CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 6/13/14

Really quick before I get into the meat and potatoes of this week’s list.

1.  I love you.

2.  I didn’t even realize it was Friday the 13th until someone pointed it out to me today.  Also, apparently, I think someone told me there’s a full moon tonight.  If so, have fun with that. Good luck!

3.  If you missed it, strength coach, writer, and stronger than 99% of the population, Tim Henriques, wrote a fantastic guest post earlier this week titled 5 Life Lessons From Powerlifting.

I’m reminding people because his new book, All About Powerlifting, is quickly becoming one of my “go to” books to recommend to people regardless of training experience or whether or not they’re interested in powerlifting.  Don’t let the title fool. Yes, it’s about powerlifting….but Tim goes into great detail on each of the “big 3” and I feel it serves as an excellent primer for those looking to learn the lifts and improve their technique.

4. Only 553 days left until Star Wars Episode VII comes out.  In case anyone’s keeping track. 5 hours, 47 minutes, and 33 seconds.

32, 31, 30……..

Death By Cardio & The Fortress of Solitude – Bryan Krahn

There was an article written last week on a very popular fitness site basically telling people that cardio kills people.  I didn’t much care for it and felt it did more to bring the industry back rather than improve it.

There was a lot of research studies sited in the article itself, which, for better or worse, automatically gives people the impression that it must be accurate.

Just remember:  there was once a time where physicians advocated we smoke to improve our health!

Anyways, I really appreciated Bryan’s retort and I think you will too.

My Secret Sauce to Healthy Weight: Meal Preparation – Trish DaCosta

I had the pleasure of meeting Trish in person earlier this week and felt she was a lovely human being, and someone whom I shared many common beliefs with.

Like the idea of meal prep and how that plays a key role in weight management.

Every Sunday Lisa and I will get our groceries for the week and we’ll get home and have most of the food prep done (chicken breasts grilled, starches cooked, and beef sauteed) before noon.  And be “we’ll have it done,” what I really mean is Lisa will have it done.

Love you babe!

Yes, meal prep sucks.  Yes, no one likes doing it.  But you need to learn to suck it up and do it anyways. That, and TAKE OUT THE RECYCLING!!!!!!!!!!  HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO ASK!?!??!

Low Cholesterol: The Risks, Dangers, and Reality – Michael McEvoy

I had my first appointment with a doctor in well over a decade last summer. As I recall it was a fairly painless experience, and I only hyperventilated into a brown paper bag twice at the sight of a needle.

As part of the deal, I had some blood work done to test things like my vitamin D levels, testosterone levels, as well as cholesterol and adamantium (<—– please tell you get the reference).

A week or so after the fact I received the results and noticed that my TOTAL cholesterol levels were somewhat low (take that egg haters!!!!), and I was more or less patting myself on the back.

As it happened, a fellow Facebook friend of mine, a doctor himself, noted that, while there was nothing to be too (too) concerned about, low cholesterol levels can be just as much a sign of something wrong as high cholesterol readings.

He noted:

“If your total cholesterol is really in the 120s, you (may) have a couple of things going on….the first could be fat malabsorption due to decreased bile production or flow, the second is significant adrenal stress that leads to all of your cholesterol getting shunted to pregnenolone to control inflammation. Infections(sub-clinical) will lead to chronic inflammation that depletes cholesterol as well.” 

To which I responded:

Am I going to die?

Anyways, this was the article he sent my way which I felt was interesting and something that some of you may find interesting as well.

CategoriesNutrition

Another Cholesterol Rant

It’s not something I’m proud to admit it, but up until last week it’s been about eleven years since I’ve stepped foot into a doctor’s office.

While I’d like to sit here and say it’s due to some irrational fear – akin to some people’s fear of say, clowns – sadly, it has more to do with plain ol’ stubbornness peppered with a hint of laziness and a touch of cynicism.

Knock on wood it’s not that often that I get sick.  I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been legitimately out of commission in the last decade, to the point where staying home and watching re-runs of Knight Rider seemed like a better option than “manning up” and heading to work.  And even then I was usually back to normal within a 24-36 hour period.

Fever? Headache? Upset stomach? Ebola?  Whatevs. Doctor schmoctor.

I think much of my “beef” with the primary care industry (and yes, it IS an industry:  they’re just as interested in making money as your local Audi dealership) is that a large portion of it (not all of it) is more interested in being reactive instead of proactive.

It’s much easier to tell the type II diabetic to take eight different pills to treat their symptoms than it is educate him or her on the benefits of exercise and making wiser food choices.

I get it:  doctors are trained to use medicine, not dumbbells and fish oil, to treat symptoms.  It’s just kind of frustrating when I know we can save a metric shit-ton of money in preventative health care costs by educating people rather than circumventing everything with “band aid” fixes.

So yeah, I generally steer clear of the doctor’s office more so out of spite than anything else.  It’s stupid and childish, I know.

But what can I say? I like Boobies.

Well, Lisa put an end to the nonsense. She’s been on me for a while now to go to the doctor’s office if for nothing else just to get a check up and make sure things are a-okay.

To her credit, Lisa absolutely adores her doctor – she’s very attentive, listens, takes her time, and takes a much more proactive approach – and mentioned to me last fall that she was accepting new patients.

I made the appointment and conveniently missed it.  Oops.

I know it came across as self-sabotage, but I totally blanked and got my dates mixed up, and unfortunately, because she’s so popular, in order to reschedule I would have had to wait until January in order to see her.

To make a long story short, I ended up making an appointment with one of the resident doctors (who’s under the supervision of Lisa’s doctor) and well, it was awesome!

She asked a lot of questions, took her time, and didn’t blink an eye when I told her I ate 5-10 eggs per day.  I mentioned that I was interested in getting my vitamin D checked, as well as my cholesterol but that I didn’t want the ordinary test that just gives you your total cholesterol (HDL/LDL) count.

Total cholesterol is a meaningless number and should be the basis for absolutely nothing.  The old division into “good” (HDL) cholesterol and “bad” (LDL) cholesterol is out of date and provides only marginally better information than a “total” cholesterol reading.

As noted in their fantastic book, The Great Cholesterol Myth, Jonny Bowden and Dr. Stephen Sinatra state:

Both good and bad cholesterol have a number of different components (or subtypes) that behave quite differently, and the twenty-first-century version of cholesterol test should always tell you exactly which subtypes you have.

More to the point they HIGHLY recommend a Particle Size Test.

Although LDL cholesterol is known as the “bad” cholesterol, the fact is that it comes in several shapes and sizes, as does HDL cholesterol, the so-called “good” kind.  These different subtypes of cholesterol behave very differently.  Seen under a microscope, some LDL particles are big, fluffy, and harmless.  Some are small, dense, and “angry,” and much more likely to become oxidized, slipping through  the cells that line the walls of arteries and beginning the inflammatory cascade that leads to heart disease.

Total cholesterol doesn’t mean shit and should NOT be the basis for any treatment.  While the media is quick to demonize high total cholesterol for the cause of heart disease, what they fail to dictate to the pubic is that 45-50% of the people who die from heart disease have what’s deemed “acceptable” total cholesterol readings.

There’s much more of the onion that needs to be peeled back than TOTAL cholesterol.  What’s more, the fact that cholesterol is demonized in the first place is a bunch of BS.

Alas, the public has been programmed to think that cholesterol is our enemy……….so it only makes sense that the amount of eggs I ingest on a weekly basis would make most people cringe.

I got my blood work back the other day, and in the words of my doctor:  everything came back perfectly normal.

So to all the random checkout line cashiers throughout the years who shit a tofu brick and went out of their way to express their concern about my cholesterol levels (I can’t tell how many have asked whether or not I’m ever concerned about my cholesterol) because of the number of cartons of eggs (and beef, and bacon, and cheese) I buy each week, but never said a word to the person a head of me with a cart filled with soda, ice-cream, chips, cookies, and organic Pop-Tarts…… all I have to say is:

Nah nah nah nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I win.

And, I have the coolest doctor like, ever.

CategoriesUncategorized

Cold Case Files With Brian St. Pierre

Both Brian St. Pierre and I have been on an emailing tear this past week, going back and forth on a litany of nutritional topics, and I figured that since I really didn’t have anything flashy or important I wanted to discuss this fine Monday morning I’d give everyone a peek into a few of our e-conversations.

NOTE:  Oh, what’s that?  You don’t know who Brian St. Pierre is?

Well, long time readers of this blog will know exactly who he is. But for those who are a bit newer around these parts, Brian was actually Cressey Performance’s very first full-time intern, part-time employee, full-time employee, and subsequent first employee to leave.  Jerk!

Okay, in his defense he did get married to his lovely wife, Anna, and they ended up having a kid and buying a house up in Maine.  So he gets a mulligan for that one.

Since leaving, he’s gone on to make quite the name for himself getting his Masters in Human Nutrition and Dietetics as well as becoming a coach for Precision Nutrition.

Basically, he’s become one of the “go to” guys for no nonsense nutritional information, and it’s been awesome to see him grow as a professional.

And what’s more, he likes to quote Star Wars, so there’s that.

A few weekends ago we were both in attendance for a mutual friend’s wedding and we ended up sitting at a table discussing a few hot topics in the nutritional realm, which as it happened, spilled over into several back and forth emails last week.

Some of the discussions included:

1. Why type II diabetes can’t (or shouldn’t) be blamed solely on sugar intake. Instead, much of the data suggests that, as Brian notes, “you essentially get it from having too much bodyfat (specifically visceral fat) and/or inflammation (which sugar can contribute to, but is FAR from the definitive cause).”

2. Why is it that cholesterol always seemingly gets the bad rap in the mainstream media?  Sure, roughly 47-50% (0r somewhere in that range, I don’t have the actual number in fromt of me) of people who suffer from a heart attack have high cholesterol levels, and there may be something to look a little deeper into there.

Okay, but what about the other 50% who have a heart attack and have LOW cholesterol levels?  What then?  Huh

3. Why the New York Times bestselling book, Wheat Belly, according to Brian, is a poo-pooey book.

“Much like Taube’s insulin theory,” he noted, “William Davis’ starting premise is simply flawed.  There is certainly some credence to grains and wheat in particular being potentially problematic for some people, but his overall argument is poor.”

Here is a great scientific debunking of his book:

Click ME (<—-and have your world rocked.)

I love talking with Brian about these sort of topics because, unlike a lot of nutritionist out there on the interwebz, he has an uncanny ability to weed through the BS and not fall prey to any preconceived hype.

Needless to say, I really appreciate his candor and the fact that he has an open mind when it comes to many of the “hot topics” in the nutritional world.

Another prime example is a comment I received from a former distance coaching client of mine concerning eggs and oxidized cholesterol levels. Knowing I’m a huge egg fan, and that my preferred way to eat them is in omelet form (onion, bacon, broccoli, salsa, and bullets), he wanted to share a comment which Dr. Batshitcrazy Dr. Mercola wrote on his website about eggs, how you eat them, and oxidized cholesterol levels.

Dr. Mercola:  “Eggs are one of the richest sources of dietary cholesterol, so the way you cook them will influence the level of oxidized cholesterol in your blood. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to hardening of your arteries, which increases your risk of heart disease.

High heat will promote this oxidation. Since there is iron in the egg white, when it combines with the egg yolk that will also oxidize the cholesterol. Scrambled eggs or omelets are one of the least healthy ways to prepare eggs.

Surprisingly, the best way to prepare eggs is to not cook them at all and simply eat the whole egg — yolk and whites — raw. This is an advanced technique, so no need to rush on this one unless you feel especially motivated.

I realize the texture of raw eggs may not be very appealing. If you have strong objections to the texture of eggs, that can be easily modified by whipping them into a meringue or blending them in a protein smoothie. You won’t even notice they’re there!”

Don’t get me wrong, my client had my best interests in mind – and wholeheartedly appreciated his concern.  Still, something in the good Doc’s logic seemed amiss and my bullshit meter was essentially rearing back to round-house kick me in the face.

I decided to ask Brian his opinion.

Brian St. Pierre: “Your bullshit meter should go off.

There is currently no evidence that consumption of oxidized cholesterol leads to oxidized cholesterol in the blood.  Plus how much actually oxidizes is a function of time x air exposure.  A freshly made omelet or some scrambled eggs is little to worry about.

Having high blood levels of oxidized cholesterol is certainly unhealthy and an independent risk factor, however they are not one in the same.

Eating raw eggs is most certainly not the most effective method!  Raw eggs contain avidin, which binds to biotin, preventing its absorption.  Raw egg protein is not as well absorbed as cooked egg protein – the denaturing from the cooking actually improves its absorption.  Plus you are taking an unnecessary salmonella risk!”

I’ve always said that I don’t like to live my life in absolutes (only Siths live in absolutes!), and that keeping an open mind is always the  best approach.

I think it’s important to bring these controversial topics to the forefront every now and then if for nothing else to demonstrate to people that just because someone in the mainstream media says “carbs are evil,” or “eggs cause cancer,” or “unicorns poop diamonds,” that we DO NOT have to take their word as dogma.

What say you?  Do you have anything to offer in the conversation?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

ADDENDUM:  Brian wanted to make a small clarification for any nitpickers that may be out there concerning the whole cholesterol and oxidation argument:

“There actually is some evidence that consuming oxidized cholesterol can lead to increased levels of oxidized cholesterol in the blood, but overall the research is underwhelming.  They heated the cholesterol for inordinate amounts of time where you are likely getting compounds that you won’t find in scrambled eggs cooked on medium heat.  There is even some evidence for specific methods of causing oxidized dietary cholesterol being less atherogenic in the blood.  All in all, it is much like the fructose data – in supraphysiological amounts it can be problematic, in regards to a normal food consumption pattern, it is not much to worry about.
How much actually oxidizes would be even more appropriately termed as heat x air exposure x time.”
CategoriesNutrition

Reneging on Egg Yolks

I heart egg debates. For those new to this blog, I think it’s nonsensical that there are people out there (most of which are well-educated and should know better) who believe that whole eggs are worse for you than cigarettes.

Unfortunately, due to any number of reasons – big food, stupid people on the internet, Dr. Oz – people are very confused on what to eat and what’s actually “good” for you.

Eggs are right up there on the “Defcon 1, DO NOT EAT AT ANY COST OR A BABY UNICORN WILL DIE” list.  

One week they’re a nutritional powerhouse, and the next, Time Magazine does an expose that says that not only will eggs clog up your arteries faster than you can say “five-egg omelet,” but they’ll kick you the balls when you’re not looking, too. 

Jerks!

Suffice it to say, I fall in the camp that believes eggs (and more specifically, egg yolks) are a nutritional powerhouse, and that they’ve been demonized long enough!

Today’s guest post comes to you from current CP intern, and fellow egg-lover, Pat Koch.

Enjoy!

Eggs will kill you…One egg too many and you are heading down a slippery slope towards heart disease.  At least that’s what current nutrition advice would have you believe.

Yet as more and more research comes out, the nutrition community may be starting to change its tune towards the once feared egg yolk.  Eggs are actually healthy, and also the perfect fat loss food.

“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.”

Practically speaking eggs are a cost effective way to get a ton of nutrition.  The fatty yoke is home to the majority of nutrients in eggs.  In one study, daily nutrient intake of people who ate eggs was significantly greater than people who abstained.  Egg eaters had higher levels of vitamins A,E,C, folate, saturated and polyunsaturated fats, and B12.

Also the same study counterintuitively pointed out that people who ate four or more eggs a week had LOWER serum concentrations of cholesterol than those who ate one or less egg.1

Along with the other nutrients, eggs are potent in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants that have been theorized to protect against cholesterol becoming oxidized.2   The products of cholesterol oxidation have been well established as a key component in Cardiovascular disease, neurologic disease, and certain cancers.3,4

Hmm…so once again we find a natural food that is conveniently packaged in a certain way that minimizes any harmful aspects of said food, I’m beginning to notice a trend here.

A little known gem about cholesterol is that there are two forms: Dietary cholesterol which is in our food, and serum cholesterol which is in our blood.

When we go to the doctors they are particularly worried about the cholesterol in our blood.  Yet as it turns out dietary cholesterol does not play as large a role in elevating our serum cholesterol as previously believed.

As many as 75 % of people experience a small increase or no increase in blood cholesterol levels when exposed to high amounts of dietary cholesterol, this type of person is known as a normal responder or hypo-responder and is the majority of the population!

The other 25% of people would be known as hyper-responders.  It is important to note that after hyper responders consume cholesterol there is a rise in BOTH LDL and HDL cholesterol.2

Even with a transient rise in Cholesterol…Total Cholesterol (HDL +LDL) is not the end all be all when it comes to predicting heart disease its actually quite a poor predictor, only right about 50% of the time.9

So if total cholesterol doesn’t mean much what is a good predictor of heart disease?

This is where it gets tricky.  The cholesterol classifications of “good” and “bad” are incomplete.  In fact within the “Bad” LDL cholesterol, there are several subtypes of particles that vary with regards to their degree of damage to the arteries.

Small, dense LDL-C and VLDL are two subtypes that have been established as highly arthrogenic as they are easily susceptible to oxidation.5

Funny enough the quickest way to jack up your levels of SD-LDL and VLDL is to eat a diet high in refined carbohydrates and make yourself insulin resistant. 5  Counter intuitively the once feared saturated fat in eggs will increase HDL and LDL cholesterol, but the raise in LDL is mostly a large fluffy sub-type that is mostly benign and not considered arthrogenic. 2, 5

Yes you read that correctly…saturated fat and dietary cholesterol aren’t necessarily bad for you,  depending on the context of your whole diet and that there are no pre-existing medical conditions, of course.

Further research is revealing that saturated may not be associated with heart disease.6,7,8

Note from TG: Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

After going full circle, lets come back to eggs and how even the yolk isn’t only a health food, but theoretically can be a great weight loss food.

Try eating a three egg omelet with some cheese, and a side of fruit vs. a half a bagel with light cream cheese, and a fat free yogurt.  Who will be resisting that lunch time binge better?  Who will have more energy?  The answer is clear.  Eat some real food, stay fuller longer, and therefor lose more fat.

It is time to break away from nutritionism: eat a yolk or two.  The way it’s naturally packaged has got you covered.  Minimally processed foods are superior to processed garbage.  And as always, over time, if you consistently strive to eat and drink from a majority of less processed foods, in reasonable  portions, everything will take care of itself.

Author’s Bio

“Pat Koch is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Sports Nutritionist (CISSN) through the International Society of Sports Nutrition. After studying at Ithaca College, Pat obtained his undergraduate degree in Health Sciences with a concentration in Nutrition. Since then he has been working as a trainer specializing in Sports Performance.  Currently Pat interns at Cressey Performance, and has recently started competing in powerlifting.”

Note from TG:  I know some reading may want to view the citations Pat gave in this post, so I’ll see if he can provide them for me sometime later today, and I’ll try my best to get those up as soon as possible.

UPDATE:  If you click on each number (of the citation) the hyperlink will take you to the study.  In other news – I’m an idiot.

CategoriesUncategorized

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Red Meat Scare x2, Fitness Writing, and Food Principles

The Red Meat Scare: What Do We Make of It? – Dr. Jonny Bowden

I’ll admit to two man-crushes:  Matt Damon and Jonny Bowden.  After this post, however, the good doctor might have just taken the  man-crush thing to a whole new level.

In short, there’s this “study” (HEAVY emphasis on the quotations) that came our recently out of Harvard which stated that those who eat red meat will spend eternity in fiery pits of hell…..forced to watch repeat episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

 

Okay,that was a slight exaggeration. But needless to say, this so-called study did not have many nice things to say about red meat.  And, true to form, much of the mainstream media ran with it citing headlines like:  RED MEAT IS GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!

Inevitably, as a health c0nscious individual yourself – and presumably a meat eater (no offense to any vegetarians or vegans reading) – you’re going to hear some backlash from friends, family, and colleagues chastising you for having the audacity to eat red meat.2

Save your breath, and have them read this article from Dr. Bowden.

And, while you’re at it:  have them read THIS article from Adam Bornstein, too.

The Ten Commandments of Strength and Conditioning Writing Practices – Bret Contreras

I was completely floored (and humbled) to be included in such an insightful, honest, and thought provoking post from Bret. Much like Bret, I continue to grow and learn as a fitness professional, but it’s still nice to know that there are plenty of people out there who appreciate my work and don’t think I’m an asshole…..;o)

Thanks Bret

 

Gremlins, Pareto, & Food Principles – Oh My – Steve Troutman

My “Stuff You Should Read” posts are definitely one of the more popular (running) series that I offer here on this site.  And, as such, I do get my fair share of people contacting me to see whether or not I’d be interested in “showcasing” one of their own posts. I’m not going to lie:  much of what’s sent to me is poop.

It isn’t so much that their work is sub par – generally speaking most of the content is on point.  It’s just HOW people contact me that rubs me the wrong way at times.  It’s usually like this:

“Hey….would you be interested in posting one of my articles on your site?  I’ll be your BFF if you do!”

There’s no, “hey Tony, I really like your stuff, been a fan for a while now…..”

or

“You’re the smartest, most attractive man I have ever laid eyes on.  Here’s an article on fish oil……”

None of that. Oftentimes, it’s just someone writing me out of the blue assuming that I’ll be more than happy to send traffic their way.

Now, I’m not suggesting that they need to kiss my ass (okay, maybe a little), but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to demonstrate that you’ve read some of my stuff and know what I’m all about. Articles on the benefits of crunches – which is something someone sent me – won’t fly.

Anyways, Steve contacted me a while ago and came across like a really cool dude. Not only that, it’s obvious (after perusing a lot of his work) that he knows his stuff and is passionate about what he does.  More to the point, the article he sent me – on some common food principles he advocates to his clients – was EXCELLENT!!!!  I hope you enjoy as much as I did.