Sustainable Diets and Protein Shakes

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

During the past few weeks I met several interesting people in/around the gym. Discussions sparked when someone saw me pull out a protein shaker (branded by a well-know supplement company). "Is that the meal replacement shake?" they asked me. "No", I said, "it's protein isolate." And so the gates of diet and nutrition were opened. In the end we all came to the decision that meal replacement shakes were no good - were you meant to take them for the rest of your life? What happens when you stop taking them?

Then yesterday a friend proudly posted on Facebook that she had lost a considerable amount of weight in a week. When I asked her how, she shared the link to a crazy diet which involved consuming mainly liquids for seven days. How long will those lost kilos stay at bay? Setting your body in starvation mode can do more harm in the long run than good.

The above mentioned paths to weight loss, i.e. extreme dieting and replacement shakes, are what I would call unsustainable diets. Why? Firstly, those are difficult to sustain over a lifetime. Remember that the term 'diet' does not only refer to short term changes in the food we eat, but more broadly to the way people feed themselves. Therefore, diet should not be viewed as a short term health craze, but as a permanent lifestyle choice. 

Secondly, both act against our most basic human need - to eat. Replacement shakes are liquids and some may not contain the same nutrients as fresh foods but all contain a high amount of calories. Diets that force you to go without any or very little food cause your body to think that it is starving and anything that you eat after that diet would be immediately stored as fat so the body can survive longer should such starvation occur again.

So what is a sustainable diet? It is one where you make commitment for life. It is one where you control your portions, but eat regularly and avoid excessive hunger/starvation. Eating often keeps your metabolism strong. A sustainable diet is one where you try to eat mainly natural, single-ingredient foods. Think veggies, meat, fruits, yoghurt, eggs, and nuts. It shouldn't leave you hungry and tired - it should energize you. How? By providing your body with regular doses of protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and a bit of carbs. And let's not forget to drink plenty of water!

Image courtesy of nongpimmy / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Does this mean that all supplements and shakes should be avoided? No, but it does mean you have to be very careful what and how much of those you take based on your needs and goals. Some people prefer to supplement their diets with pure protein, others take fat burners and third natural supplements derived from superfoods such as chia and macca. I would say start clean (no supps), then see what you lack (best to let a pro assess your needs)  and add the necessary supplements.

I am no nutrition expert or bodybuilder. But I do like to keep myself aware and informed of how the food I eat affects my body. And by no means am I saying that following a sustainable diet is easy - today being Easter I probably ate more bad foods than permissible. 

But it is important to educate yourself, to motivate yourself and to find help and support. It may take you two weeks to withdraw from all the sugar and empty calories from carbohydrates. Psychologists say it takes over 300 times for something to become a habit. But if you eat 6 healthy and small meals a day that means in 50-60 days you will be completely used to your new way of life. See? It's not that bad :)

7 Ways to Boost Your Metabolism

Greetings from Russia! Apologies for going all quite for the past couple of weeks. Lately I have been so busy with work that, unfortunately, I haven't had the time to write some interesting posts for you.

As I am settling in a new country (I'll be here for the next two months), I realised that all the travelling and changes haven't been so good for my diet. So, as a friend suggested, I decided to give my digestive system a boost by revving up my metabolism (as well as eating as healthy as possible and exercising). 

Here are some tips on how you can supercharge your metabolism too:

1. Start your day with a cup of hot water and lemon. The citrus fruit is high in ascorbic acid which stimulates digestion.
2. Eat more chillies - they warm up your body and speed up metabolic rate.
3. Sip some green tea. The polyphenols and caffeine will boost the digestion process.
4. Take your body to new weights. Resistance training (i.e. weight lifting) helps build more muscles and muscles burn more calories than fat (this is technically true, but scientific studies suggest that it is actually your heart, kidneys and brain that burn the most!)
5. And make your heart pump. High-intensity interval training  delivers a bigger, longer increase in resting metabolic rate than low- or moderate-intensity workouts. 
6. Then drink plenty of water. When your body is dehydrated, your metabolism slows down. Go for cold water if you want to burn a few extra calories.
7. Finally, power up with protein. The body burns many more calories digesting protein than it does for fat or carbohydrates.

Your visual go-to guide for boosting metabolism

Signing off from my magical forest hotel 60km from Moscow...

The Truth About Food Cravings and How to Banish Them

Food cravings. A part of everyday life. As you read this post, millions of people around the world are craving some kind of a treat. But why do we crave certain foods? And why are those unhealthy in most cases? Let's find out.

Some nutritionists have claimed that it is today's obsession with fad diets are the cause of our constant cravings. Take for example the obesity researcher Zoe Harcombe's so called "controversial" claim that dieting actually makes people fat. I've put controversial in quotation marks because it is everything but controversial.  Why? Well, as the author herself explains, telling people to eat less makes them eat more because the avoidance of hunger is a fundamental human instinct. No one wants to starve! Moral of the story: you shouldn't eat LESS, instead you should focus on eating better.

But how do diets make us fat? Simple. Those embarking on a diet often go for foods labelled low fat or diet. The problem with these is that they tend to be either carb-heavy foods which are low on calories or full of artificial sugars (e.g. cereals). Oh did I say carbs are sugars? You see where I'm going?  Sugar is the culprit here, as I've said in a previous post.

Processed diet foods cause sugar spikes, which are followed by sugar dips and the onset of cravings for more unhealthy foods.This, as you may have guessed, is a vicious cycle which is hard to break. The key to stopping this, according to Harcombe, is to try eating only foods which can be found in the natural environment - meat, fish, eggs, cheese, vegetables and fruit.

So now that we know that dieting and eating a lot of processed foods is the cause of our cravings, what can we do in those moments of weakness when we just get our favourite treat out of our minds? Interestingly, scientists have put together a table with the type of cravings and a healthy alternative to satisfy them. They have created this table based on the rationale that each craving we get is a signal that our bodies lack certain nutrients (vitamins, minerrals, etc.). Let's take a look:

If you crave this...	What you really need is...	And here are healthy foods that have it:
Chocolate	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
Sweets	Chromium	Broccoli, grapes, cheese, dried beans, calves liver, chicken
	Carbon	Fresh fruits
	Phosphorus	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes, grains
	Sulfur	Cranberries, horseradish, cruciferous vegetables, kale, cabbage
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
Bread, toast	Nitrogen	High protein foods: fish, meat, nuts, beans
Oily snacks, fatty foods	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
Coffee or tea	Phosphorous	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes
	Sulfur	Egg yolks, red peppers, muscle protein, garlic, onion, cruciferous vegetables
	NaCl (salt)	Sea salt, apple cider vinegar (on salad)
	Iron	Meat, fish and poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
Alcohol, recreational drugs	Protein	Meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, nuts
	Avenin	Granola, oatmeal
	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
	Glutamine	Supplement glutamine powder for withdrawal, raw cabbage juice
	Potassium	Sun-dried black olives, potato peel broth, seaweed, bitter greens
Chewing ice	Iron	Meat, fish, poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
Burned food	Carbon	Fresh fruits
Soda and other carbonated drinks	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
Salty foods	Chloride	Raw goat milk, fish, unrefined sea salt
Acid foods	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
Preference for liquids rather than solids	Water	Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
Preference for solids rather than liquids	Water	You have been so dehydrated for so long that you have lost your thirst. Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
Cool drinks	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
Pre-menstrual cravings	Zinc	Red meats (especially organ meats), seafood, leafy vegetables, root vegetables
General overeating	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
	Tyrosine	Vitamin C supplements or orange, green, red fruits and vegetables
Lack of appetite	Vitamin B1	Nuts, seeds, beans, liver and other organ meats
	Vitamin B3	Tuna, halibut, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, seeds and legumes
	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
	Chloride	Raw goat milk, unrefined sea salt
Tobacco	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
	Tyrosine	Vitamin C supplements or orange, green and red fruits and vegetables

After going through this table, I noticed that in quite a few cases you are meant to eat the opposite of your cravings (e.g. craving solids = water; bread/carbs = proteins; etc.). Conclusion? We need to learn to listen to our bodies. We need to learn to decipher the messages our bodies are sending us. And we need to train our taste buds to like the foods that are best for our bodies. This is all possible with determination, patience and most importantly a great love and respect for your body. It is through the body that we live, so why not show it some love?

How To Save Money on Food

Photo by Sean MacEntee

Recently I read a London columnist's despair at his wife's dinner party tactics. Why? Because she usually bought so much salad (and other party nibbles) which often made their way in the rubbish bin. He was certain that not even salad should go to waste! "What about the poor children in Africa?", he asked. So he began freezing leftovers, even bread, and used them for work lunches or as treats for his colleagues.

That very same columnist called food waste "a lunacy". I agree. In this day and age, not only are we wasting food, but we are wasting a lot of MONEY on food too. And, let's be honest, it is not like we are spending on good food. Most of the time we are so busy that we end up spending our money on food that is sold to us as 'good' but it has little nutritional value.

So how do we change this? How can we spend less money AND eat better? Here are a few tips on giving your wallet and stomach a break.

1. It pays to plan. The art of cheap healthy food comes from the science of meal planning. It is not as hard or as time consuming as one would imagine. Pick a day of the week when you will plan you meals for the next 5-7 days and do your shopping. I also tend to do my cooking on the same day. Why? Read the next point.
2. Get friendly with your freezer. If you lead a busy lifestyle, it is essential that you prepare at least half of your meals for the week ahead. Cook 2 or 3 large portions of your favourite dishes, divide into boxes and freeze. That way, you don't have to cook everyday!
3. Save the snacks. Try to buy your favourite healthy snacks in bulk so you have enough for the week. Not only is bulk buying cheaper, but it will also help you avoid splurging on calorific treats when you are out & about. Keep them in your bag, kitchen cupboard or office drawer for a quick hunger killer when 24 hours simply aren't enough!
4. Lovely leftovers. Couldn't finish a meal? Surely you can't just throw it away! Most meat leftovers can be used to make curries, risottos, stews or just great sandwiches. If you can't be bothered to cook at all, just freeze the leftovers - that can be added to your weekly " frozen ready meals" from point 2.
5. Vote for veggies. Instead of going for quick carb and fat fixes (i.e. pasta, cheese, pizzas, etc.) clean and cut your veggies on your meal plan day and store in the fridge or freezer. That way you can cut your cooking time in half and avoid binges on junk food!

Of course, there are countless other tips and tricks but one thing is important - the food you prepare at home will almost always be cheaper and healthier than anything you buy from outside. With that in mind, try to have as many home-made meals as possible, even if it means spending several hours on one day of the week to cook and freeze them!