Category: Nutrition

Can You Calculate Nutritional Needs Based on Exercise Level?

The short answer to this questions is NO.  You cannot directly calculate your increased calorie allowance based on increased exercise levels.

This is because the equation Calories In = Calories Out is not entirely accurate.

While it is true that if you eat significantly more Calories then your body burns per day, then you will store these Calories as fat and likely gain weight.  This is because of the Law of Thermodynamics, which states that energy is neither created nor destroyed.    In addition, if you eat significantly less Calories then you burn per day, in theory you should lose weight.

However, the problem is that not all Calories are created equally.

Foods are processed via different biological pathways, and have different effects on complex hormones in the body.

For example, 100 Calories of protein consumed are not processed by your body the same way that 100 Calories of carbohydrates consumed are processed.

When you eat 100 Calories of protein, your body uses between 20-30% of those Calories just to chew, swallow and digest the proteins.  Therefore you are left with a net of 70-80 Calories for your body to burn or store.  In addition, eating protein provides your body with amino acids, which form the building blocks to make more muscle.  This muscle in turn is then able to burn more fat and boost the metabolic rate.    The protein also stimulates your satiety center, so you will feel full and satisfied.

In contrast, when you eat 100 Calories of carbohydrates (we will use fructose in this example) it only takes about 5-10% of those calories  to digest the fructose.  Therefore you are left with a net of 90-95 Calories for your body to utilize.  If your liver has room, it will store the fructose ultimately as glycogen.  However, if your stores are glycogen are full in the liver, then the body will convert the carbohydrates to fat and store them.   In addition, fructose raises insulin levels, a hormone which ultimately promotes fat storage,  and has no effect on decreasing hunger hormone ghrelin.  Therefore, you will likely still be hungry.   Furthermore, fructose can lead to insulin resistance, and increase your cholesterol and triglyceride levels and increase abdominal obesity.

With regard to fat metabolism, it takes only 0-3% of total Calories consumed to process fat.   Therefore, 100 Calories of fat results in a net of 97-100 Calories to be burned or stored by the body.  It is important to understand however that not all fats are bad, and they body needs fat for survival and brain function.   Trans fats lead to inflammation and insulin resistance.  However, good fats, can decrease inflammation and promote cardiovascular health.

When you diet, and begin to cut Calories, your body thinks you are starving, and will therefore decrease your metabolic rate to conserve energy.   A recent study done by Pontzer and colleagues and published on Jan 28 in Current Biology, found that for “less active people, energy expenditure increased alongside increases in physical activity.  But at higher levels of activity, calorie burn plateaued. “The body has a metabolic set point, which it works very hard to maintain.

The take home message from this study is in order to lose weight, it is more effective to focus on calorie intake, rather then increase activity above a certain point.

Not only is it important to limit calorie intake, but it is also important to eat the right types of Calories, at the right times, in the right portions.  This is because a proper diet is can optimize your nutrition obtained from high quality foods.  This in turn, positively impacts your body and targets weight loss hormones rather then promoting hormones which signal the body to store weight.

Vitamin D

Unfortunately, the days of summer are coming to and end. Ever wonder why your mood is so much better in the summer time?   Many of us have significantly less stress because our rigid routines are often more lax over the summertime.   In addition to this decreased stress, the increased length of daylight plays an important role in contributing to our well-being.

When the summer days are long, we are exposed to more UVB light. While an excess of UVB rays can lead to sunburns and may ultimately contribute to certain types of cancers, a small amount of daily sun exposure can improve our health, mood and wellbeing.

This is because when our skin is exposed to UVB rays our skin produces Vitamin D. Vitamin D plays a crucial role in bone metabolism and numerous other bodily functions that will be further described below. Vitamin D can be obtained from foods such as fatty fish, beef liver, egg yolks, and fortified foods such as dairy products, orange juice and cereals. However, it is difficult to consume an adequate amount of Vitamin D just from diet alone.

The Vitamin D that is produced by plants is called Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). While the Vitamin D that is produced in human skin and is found in meats and animals sources is called Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).   Vitamin D3 is a more suitable source of Vitamin D supplementation because it is easier for the body to convert into the active hormone form than Vitamin D2.   In addition, too much Vitamin D2 intake can be toxic.   It is much more difficult to become toxic from Vitamin D3 because the body has a mechanism to prevent too much Vitamin D3 from being overproduced in the skin.

The active hormone form of Vitamin D, calcitriol, is very important because it controls the calcium and phosphorus metabolism in your body and helps to build strong bones.   Some other important roles of the activated Vitamin D hormone include:

  • Modulates the immune system
  • Improves muscle function
  • Decreases fall risk in the elderly
  • Improves cardiovascular function
  • Has potential anti-cancer effects
  • Improves mood, wards off depression

According to the Mayo Clinic there is strong scientific evident for the use of Vitamin D to treat:

  • Osteomalacia (softening of the bones in adults)
  • Bone pain
  • Psoriasis
  • Some parathyroid and thyroid issues (requires physician oversight)

In addition, there is good scientific evidence for use of Vitamin D to treat:

  • Dental cavities
  • Muscle pain and weakness
  • Fall prevention

Currently the scientific evidence is inconclusive for the use of Vitamin D to treat:

  • Osteoporosis
  • Asthma
  • Auto-immune diseases
  • Bone Density in children
  • Cancer prevention
  • Cognition
  • Infertility
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Inflammatory bowel Disease
  • Cancer prevention in certain types of cancer

According to the National Institutes of Health, it is important to obtain Vitamin D either from the sun or from supplementation, as it appears that we are unable to take in an adequate amount from diet alone. The amount of Vitamin D produced in our bodies is dependent on several factors. The length of time in the sun, the angle of the suns rays, the amount of your body directly exposed to the sun, your proximity to the equator, and the amount of melanin in your skin.

When the sun is directly overhead (you will have a very small shadow) you are absorbing the highest amount of UVB rays. These rays are needed to produce Vitamin D3 in the skin.   Those individuals with darker skin tone, actually produce less Vitamin D3 because the melanin in your skin blocks production, as does the application of sunscreen. At this time, the recommendation is for about 10-15 minutes of direct sun, with a large amount of skin exposure (i.e. chest or back) for optimal Vitamin D production. This should be about ½ the time it takes for your skin to turn pink in the sun. It should not be enough time for you to sustain a sunburn.

At this time, guidelines for vitamin D3 intake differ.   The best way to determine your nutritional needs is to have your 25-hydroxy Vitamin D level checked by your health care provider. In general levels between 30-100 nmol/L are considered normal. However, levels >60 nmol/L appear to be more optimal for promoting health and wellness.   Depending on your level you can determine your need for supplementation or increased sun exposure. If you notice that you are a person who is cheerful during the bright summer days and more depressed during the darker winter days, this might be one indication that vitamin D supplementation may help!!!

The Danger of Sugar in Our Diets

In the 1980’s and 1990’s we were all told to eat low fat because the fat in our foods was leading to obesity. It turns out that this may have been one of the greatest public health mistakes in the modern error.   Food companies jumped on the low fat bandwagon with fervor and quickly churned out tons of low fat products. Unfortunately, the fat in these products were replaced with sugars, artificial sweeteners and simple carbohydrates. When fat is removed from food, the food tastes bland. Therefore, companies add in “natural and artificial flavors” as well as sugars to improve the taste profile   The inclusion of artificial flavors, natural flavors, sugars, and sugar substitutes into our foods can be harmful to our health and well being.

Research has shown that it is not the fat consumption in our diets that leads to obesity, metabolic syndrome, impaired cholesterol levels, diabetes and heart disease, but the simple SUGARs.   It turns out that when we consume too much sugar, it is converted into fat and stored by the body. In addition, sugar consumption drives hunger and further sugar consumption. This is a negative cycle that is very difficult to break. This is because sugar consumption actually stimulates the centers in the brain that are activated in drug addiction and drug seeking behaviors.

We are all brainwashed into thinking we should be eating low fat, but current research shows this is absolutely incorrect. It is still prudent to keep the amount of fat we are eating to a reasonable amount, but more important then the amount of fat, is the type of fat we are eating.

Just the other day, I overheard a conversation on regarding which candies were the best choices if you were going to “cheat” during Halloween.   I heard, “eat a ‘Milky Way ®’ or a ‘Peppermint Patty ®’ because they have very little or no fat.”   While it is true that these candies are relatively low in fat, they are both very high in sugar. By eating simple sugar without fat, all you are doing is driving your hunger cravings.     Most of us remember the quote, “Snickers really satisfies you ®”.   In some sense, this is a true statement. That is because Snickers contain actual peanuts.   To be clear, I am not promoting eating Snickers, but just stating that the peanuts in the Snickers bar will provide protein and fat and offset some of the rapid blood sugar rise seen with other candy bars.

It appears that the fruit in sugars is not actually that good for us either. Fruits contain fructose, and excess fructose is turned into fat by our livers. In addition, too much fructose in our diets appears to be the driving force for metabolic syndrome (abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, impaired lipids, cardiac disease, etc).   So, does that mean we should avoid fruit in our diet? NO.   When eaten whole, rather then juiced, fruit provides us with many important nutrients, fibers and even fats (think avocado). Fruit consumed whole is digested by our bodies as a “whole package”. We are able to extract out important nutrients and utilize them appropriately.   On the other hand, fruit juice, is processed by our body the much same way as simple sugars found in candy.   If you are making smoothies or juice drinks it is important to use the whole fruit instead of just the liquid.

Complex carbohydrates are handled differently by our bodies because it takes more time for these molecules to be broken down.   Therefore, the sugar rise after eating a complex carbohydrate is slower and more consistent.

Getting back to the idea of low fat, it appears currently the best thing you can do for yourself is to allow yourself to eat good fats. In addition, to help with satiety (the feeling of fullness), fat is required for numerous functions in our bodies.

Why do we need to eat fat?

  • Fat serves an important energy source
  • Certain ‘essential fatty acids” cannot be made by our bodies and need to be consumed as part of our diets
  • Nerve cells are coated by fat as an insulation for proper electrical signaling in the brain and nervous system
  • All of our cell membranes have fatty acids in them – the type of fatty acids in the cell membrane determine the flexibility of our cell walls
  • Fat is required for proper immune function

As was mentioned in a previous article, fat can be broken down into several categories; Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), Polyunsaturated (PUFA) and Saturated fatty acids (SFA).   We actually need a combination of all three types of fat in our diets.   It appears that monounsaturated fats such as those found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate help our heart health and protect against chronic disease and inflammation.     Certain polyunsaturated fatty acids are also beneficial, particularly, those foods that contain Omega-3 Fatty acids.   This type of fat is found in salmon, chia seeds, walnut, flaxseeds, enriched egg yokes, natto (fermented soy) and cod liver oil.

The jury is still out with regard to saturated fatty acids. It remains true that trans-fats, such as those found in margarines, vegetable shortening and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, are still associated with significant health problems. However, certain saturated fatty acids, such as those obtained from grass fed meats, grass fed butters appear beneficial. In a review article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in March 2014 by Rajiv Chowdhury et al,, no link was identified between saturated fat and heart disease.

So, based on the most current research, it seems most prudent to significantly restrict your simple sugar intake, (including fructose and artificial sweeteners) and stick to whole, non-processed full fat foods.

How To Choose Your Foods?

The definition of organic is “relating to or derived from living matter”. With regard to the food industry, the definition of organic is somewhat vague. Organic foods are “produced by methods that comply with standards of organic farming”. The issue with this definition is that these standards are not in fact standardized and vary widely throughout the world. Generally speaking, organic farming is meant to protect the environment and allow for renewable resources, encourage the balance in ecological systems and conserve biodiversity. In addition, organic foods are supposed to be produced without solvents, synthetic food additives and irradiation, these standards still allow for some pesticides and fertilizers to be used.

By now, you have probably heard of the “Dirty Dozen Plus” and the “Clean 15″. The “Dirty Dozen Plus” are foods that are recommended to be organic, while the “Clean 15″ can be consumed despite production via conventional farming. These foods were found to have the highest pesticide load by Dr. Andrew Weil in conjunction with the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

The “Dirty Dozen Plus” – these should be organic when eaten

  • Apples
  • Peaches
  • Nectarines
  • Strawberries
  • Grapes
  • Celery
  • Spinach
  • Sweet Bell Peppers
  • Cucumbers
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Snap Peas (Imported)
  • Potatoes
  • Hot Peppers
  • Kale
  • Collard Greens

In contrast, the “Clean 15” foods were found to have acceptable levels of pesticides and at this time are felt to be o.k. to be consumed when farmed conventionally with regard to level of pesticides. These include:

  • Avocados
  • Sweet corn
  • Pineapples
  • Cabbage
  • Sweet Peas (frozen)
  • Onions
  • Asparagus
  • Mangoes
  • Papayas
  • Kiwi
  • Eggplant
  • Grapefruit
  • Cantaloupe (domestic)
  • Cauliflower
  • Sweet potatoes

The effects of pesticides are mixed according to the medical literature, and there is not definitive evidence on either side of the argument. One of the reasons for such disagreement is that we are all genetically different and pesticides and toxins affect us differently.

For example, there is genetic variation in a gene called the MTHFR gene. This gene (in combination with others) helps our body with detoxification. If you contain a specific combination of gene mutations, then you may have more difficulty with detoxifying then someone sitting right next to you. In this case, you may be very sensitive to pesticides, while your neighbor is not. Therefore, it would be important for you to eat mainly organic foods, but you neighbor may be able to tolerate a much higher pesticide load in his or her diet.

Some other factors to consider when purchasing foods:

Is the animal grass fed vs grain fed?
Grass fed animals tend to have a better fat profile, meaning more Omega-3 fatty acids (which are anti-inflammatory) vs Omega-6 fatty acids (which are inflammatory). Therefore, grass fed animal fats are healthier for us while grain fed animals skew the diet to be more inflammatory. This is especially important to consider in an individual with a chronic auto-immune disease such as arthritis, lupus, or even those who suffer from asthma.

Is the fish farmed or wild caught?
Not all farmed fish is equivalent. The major concern in the past with farm-raised fish is that they tend to be higher in contaminants such as mercury, PCB’s and antibiotics and lower in omega-3 fatty acids. Wild caught fish are found in their natural environment and are free to eat algae and other natural food sources. Another important concern is the type of fish you are eating. Larger, predatory fish such as salmon, swordfish, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, tilefish, and ahi tuna all contain higher levels of mercury then do smaller fish. Therefore, it is important to limit your weekly consumption of such fish.

Recently, companies such as Whole Foods and Wegmans have raised the bar on their fish farming practices. The farmed fish are fed healthier diets enriched with algae, a raised in water that is more closely monitored for contaminants and do not allow the use of antibiotics in the water. In general, wild caught is currently still the best although wild caught fish has a greater carbon foot print.

The take home message is to know where the fish you are buying is coming from and the methods used to raise them. U.S. farmed fish are significantly safer then internationally farmed fish.

Does the food contain added hormones or antibiotics?
Often times antibiotics are used liberally to control the outbreak of diseases on farms and with livestock. The antibiotics can change the bacteria found in our GI tracts and may lead to a condition called gut “dysbiosis”. This alteration of bacteria in our gut has been theorized to contribute to multiple auto-immune conditions as well as anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. In addition, the overuse of antibiotics leads to bacterial resistance and the formation of “super bugs”. Avoiding food and water sources with antibiotics can lessen your exposure and prevent resistance.

Hormones are added to certain animals to make them gain weight faster and increase milk supply. The effects of exposure to chronic low levels of hormones is unknown however, several countries have banned the use of rBGH due to lack of certainty.

The best bet is to eat non-processed, locally sourced food with as few contaminants as possible. Cage free, grass fed, organic food without added hormones and antibiotics is definitely more expensive and will significantly impact your grocery bill. Therefore, it is important to make informed decisions about your food sources and vary your exposure to a multitude of environmental toxins. As far as genetics are concerned, there are blood tests available to look for genetic variations. Though these tests are not recommended for everyone, if you suffer from chronic diseases, fibromyalgia, it is possible they might be of benefit.