Straight and Simple: My Philosiphy on Living a Healthy Lifestyle

I find it almost comical how each year nutritionists and doctors come out with new studies that are contradictory to previous ones. There always seems to be the latest diet that everyone is promoting and talking about.   Many of them seem to have common similarities, but there also seem to be raging wars between various groups of dieters with different trains of thought. The paleo community thinks the vegan people to be malnourished tree huggers, while they think the paleos to be unnecessary animal torturers. The ladies over at Cosmopolitan Magazine can't fathom a diet that doesn't call for eating small portions of food every two hours, while the warrior dieters and intermittent fasters think eating only in the evening is the way it was meant to be. Even the guys in the white coats with the fancy diplomas behind their office desks can't seem to agree on which way of eating is most beneficial and optimal for human health and performance. The big trends of the 90's such as low fat diets, artificial sweeteners, and egg whites are now pointed to and laughed at these days. I think it may be a good idea to express my own personal beliefs on dieting and living a healthy lifestyle.

First off, I believe anyone who makes a conscious effort to eat better and move more on a daily basis is making a big step in the right direction. Too many people today are just eating what is most convenient for them, and have no thought about supplying their body with the necessary nutrients to function.

The best advice I can give someone is to start looking at the ingredients of foods or to just eat natural foods! So many people that go on diets buy all these foods with big, colorful labels that exclaim the food is LOW FAT!, LOW SUGAR!, or LOW CHOLESTEROL!. Most people don't even realize that the smaller font on the side of the package has ingredients chock-full of genetically modified corn and soy based products, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives that they aren't even able to pronounce correctly. I realize that in today's world it is nearly impossible to completely avoid these products while being a normal, sane person.  Personally, I tend to try to aim at a 90%-10% approach. This means that 90% of the time I eat as optimally as possible, and the other 10% of the time I am able to allow myself to indulge in the little sweets I see that look too interesting to pass up. I don't like to be that one guy that brings the Tupperware containers out of his bag when the rest of the group goes to eat pizza. I prefer to do all that weird kind of eating at home. One rule of thumb I have is that I never keep any sweets or breads at home. I am aware that once I start eating something sweet I will continue until the entire box is gone, so I prefer to not have any temptation!

When I go to the grocery store, I buy the majority of my food from the meat and vegetable sections. I try eating a higher quality and lower quantity of meat. I always will prefer to eat smaller portions of grass-fed beef opposed to large amounts of grain-fed meat. This same concept applies to the eggs and butter I eat. Real pastured eggs are always a better choice than the normal supermarket eggs. The eggs from chickens who are allowed to roam around and eat bugs and worms (as they were meant to) have higher levels of vitamins and omega 3s. 

Except in this case, my homie Nick Kingo and I destroyed Korea BBQ in Seoul, Korea



I do occasionally pick up fruit, but I try to keep it limited. Asia has a lot of interesting tropical fruits that many people don't get a chance to try in the United States, so it is imperative I eat those fruits every now and then. Due to all the pesticides being used, buying organic when possible is your best bet.

For the most part, I tend avoid dairy but I sometimes when I get those cravings I make desserts using a full-fat heavy whipping cream (my personal dessert reciepes will be up soon!). I also try to eat food with probiotics, so if I'm not eating kimchi I am buying natural yogurt. If possible, the ideal yogurt to buy would be from grass-fed cows for its omega 6 to 3 ratio. I also keep foods with healthy fats a staple of my diet such as nuts, egg yolks and avocados.

 I try to get all the carbs I need from fruit and vegetables so I don't feel like I need extra carbs from grains or wheat. However, there are times when I do feel sluggish and will have whole, unprocessed complex carbs like rolled oats, black rice, or sweet potatoes. I would advise to stay clear of white rice, white breads, instant oats or other refined carbs that cause higher insulin spikes when eaten.  I also try to avoid gluten when possible, which comes from foods made from wheat, barley, and rye.



Another Korean favorite, spicy dak galbi. NO CARBS HERE!.



For the most part, I don’t stress on calories or count carbs. However, there are times for me when I need to cut weight quickly and shred down for a job. In this case I try to cut out as many carbs as possible from my diet. I avoid fruits, dairy and starchy vegetables for a few days. The reason for this is because carbs are converted to glucose and fructose (sugars) for energy once they are eaten. If they are not used for energy, they are then converted to glycogen and stored in muscle and liver tissue. For every gram of glycogen stored, two grams of water is stored with it. This is definitely seen after a few days in Asia gorging on their delicious pastries and rice bowls. By cutting carbs, your body will be able to use its glycogen stores for energy and your body will be able to drop the stored water with it. It has a diuretic effect on the body. A person is able to store up to 5 grams of glycogen per kilogram. So a man weighing 200 lbs (or about 90 kgs) could store around 450 grams of glycogen, and with that store an additional 900 grams of water. So by quickly depleting your body's additional glycogen stores, the man could drop more than 1300 grams of weight (almost three pounds). This is particularly helpful for people like me who get puffy in their face. I notice a significant difference after a few days with little carbs. Two or three pounds of water can make a big difference when you are bloated and puffy.  Also, your body is unable to burn fat for energy when it has this extra storage of glycogen. In order to burn fat, you must first deplete the body of these additional glycogen stores which can happen within 16- 20 hours of not eating. This is one reason why I practice intermittent fasting alongside of a low carbs diet when I need to drop water weight for a job.

This is basically what I believe to be the best way for me to eat. As long as I am eating natural, unprocessed foods I don’t overstress on the timing or portions of my meals. Overall, I don't categorize myself in any one particular diet. I do think diets such as Atkins and Paleo have some great concepts, though, I don’t agree with all their concepts fully. By taking the first step of eating naturally, you are reducing inflammation and nutrient deficiencies cause by the processed food industry's over use of genetically modified corn and soy products. This step is the most important for your health and well being, but that is a whole other conversation of its own. We can get into all that nitty gritty stuff later.  For now, this is I what I believe is the best way to eat for a healthy lifestyle.

Omega 3 Supplements: What Smells Fishy?





Image from physicianspreference.com



Omega 3 supplements have come to the very top of the list of nutritional supplements to take.  . Its quick rise to fame has sent everyone running to the stores to pick up a bottle for themselves, though; most people don't know much about it besides what it says on the front of the bottle. It may promote heart and brain function, but many people are left with many questions. People may be wondering what the best sourcse of omega 3 are, or how much of it should they be taking.

FIRST THING IS FIRST- UNDERSTANDING WHY

Omega 3 supplements are something of a new supplement craze.  It hasn’t been until recent years that doctors have come out to say that everyone should probably be taking more of them. The reason for this is due to the fact that more and more foods today are being made from products that are higher in omega 6, such as corn and vegetable oils.  Don’t get me wrong, both omega 6 and omega 3 are both essential fatty acids that have equal amounts of health benefits when taken in moderate amounts.  Due to the overconsumption of omega 6, negative side effects have been seen in our bodies such as inflammation. It has been shown that the human body runs most efficiently when it has a balanced omega 6 to 3 ratio. The omega 3s have been proven to reduce the negative effects of omega 6, such an inflammation. Chronic inflammation has been shown to cause practically every modern illness including: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, cancer, psychiatric disorders, and autoimmune diseases.

WHAT ARE OMEGA 3s?

Omega 3s are essential fatty acids.  These fatty acids found in omega 3s include ALA, EPA, and DHA and the fatty acids found in omega 6 are LA and AA.  The omega 3s that are found in foods such as soy come in the short chain fatty acid form of ALA .  Once ALA is consumed, the body converts it into the longer chain forms of either DHA or EPA.  Unfortunately, this process is not very efficient and it is said that your body is only able to convert 5% to EPA and less than 1% to DHA.  The DHA and EPA are the forms we are most interested in.  EPA is has been shown to have a beneficial effect on your cardiovascular function and DHA is beneficial in brain and nerve function and development. .When we get omega 3s from animal sources like fish, they have already taken the ALA from the algae and converted it into DHA and EPA. This means the omega 3s we get from animals can used much more efficiently by our bodies. These supplemental animal sources of omega 3 include fish oil, cod liver oil, and krill oil. Some good dietary sources are from fish such as: salmon, mackerel, and tuna, as well as from grass-fed animal products like meat, milk, butter and eggs.

BEING BULLETPROOF

Image from healthylivinghowto.com

One diet that comes to mind my when it comes to omega 3 is the diet of the Bulletproof Exec, Dave Asprey.   Dave heavily emphasizes eating foods that have good omega 6 to 3 ratios and anti-inflammatory.  He is notorious for producing a fatty coffee that he has named the Bulletproof Coffee that includes grass fed butter and MCT or coconut oil.   Mr. Asprey definitely has some interesting ideas that have made a lot of buzz recently, and  I would recommend looking over his website or listening to his podcasts.   I first heard of Dave from the podcast called London Real. That particular podcast can be viewed HERE.

LOOKING TO BUY



So which one is it:  Krill, cod liver , or the fish oil?   The cod liver oil stands out for the fact is has a high amount of vitamin D.  Vitamin D is probably the most important vitamin people aren’t getting enough of.   On the negative side, cod liver oil has also been shown to have a higher amount of contaminants and PCB (polycholorinated biphenylss) compared to fish and krill oil. However, a few fish oil companies were sued a while back due to also having  high amounts of PCBs in their products.  Studies have linked PCB to be a cause of cancer. One of the facts that stand out about krill oils is that the omega 3s are in the form of phospholipids, which are easier for the body to absorb.  Krill also has antioxidants and choline, an essential b vitamin.



Image from http://infographiclist.com





 Personally, what I would recommend doing is asking your doctor for a pharmaceutical grade fish oil. These fish oils come from trusted sources and have minimal contaminants and PCBs.  One guy I also trust and listen to, Ben Greenfield, recommends a fish oil from the company Super Essentials. It is usually recommended taking between 1-3 grams of omega 3 fatty acid daily. I, personally, don't feel like I have to take as much on days where I am eating foods that have a good omega 6 to 3 ratio.  On the on hand, I do take a bit more if I eat things like corn, soybeans, or foods that are cooked in vegetable oils.  The main take away I want to make clear is that the only reason we have to take extra omega 3s is because we are consuming higher amounts of omega 6 in our diets. If you are someone who stays clear of vegetable oils, and processed foods then you probably don't need to take as much omega 3s then someone who is constantly eating out of bags and boxes.  The main goal here is to have balanced levels between the two omega fatty acids so the body doesn't have inflammation and can run more efficiently.

Omega 3s are really something that can improve your overall health and everyone should be taking.  If I would to be able to only choose one supplement, I would choose omega 3 hands down.  I hope this article has helped everyone have a better understanding of what omega 3s are and why we need more of them. Feel free to leave any questions or comments.