Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

We all have that moment when we realize that we need to take better care of ourselves. For many of my clients, this moment comes sometime in their 50s. When this moment occurs later in your life, it is important to make sure that you are approaching your health and fitness appropriately to ensure that you are mitigating risk of injury and that you are setting yourself up for success.

Below are my top five tips to help you get fit over the age of 50.

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For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering a bunch of questions from readers. The first one concerns another inflammatory marker, homocysteine. How could CRP be low but homocysteine be high? What could cause that? Next, I answer a barrage of kefir questions, including ones on kefir carb counts, pasteurized kefir, and water and coconut kefir. Finally, I address the elephant in the room: stressing out about your diet.

Let’s go:

How do Homocysteine levels figure in this equation? I have C-reactive protein under 1, but Homocysteine levels of 15, slightly high. Seems odd one so low and one a bit high.

Both indicate elevated inflammation, but they can have different causes. There are many nutrient deficiencies and interactions that go into elevated homocysteine levels—that’s why they indicate inflammation. What are they?

It all comes down to methionine. That’s the essential amino acid most abundant in muscle meats, the one most of you are getting a ton of if you’re eating a standard Primal, keto, or carnivore diet. We use it to perform cellular communication, regulate gene expression, repair cells, and build new tissue. It does some really important stuff, but it needs several different co-factors to work properly.

B12 and Folate—Vitamin B12 is a major one. So is folate. In fact, I lumped them together in one section because they are co-dependents. Vitamin B12 requires folate to do its job. Folate requires vitamin B12 to do its job. Both vitamins are necessary co-factors for methionine to do its important cellular work. Without either one, methionine builds up and contributes to homocysteine.

They even tested this in a controlled human trial. Giving a big dose of methionine without increasing B12 or folate increased homocysteine levels. Supplementing with B12 and folate protected against the methionine-induced increase in homocysteine.

Riboflavin—Some groups may need extra riboflavin to deal with homocysteine levels.

Glycine—After teaming up with the B-vitamins to do the gene expression and cellular repair/buildup, any excess methionine combines with glycine to form glutathione. That’s the body’s main antioxidant, and it’s very helpful to have. If you have low glycine levels/intake, then any leftover methionine goes into the homocysteine cycle.

B6—Vitamin B6 is also used to mop up and convert into glutathione any excess methionine after methylation.

Betaine—Similar to glycine, betaine acts as a buffer for excess methionine. In fact, high intakes of methionine deplete the body of betaine, while supplementing with betaine reduces homocysteine levels.

Choline—Choline is another methionine buffer. High methionine increases the need for choline, while adequate choline or supplementation reduces homocysteine.

If you’re missing those co-factors, methionine fails to assist with cellular communication, gene expression, cellular repair, or new tissue formation. Instead, it generates homocysteine.

For a primer on obtaining adequate B-vitamins, read this post. Meat of all kinds, eggs, organ meats, seafood, dairy, green vegetables, and even legumes are ways to obtain them.

For a primer on obtaining adequate glycine, read this post. You can get it through collagen, gelatin, bone broth, or bone-in, skin-on meats with a lot of gelatinous connective tissue.

To get enough betaine, include some beets and/or spinach in your diet. Wheat germ is the best source, but most of you aren’t eating wheat germ (nor would I recommend you start).

To get choline, eat egg yolks. That’s the single best source. If you’re not going to eat betaine-rich foods (beets, spinach, wheat), eat extra choline; you can make betaine from choline.

Isn’t there a relatively large amount of carbs in kefir, when consumed in quantity?

The fermentation process digests most of the lactose present in milk. The sourer the product, the lower the residual lactose. The sweeter the product (or even just less sour), the higher the residual lactose. At any rate, I wouldn’t worry too much about the carb content of kefir. It’s assuredly lower than advertised, and probably low enough for even keto eaters to incorporate at least a little.

There are even lactose-free kefirs that will be definitely near-zero in carbs. If that’s the case, it will be prominently displayed on the label.

Mark, don’t they at least partially”clean up” kefir? Does it really contain all that good stuff, or is pasteurized?

Commercial kefir uses pasteurized dairy, but the fermentation takes places after pasteurization. This means the finished product is fermented with living bacteria (and yeast, in the case of kefir).

I’ve never seen a commercial kefir that pasteurized after fermentation. If you’re worried, you can always get your own kefir grains and make your own kefir. It’s pretty easy and delicious.

Kefir – I just did a test of dairy and it definitely gives me a reaction. I’d love to read your take on water kefir though I’m not pleased that the recipes use sugar. What about coconut milk kefir?

Don’t worry about water kefir that uses sugar. All the sugar gets consumed by the kefir grains, leaving little to no residual sugar for you. You can tell by the taste (and I admit I’m no fan/expert of water kefir, only because I can tolerate dairy kefir). If it’s sweet, it contains sugar. If not, it doesn’t. Even if it has some sugar left, it’ll be far less than indicated on the label.

Coconut milk kefir is a good option too. Again, I prefer the dairy kefir, but I see nothing wrong with coconut milk kefir. I even put up a coconut milk kefir recipe some time ago.

Funny you mentioned to drink bone broth (for the glycine) to help with sleep. I have been keto-carnivore for 9 months and recently realized that the high level of histamines in bone broth was giving me insomnia. I can eat most foods that contain a moderate level of histamines, but canned fish and long-cooked bone broth have derailed my sleep on carnivore.

If that’s the case, straight glycine can work. That’s what several studies actually used to improve sleep in humans—isolated glycine.

Collagen may also work for you.

Could all this be too much worry from being obsessed with checking if they are doing the keto diet “right” ?

Ha! Yeah. That’s the issue with a certain subset of the Primal/keto crowd. Worrying about every little thing until it becomes a stressor. Ketone numbers running through the head as you lie awake. Waking up at 2 AM to test your urine. “Did I remember to Amazon Prime the MCT oil?” Wondering “Is the olive oil in my canned sardines truly the highest quality olive oil?”

Then there’s the true classic: stressing out about the stress you’re inducing from worrying about your diet. Educate yourself, but don’t forget to enjoy life. There’s only so much diligence we can orchestrate without losing the forest through the trees.

That’s it for today, everyone. Take care and be well, and make sure to leave any comments or questions down below.

The post Dear Mark: Homocysteine, Some Kefir Questions, and the Stress of Worrying appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Cold season is upon us. Vitamin D levels are down. People are cloistered indoors. Kids are walking petri dishes. Drug stores are advertising free flu shots. It’s that time of year. I’m sure a few of you are even sniffling as you read this, or maybe trying to ignore the pain of swallowing with a sore throat.

Colds seem like an inevitability, maybe not so much since you’ve cleaned up your diet, but nothing is 100% fool-proof. You will get sick. You will catch a cold. Or someone close to you will. What can you do for yourself? For your sick kid or partner? Are there any natural cold remedies that actually work?

Let’s look at them.

High Dose Vitamin C

Most studies find that vitamin C supplementation has little to no effect on the duration or severity of a cold. But not all. What seems to help, if anything, is a mega-dose of vitamin C.

In one study, taking 8 grams on the first day of the cold reduced illness a bit more than taking 4 grams.

A meta-analysis of studies concluded that taking 1 gram as a daily supplementary dose and 3-4 grams as a therapeutic dose at the onset of a cold could reduce the duration and severity.

Verdict: Vitamin C can’t hurt, so it’s worth a shot. Try 3-8+ grams when you feel the cold coming on, and supplement 500 mg-1 g during cold season.

Zinc

Having good zinc levels are a great preventive. A strong baseline intake of zinc-rich foods like shellfish and red meat is the first line of defense against upper respiratory infections.  But once you have a cold, or you feel one coming on, pounding zinc citrate lozenges or smoked oysters won’t make much of a difference. What can work is taking a specific type of zinc acetate, highlighted here by Chris Masterjohn.

Studies show that zinc acetate works very well at reducing the duration of colds, especially when you catch it early. Chris recommends using these lozenges every 1-2 hours when a cold first hits and letting them dissolve slowly in the mouth. It takes about 20-30 minutes for a single lozenge to dissolve, but this slow process is vital for actually getting the cold-busting effect. Don’t chew.

Verdict: Zinc acetate taken at the onset can help. Other forms of zinc are important for prevention (and general health), but probably aren’t therapeutic.

Elderberry

Elderberry probably has the coolest name ever—like some folk medicine out of a Tolkien story. Plus, it works.

In intercontinental air travelers (a population at much greater risk for colds), taking elderberry syrup reduced total days with a cold (57 versus 117) and cold symptom score (247 versus 583, with higher being worse).

In a meta-analysis of controlled trials, elderberry syrup was also shown to reduce overall cold symptoms.

This elderberry syrup is very high quality, and even comes in a sugar-free (glycerin-based) form if you want to avoid any excess fructose.

Verdict: Works.

Chicken Broth

Does “Jewish penicillin” work? Yes, yes it does. Evidence confirms that chicken soup made from real chicken broth eases nasal congestion, improves the function of the nasal cilia protecting us from pathogen incursions, and reduces cold symptoms.

Does it have to be chicken? As most cultures include broth-based soup in their list of effective cold remedies, I suspect it’s the goodness of the broth that’s important and any true bone broth-based soup will work.

Verdict: Yes.

Garlic

Garlic is legit. Garlic can improve immune function and reduce the occurrence of common colds. In my opinion, it’s one of the best anti-cold foods around.

If I feel a cold coming on, I’ll crush and dice up an entire head of garlic and lightly simmer it in a big mug of bone broth. I find I am usually able to ward off whatever’s headed my way. Of course, that’s just an anecdote and the available evidence is more equivocal.

Another way I’ll eat garlic is to use black garlic—garlic that’s been aged for months until it turns black, soft, and sweet. Delicious and even more potent.

Aged garlic extract can also be an effective supplement.

Verdict: It works.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is controversial. I’m no expert myself—I’ve gotten it a a few times at urging from friends who swear by it—and while I found it relaxing and enjoyable, I didn’t get any amazing results. Then again, I wasn’t going in for anything in particular, nor did I stick with it for very long (apparently you need ongoing therapy). This article by Chris Kresser (who in addition to being a nutrition expert is a licensed acupuncturist) explains the effects and benefits of acupuncture from a Western perspective; it’s worth reading if you’ve been wondering about the therapy.

Does it work for colds?

There are some studies where it seems to help against the common cold. Like this study out of Japan or this series of case studies out of Korea. Both studies indicate the need for placebo-controlled trials to truly determine the efficacy, though. In 2018 there was a published “protocol” for just such a study, but as far as I can tell the results haven’t been published.

Even if it doesn’t lessen the severity of the cold itself, I know some friends who go for acupuncture toward the end of a cold to help speed sinus drainage.

Verdict: Unknown but perhaps.

Echinacea

Echinacea is a medicinal herb native to North America, where it was traditionally used as a painkiller, laxative, and anti-microbial agent (although they didn’t know what microbes were of course). Today, it’s best known as an immune modulator that reduces symptoms of the common cold. Does it work?

A Cochrane analysis of controlled trials found no benefit against colds, but it did note that “individual prophylaxis trials consistently show positive (if non-significant) trends.”

In other words, it very well might work, but we don’t have gold standard evidence in either direction.

Verdict: Might work.

Oregano Oil

Oregano oil has a long history of traditional use in treating infectious diseases, and it has potent anti-bacterial effects against a broad range of microbes. It fights athlete’s foot. It’s broadly anti-fungal. But there simply isn’t any strong evidence that it works against the common cold.

Verdict: Not much evidence it works for colds.

Steam

Back when I was a boy, my favorite thing to do when I had clogged up nostrils was to get in a really hot shower, close all the windows and doors, and read a good book as the steam loosened up the nasal passages. It really did work, albeit not for long. If the cold virus was still present, my nose would usually clog right back up afterwards.

Verdict: Good for momentary relief of clogged nostrils, like right before bed.

Spicy Food

Spicy food probably won’t destroy a cold outright, but it can safely (and deliciously) reduce the most annoying cold symptom: stuffy noses. Capsaicin, the chili pepper component that produces a burning sensation in mammalian tissue, reduces nasal inflammation. When your nasal blood vessels are inflamed, the walls constrict; the space gets tighter and you have trouble breathing. Studies indicate that capsaicin is effective against most symptoms of nasal congestion.

Verdict: Good for stuffy noses.

Nasal Irrigation

In Sanskrit, “neti” means “nasal cleansing.” The neti pot is a exactly what it sounds like. You fill a tiny plastic kettle with warm saline water, tilt your head over a sink, and pour the water into one nostril. It flows out the other one, clearing your nasal cavity and letting you breathe again. The scientific term is “nasal irrigation,” and it really does work, albeit only against one cold symptom. But let’s face it: the worst part of a bad cold is the stuffy nose that keeps you up at night, gives you dry mouth, and makes food taste bland. Neti pottin’ can fix that right up.

Also, it’s better than antibiotics in kids with rhinosinusitis. It even improves symptoms in infants with bronchiolitis, another kind of viral infection.

Verdict: Works.

Cod Liver Oil/Fish Oil

Standard childcare practice across the world, but especially in Northern European countries, used to be a big spoonful of cod liver oil every day on your way out the door. Cod liver oil is a great source of vitamin D, vitamin A, and omega-3s—all of which figure prominently in immune function. But studies of the individual nutrients in cold prevention or treatment have had unimpressive results. What might work, though, is cod liver oil.

One recent study found that while vitamin D levels or supplements had no effect on whether a person got a cold or not, the only thing that was associated with lower incidences of colds was taking cod liver oil (or even just regular fish oil) in the last 7 days. It’s not a huge effect, and it’s not necessarily causal, but it’s good enough for me to recommend it.

This is a great cod liver oil. This is a great fish oil (made by yours truly).

Verdict: Works (and is healthy otherwise, so might as well).

So, there you go: a good list of therapies, supplements, foods, and nutrients to include (or not) in your anti-cold regimen this season. If you have any suggestions, any recommendations, or questions, throw them in down below.

Thanks for reading, folks, and be well.

References:

Quidel S, Gómez E, Bravo-soto G, Ortigoza Á. What are the effects of vitamin C on the duration and severity of the common cold?. Medwave. 2018;18(6):e7261.

Anderson TW, Suranyi G, Beaton GH. The effect on winter illness of large doses of vitamin C. Can Med Assoc J. 1974;111(1):31-6.

Hemilä H, Petrus EJ, Fitzgerald JT, Prasad A. Zinc acetate lozenges for treating the common cold: an individual patient data meta-analysis. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2016;82(5):1393-1398.

Tiralongo E, Wee SS, Lea RA. Elderberry Supplementation Reduces Cold Duration and Symptoms in Air-Travellers: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Nutrients. 2016;8(4):182.

Hawkins J, Baker C, Cherry L, Dunne E. Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra) supplementation effectively treats upper respiratory symptoms: A meta-analysis of randomized, controlled clinical trials. Complement Ther Med. 2019;42:361-365.

Nantz MP, Rowe CA, Muller CE, Creasy RA, Stanilka JM, Percival SS. Supplementation with aged garlic extract improves both NK and ??-T cell function and reduces the severity of cold and flu symptoms: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled nutrition intervention. Clin Nutr. 2012;31(3):337-44.

Lissiman E, Bhasale AL, Cohen M. Garlic for the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(11):CD006206.

The post 12 Natural Cold Remedies Examined: What Works and What Doesn’t appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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When the dark days of winter set in, the bright faces of citrus fruits are there to cheer us up. Citrus fruits are not only beautiful to look at but are loaded with uplifting aromas and plenty of measurable health benefits.  What are citrus fruits? Citrus fruits are native to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, […]

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Ribeye steaks get lots of love, but there’s something about a ribeye roast that makes for an unforgettable meal. Tender, juicy, marbled to perfection, it’s a main course that’s perfect for anytime, but especially a holiday table.

And we went for the best with this recipe—specifically a ButcherBox grass-fed ribeye roast. Just a few minutes of prep the night before and five ingredients bring out the premium taste of this cut with a beautifully roasted and garnished presentation to wow the guests.

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg ButcherBox Ribeye Roast (approximately 4 lbs.)
• ¼ cup garlic. minced
• ¼ cup shallots. minced
• ¼ cup Primal Kitchen® Organic Spicy Brown Mustard
• ¼ cup fresh thyme picked and chopped (or 2-3 Tbsp. of dried thyme)
• ¼ cup Primal Kitchen Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together and rub over the ribeye roast. Wrap the roast in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 225°F. Discarding the plastic wrap, place the roast on a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Season the roast with additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and bring to room temperature (about 30-40 minutes).

Place the roast on the oven center rack and cook for 90 minutes (or until thermometer inserted into thickest part reads 110 ºF).

Remove the roast from the oven and let it rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

About 40 minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 425°F. For medium-rare, cook the roast for 20 more minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part reads 125°F.

Let the roast rest again for 20 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Serving Suggestion: Serve with our chimichurri sauce for big and bright flavor.

Nutritional Information (per serving):

• Calories: 378
• Net Carbs: 2.1 grams
• Total Carbs: 2.5 grams
• Fat: 22.4 grams
• Protein: 40 grams

And Now For the Giveaway…

I’ve teamed up with my friends at ButcherBox for a delicious holiday giveaway you don’t want to miss. Imagine heritage breed turkey, juicy ham, ribeye roast, leg of lamb, plus a whole beef tenderloin on your holiday table? Do I have your attention now? To make those meaty dishes even better, I’m throwing in a perfect holiday collection of Primal Kitchen® dressings and marinades, sauces, oils, and more. That’s over $250 worth (per winner) of delicious Primal goodies for your holiday table!

Most of you have heard me talk about ButcherBox before, so you know they’re my favorite source of 100% grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken, heritage breed pork, and wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon. Each month, ButcherBox curates a one-of-a-kind selection of the healthiest, tastiest meats, humanely raised and free of antibiotics and hormones. Their meat is never taken from feedlots. That’s peace of mind and top-notch quality—not to mention excellent eating.

To Enter:

1. Follow @marksdailyapple, @primalkitchenfoods & @butcher_box on Instagram.
2. Enter your email on the giveaway entry page (click here).

I’ll be choosing a total of 4 winners each who will win their very own ButcherBox ($130 value) + $130 in Primal Kitchen products!

Fine Print: Open to U.S only. Must be 18 years or older to win. The winners be announced and contacted on November 21st.

Good luck, everyone!

The post Ribeye Roast + A Huge Holiday Giveaway appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

Assuming that building strength and muscle ranks highly among your training priorities, then you may be interested to learn about ascending reps (also known as ladders).

What are ascending reps?

Ascending reps are simply sets of increasing reps, with the same weight, until a total number of reps are completed. You can also work back down again (pyramids) or repeat the sets (waves), but more on this later.

For example, instead of performing 5 sets of 5 reps, you could do:

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Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

It’s time to learn how fruit juice fits into a healthy diet. 

You may be wondering: Is drinking fruit juice a good idea? Or is it really just like popping a can of soda?

We help navigate food and drink choices as part of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, and we are really flippin’ good at it! So you’ve come to the right place to get the lowdown on fruit juice. 

Should you be drinking OJ? If so, how much? Let us help you decide!

Here’s what we’ll cover to answer the question, “Is drinking fruit juice healthy?”

• What are the benefits of consuming fruit juice?
• Can fruit juice be bad for you? 
• Is fruit juice just as bad as soda?
• Is drinking fruit juice bad for weight loss?
• Are fruit smoothies good for you?
• How much fruit juice should I drink? (Next steps)

Let’s jump right in!

What Are the Benefits of Fruit Juice?

Fruit juice is mostly just sugar water.

Mostly.

But we can’t discount the nutrients contained in fruit juice.

Depending on the source, many of the vitamins and minerals in whole fruit can be found in its juice counterpart.^[1]

Noticed I said “source.” Quality matters when it comes to fruit juice. 

There’s a big difference between orange juice you squeezed yourself and Hawaiian Punch.

Quality of juice aside, our recommendation would be to actually eat the entire fruit, because of the importance of fiber (covered next)

All this to say: if you are going to drink a sugary beverage, nutrients are a good thing, so you can do worse than high-quality fruit juice. 

Just know that you are sending a bunch of sugar water straight into your stomach. 

Is Fruit Juice Bad for you? (Drinking Your Fruit)

To understand the downside of drinking fruit juice, we need to think about what’s missing: fiber.

Fruit juice, almost by definition, is the juice that’s been squeezed or processed out of fruit.

With the exception of small amounts of pulp here and there, the juicing process completely removes the fiber from fruit.

Without the fiber, all you’re left with is water, fructose (sugar), and some nutrients.

The complete lack of fiber in fruit juice proves problematic for two reasons:

1. It takes time to chew a piece of fruit (lots of fibers to chew through), which slows down the absorption of fructose by the liver.
2. The fructose in fruit is mixed in with the fiber at a cellular level (within the cell walls of fruit), which also slows downs the digestion.

Your liver is the only organ that processes fructose.^[1] If it’s overloaded, like with lots of fructose at once, it can turn some of this fructose into fat. 

Overloading your liver with fructose is a bad idea. It’s one of the ways people end of with fatty liver disease (another is overconsuming alcohol, which also taxes the liver).^[2]

Whole fruit is healthy for you because the fiber stops the fructose from hitting you all at once.

Fruit juice? Eh, not so much.

It’s kind of like…

Is Fruit Juice Just as Bad as Soda?

How does drinking fruit juice compare to drinking soda? 

Some numbers will help tell our story.

Let’s look at the calories and sugar content of orange juice and a Coca-Cola:

Orange juice (12-ounce glass)

• Calories: 154
• Sugar: 28g

Coca-Cola (12-ounce can)

• Calories: 140
• Sugar: 39g

Isn’t that interesting. 

While there’s more sugar in Coca-Cola, there are actually fewer calories.

Plus, Coca-Cola is carbonated and caffeinated. 

And polar bears love it.

I’m not trying to tell you to start drinking Coca-Cola.

Although if you go with diet soda, you’ll cut out almost all of the calories and sugar. 

I’m trying to make the point here that when it comes to calories and sugar, there isn’t that much of a difference between drinking soda and drinking fruit juice.

However…

Is Drinking Fruit Juice Bad for Weight Loss?

If we’re gonna talk about drinking fruit juice for weight loss, we’re gonna need to talk about how to actually lose weight.

In order to lose weight, we need to burn more calories than we consume regularly.^[4]

Think of it this way: every day, our body needs a certain number of calories to carry out its daily functions. Making your heart beat, your brain function, and getting your body to move all require calories.

This is called your total daily energy expenditure, and you can calculate your TDEE here. 

• When you consume more calories than you burn, your body tends to store those extra calories as fat (weight gain).
• When you burn more calories than you consume, your body will pull from fat stores for energy (weight loss).

The problem with drinking fruit juice is this: it’s a really easy way to bump up your total calorie intake.

Let’s compare:

12oz Minute Maid Apple Juice

Calories: 180

Sugar: 45g

A Plate of Sliced Up Apple (about two apples)

Calories: 200

Sugar: 40g

A 12-ounce glass of apple juice and a couple of apples would be roughly equivalent in their calorie and sugar content.

What they will NOT be equivalent in is their ability to keep you full.^[5]

After eating one apple, consuming a second one might be tough. A third one could be a real challenge.

Do you have any doubt you could drink that entire bottle of apple juice? Would you still be hungry after drinking it? Probably.

This is another danger of drinking your fruit: you’ll get all the calories, without satisfying your hunger.

That’s why one of our top recommendations in our Guide to Healthy Eating is to avoid liquid calories. When we assess our coaching clients, we find out how many calories they are currently drinking, and then create a plan to ease it back.

Are you drinking too many calories? Let a Nerd Fitness Coach help you decide!

Are Fruit Smoothies Good for You?

Whether or not fruit smoothies are healthy is really going to depend on what’s in them.

On the one hand, because they are often blended instead of juiced, there is still the fruit’s fiber in the smoothies.

However, Dr. David Ludwig of Harvard Medical School claims that the fiber has been “functionally destroyed” through the blender, so there are still issues on how fast the fructose from the fruit will hit your liver.^[6]

Plus, there are all the calories to worry about.

Here are a couple of examples:

• Green Machine Naked Juice (15.2 oz or 450 ml bottle): 270 calories, 53 g of sugar.
• Smoothie King Banana Boat (20 oz or 591 ml smoothie): 450 calories, 70 g of sugar.

Yikes.

The abundance of sugar and calories in these common smoothies drove us to create this:

However, for those of us who supplement with extra protein, a smoothie is often the best way for delivery.

I drink a shake daily to meet my high-calorie, high-protein goals, and it includes some fruit in it.

STEVE’S POWERBOMB SHAKE

• Ice cold water: 16 oz
• Quaker Oats: 3 servings (120g)
• Whey Protein: 2 servings (62 g)  
• Frozen Spinach: 1.5 servings (120g)
• Frozen Berries: .8 servings (120g)

Here’s the macronutrient and caloric breakdown of that shake: 795 calories, 68g of protein, 106g of carbs, 13g of fat:

Yep, it’s a ton of calories. But I need them (and the protein) to help me reach my muscle-building goals.

In summary: 

• While fruit smoothies and shakes will have more fiber than juice, it’s been blended so it’s less ideal than it’s whole fruit counterpart.
• Fruit smoothies can have LOTS of sugar and calories in them.
• A fruit smoothie can be a great way to consume a protein supplement, just be careful on what recipe you pick.

How Much Fruit Juice Should I Drink? (Next Steps)

To answer the question of “how much fruit juice you should be drinking,” we need to factor in a crucial variable: how much fruit juice are you currently drinking?

• Are you currently drinking a few glasses of fruit juice a day? Let’s try and reduce it by “1.”
• Are you currently drinking a cup of OJ for breakfast? How about a few slices of an orange in the AM instead?

While there’s plenty of best practices throughout Nerd Fitness, the advice we give is often based on what you’re doing today:

• Sit in an office all day? Let’s try a five-minute walk!
• Get all your meals from a drive-thru? Let’s order a salad the next time you pull-up.
• Drink a gallon of apple juice daily? Let’s try and bring it down to a half gallon.

We’ve seen time and time again that small changes over time are the secret to long term success. 

Instead of telling you to never drink fruit juice again and to always eat the whole fruit, let’s figure out where you are today and make a plan for a small change. Something we can track for long term compliance and adjust along the way.

If you need a plan specific plan to follow, our entire Guide on Healthy Eating is based on small incremental changes designed to be permanent. 

If you don’t know where to start on your journey to an improved diet, start there.

That should help you get started.

Want a little more help getting going? A little nudge out the door?

Alright, I’ll give you my favorite next steps. But only caused you asked nicely.

#1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.

You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details:

Our coaching program changes lives! Learn more here.

#2) The Nerd Fitness Academy: this self-paced online course has helped 50,000 people get results permanently. 

There’s a 10-level nutrition system, boss battles, 20+ workouts, and the most supportive community in the galaxy!

Join the NF Academy! One payment, lifetime access.

#3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so. 

I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:

Download our free weight loss guide

THE NERD FITNESS DIET: 10 Levels to Change Your Life

• Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace
• What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating
• 3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target

That just about does it for our article today.

Now, your turn!

Do you start every morning with a glass of OJ?

Have you moved from fruit juices to the whole fruit?

Or do you think I’m being too hard on liquid produce?

Let me know in the comments!

-Steve

PS: Make sure you check out “Is Fruit Healthy?” for more tips on how to include whole fruit into your diet. 

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Photo Source: Apples, Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Drinking OJ, Orangemobile, Morning run with the fitbit, banana smoothie, Squeeze Orange, Soda Cans, 

GIF Source: Polar Bear, Hawaiian Punch, Wayne, Press.

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

The first gym I trained at looked like a set from a 80’s action movie. From the outside, it looked like an old stone mill. Every member was given a key to get in and train whatever time of day or night you wanted. At the entrance, there was a table with a boombox, CD cases, and a clipboard to sign in with the date and time.

read more

Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

The first gym I trained at looked like a set from a 80’s action movie. From the outside, it looked like an old stone mill. Every member was given a key to get in and train whatever time of day or night you wanted. At the entrance, there was a table with a boombox, CD cases, and a clipboard to sign in with the date and time.

read more

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Yup, success stories are back! And I’m looking for more. Follow-ups, mid-progress reflections—every story at every stage has the potential to inspire folks out there who are getting started or contemplating a new beginning. Contact me here to share your story—long or not so long. You never know who you’ll impact by doing it. Enjoy, everyone!

Hi Mark, I used to be a very unhealthy marketing agency owner. I was overweight as a result of years of poor habits in nutrition, exercise and lifestyle. I drank a little, pretty much every night, ate everything I wanted, but always felt bloated. I snored and suffered sleep apnoea. My skin and stamina were poor, I often felt lethargic. Sometimes my memory would let me down. I was a stereotypically stressed and ‘moody’ businessman and the wrong side of 50.

I regularly listened to podcasts (like Primal Tim Ferriss and Joe Rogan). Occasionally ,one would discuss nutrition, and I started to look at the idea of food differently. Not as an art form, but as something more scientific. More medical and mindful.

I became worried about developing age related illnesses as a consequence of my poor habits. Things like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and especially dementia.

As a ‘marketing guy’ and a huge sceptic, I also recognised marketing was part of the problem. I understood how I’d been programmed to ignore what my body was saying, and listen to the ‘experts,’ sponsored by or maliciously influenced by the food and pharmaceutical industries.

For years food manufacturers had used marketing and lobbying to re-programme the way we as a society think, feel and believe in food and to economically direct us towards their profitability by changing and normalising behaviours that do not serve our health.

So, I began to listen, read, collect data, analyse and educate myself in order to plan a change.

I found and studied medical research articles on real scientific websites (PubMed) and read a lot of books on the subject.

My wife Jane and I began to change to a primal lifestyle, and have never felt healthier or been healthier.

I even managed to lose 80lbs in the process. Jane lost 40lbs.

The change was so dramatic I found people asking why, how, and to help them to do the same. I could bore people to death for hours on the science and answering questions.

I’m no fitness freak or nutrition nerd. No woowoo wally. At heart I’m a lazy lard arse.

I love eating. But I find so called ‘healthy food’ bland. I like drinking. But alcohol is not nutritious.

I hate exercise. But I want to be healthy and fit without having to follow an exhaustive, time-consuming exercise programme.

Over the hundreds of hours of study and years of self-experimentation, I’ve learned how to look healthy, feel healthy, live healthy and slow-down the ageing process and be physically the best my genes will allow—in the process cutting the risks to the most common causes of death: cancer dementia, diabetes and heart disease in the process.

I want everyone to experience these benefits as well.

I’m so passionate about the benefits that I wanted to share this opportunity with people like me and do it full-time.

So, I trained as a Primal Health Coach and now support the implementation of healthy lifestyle habits for people, especially ones that run businesses and their staff, because I can relate to their challenges.

Especially those that have little time, lots of stress and the same worries I had about ageing, weight gain and living a longer healthy life by preventing illness, and are possibly concerned their bad habits could affect the lives of their children, and their children’s children.

In the picture on the left (December 2016) I was 52. I weighed 260lbs. In the one on the right (July 2019) I’m three years older and I weigh 180lbs.

– Nick E.

The post My Wife and I Have Never Felt Healthier—or Been Healthier appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.