The Discarded Portions, And What You're Missing

With certain foods, it's pretty commonplace to have a little scrap left behind.  Think of that yummy corn cob, or perfectly ripe banana, or absolutely delicious watermelon.  After a few pieces of each, your plate is littered with  cobs, rinds, and peels.  We don't think much of it, and usually toss our apple cores into the woods just like anyone else.  But what exactly are you throwing away?  Did you know that in certain cases, these "inedible" portions of food actually contain many nutrients that could do your body some serious good?  In fact, some may contain tons MORE health benefits than is easily fathomed.  And you know what?  Some don't taste so bad, either.

Watermelon Rinds:  This one you might have tried before, and you'd be happy to know that your instincts were correct in trying to munch away on this green nutrient goldmine.  In fact, the watermelon rind is actually healthier than the watermelon flesh, and though while it may not taste as good, consuming watermelon rind can give you a heaping load of beta carotene, vitamin A, citrullene (an important amino acid), lypocene, and vitamin C.  Now don't confuse the rind with the dark green outer skin, the rind we're talking about is the lighter green layer between the skin and the pink flesh.  The outer skin is a little harder to stomach (though I've definitely done it on several occassions.)  Next time you have a watermelon, feel free to keep chomping for just a few more bites, just to make sure you get a little of that very healthful rind.

Banana Peels:  You know, it's really only us humans who believe we're too good for a peel.  Many primates eat the entire banana, and by doing so gain a lot more of the fruit's total health benefits.  That's right, the peel, though slightly ropey and initially unappetizing, contains all sorts of goodies that your body will absolutely love.  They're rich with fiber, both soluble and insoluble, much moreso than the fruit itself.  This fiber can assist in raising good cholesterol levels and promoting healthy digestion.  Banana peels also have a significant amount of lutein, an important antioxidant.  Banana peels also contain a very large amount of potassium, a very crucial mineral which when balanced with proper sodium intake allows the management of bodily hydration.  To make banana peels a little more appetizing, wait until the fruit is very ripe, and the peel should be both thinner and slightly sweeter.  You can also boil or cook the peel, and many Asian cultures cook bananas IN their peel, and eat them as one total meal.  Cool, right?

Corn Cob:  OK, now seriously, who eats the cob of the corn?  Actually my loyal readers, I've done so on several occassions.  If the corn is boiled well enough, the cob is most definitely soft enough to consume, and doesn't taste half bad, in my opinion at least.  As far as health benefits go, I can't seem to find many on the internet, which means I must be a little bit strange to consume the cob.  However it's common knowledge that corn cobs can be ground up and mixed into cattle feed to increase fiber, so it's safe to say that the cob is extremely rich in fiber.  I can definitely agree with this, as they fill you up EXTREMELY quickly (one of fiber's most useful attributes, besides healthy digestion).  If you want to try a bite, I suggest you try eating the small end of the cob first, as it's likely to be the softest and most easily consumed. 

Apple/Pear Cores:  Some people just go all out, and don't let a single bit of their precious fruit go to waste.  Have you ever known someone who eats apple cores, or maybe the cores of pears?  I can tell you that I don't mind eating the core of a pear, however apples tend to be a little past what I can handle.  The seeds in apples are extremely bitter (which you've probably found out if you've accidentally eaten one) which is due to the fact that they're very mildly poisonous, containing a derivative of cyanide.  Don't worry, you'd need to eat a TON of apple seeds to actually poison yourself, but it's just something to keep in mind.  Feel free to eat the core of either fruit, just know that unlike banana peels and watermelon rinds, you're not consuming any sort of normally ignored health beneficiaries.  

Mushroom Stems:  For some reason, people like to throw away the stems of portobello and white button mushrooms.  Why is that?  The stems are just as tasty as the mushroom itself, and contain all the same health benefits, such as cardiovascular system support, anti inflammatory properties, antioxidants, and large portions of vitamins such as vitamin B2, B3, B5, and minerals like selenium, copper, and potassium.  Seriously, eat these things, they're tasty and great for you!

Peach Pits:  Just kidding...don't eat these...big choking hazard.

Avacado Pits:......Seriously? .........No.

So there you have it, a little look into the forbidden parts of food.  Some things you may want to definitely try out, a few others you can keep avoiding, knowing you're not missing much.  But don't worry, no matter what, as long as you're consuming the foods associated with these normally discarded portions, you're doing your body a whole bunch of good.  Eat up, and as always...

GOOD LUCK!

References:

http://www.watermelonrind.com/why-eat-watermelon-rind.html 

http://www.livestrong.com/article/457082-what-are-the-benefits-of-eating-banana-peels/ 

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=97 

The War Against Catabolism

Here's something fun to try:  Go up to the biggest, most shredded, most muscular dude you know, and say nothing to him but "catabolic."  Then proceed to watch him run and hide in the corner, frantically trying to mix up a protein shake and down it in as little time as possible.  There, see?  No need to be afraid of bigger guys anymore.

OK, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but to any sort of fitness pro, catabolic can be a scary word.  In its simplest form, catabolism means nothing but the breakdown of molecules into simpler forms, and releasing energy in the process.  This happens all the time in your body, and actually is what digestion is defined as.  During exercise, your body is in a state of catabolism, breaking down nutrients and releasing energy to fuel those hard working muscles.  But once all those glucose/glycogen energy stores are depleted, your body has no choice but to start breaking down muscle in an attempt to find more energy to use.  When your muscles break down, you start to feel a burn, usually caused by the combination of lactate buildup and tears in your muscle fibers.  This isn't a completely bad thing, because after your workout, your body makes it a priority to build back your muscle bigger and stronger than it was previously in hopes to avoid future states of the same "injury."   And if you have a post workout meal (WHICH YOU SHOULD), you can very rapidly throw your body from a catabolic, muscle eating state, to an anabolic, or growth state.

So catabolism isn't always a bad thing, however there are definitely times when you DON'T want to be catabolic.  Remember, basically any time your body is catabolic, you can't get bigger and stronger.  It simply won't happen, as your body is eating muscle instead of building it.  Therefore, it's pretty safe to say that other than intense exercise, you want your body in a purely anabolic state of muscle growth and repair.  Remember, your muscles don't grow while working out, they grow while resting.

So how do you avoid a catabolic state throughout your day?  Well, the good news for you is that it's pretty hard to enter a catabolic state if you're getting proper nutrition and calorie intake.  But remember the two main causes of catabolism:  Working out intensely, and fasting.  If you're fasting for hours on end, you might be depriving your body of the anabolic state it needs to rebuild muscle after a workout.  In order to assure that you don't enter a catabolic state throughout your day, try these tips:

Eat Frequently And Consistently:  Most fitness enthusiasts will tell you to have 5-6 medium sized meals a day, and this is very good advice if you're looking to promote an anabolic state.  If you're always eating, your body is almost never waiting for food, and will always have new nutrients coming in to rebuild what you've broken down.  However, do you HAVE to eat 5-6 meals a day to keep anabolic?  Well, people used to think that was really the only way to do it, but for the most part, it's been disproven.  So no, 3 meals a day should suffice, and if you're into intermediate fasting, that has been shown to keep people in anabolic states as well.  I guess I'm still on the old train though, and I'd say if you can, eat more frequently than not.  Better safe than sorry, right?

Eat After Your Workout:  I've already mentioned this one above, but post workout nutrition is EXTREMELY important to prevent continued catabolism after an intense workout.  Your body is already pretty beaten up after you've racked the weights or stopped the treadmill, and is already in the process of breaking down your muscle to very weakened levels.  It's quite advisable to get out of this catabolic state ASAP, in order to see the best gains.  So have a good amount of protein, and a few carbohydrates (about a quarter of your daily intake) to get your body building instead of breaking.  A protein shake and a banana or some oats are a couple of great choices.

Eat Before Bed:  Tell me something; when's the longest period of time you will have to go without food?  Night time of course!  Or more accurately, when you're sleeping, whenever that may be for you.  Unfortunately, that's also the time your body is doing the most muscle repair, and therefore it's crucial to have nutrients available for your body to use when it's repairing muscle.  There's this stupid thought that a couple hours before bed is a time when you should avoid food at all costs because your body won't get a chance to use the nutrients it provides before you go to sleep, and therefore it'll just get stored as fat.  That's ridiculous.  If you're eating within your calorie range, you won't store fat no matter when you eat.  And believe me, your body will thank you for the food you give it before you hit the hay.  I can promise you'll see big muscle gains too, because this is the largest time of muscle growth in the day.

So what should you eat before bed?  The general rule is to have a food rich in healthy fats, which will help to slow digestion, and a slower acting protein (casein.)  Probably one of the most famous pre-bedtime meals is some natural peanut butter and some cottage cheese.  This will provide you with a whole bunch of healthy unsaturated fats, as well as a ton of casein protein.  The amount of each you consume will depend entirely on your goals and your calorie requirements, so study up!

Catabolic states are a natural occurrence, and shouldn't be considered bad, but if you're looking to get as fit and lean as you can be, you want to make sure your body can build up muscle in the most efficient way possible.  I've given you a few tips, so now you know what to do and what to watch out for.  If you have any questions, just post a comment, I'm guaranteed to respond.

GOOD LUCK!

Sources:
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/body-building/what-is-a-catabolic-state.html 
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/david7.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)