say is that the types of foods you eat can eliminate low-grade inflammation and in some cases, can speed up the process of healing a sustained injury. Conversely, certain types of foods should be avoided as they either cause or contribute to an inflamed state. Let me paint you a picture…

A patient or client comes in complaining of an ongoing achy knee or shoulder joint. Seeing a chiropractor or physiotherapist will eventually get them better (They’ll address compensations and the biomechanical issues that are contributing to the pain as well as a number of other things).

However, a well-constructed diet plan that complements the ongoing manual therapy, can get you better faster or at the very least, help manage the pain the client is experiencing by significantly lowering inflammation. As a nutritionist, I’m biased. If I can address one part of inflammation through the immune system response, then why wouldn’t you want this alongside your manual therapy protocol?

How about certain disc issues? In this case, food can play a therapeutic role when we have fluid from the disc in which the body sees as foreign. This jumpstarts the immune response and its inflammatory cytokines. The quicker the immune cells act on this, the quicker the inflammatory response goes down.

When we talk about pain from an injury, we’re usually speaking of inflammation. This we can drastically improve with the right diet.  Examples of how poor food choices can manifest itself as physical pain….

1.     Poor food choices cause an antigen/antibody response that brings upon inflammatory markers. This is the process by which the body doesn’t recognize certain foods and calls upon the immune system to get rid of it thereby causing an inflammatory response.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as inflammation is a part of the healing process, but this becomes an issue when inflammation progresses into chronic inflammation. If you ingest something that’s foreign to the body (oh let’s say skittles or trans fats), then the immune system is called upon and the inflammatory response begins. This has more to do with low-grade inflammation.

2.     Inflammation is an important process in the body. If inflammation is a consequence of an immune response then we should be supporting the function of our immune system. Probiotics, prebiotics, whole foods and cofactors found in healthy foods support immune function. Ya dig?

3.     An imbalance of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids can lead to an inflammatory response because of the hormone-like factors known as prostaglandins. Note: Omega 6 in excess is inflammatory. Because of the way food is processed, were getting more omega 6s than we need. This is where sushi has a therapeutic effect!

I understand that this is only one piece of the pie and in no way am I trying to say that food alone is the reason you’re in pain. After all, you didn’t piss your back off deadlifting because you didn’t eat a kale salad. What I’m saying is the therapeutic effect of food and supplementation should be considered when addressing pain and inflammation.

Eat. Move. Be Happy.

Detox Programs That Actually Work.

The word detox carries a lot of meaning. To a health practitioner, it’s an intervention much more complicated then a 5-day juice cleanse. The hardcore practitioner will scoff at the idea of a juice cleanse and say that detox protocols are much more intense and calculated.

For the purposes of this blog post, let's just use the word detox and reset interchangeably and not get into the debate about what is a true detox. Alright, let's go…The body has 6 organs of elimination. These organs include the bowel, liver, gallbladder, kidneys, skin and the lymphatic system. Whatever we can do to upregulate and strengthen these organs should be the aim of any introductory cleanse or detox. 

With this being said, I’m going to outline some recommendations that will press the reset button and strengthen these organs.

1.     Open the doors. If we sweep a house, let us open the doors so that we’re not just recirculating the dust. In this case, toxins. Make sure you have enough fiber. 

2.     Make sure antioxidant intake is high. When mobilizing toxins, we need antioxidants to combat circulating free radicals. Antioxidants that I’ve used include spirulina and chlorella. A quality greens powder will do. 

3.     Drink plenty of water. If we want to take it to the next level, invest in some clean filtered water. High-end grocery stores like Whole Foods Market carry filtration systems that allow you to take home filtered water. Drinking contaminated tap water contradicts the idea of a detox. 

4.     Cut out stimulants like caffeine and alcohol (sorry wine and coffee drinkers). The word here is reset/detox. Let’s not build on dysfunction and allow our body’s signaling pathways to get a break.

5.     Get plenty of sleep. People often believe that since they are doing one thing right, they can afford to neglect another. Sleep will always be important regardless of you doing a detox or not.

6.     Utilize whole foods to reset. The explanation is easy. Without fibre, were not able to mobilize and excrete excess toxins and hormones. Quality and moderate protein is needed for most detoxification pathways.

If I was to invest in something buzz-worthy at the moment, it would be a meal plan service that would set me on the right track. Recently I utilized Living Kitchen, a collective of holistic nutritionists, chefs, and cooks that specialize in making people feel their best.

Not only did they save me the time of preparing my food, but they also offered a detox aimed at jumpstarting the body into a healthier lifestyle. Pssst. In case you didn't know, You can meet your macros with high quality/nutrient-dense foods too. 

Here's a picture of last weeks meal plan from Living Kitchen

"Another One" **Dj Khaled voice**

5 Universal Tips of Dieting.

Nutrition is easy. Of course, this is easier said than done and the wide array of health issues can attest to the idea that nutrition is anything but simple. There is one thing that we can make easier for us, and that’s the stress that we should be eating one way and one way only.

Everyone seems to have his or her own way of eating and at times it can get confusing. This post isn’t meant to steer you into one way of eating, In fact, the bulk of this post is based around the idea that diets should adapt to seasons, conditions and health factors.

To add to this, we need to find a way of eating that is sustainable for us without having any negative emotional effect on us. There are preferred styles of eating, but these styles should be able to adapt based on what the body needs.

Before I go any further, let me be clear that I’m not simply saying that nutrition is free for all and that we should binge on whatever we crave. There are definitely metabolic, hormonal, fungal and psychological issues that need to be addressed in the right context.

For the purposes of this blog, let’s say that we are simply trying to find our place in the class systems of food that have been created. Should you be on a Ketogenic diet? How about a strict Paleo diet? Should I count Macros?

As I said earlier, it can get confusing and fast. With that being said, let me tell you that if the perfect diet is the destination and you’re on this journey, then stop and realize that the destination is the journey. Enjoy the foods that come your way and share it with the ones you love (just don’t overdo the macaroons that your sister’s best friend brought over).

You can count your macros down to a science and I guarantee that some days your body may call out for you to eat outside your macros. Why? Because our relationship with food is much deeper than calorie counting. Were complicated beings and if the area of nutrition were mastered than we would have no such thing as diabetes, obesity or eating disorders.

Did I just get deep? If I did, then I apologize for going down the rabbit hole. To re-establish the purpose of this post, just remember that there are preferred and optimal ways of eating but there is no diet that is the be all end all of diets. It just won’t happen.

Here are my most basic food rules that everyone should build upon. After these rules are established, then our “style” or preferred way of eating can be established off of these staples.

1.     Eat your veggies (if the meal is a show…then the vegetables are the stars of the show).

2.     Manage blood sugar. In the type of world we live in today, we don’t realize how important this point is.

3.     Don’t neglect protein intake. The bros may overdo the protein thing from time to time, but this macronutrient is key to eating optimally.

4.     Don’t neglect your fats. Ever heard of sex hormones? You’ll need fat for those bro.

5. Train. From a metabolic standpoint, lifting something heavy allows helps the body to be more metabolically flexible. This is mostly due to its insulin sensitivity benefits.

No matter what type of diet you choose to follow, these rules will always apply…

Build upon healthy habits, not diets. 

Holly's "Fudgey" Black Bean Brownies

Photo Credit: @jaxxsuds

Holly's "Fudgey" Black Bean Brownies

Today’s recipe comes from my friend Holly Monster who introduced me to the wonders of the black bean brownie. Holly’s a Certified Eating Psychology Coach, Certified Culinary Nutrition Expert and Precision Nutrition Coach. On her off time she’s deadlifting heavy things, shopping for organic meat or hanging out on the dance floor.

Ingredients Needed…

- 1 cup chocolate chips

- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

- 1/4 cup cocoa powder

- 2 eggs

- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil

- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 tbsp. maple syrup

- 1 tsp. mesquite powder

- 1 tsp. lucuma powder

- 1/4 cacao nibs (optional)

Instructions…

- Preheat oven to 350F.

- Grease an 8”x8" glass baking dish with coconut oil.

- Process all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

- Spoon into baking dish and smooth out batter to edges.

- Sprinkle cacao nibs on top (optional but adds a nice crunch!)

- Bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out perfectly clean.

- Allow this to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Enjoy!

Photo Credit: @jaxxsuds

Video: How To Make Pho (Chicken)

Here's the recipe for the chicken pho that I've made in this video.

2 whole chickens feed around 5 people.

Step 1: Broth - Star Anise (4-5), Ginger (1), Onion (1), Cloves (1 tsp) and Cinnamon (1 Stick), Salt (1tbsp), Sugar (1tbsp), Pepper (1 tsp).

Step 2: Cook the chicken in boiling water for 30 mins (with the spices in step 2 added). Remove the chicken, remove the meat and place the bones back into the broth for at least another 30 minutes (the longer the better).

Step 3: Garnish - Basil, Cilantro, Chili Peppers, Lime.

Step 4: Rice Noodles (Soak them in cold water before putting into hot water).

Enjoy the benefits of this soup. It'll definitely keep you warm during the winter months, serve as a post workout meal or keep your heart warm during a cold break-up.

How Protein Can Support Liver Function

Detoxification is synonymous with holistic nutrition. I always find that when the topic of holistic nutrition comes up, a question or comment in regards to detoxification makes its way into the conversation. I’m ok with this because supporting the detoxification and elimination process is a large part of what we as nutritional practitioners do. The downside to this is that there are many misconceptions regarding liver detoxification.

Also, for some reason, a lot of people assume that I walk barefoot and put flowers in my hair while sipping kombucha as I talk to the birds because I’m involved with holistic nutrition. This I can live with because it actually sounds like a really cool thing to assume of someone. Anyways, in this post, I wanted to set two things straight.

First, I don’t walk barefoot in the streets, and secondly, I don’t believe a low protein diet is required in order to maintain a healthy liver. I guess I should address the second statement before someone assumes I’m applying “bro science” to detoxification.

I do believe that in some cases protein should be restricted when liver function is taxed and that fasting has its time and place in jumpstarting liver function. However, long-term protein reduction is definitely not the answer to everyone’s problems.

A little insight into how the body uses protein with regards to liver function (I promise this won’t bore you with this).

In the liver, toxins are neutralized in two phases. To keep things simple, just know that phase 2 of the liver detoxification entails something called “conjugation”. This is where the toxin that leaves the liver is accompanied by a conjugate before being excreted into our waste.

Think of a really drunk girl at the club. She can’t leave alone, she’ll need someone to accompany her out of the club, into the taxi and finally into the toilet. The same thing goes for toxins. Literally. See what I did there? Amino acids can serve as the friend that attaches to the toxin and out the body.

The liver uses glycine, taurine, glutamine arginine and ornithine (all amino acids). This is why a balanced diet of protein is actually required for normal liver function. It’s also an important aspect of methylation but we’ll leave that for another post.

The main point I wanted to get across is that protein is not all that bad! Normally, we’d be hard-pressed to find blog posts that preach about protein being a supportive macronutrient to the liver. I understand that we live in a society where overconsumption is more widespread than underconsumption, but amino acid conjugation is just one thing to consider when looking at the overall function of liver detoxification.

Some tips on choosing protein sources…

1. Opt for organic and sustainably farmed meats.

1. If organic is too expensive, keep in mind that you won’t be buying the same amount of meat if it were commercially farmed. Higher quality = better bioavailability (usability).

1. Avoid overconsuming protein. You can easily come up with your protein amount using apps or websites that will calculate Macros for you. Consult a nutritionist if you’re totally in the dark about the amount.

Eat your protein.

4 Tips to Consider when Supplementing with Iron.

Iron absorption isn’t the sexiest of topics, but the topic seems to have come up more recently for me. It also happens to be the number 1 deficiency on the planet.

I recently ran into a friend who mentioned that her iron supplement doesn’t make her feel any better or worse than when she didn’t take one. As such, I thought I’d share my recommendations for anyone who is not absorbing iron efficiently.

This post may be geared towards my female friends, as the need for iron supplementation isn’t as prevalent in males. Sometimes though, an iron supplement may be necessary for high-level athletes or anyone experiencing leaky gut.

It’s also worth mentioning that this friend of mine happens to lift heavy weights at the gym!

Here are some things to consider when it comes to iron supplementation:

What type of Iron Supplement are you using?

There are two types of iron forms (Ferrous and Ferric form). Most supplements use the ferrous form, as it’s most effectively absorbed and stored. However, the ferric form of iron isn’t useless altogether.

The ferric form acts as a transporter type of iron. This is because it binds to transferrin (iron binding blood plasma). Since iron shifts between the two forms - it might be worth your while to supplement using both forms and assess your symptoms.

Check your gut.

As with all minerals, iron requires an acidic environment. This point comes back to the gut. To effectively absorb food a healthy amount of stomach acid is needed and this is the same for proper iron absorption. Do you need to increase stomach acid?

Try a zinc supplement and pair your iron with a non-buffered Vitamin C. The use of Vitamin C is due to its ascorbic acid. Are you using over the counter antacids?

The overuse of antacids to counter things such as heartburn may affect acidity in the body as it has an alkalizing effect (something not beneficial in the case of low stomach acid). A digestive enzyme with HCL (hydrochloric acid) may also be helpful.

Do you even Paleo?

I know the topic of Paleo has been overdone and the health field has poured out tons of work on the pros and cons of the Paleolithic style of eating, but it’s definitely relevant in this case.

I’m going to add to this when I say that grains and legumes (frowned upon in the Paleo community) can be a possible factor in affecting iron absorption.

The reason? Phytates. Without drowning you with information on phytates, I will simply say that phytates inhibit iron absorption (and other nutrients as well), causing the body to excrete the mineral as waste before it is properly absorbed.

You’re anemic, but are you actually low in iron or are you just drama?

Why you always lyin? Why you always lyin? Ok Just kidding, you’ve done medical tests and you’ve concluded that your definitely iron deficient, but what if you’ve self-diagnosed yourself and display anemic symptoms?

Did you know that fatigue (something heavily tied with anemia) could be a cause of things such as b-vitamins, Zinc, Copper (which also plays a role in iron transport) and Vitamin C (to name a few)

Our bodies are complex. There’s definitely a lot more to iron absorption than what I’ve written here, but I hope this serves as a starting line in your pursuit for better iron absorption.

Aside from supplements, some good iron sources include…

• Liver (Beef, Chicken, Lamb)

• Steak

• Prunes

• Cooked Greens

Till next time,

Marc

Green Banana Benefits

We all do it. We go to the grocery store and when its time to pick up bananas, we make our picks of the bunch based on how yellow the bunch of bananas are or will be. Ingrained in our minds is the idea that the yellow ripe banana is the best banana. I don’t blame you. The ripe banana is sweeter and often tastier. If you’re struggling with high cholesterol and unstable blood sugar levels, then I’ve got news for you. Adding the green banana to your arsenal in the fight against high cholesterol and blood sugar could be worth your while. Here’s the short and sweet science behind it.

For My High Cholesterol Friends…

The less ripe banana separates itself from the ripened banana as it’s considered a “resistant starch”. Basically, this means that the starch “resists” being digested in the stomach or small intestine. By this occurrence, the banana isn’t completely broken down and doesn’t enter the bloodstream (This is worth noting if blood sugar management is a priority for you). Instead, the banana works more like a fiber. Here’s my tip of the week…. The key to lowering cholesterol is to pooh it out. One could argue that cholesterol-lowering medications could be avoided if regular bowel movements were maintained. Fiber = Regular Bowel Movements. Get the picture?

For My Diabetic Friends….

The banana in its green and less ripened state isn’t going to spike your blood sugar and insulin levels the way a ripened banana would. The riper the fruit, the higher it spikes your insulin levels. This goes for cooking fruits down as well. The breakdown of the sugar makes it more simple and faster when entering the blood. It’s also worth noting that the banana is a prebiotic, which means it feeds the good bacteria that exists in our gut. We can recolonize, but we should look to feed the colony as well!

Food is Medicine.

Post-Workout Nutrition Exaggerated

As I look at Instagram, I’ve noticed something trending amongst many fitness enthusiasts. Last year, gourmet hipster burgers and candied bacon seem to be the toast of the town, but something more enticing, fatty, and calorically dense has arrived.

The “post, peri, pre-workout” donut has arrived. I don’t know when it started but the donut has parked its beautiful one-eyed head in the fitness world for the time being. It’s almost become a cool thing to brag about how poorly you eat while lifting copious amounts of weight while maintaining ideal body composition.

Keep in mind the donut is being used as an example. Pizza and cookie ice cream sandwiches could be your weapons of choice when it comes to post-workout “feeding” as well. I think we’ve come along way from “whole wheat” and salad being staples of healthy nutrition.

Counting macros, carb-backloading, and ketogenic diets have shown us ways of manipulating our diet and calories so that we can eat like Vikings while not being featured on the next episode of My 600lb Life. Here’s my problem. I love all things pizza, donut, cookie ice cream, and the list goes on.

The reason why I can’t fall in love with the ideology of smashing crazy amounts of calories and spiking my insulin level with donuts and cookies is that it leads me into territory that I’m afraid I won’t be able to get out of later on in life.

I’d love abs and I’d love to attain them while eating donuts, but I also value the longevity of life. I know personally, if you tell me that pizza and ice cream were ok to eat on a daily basis, I’d find ways of deviating from moderation and it would affect my nutritional consistency.

I can almost guarantee that most people who have adopted IIFYM (macro counting) have one time or another questioned whether or not they should at least dial back on some of the donuts. Not only because of body composition but because they’re probably starting to feel the effects of suboptimal nutrition.

Measuring calories can be important, but the source of your calories matters just as much. 2000 calories of pizza vs. 2000 calories of salmon and rice are definitely difference makers.

Again, I’m speaking from personal preference and experience. I saw powerlifters crushing anything for there post-workout and I think myself along with many others jumped on the bandwagon. Here’s the thing, my squat isn’t 500lbs yet and I’m not deadlifting 800lbs either so it doesn’t make sense for me to knock back 800 calories post-workout just because I worked out.

At this point, I’m trying my best to match my nutrition with the amount of volume in the gym, so please don’t tease me with your bacon peanut butter donut. This post isn’t meant to be a rant. In moderation, I’ll have something extremely good after my workouts, but this post is more for the people in the fitness industry that forgot about the fact that this industry should be based on health and longevity.

Going down the post-workout donut road makes it hard to rebuild good habits as our goals change in the gym.

The solution is simple. If you're struggling with your weight or energy in the gym and you've adopted the macro lifestyle, then dial it back and rethink post-workout food sources. When you've reached a good baseline, then it shouldn't be an issue playing around with tasty things.

Just keep in mind that what you put in your body should help you in your goals in the short and long term.