Great Grains: Quinoa vs. Amaranth

What few people realize this days is how many so-called "superfoods" are blatantly overlooked in modern society.  There are a whole host of different, whole, natural foods that provide more health benefits than can easily be described in one article, which many people have either never heard of or never cared to look at twice .  Two of these superfoods that I strongly suggest you consider fitting into your diet are ancient grains called Quinoa and Amaranth.  These little beads are packed with some of the best stuff nature has to offer, and definitely deserve the spotlight at least once in my blogging career.

Quinoa

Amaranth

Now if the names are what drove you to disregard them, I can sort of sympathize, as they're not the most easily pronounced foods.  Quinoa is pronounced "keen-wah", while amaranth is a little more obvious and is pronounced "am-a-ranth."  There, see?  Not so scary or outlandish.  Let's delve into the history of these grains just a little bit before I start spouting off everything these grains have to offer.

What's interesting about both of these grains is that they both were known about far before ANY of your traceable ancestors walked this earth.  Surprisingly, both come from ancient South American cultures.  Quinoa was considered a sacred grain in the Inca society, and amaranth was a staple in the ancient Aztec civilization.  Both civilizations were masters at harvesting their respective grains, and knew of their powers far more-so than our modern society does today.  Funny how things work like that, right?  We claim to be so knowledgable about the world, and yet somehow we overlook some of the best stuff nature has to offer.

Amaranth and quinoa are both very similar grains, and to the untrained eye they might be mistaken as the same thing.  Both of the grains are small and bead-like, and the only really discernible differences between the two is the size of each kernel.  Quinoa grains tend to be slightly larger than amaranth, and also come in white and red varieties.  Nutritionally though, these two grains are extremely similar.

Protein:  What's truly unique about these grains is the amount of amino acids they possess, and therefore their extremely high protein content.  Quinoa especially is known as probably one of the greatest sources of plant protein there is in the world today, and that's because unlike the vast majority of plant protein, quinoa has a complete amino acid profile, which means your body has all the essential amino acids it needs to start building muscle directly from quinoa.  That's great news if you're looking to get more protein into a vegetarian diet.

Amaranth also has an extremely high protein content, however unlike quinoa the essential amino acid profile isn't QUITE complete.  That means your body can't use amaranth by itself to build muscle right away, but let me tell you guys it's darn close.  Amaranth (and quinoa as well) is extremely high in an amino acid called lysine, and while it isn't complete (due to the lacking amino acids leucine and threonine), it still can provide the body with a large amount of incomplete protein which may be completed at other points throughout the day with other foods.

If you're a numbers kind of person, here's the scoop.  One cup of cooked quinoa contains 8.1 grams of COMPLETE protein, and one cup of cooked amaranth contains 9.3 grams of INCOMPLETE protein.

Fats:  Both quinoa and amaranth are sources of extremely healthy, unsaturated fats.  Neither grain has any saturated fat to speak of, and therefore you need not worry about raising bad cholesterol levels through the consumption of these grains.  I'll stick with the one cup measurement, and in quinoa and amaranth respectively there are 3.6 grams and 3.9 grams of fat.  Again though, healthy fats, don't be afraid of them.  FAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU FAT!

Carbohydrates:  This is what I love about these grains, as it seems that almost everyone these days is getting their carbs from starchy, sugary, unhealthy sources.  Both quinoa and amaranth provide healthy, complex carbohydrates that digest more slowly and fuel your body for a longer period of time with NO sugar crash.  Believe me, you need healthy carbs (although I did just write an article on ketogenic diets), and the more sources of healthy carbohydrates you can find, the better.  Quinoa and amaranth both fit the bill quite nicely, and in one cup of each there are 39 grams and 46 grams of carbohydrates respectively.  Not bad, right?

Fiber:  Both these grains are packed with healthy fiber, which you could always use a little more of in your diet.  Fiber doesn't only insure a healthy digestive tract, but also slows down the digestion of other food so that your body gets a chance to use everything you give it.  This leads to less fat storage in the long run, and I'm sure you'll all be interested in that.  One cup of quinoa and amaranth both have 5.2 grams of fiber.  Awesome!

Vitamins/minerals:  Both these grains are packed with vitamins, specifically vitamins B1, B2,B3, B6, and E.  Quinoa is slightly more vitamin dense than amaranth, but either grain will boost your overall vitamin intake for the day quite nicely.  In terms of minerals, both grains are rich in magnanese, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron.

You may be wondering how to actually eat these fantastic grains, and not to worry, I have a great link for you that describes a common method of cooking each grain on the stove.  It's not difficult or overly time consuming, so don't use that as an excuse to ignore such a fantastic superfood.  Here's the link:

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03177/How-to-Cook-Amaranth.html

There you have it!  A little overview of what may be some of the best plant nutrient sources on the market today.  A word of caution, these grains can be a little harder to find than something like oats, but don't despair, one trip to your local health food store should yield results.  Keep in mind though, these grains are usually stored in the refrigerator when in their raw form, so don't get confused when they're not on the shelf next to the Kashi cereal.  Believe me, these grains are definitely worth the little effort required to get them.  They'll make you a vastly healthier person with a body to be envious of.  And boy are they tasty!

Be adventurous, embrace the ancient grains, and as always, GOOD LUCK!

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth#Nutritional_value
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa
http://www.livestrong.com/article/266224-amaranth-quinoa-nutritional-guides/
http://www.askmen.com/sports/foodcourt_100/149_eating_well.html

Going Ketogenic (Atkins, TKD, CKD, And More!)

Maybe you've heard of them, or maybe you haven't.  But they're out there: low carb diets which promise to lose you pounds off your waistline and keep tasty foods in your meals.  And if you can stave off the craving for breads, fruits, and sweets, these diets might be ones to try out if you're really looking to lose some serious fat.  They have been proven to be quite successful in most overweight individuals, and have a huge following in both the fitness world and the general public.  But there's a lot of information out there, and quite a few different types of low carb diets, so things can get pretty confusing quite quickly.  Let's explore the differences between different low carb or "ketogenic" diets and see if one or the other might be right for you.

First though, I'd like to post a disclaimer.  Low carb diets AREN'T for everyone, and they're NOT THE ONLY WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT.  Many people can lose pounds of fat while keeping large percentages of carbs in their diet.  So don't go cutting the bread, pasta and rice without really knowing what you're getting into.

Okay, so what exactly is a "ketogenic" diet?  It's a pretty interesting idea actually.  The train of thought is that when you eliminate most of the carbs from your diet, and replace them with high amounts of fat and moderate amounts of protein, your body, which normally gets its energy from converting carbohydrates to glucose, is forced to instead find another energy source.  It does this by freeing up stored fat molecules, converting them into a substance called "ketone bodies," and using that special substance to fuel your body.  Amazingly, ketone bodies have a lot of energy potential, so after an initial energy low upon starting a ketogenic diet, dieters often report a large increase in energy due to the new energy source.  This state of running off fat is called "ketosis."  Pretty neat huh?

There are several types of ketogenic diets, one of the most common being the Atkins diet.  This diet is mainly focused toward the general public, and has some pretty strict guidelines as to carb consumption.  Normally, for the first few weeks, dieters aren't allowed to consume more than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, and instead are encouraged to take in their calories through mainly protein based sources.  There are four phases to the Atkins diet, each with different rules and permitted foods.  These phases are:

The Induction Phase (20 g net carbs per day)
Ongoing Weight Loss (Increase of 5 g net carbs per week until within 10 lbs of target body weight)
Pre-maintenance (Increase of 10 g net carbs per week until weight loss ceases, then reduction of 10 g)
Lifetime maintenance (Carbs remain at the "tipping point" established in the pre-maintenance phase)

If you'd like to read more about the phases of the Atkins diet, here's a link to my favorite site:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkins_diet#The_four_phases

It's your favorite site too, right? =]

The Aftkins diet is strict in the sense that carbohydrate amounts start low and stay low for the duration of the diet.  You're always going to be carbohydrate deprived in order to maintain ketosis, and therefore are always going to have to watch your weight, plan ahead in terms of your diet, and make sure you don't go over the magic number of carbs.  You're also going to need to eat a LOT of protein, which to many keto dieters has been found to be a non-ideal solution to replacing carbohydrates.  Many keto dieters who don't follow the Atkins diet say that it's far better to replace carbs with healthy fats than it is to replace with large quantities of protein.  Also, the Atkins diet doesn't employ any caloric restrictions, which can be confusing and misleading to certain dieters.  Many who aren't successful on the Atkins diet fail because they consume too many calories from non-carb sources that are very calorie dense, like certain cheeses and peanut butter.

The Atkins diet does have a very large following though, and quite a few remarkable success stories, so it remains a popular staple in the ketogenic diet category.

But what about other sorts of ketogenic diets?  Well, the Atkins diet is geared more toward the general public, and non-gym rats.  The fitness crowd tends to employ its own version of the ketogenic diet, and probably the area of greatest success in terms of the ketogenic diet craze is in bodybuilding.  Bodybuilders usually cycle between bulking phases (attempting to put on muscle through calculated increases in calorie and macro-nutrient intake), and cutting phases (eliminated the inevitable fat gain on top of the muscle gain due to bulking) before competition.  One of the greatest cutting tools in the bodybuilding world today is in fact a ketogenic diet.  However the Atkins diet isn't optimal for high intensity gym visits because according to some, it really can decrease strength levels to an intolerable level.  To combat this, bodybuilders (and other fitness enthusiasts alike) use three different types of ketogenic diets:

Cyclical Ketogenic Diet- This diet takes the fat burning benefits of ketosis and mixes them with the power of carbohydrates.  You may wonder how this is possible, due to ketosis requiring an extremely low carbohydrate environment to really work.  You see, on ketogenic diets, some people experience extreme strength losses at the gym, despite the increased fat burning.  This will require them to do what's called a "carb-up" once, or even twice a week.  This carb up involves eating large amounts of carbohydrates on a certain day, then cutting carbs to between 30 and 60 grams on every other day to reinstate ketosis and increased fat burning.  This process should cause a carryover from the carb-up day to allow energy levels to stay managable at the gym, and will keep the dieter from fainting with exhaustion.  This diet is EXTREMELY popular in the bodybuilding world, and has shown to be very successful across the board.

Targeted Ketogenic Diet- This version of the ketogenic diet is similar to the cyclical diet in terms of increased carb intake at certain key points, but instead of on a certain day, the targeted ketogenic diet allows you to ingest large amounts of carbohydrates around workout time, to really give you that boost of strength in the gym, and give your body much needed carbohydrates for recovery.  Usually around 40-80 grams of carbohydrates are consumed pre and post workout, though that number can be adjusted based on carb sensitivity and fat loss goals.  Again, this type of dieting has been shown to be very successful in the fitness world.

Standard Ketogenic Diet- This one I don't need to talk about too much, as it resembles the Atkins diet quite closely.  It has no carb-up days, and requires the dieter to maintain net carbohydrates levels under about 30 grams per day.

Here's a more in depth article about CKD and TKD keto diets from bodybuilding.com:http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark91.htm

Also, ketogenic diets other than the Atkins suggest a larger ratio of fat to protein, which I personally like considering too much protein can cause all sorts of little digestive issues.  Some good starting macros for a ketogenic diet would probably be 60% calories from fat, 35% from protein, and 5% from carbs.  Look around a little though, because many people have tweaked these macros and are still making great progress.

So you may be wondering, is a ketogenic type diet right for you?  Well, if you've got a few extra pounds to lose, a ketogenic diet can really work wonders.  I personally would suggest trying out either a cyclical of targeted ketogenic diet first, especially if you go to the gym on a regular basis (WHICH YOU SHOULD.)  Don't take this article as your only research on the subject, look around the internet for people who have had success, read their stories, and make sure you know your plan BEFORE you embark on the keto journey.  You can get GREAT results, you just need to make sure you know every little nuance of your diet.

Keep things precise, burn that fat, and as always, GOOD LUCK!


http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/cyclical_ketogenic_diet.htm
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark86.htm

Are You Hungry? Are you Sure?

Hunger, without doubt, is one of the most primal feelings you've got.  If you're hungry, you KNOW it.  You may be tired, antsy, frustrated, salivating for no particular reason, and have that "empty" feeling in your midsection.  Is is past meal time?  Or are you just dying to eat some food, get rid of the discomfort, and get on with your life?  Or maybe you're not as confident with your "hunger senses" as you'd like to be, and therefore might be likely to ignore them in favor for a little more weight loss.  How can you know if you really need food right then and there?  How do you really know if you're hungry?

Well my friends, I like to trust my body, as should you.  In the end, the body knows what's best for it, even if we tend to misinterpret it at some point or another.  In fact, that's usually the problem with "fake hunger," which is that you've misinterpreted your body's signals as something other than their intended message.  It's easy to do, and while the body DOES know what's best for it, there's no doubt it can be a little vague sometimes.  I honestly believe that if one could somehow be be presented with real and fake hunger feelings at the same time, and was told to choose the genuine feeling of need for food, it wouldn't be that hard to do. But because we only feel one of these hungers at a time, we sometimes forget, or don't pay attention to, the real stuff versus the fake stuff.  And this can be problematic, because there are a few times that your body can fake you out, especially when it comes to hunger:

When you're thirsty:  Sometimes your body jumbles up the signals between hunger and thirst.  It's a funny thing, but a lot of people actually eat something when they SHOULD just have a glass of water and be on their merry way.  Luckily, I believe this is the easiest fake hunger to reveal.  Have a glass of water, wait a few minutes, and if you're still hungry, then you most likely really DO need some food.  Simple stuff right?

When you're tired:  This one's pretty interesting.  You've got two major hormones in your body that control hunger, and fullness/satiety.  These hormones are called leptin and ghrelin.  Ghrelin stimulates appetite, and leptin sends the signal that you're full.  When you get tired, your levels of leptin actually decrease, and therefore your brain thinks your body needs fuel, when in reality it just needs sleep.  Usually you don't want to mess this one up.  At night, it's easy to identify the mix-up, especially if it's past your bedtime.  However if it's just a midday crash, you might get unnecessarily hungry.  Sure, you could probably use a little food to keep you going, but not as much as you might think.  That fatigue is playing a few tricks on you.  Have an apple, get up and walk around, and see if that helps.  Your hunger may mysteriously vanish.

When you're craving:  Now THIS one can be a hard feeling to identify.  Ever wanted a particular food so bad that it almost hurt?  Did you classify it as hunger and maybe get yourself a bit of whatever it is you wanted (maybe a slice of cake, pizza, etc.)?  Well, if you did, you succumbed to a craving.  Cravings and hunger are very different beasts, and usually come from different sources.  Hunger is physical.  It won't go away, and will only get worse and more uncomfortable with time.  It's important to feed your body nutritious foods when it really needs them.  However, cravings are emotional.  If you want a piece of cake really badly, you'll most likely think about it harder than anything else right then, but you won't actually be in physical pain.  But...god...wouldn't that cake taste good?  Yup, craving.

A good test for a craving is to think about another food.  If the feeling of desire is still there, then you're probably hungry.  If it has mysteriously vanished, then voila, it's a craving, and it's time to distract yourself.  Go for a walk, watch some TV, or my personal favorite, HIT THE GYM!  Cravings can intensify with strong emotions (ever eaten a tub of ice cream out of sadness?  Guess what -- you weren't hungry.)  Keep your emotions in check, your meals balanced, and more than likely your cravings will subside.

There are also a few other ways to quell cravings.  If you've recently been trying to "quit" desserts, you'll most likely get sugar cravings like mad.  These sugars, as you probably could guess, aren't good for you, and shouldn't be consumed.  However if those cravings just won't go away, have a piece of fruit.  The natural sugar in fruit is extremely good for you, and while you may initially think they won't do anything for you (I mean come on now, it's fruit, not chocolate cake), you might be surprised to find that after a banana, that cake isn't such a necessity.  Your body has gotten the sugar it thinks it needs.

The same things apply to fat.  If you're used to fatty foods, and have a craving for something loaded with sour cream or whole milk, have a few cashews, or almonds, and see if that helps.  I bet it will.

When you've eaten the wrong food:  There's a reason you're hungry an hour later after that burger and fries. Sure, you've temporarily put food in your belly, but guess what -- it's not anything close to resembling what your body actually needs as far as nutrients go.  And after your body figures that out (which it does rather quickly), it says to you "Wrong-o bud! You messed up.  Try again."  This obviously can be a bit of a problem, especially if you're trying to keep a cap on your calories.  But it's not an impossible situation to fix.  I would suggest having a small portion of lean meat, and a little unsaturated healthy fat.  Both of these foods are extremely satiating, and will probably end your hunger pangs for a longer duration.  Try some chicken and almonds, or tuna and a bit of natural peanut butter (not together of course!)  A hard boiled egg is also a GREAT snack.  The key is to keep the calories low and the macro-nutrient level high.

When you're bored:  It's pretty easy to eat when you've got nothing else to do.  EXTREMELY easy actually.  I bet you've done it many times.  I know I have.  There isn't much to avoiding this one, just keep yourself occupied 'til mealtime, and you'll be just fine.  You can also space your meals out so they hit more frequently, and you'll have a smaller amount of downtime between eating.

Now that's all well and good, and to know when your body isn't actually hungry is obviously a very useful tool.  But there are times when you ARE hungry that shouldn't ever be ignored, as they can be crucial opportunities to build your body into the magnificent sculpture you always wanted.  It is just as important to know when to eat as it is to know when not to.  Become the master of your hunger, and you'll become the master of your body in the process.

Eat Small, Frequent Meals:  I eat between 5-6 meals a day, the equivalent of about 500 calories a piece.  This is actually about a maintenence level for me, as it is with most males.  That 2000 calorie limit you hear so much about is really just an average put forth by the FDA, and may have no application to you whatsoever.  In general, most males should eat between 2200-2800 (and many can eat over 3k with no problem), and females are usually within 1200-1900 (and SHOULDN'T eat fewer than 1200 unless they want their metabolism to drop like a rock and put on fat.)  To keep your metabolism going strong and your body using nutrients effectively, eating more often is better.  Try 5 meals to start with:

-Breakfast
-Snack
-Lunch
-Snack/Dinner
-Dinner/Snack (These last two are interchangeable based on the timing between your meals.)

Get these meals timed right, and get the right amount of macro-nutrients, and you'll keep your hunger very well contained, and your body consistently and effectively fed.  It may take a few tries to get it right, but once you do, it's a really nice equilibrium.

Refuel after a workout:  Whether you've been cranking hard in the gym, or back from a long run, your body needs nourishment.  Generally right after a workout, your appetite will be supressed, but will return with fury in about an hour.  This hunger is VERY REAL, and should NOT be ignored.  You should never feel guilty about fulfilling this hunger (as long as you're doing so with healthy, nutrient dense foods), as your body needs these nutrients desperately to rebuild what you've broken down during the course of your workout.  You can rest assured too, because if you get this post-workout meal just right you can virtually guarantee that your body will only use this food for what it really needs, and won't be likely to store any as fat.  It's still possible to overreat here of course, but listen to your body, and when you're full, you should be good.

Again though, HEALTHY FOODS:  Lean protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats.

If you workout regularly, I would suggest a post-workout meal IMMEDIATELY after your workout ends.  This is usually in shake form for me (as for thousands of others,) but it doesn't have to be.  Get some protein in your body, as well as some carbs to refuel your glycogen stores.

Also, workouts can have lasting effects on hunger.  If I take a day off from the gym (hah!), I'm actually hungrier than my lifting days.  Sounds surprising right?  Well your body rebuilds when it rests, and it needs material to rebuild, so being very hungry on a rest day is not at all uncommon.  Embrace the hunger, eat to satisfy, and keep the foods healthy.  If you keep an eye on calories, nutrients, and frequency of meals, it's hard to go wrong.


So that's hunger for you.  Tricky, yet also brutally honest.  Don't fall for the tricks, but don't ignore its basic function, to tell you when you need food.  Hopefully this article has given you a few things to consider when it comes to eating, and if you've got any comments, personal experiences with hunger trends, or just feel compelled to share your life stories, by all means PLEASE COMMENT!

Eat healthy, learn to listen to your body, and as always, good luck!

References:
http://www.sheerbalance.com/nutrition/4-reasons-you-think-you-are-hungry-when-you-arent/
http://www.wikihow.com/Know-You're-Hungry-(and-Avoid-Eating-when-You're-Not)