Nutrition

Cortisol – A Love Story?

Cortisol is one of those hormone buzz words that is making its way around the diet industry right now, especially in respect to how it helps or hinders fat loss. People advocate for a stress free lifestyle in hopes that you lower your cortisol levels, or talk about exercising during the morning or the night depending on your cortisol levels, or even not eating breakfast because of its effect on cortisol. I think before you make a decision on what to believe, you should get a little more information about cortisol and what exactly it does.

Cortisol is a hormone that comes from the adrenal glands, which are located right above the kidney. It really has a few main functions: raise blood sugar through gluconeogenesis (making “sugars” for your body to utilize when it doesn’t have any carbs immediately), to suppress the immune system (which is why you use them with some allergic and autoimmune conditions), and also to help with fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism.

When the diet industry is talking about cortisol they usually are referring to its role in gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis (breaking down glycogen, the stored form of carbohydrates in the liver, for energy). This is where things get tricky – cortisol can both help and hinder these scenarios. For example, long-term elevations in cortisol can lead to muscle wasting. While cortisol does break down fat, it’s also shown in some conditions to SUPPRESS the break down of fat.

Like stated above, cortisol is released in times of stress. If you’re running away from a bear cortisol is one of the hormones that tells your body to stop digesting your food and start running…fast. Cortisol is also a hormone that tells your body it’s time to wake up, which is why it’s highest in the morning.

Cortisol literally has a hand in every body system you can think of. From counteracting insulin to controlling diuresis, cortisol is involved. When you’re reading studies or claims about how cortisol will help or hinder your lifestyle don’t think of cortisol as a bad hormone. Remember instead that hormones exist in a balance in our system and we must pay close attention to how they make us feel. If you feel like you have a medical problems that may be related to excessively high or excessively low cortisol it’s important to contact your doctor and schedule an appointment.

Remember, like anything there are no “good” or “bad” hormones, foods, etc. there are only imbalances in the system.

July 15, 2013 Nutrition, Science, , , Read more >

Balancing the Holidays: To Eat or Not To Eat?

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we’ve all been mentally prepping for it. There’s the presents to be wrapped, the grandparents and aunts and uncles to visit…and the food. Oh goodness the food! The food has become such a center piece for discussion around the holidays that it’s spawned entire magazines specific to its impending doom.

When it comes to eating during the holidays you can break it down into two distinct categories – to eat or not to eat. One camp says “One day won’t destroy your goals! Go for it!” another says “Small indulgences can add up faster than you know – go light!” Both seem like solid pieces of advice, but who’s right?

Honestly, neither are right, and both are right. By using these two statements independent of any and all personal reflection is going about it the wrong way. You’re asking someone else for permission to put (or not put!) things in yourbody. You’re the one that sweats on the treadmill or deadlifts small children, you’re the one that counts calories or macros or only eats when you’re hungry and drinks liters of water a day and cut out coke for diet coke or diet coke for water…what do they know about you? What do they know about YOUR personal journey?

That’s the problem with these ways of thinking: it’s a one size fits all plan. The truth of the matter is that one size does NOT fit all. Let’s look at some different ways that these plans can backfire.

1. Cut all the desserts in half and only eat half of it

I’ve heard this advice before and I’m sure you have too. The problem with this statement is that it won’t satisfy everyone. There are people who say, “Oh, I’ll just have half…” then there’s another half, and another half, and another half…and before you know it they’ve eaten 3 slices of pie instead of just one.Some people fall into the endless spiral of “I’ve already messed up, I might as well keep going.” Others have the ability to eat that half a piece of dessert and be satisfied. If you’re one of those people – go for it! If not, you know your body.

2. It’s just one day, what can it hurt?

To some people this is 100% true. You normally eat “well,” exercise often and enjoy little breaks in routine here and there. Maybe you “planned a cheat” for today, or maybe you’re in the mindset that one day a week is specific for throwing the plan out the window. These are personal choices and are all acceptable. It’s important to remember that not everyone falls into these same categories. Sure, they eat whatever they want on Christmas Eve…then there’s the leftovers. Or maybe Christmas Eve passes and now it’s Christmas Day and another feast. Then New Years and its drinking and parties. Before you know it that “one day” has become a 5 day all out eat fest where you’re too tired to exercise and find yourself woefully far from your usually eating and exercising schedule.

Again, this does not happen to everyone. Some people only celebrate Christmas Eve, or only Christmas, and plan their holiday meals accordingly and have no problem with any of these scenarios. But by looking to a magazine or an internet guru to give you permission to eat whatever you want, you’re ignoring yourself. You know if you fit into these categories and can plan accordingly.

Trust yourself, listen to yourself, don’t ask for permission!

The best way to avoid the holiday eating trap is to find what balance means to YOU. Will eating one dessert throw you into overdrive? Don’t do it. Will not eating to your hearts content lead to an epic binge the next day because you feel deprived? Don’t suffer! Reflect on your history with eating, the holidays and diets and find the best middle ground for YOU.

By finding a balance that works for you and your personal goals you’ll find yourself emerging from the holidays with significantly less stress. The holidays are supposed to be a time of great joy that is spent with the people that matter the most to you. Don’t forget that the most important person in your life is YOU.

December 23, 2012 Fat Loss, Nutrition Read more >

Q: Why do people always tell me I’m going to “gain it all back” when I’m on a diet?

Whenever someone mentions that they’re on a diet of any sort, there’s always one person who chimes in with “You’re just going to gain it all back when you stop your diet!” Do these claims actually hold any weight?

Why They’re Right

If you look for scholarly articles about diet adherence you get 181,000 results. These articles will tell you everything from people who go on Atkins to people who make small, noticeable changes to their diet and exercise. In a lot of these studies people failed to adhere to their diets for a long period of time, or they reached their goal weight and then packed on more weight than they had before.

So what gives?

There is no one right diet that fits everyone. If you’re embarking on a new diet and you pick a carb free one, yet you’re the type of person who is cranky and unmotivated without carbohydrates, you’re bound to fail. Likewise, people who enjoy high protein meals aren’t going to do well on a diet low in protein.Picking a style of eating that fits you is often the most important factor.

Second is that certain diets don’t really teach people how to pick what they eat. They give them a meal plan they must adhere to, but do little to educate the dieters on WHY they’re picking certain foods over others. These diets may be easy to adhere to if you never encounter social situations or eating outside of your house…but what happens when you go out to dinner with friends? Without properly educating people about HOW to pick ideal meals these people rarely LEARN anything, other than how to follow diets presented in a book.

Diets also often require sweeping changes for people. One day they’re eating whatever they want, then suddenly Monday (or the first of the month/year) comes around and they’ve eliminated soda, chocolate, bread, decided to exercise 5x a week and always have a clean house. These changes can get overwhelming very fast and can lead to feeling deprived or resentful.

Another huge issue with dieting involves the feelings of deprivation. How many times have you decided to go on a diet, so the night before you go to a buffet or order a giant pizza all to yourself. Some people describe this as a “last supper” type of situation where you’ll never, ever get to eat pizza ever again so you need to eat as much of it NOW. From then on pizza is a “bad” food. Creating this dichotomy leads to deprivation and resentment.

So, using these facts, it’s easy to see why someone would fail to adhere to a diet and then gain all their weight back afterwards. Without learning how to deal with food and exercise in a long-term fashion people often return to their old habits, which is why they were unhealthy in the first place.

Why They’re Wrong

The bulk of weight loss involves a simple calories in vs. calories out fashion. To lose weight, you must be in an energy deficit. To maintain weight, you break even. To gain, you have an energy surplus. So if you’ve met your weight loss goals you can increase the amount of food you eat as long as you’re at maintenance for your weight. People who follow this idea will not gain the weight back.

Additionally, the word “diet” is often vilified. A “diet” is just what you eat. When people learn that I eat high protein and carb-cycle, they immediately ask me if I’m on the Atkins diet. Just because I’m on a diet of high protein high fat foods, doesn’t mean I’m necessarily on a certain diet. Someone may have started their dieting journey with the Atkins diet, found that it worked fabulous for them and continued to eat high protein, high fat and low carb. Since this is a type of diet that is easy for them to maintain longterm they will stick with this type of eating and not gain their weight back.

Other diets teach people to make better food choices, such as Weight Watchers. These diets that focus on making healthier choices both inside and outside of the home teach long term habits. They also don’t involve “exclusion diets,” where the dieters feel like they’ll never eat pizza ever again. By encouraging people to plan their meals or even review their meals in terms of health, they’re learning where they picked up the extra pounds. It teaches people to get the dressing on the side of their salad, or to substitute fried chicken for grilled. These are long term habits.

What a lot of people don’t consider is their support system. Those who go onto a diet with friends or family members for support have long term success because they have personal cheerleaders. If their friends know they’re trying to lose weight and are actively trying to do the same they’re less likely to suggest diet sabotaging behaviors (like getting drunk food or excess study snacks).

If a diet is rewarding it’s more likely to be adhered to. People who see results, who are encouraged by friends and family, and who don’t feel deprived will begin to incorporate these habits into their life long term. They realize that health and weight loss are marathons, not sprints, and make the decision themselves to adhere to diets or changes in their eating patterns.

Weight Loss/Diets/Etc Are All About Your Mentality

Before you embark on any weight loss journey (or even a journey to a healthier state of mind), make sure you ask yourself some questions.

  1. Is this diet going to make me feel deprived?
  2. Can I afford (financially and mentally) to make these changes?
  3. Is this something my friends will support? If not, are my friends really friends if they are sabotaging me?
  4. Do I have a support system when I’m feeling down?
  5. Is this something I can maintain long term?
  6. Do the benefits outweigh the downsides?

Educating yourself on what you’re eating, making small changes here and there, and surrounding yourself with supportive people are the most important aspects of a healthy life and a long term weight loss (and maintenance!) plan.

October 28, 2012 Fat Loss, Myths, Nutrition Read more >

Do high protein diets cause kidney failure?

No.

Extensive studies have shown that high protein diets do not cause any kidney failure. Articles on the topic have been published in everything from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition to JAMA, and they all say the same thing: high protein diets will not cause kidney failure.

First, let’s look at what it means to be in kidney/renal failure or to have kidney/renal disease. In order to see the first signs of kidney malfunction (PU/PD) 66% of your nephrons (the little tubules that work to concentrate your urine) must be damaged. In order to see further clinical signs, and to fit the actually classification of “failure,” you have to lose 75% of your nephrons. Your kidneys have incredible mechanisms for compensating for renal losses.

So where does this myth come from?

In those patients who already experienced some sort of kidney failure, switching to a low-protein diet was shown to decrease the acceleration of damage. Many made the false connection that this meant that the byproducts of protein metabolism are causing actual harm to the kidneys. In reality, it’s not so.

Let’s take a parallel argument.

A healthy, young person approaches you and says, “I would like to run a 5k.” Exercise is good for you, so you tell that person, “Yeah, go ahead!” The person runs the race with no adverse effects. Now say someone approaches you with a broken leg and says, “I would like to run a 5k.” Exercise is still good for you, but for this particular person running may not be a good idea. Running could cause further damage on the already broken leg. If anything, you’d recommend decreasing the use of that leg. Does that mean that exercise is bad? No. It’s just that it’s not a good idea for this particular person.

What a lot of articles fail to mention is what constituted as a “high protein diet.” Protein intake requirements are highly individualized based on type and amount of activity. In some of the studies done people were measured at 2-3x the recommended daily amount (10-30%) of protein and saw no adverse effects. Without being able to pin-point what constitutes as a “high protein diet” there’s really no merit to any claim of its ill effects.

If you are a healthy person with no history of kidney disease there’s no need to be concerned about high protein causing any disease. However, like any medical illnesses, if you’re a person with a compromised kidney then you should always seek medical advice before making any changes to your diet or routine.

August 30, 2012 Myths, Nutrition Read more >