Caveman Eats: The Paleo Diet

At some point along the line of human evolution, we must've done something wrong when it came to nutrition.  Or maybe, we did a whole BUNCH of things wrong.  I'm not exactly sure when wild meats and raw vegetables were replaced with processed, starchy foods, but I can promise you it was a dark day for health and fitness.  Sure, it's pretty obvious to see that we didn't mean to stray away from nature and all its goodness, and that new age processed food was seen as an advancement and modern convinience instead of a silent killer.  But wouldn't it be nice to get back to how things were, when all food was natural, and natural was good?

That ideal is exactly what the Paleolithic Diet tries to cater toward.  The "paleo diet," or "caveman diet" is basically a diet consisting of only foods that were available to the earliest of humans (alive in the paleolithic era, surprise surprise).  It's an interesting diet, and one that has quite a bit of potential in terms of health.  It also has quite the following in the health and fitness community, especially with crossfit athletes.  Some swear by it, saying that our bodies were never meant to consume more than what the paleo diet has to offer, and therefore filling your belly with paleo food is like filling your car with high octane gas.  Our body knows it, loves it, and runs with peak efficiency off of it.  But is it true?  And what foods exactly are in this caveman's buffet?

Meat:  Caveman say "ugh ugh me like meat!"  Seriously, this diet definitely encourages the consumption of lean meats from almost any source, such as beef, pork, chicken, buffalo, alligator, rabbit, and pretty much anything else you can think of.  Personally, I don't really know about paleolithic humans and if they had cows or not, but I do really like this aspect of the diet.  Lean meat is completely essential for the body as far as nutrients go, and the strong suggestion of lean meat consumption really helps to place this diet as a more favorable one for avid gym-goers.

Fish:  The paleo diet is packed with fish and shellfish too, which I LOVE.  Salmon, shrimp, crab, tuna, lobster, mackeral, you name it, you can probably eat it on the paleo diet.  These fish are not only an incredibly dense protein source, they're also very low calorie and packed with heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids.  Awesome!

Vegetables:  The paleo diet says you can eat pretty much any vegetable, as long as it's not starchy (like potatoes, yams, etc).  The diet pushes more for the raw consumption of these veggies, though obviously with modern commodities like ovens, microwaves, stovetops, etc, it's easy to make some pretty awesome recipes from the veggies and meats allowed on the diet.  Again, I'm very supportive of this part of the diet.  VEGETABLES RULE!

Fruits:  Any fruit you can think of is allowed on the caveman diet.  Early humans were supposedly able to easily pick off of trees and bushes, and therefore wouldn't be limited in what they could eat in terms of fruits.  Sounds great to me, I love fruit!  It's an incredible energy source and tastes absolutely delicious.  Who doesn't love a little natural sugar?

Nuts and Seeds:  According to the paleo diet, early humans were large consumers of many different nuts and seeds, and therefore foods like chestnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, and sesame seeds are all encouraged on the paleo diet.  However, make sure to note that peanuts are NOT a nut, but actually a legume, which aren't allowed on the paleo diet.

Foods that AREN'T allowed on the paleo diet include:

Dairy foods: Again, according to the paleo diet (I'm not going off any sort of history source here other than what the diet claims), early humans wouldn't have been able to harvest or produce any sort of dairy products such as milk, cheese, or cream.  Because of widespread lactose intolerance, it's easy for paleo dieters to claim that our bodies haven't fully adapted to dairy products as an energy source.  I personally don't like this aspect of the diet, as I do believe that dairy has very large health benefits in the average individual.

Grains:  That's right, you heard me clearly, NO GRAINS on the paleo diet.  This means no oats, no amaranth, no quinoa, no rye, no rice, and no WHEAT.  That may sound strange to any sort of health nut, but paleo dieters claim early humans wouldn't have been able to create processed grains through any sort of method, and therefore we shouldn't consume them for an energy source.  I strongly disagree with this part of the diet. Oats and grains have extreme health benefits, and are an absolutely excellent source of long lasting, slow burning, complex carbohydrates.


Legumes:  This means beans.  No beans.  No peanuts, no chicpeas, no black beans, no green beans, no red beans, and no peas of any sort.  I don't like this part of the diet either, beans are an excellent source of plant protein and other important macro nutrients.

Starchy vegetables:  This means no potatoes or yams, or sweet potatoes, or tubers.  This basically kicks all bodybuilders out of the equation, because sweet potatoes are probably the main muscle building carb of choice, along with brown rice (which also isn't allowed).

Fatty meats: Bacon, fatty beef, fatty pork, etc.  Get the picture?

Also not allowed on the paleo diet are any sort of sweets or soft drinks, as they contain TONS of refined sugars and chemicals that cavemen certainly would NOT have had access to.  This aspect of the diet is quite useful in my honest opinion, as is any excuse to eliminate sweets from a diet.  Your body will perform much more efficiently with lower amounts of refined sugar, not to mention you'll be a MUCH more healthy person as a whole.

Here is a complete list of foods that are and aren't allowed in the paleo diet:  http://altmed.creighton.edu/Paleodiet/Foodlist.html

So here's the question, is the paleo diet a good choice, or a bad choice?  Personally, I give it a split decision.  There are aspects I REALLY like, and aspects I REALLY don't like.  It's great to focus on lean meats, vegetables, and seeds, but not so great to kick out dairy and grains.  Now let me be the first to say that their reasoning for doing so is deep and study-riddled, and wasn't just for the hell of it, so I'm not going to say they have no idea what they're doing.  Clearly they do, at least to a certain degree.  But I believe keeping grains and dairy in a diet is a much better choice for the average individual.  But hey, I guess don't knock it till you try it, right?  Many people have claimed PHENOMENAL body performance off of the paleo diet, and therefore for some people, it works.  Everybody's different, and everyone will respond differently to various food patterns.

The paleo diet is truly a unique approach to dieting, and in some ways it's a refreshing attempt to bring back the days when food was much simpler.  Give it a shot if you like, it definitely won't hurt you.  See how your body responds.  You never know, a caveman's life may be the life for you.

Eat clean, live simply, and as always, GOOD LUCK!

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

Food Worship #9: Olives

So which do you like, black or green?  Personally, I hated both until a few years ago when I basically taught myself to like them.  Now the taste of an olive, black OR green makes my mouth water.  These little guys are taaaaassty.  And they're a great addition to any sort of salad, healthy pizza, meat topping, or a great stand-alone snack!  They're a great source of important macro and micro nutrients, and I would suggest trying a few the next time you get a chance.

But honestly, what the heck's the difference between black and green olives?  Some people will swear by one, but despise the other (my mother falls into this category, but I can't remember which one she loves and which one she hates.  You like the green ones, right mom?)  In fact the only difference between black and green olives is the time at which they're picked relative to their ripeness!  Green olives are picked before they're ripe, and black olives are picked after.  Pretty simple eh?  Sure there are many more variations of olives, like all those yummy greek ones, but for now lets just focus on the commonly seen black and green ones.



Now olives are actually pretty inedible in their raw form, so they're soaked in either water, brine, oil, or some special mixture of the three.  Because the green olive isn't quite as ripe at the time of eating, they're usually firmer and more bitter than the very soft black olive.  Both olives are quite healthy, and here are the major health benefits you'll receive by consumption of these delectable little morsels:

Healthy Fats:  That's right, olives are LOADED with healthy unsaturated fats which do you tons of good.  To be specific, almost all the fat (80-85% of the calories in the olive itself) is monounsaturated, and comes from a fatty acid called oleic acid.  These fatty acids strongly decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, and also help to decrease LDL cholesterol.  I think we've learned by now that fat doesn't make you fat, and that this monounsaturated fat will do you nothing but good in the long run.  Plus it smooths out the texture of olives to a point where they seem to just melt in your mouth.  YUMMY.

Antioxidants:  Olives have so many phytonutrients and antioxidants it's pretty darn astounding.  To throw a few scientific names at you, olives are extremely rich is flavanols, terpenes, simple phenols, anthocyanidins, and many more.  All you need to know is that most of these fancy name phytonutrients help to protect your cells from oxidation damage from free radicals, which is a BIG DEAL.  Olives also have a nifty little phytonutrient called oleuropein, which is only found in olives.  Oleyropein is another very strong antioxidant, and because it doesn't come from other sources you'd do well to get some olives (or at least some olive oil) in your diet.

Vitamins:  Olives have quite a bit of vitamin E, another antioxidant that also keeps blood vessels from constricting.  They're also rich in vitamin A, which is not only ANOTHER antioxidant but helps to keep teeth and skin healthy.  Vitamins B-1 through B-6, and vitamin K can also be found in olives.


Minerals- Olives have about 25% of your daily iron, and about 17% of your daily recommended zinc, in every cup.  Copper, selenium, phosphorus, and potassium are also found in olives, all minerals vital to your long term health.

All these health benefits are available in ALL olives, black or green.

Nutritional Information:  

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 10 small serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 29 Calories 36
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 3.24g		5%
	Saturated Fat 0.429g	2%
	Polyunsaturated Fat 0.277g
	Monounsaturated Fat 2.395g
Cholesterol 0mg		0%
Sodium 299mg		12%
Potassium 3mg
Total Carbohydrate 2.06g		1%
	Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
	Sugars 0g
Protein 0.3g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 1%
Calcium 3% Iron 6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Nutrition Values are based on USDA Nutrient Database SR18

This is for a serving of 10 small black olives.  With 10 medium to large olives, you can bet you'll get around 50 calories.  Green olive nutritional information is similar, if not identical.  The one thing to watch out for in olives (besides the relative caloric density) is the sodium content, as it can add up quickly.

Hungry for olives?  I sure am, I can't wait to have a few on my salad today.  If you want to do your body some good, make sure you get a few of these little guys in your diet ASAP.

Black or green, it doesn't matter, just pop 'em and enjoy.  Good Luck!!!


References:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=46
http://www.livestrong.com/article/370210-what-vitamins-minerals-do-olives-have/
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/olives-difference-green-black/#axzz1kHR1pqHb

Food Worship #8: The Lobster

Ever since I was a very young child, Maine has probably been one of my most favorite places on earth.  It's filled with memories of family get-togethers, swimming, boating, and most importantly of course:  GOOD FOOD.  Specifically....LOBSTER!!!  Lobster is one of those foods that either you absolutely love it, or can't stand the sight of the thing.  I for one can't help drooling even now thinking about picking up my cracker and going to town on one of those red sea insects.  And to those who know what I'm talking about, let me give you  several more reasons why a trip to Red Lobster, Weathervane, or the great state of Maine itself should be planned for the near future.

You see, lobster is interesting in that it tastes soooo good that you would initially believe it to be somewhat bad for you.  I mean, that's the case with a good steak right?  The fatty, thick, juicy cuts of sirloin tend to have a lot of saturated fat and not so bioavailable protein (but it's not like it's that bad for you either...I'm just saying that we all know steak has a few hidden dangers).  Good news is.....no...wait...the REALLY good news is that lobster is one of the healthiest protein sources of all land and sea animals.  That's right, it's packed with lean protein, has almost zero fat, and almost no carbohydrates!  Here's the nutrition data for lobster:

Nutrition Facts
Calories 142	(594 kJ)
% Daily Value 1
Total Fat	0.9g	1%
Sat. Fat	0.2g	< 1%
Cholesterol	104mg	35%
Sodium	551mg	23%
Total Carbs.	1.9g	< 1%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%
Sugars	0g
Protein	29.7g
Calcium	88.5mg
Potassium	510.4mg

Not bad right?  In fact, almost all lobsters range from between 110 calories and 150 calories, and from between 27 g and 30 g of protein!  That's a LOT of protein!  If you're looking to add real muscle mass, I would suggest trying those double deals restaurants usually have on two lobsters for one dinner.  You're only eating around 300 calories, and are getting about 60g of protein.  That's absolutely astounding.  Not even your post-workout protein shake can match those kind of numbers.  

But, as with everything, people tend to find a way to make a healthy meal into a not so healthy one, so let me just say this:  WHEN YOU DIP YOUR LOBSTER IN BUTTER, THESE NUTRITION FACTS NO LONGER APPLY AND YOU'VE OFFICIALLY MADE A GREAT MEAL INTO AN AVERAGE ONE.  

Lobsters are also rich with certain vitamins and minerals, specifically vitamin B12 (45% of rec. daily intake), phosphorous (15%), zinc (15%), selenium (50%), and copper (80%!).  vitamin B12 helps to maintain healthy nerves and blood cells, copper helps to reduce the chance of contracting diseases like Osteoporosis and colon cancer, phosphorous keeps your mouth and kidneys healthy, and zinc and selenium both help to strengthen your immune system against disease and free radicals.  

The only thing that lobsters don't excel at in the nutrition department is cholesterol.  3oz of lobster has about 20% of your recommended daily cholesterol, so keep that in mind.  I'm guessing though that lobster is expensive enough that you're not going to indulge daily anyway, so it becomes pretty much a non-concern for someone with a healthy diet low in cholesterol.  The butter sauce adds a LOT more of that cholesterol though, so please, just avoid it, or use it very sparingly.  

Bottom Line:  Lobster is an extremely lean source of very bioavailable protein, and should never be avoided at a restaurant or party.  It may taste like a cheat meal, but in fact it's the farthest thing from it.  Crack into one of these big guys today and start getting your share of healthy protein.  

Keep cracking, enjoy that delicious flavor, but don't break the bank.  Good Luck!

Think About It, Will You?

Your brain is a powerful, powerful thing.  It thinks, reacts, considers, remembers, judges, determines, solves, computes, as well as a host of other things.  It's the reason you're breathing, walking, lifting that heavy weight, and of course eating that healthy meal.  But did you know that as you age, your brain tends to shrink?  It actually decreases in volume and cognitive ability!  Yikes!  It's an inevitability, but the good news is that you can easily give yourself a fighting chance in your golden years if you just consider your health a little more thoroughly.  

Did you know that being obese is actually dangerous to your brain?  That's right!  Not only are you straining your heart, muscles, liver, kidneys, bones, and ligaments, but also that organ which keeps you thinking clearly.  Research has proven that obese people have smaller brains than people of "normal" weight.  YEAH!  THEY'RE ACTUALLY SMALLER!  Crazy, eh?  Believe me, a smaller volume of brain cells in critical areas is not something you want.  It will affect your ability to problem solve, remember, and in general think clearly.  This problem only gets worse as you get older, and in your golden years, size does matter.  You want as BIG a brain as possible, with the most possible ability to think and remember clearly.  The bigger the effective volume of your brain, the lesser chance of getting cognitive diseases such as Alzheimer's.  Lose that spare tire, and gain some of that witty spark back!

And this preservation of your brain comes with another little fun twist.  It's been shown that people with greater muscle mass, in general, retain greater cognitive function as they age!  WOW!  Those gym trips aren't just giving you the guns after all!  It turns out that a healthy amount of muscle mass will preserve a greater flow of blood through your cerebral passages, leading to...you guessed it...more thinking power!  Less muscle= poor cerebral blood flow = brain damage/deterioration throughout your life. 

Lifting those weights also helps to build NEW blood passages throughout your brain, which will allow nutrients to penetrate deeper into critical brain tissue, actually encouraging "neurogenesis" or the creation of new brain cells!  Remember way back when, when you heard all those people tell you that brain cells can't regenerate, and what you have is what you've got, no matter what?  Well that's a bunch of hooey!  Your brain is constantly remodeling and adapting to your current life situation.  Once it stops, you're in trouble.  Support neurogenesis through exercise and healthy diet, and you'll keep better brain function as you age.  

So what's the final word?  Lose that spare tire, and hit the gym a few more times each week.  You'll not only get that beach body, but you'll be quite the sharp thinker for a long time to come.  

Good Luck!

References:  Braverman, Eric R., and Dale Kiefer. "Combating Age-Related Brain Deterioration."Life Extension Oct. 2011. Print.

Your Treadmill is a Liar!

Yeah that's right, you heard me!  Your treadmill, and any other piece of so-called "cardio equipment" you own, or regularly use at the gym, are big...fat...LIARS!  Shame!!!

All right, time to calm down slightly.  What do I mean by all this ruckus and shouting?  Well, I'd like to address what is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about cardio-equipment, and in turn one of the greatest miscalculations in the daily recording of fitness activities.  Now I'm guessing that the treadmill, bike, elliptical, stair-stepper, rowing machine, or whatever doesn't just have one on/off button.  No, I bet you look down each day you step on that thing and feel slightly like a pilot with all the gauges and buttons displayed to you in big, bright, digital fashion.  You might see your total workout time, distance traveled, heart-rate, incline, mile-rate, intensity, resistance, interval graphs, and the one piece of information I have the BIGGEST beef with:

Calories Burned.

You don't know how frustrating it is to have people come up to you on a daily basis (knowing you're a fitness buff with your own blog online), and proclaim proudly: "hey man, I just burned 680 calories on a treadmill."

....Congratulations, you want a medal?

But seriously, what does that even mean?  How did you burn that supposed number of calories?  Did you sprint for 10 minutes?  jog for an hour?  walk for three hours?  crawl for two miles?  What was your heart rate? Incline?  Speed?  What's your weight, height, age stride, pace, fitness level, bodyfat ratio, muscular density, anxiousness, meal before your workout, and your metabolic rate?

I hate to break it to all of you, but if your treadmill doesn't take all these factors into account, it has no idea how many calories you actually burned.  

You see, that calorie counter works through a consistent little program created through obtaining an average calorie burn rate of near "average" individuals.  Some programs are more accurate than others, yes, but in the end, nobody is average.  We all have different metabolisms, fitness levels, bodyfat ratios, etc.  To give you a simple example, someone with a higher metabolism will burn more calories during a 1 mile run at 7 mph than someone with a slower metabolism doing the exact same run.  Or maybe there are two people with the exact same height and weight, but one has been running his entire life.  The more experienced, more cardiovascular efficient person will burn less calories per mile than the person who's less "fit", if they both run at the same speed.  You see all these little nuances?  As fancy as that treadmill is, it can't take that into account.

So don't come up to me and tell me how many calories you burned.  I will either not stop what I'm doing and mumble "cool," or if the figure is nutty enough, I'll stop what I'm doing, look you square in the face, and say "no, you didn't."

BUT WAIT!!!  This information shouldn't depress you.  Sure it may throw you off a little bit, but it also frees you up to become MUCH more physically fit than ever before.  Instead of focusing on the calories burned, how about instead you focus on the intensity and length of your workout, and record THOSE figures instead.  Bottom line is that the more intensely you get your heart going in a cardio workout, the more calories you'll burn.  Why do you think high intensity interval training works so well?  Use the timer, the speed, and the incline/resistance with more gusto than the calorie counter.  Use the counter only as a reference.  If it reads 100 calories greater than last time, great!  You burned more calories!  You won't know exactly how many more, but hey, it looks significant!

Don't fall for the treadmill's lies anymore.  Calories don't matter so much.  Intensity does.  Get that heart going, and you'll be more than happy with your results.

Push hard, run fast, and as always, good luck!

Maple Syrup: Sweet with Benefits

I'm originally from Vermont, therefore maple syrup to me is a way of life.  I've experienced arguably the best maple syrup this side of the Canadian border, and believe me this amber nectar from the gods themselves will always hold a place in my heart.  It truly is one of my most favorite tastes, and honestly I've never consumed one of the artificial counterparts (like Aunt Jemima) without a slight level of disgust and confusion as to how that stuff even came close to imitating the real deal.  Real maple syrup really is something special, and despite it being....well....SUGAR, it does have quite a few health benefits that allow it to find its way into a health food blog such as this.

Firstly, I'll give those of you who aren't native to sugaring country a little background as to how maple syrup is made.  It is originally created from sap of the maple tree, which can be collected only in a certain window of time during early spring when it drops below freezing at night and rises above freezing during the day.  This causes the sap inside the tree to flow up and down the trunk and right past any sort of tap you've hammered into the tree.  Many maple sugarers collect the sap in hanging buckets, but the more large scale operations use vacuum tubes that basically meet up with the tap and suck the sap down to a holding tank hundreds of feet downhill, which is also connected to an entire web of other vacuum tubes winding all over the forest.  It's a pretty impressive sight come spring time, if I don't say so myself.

Once the sap is collected, it must be boiled in order to remove most of the water (sap is mostly water with only a tiny hint of sugar.)  This boiling process takes a LOT of sweet time, and ends up removing a lot of the raw material.  In fact, it usually takes in the ballpark of 40 gallons of sap to make one measly gallon of syrup.  And I remember some of my friends back in high school claiming they and their families have made thousands of gallons of syrup each year!  That is a LOT of sap.  Then, based on the quality and color of the syrup, it is either labeled as grade A or B.  All three have distinct tastes.  A is usually called "fancy" syrup and is lighter on your tongue.  Many consumers less used to the distinct taste of organic maple syrup prefer grade A because it tastes more similar to artificial syrups they might have had before.  Grade B is the heavier syrup with a more viscous, powerful taste, and really packs a maple punch (I prefer this =]).  You'll see many more locals using grade B, because to us it represents the most pure taste of Vermont.

 Grade A is made earlier in the season, and usually Grade B is made later.  

I lied slightly, there are multiple grade A syrups, with increasing maple flavor as they get darker.  From left to right, these grades are:

• Vermont Fancy, light amber color, delicate maple bouquet
• Grade A Medium Amber, medium amber color, pronounced maple bouquet
• Grade A Dark Amber, dark amber color, robust maple bouquet
• Grade B, darkest color, strong maple bouquet

And they're all pure Vermont organic!




So I did mention health benefits, did I not?  Good news is that maple syrup (especially grade B) is packed with large amounts of certain nutrients, so you're getting some good stuff along with all that sugar.  What would that good stuff be?  Let's find out!


Manganese:  This interesting little mineral has all sorts of benefits.  It has shown to be a great supporter of bone and joint health, which you definitely want especially as age starts to catch up with you.  The strength of your bones can determine comfort levels later in life.  Manganese also supports general overall cell health, protecting them from damaging free radicals.  It even promotes good sensory function, specifically taste and smell.

You'd do well to get some more manganese in your diet, and guess what, 1/2 cup of maple syrup has over 250% of your daily recommended manganese!  Impressive!

Zinc:  Maple syrup is also packed with zinc, a fantastic mineral that supports HDL (good) cholesterol levels as well as other heart health benefits.  You definitely want to keep that heart of yours beating strong and stress free, and if you like a little organic maple syrup on your whole wheat waffles, then you'll be doing your heart a favor.  1/2 cup of maple syrup has 45% of your daily zinc (though I should've mentioned before that 1/2 cup is a pretty big serving size when it comes to maple syrup.)

Zinc is also very important as it helps your immune system to function at optimal levels, which you'd definitely be keen to paying attention to this time of the year.

Calcium:  This bone-related mineral is in pretty high supply in maple syrup.  1/2 cup of maple syrup will have around 11% of your daily required calcium, and perhaps a little more if it's grade B.  You definitely don't want to be short on calcium, especially women, as this will increase your chances of osteoporosis.


I found a great nutrition profile of maple syrup online, which I'll share with you right here:

NUTRITIONAL PROFILE OF MAPLE SYRUP

• Serving Size 1 tablespoon
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories 52
• Calories From Fat 0
• Calories 52.00 kcal
• Carbohydrates 13.44 g
• Calories from Carbohydrates 52.00 kcal
• % Calories from Carbohydrates 100.00 %
• Fat 0.04 g
• Calories from Fat 0.352 kcal
• % Calories from Fat 0.67 %
• Monounsaturated Fat 0.0128 g
• Polyunsaturated Fat 0.02 g
• Saturated Fat 0.0072 g
• Ash 0.12 g
• Calcium, Ca 13.4 mg
• Copper, Cu 0.0148 mg
• FA 16:0 Palmitic 0.0072 g
• FA 18:0 Stearic 0.0008 g
• FA 18:1 Oleic 0.0128 g
• FA 18:2 Linoleic 0.02 g
• Iron, Fe 0.24 mg
• Magnesium, Mg 2.8 mg
• Manganese, Mn 0.6596 mg
• Niacin 0.006 mg
• Pantothenic acid 0.0072 mg
• Phosphorus, P 0.4 mg
• Potassium, K 40.8 mg
• Riboflavin 0.002 mg
• Selenium, Se 0.12 mcg
• Sodium, Na 1.8 mg
• Sugars, total 12.74 g
• Thiamin 0.0012 mg
• Vitamin B-6 0.0004 mg
• Water 6.4 g
• Zinc, Zn 0.832 mg

http://www.puremapleproducts.com/health_benefits_maple_syrup.html

Clearly maple syrup is packed with all sorts of healthy vitamins and minerals, and is a big step up from plain cane sugar which has around 0% of just about everything.  So what does that mean?  It means you can enjoy one of the greatest sweeteners known to man without feeling too guilty.  In my opinion though, as much as I love the stuff, don't go overboard with maple syrup.  A tablespoon or two is fine, and most likely it'll be all you need.  Go much further and you're well on your way to sabotaging your own diet.

But don't be afraid of maple syrup!  In moderation it is absolutely delicious and extremely good for you.  So go ahead, enjoy one of the most beneficial organic sweeteners on this green (soon to be white) earth.

Enjoy those waffles, love the maple tree, and as always, good luck!