Hierarchy of Fruit

So you are trying to make better decisions with your diet, but there is so much conflicting information out there or you don’t have access to the fresh new “super food” found deep in the Amazon rainforest that some television doctor is raving about. In my Hierarchy of Carbohydrates, I gave you a definitive guide to carbohydrates and an action plan, the “65-30-5 Rule,” that you can immediately implement to optimize your SLAPP, short for Strength, Longevity, Athleticism, Performance (both mental and physical) and Power-to-Weight Ratio.  However,any guide to carb-based foods wouldn’t be complete without a definitive guide to fruit.  If general carb decision-making it tough, choosing fruit is particularly vexing, especially for those with weight loss goals.

Fruit Factors to Consider

1. Nutrient density is the first factor to consider when picking fruit, or any other food.  A food is considered nutrient dense when it provides a substantial amount of nutrients (e.g. vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and enzymes) with only the necessary amount of calories. Carbohydrates only serve us as an energy source and do not provide any other nutritional benefit on their own, like fats and proteins which are essential building blocks of all cell structures.  Since there is no inherent nutritional value from carbs, picking fruit that maximizes the nutrients you are getting for the carbs is the best way to optimize SLAPP. 
2. Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, or ORAC value, is a rating for the antioxidant power of a food per the amount of calories they provide.  Foods that rank high on ORAC offer a lot of antioxidant punch for relatively little calories.  This is an ORAC resource that you can view by ranking or by searching a food.
3. The glycemic index (GI) measures the affect a food has on blood sugar in relation to pure glucose.  The glycemic load (GL) is going to be more helpful for your decision-making because it takes into account how much of the carbohydrate is in the food.  A watermelon, for example, has a high GI but a relatively low GL because it is mostly water.  Check out this chart for GI and GL levels for fruit and other foods.  GI is high if the score is at 70-100, moderate at 50-70 and low if it is below 50.  GL is high if it is over 20, moderate at 11-19 and low if it is below 11.  Interesting note: glycemic measures of fruit differ according to countries of orgin.
4. Although Fructose has a lower glycemic value than glucose I like to consider the content when picking fruit for the following reasons:
   1. It boosts ghrelin levels, which increases your appetite, meaning you will be more likely to eat more volume.  Maybe that is why I can’t stop eating grapes once I get started.
   2. It has been shown to throw off mineral levels.
   3. Some people have trouble digesting fructose (bloating and diarrhea).
   4. It is processed through the liver before it can be used as fuel.  Making the liver process fructose keeps it from its other jobs, detoxifying and mobilizing body fat for energy.

I want to point out that I put fructose as the last factor I consider when choosing fruit.  A lot of lower fructose ratio fruits have higher overall sugar content and many higher fructose fruits are really nutrient dense.  Think of fructose content as the final tie-breaker, or don’t stress about it at all.  Nutrient density and glycemic load are far more important in my opinion. 

Hierarchy of Fruit

1. Berries and cherries are the most nutrient dense fruit with the highest ORAC values and the lowest amount of sugar.  They are also low GL.  Added bonus is that they are delicious and perfect for adding to full fat yogurt, which is one of my favorites.  Consider these as part of a good post-workout recovery strategy when some carbs are in order.
2. Apples and pears in the fall/winter or apricots,peaches and plums in the summer are a good second choice because they are low glycemic, though lower ORAC than berries.  Warning: avoid nectarines, which are high in sugar and more closely related to mangos.
3. Grapefruit are unlike other citrus, which are really high in sugar.  Their effect on blood sugar is actually less than apples and pears.
4. Figs often get lumped in with high glycemic dates and raisins, but that is unfair to figs, which are as low in sugar as some berries and full of fiber.
5. Grapes manage to edge their way into the middle of the hierarchy despite their higher GL and fructose content because they also have high levels of the antioxidant, resveratrol, as well as polyphenols.  And, since they are where wine comes from, I decided to move them up a notch.  Eat in moderation or avoid if weight loss is your goal.
6. Citrus and Melons are best as a rare treat in moderation.  Some low-carb guides recommend melons because some, like watermelon, have a low GL.  Just be certain you are careful about which ones you pick and how much you eat.  Melons almost made it higher up on this list just because there is almost nothing better than cold watermelon on a hot summer day.  Citrus tend to be really high glycemic.  Lemons and limes are an exception.  I wouldn’t worry about squeezing them into water or on food.  Citrus can be ok in marinades.
7. Tropical fruits (e.g. bananas, mangos, papaya, and pineapples) have some of the highest GI’s and GL’s.  Avoid completely if you have weight loss goals.  Bananas are a real weight loss killer because they spike insulin levels like no other.  Tropical fruits also tend to be high in fructose, particularly pineapples.
8. Dried fruits (e.g. dates and raisins) round out the bottom level of the hierarchy.  Both are very high GI and GL without a ton of nutritional value.

Add the Hierarchy of Fruit as a sub-ranking within the Hierarchy of Carbohydrates keeping my “65-30-5 Rule” in mind for a rock solid carb strategy for optimizing SLAPP. That means 65% of your carbs should come from levels 1-3 of the hierarchy, 30% from levels 4-5 where fruit factors in, and 5% or less coming from levels 6-10.  Adjust the rule to 75-20-5 and remember to concentrate on low sugar, low GL fruit if weight loss is your goal. Use this Low-carb/Low-Sugar Fruit list as a resource.  Berries are the one fruit category I support eating daily for those of you that love fruit, need variety or are looking for an energy source to support their training efforts.

This month I have devoted a lot of time to creating hierarchies of foods, products, and even training styles to guide your decision-making and reduce the volume of conflicting information and bullshit in your head.  I want this to be as helpful to you as possible so let me know what else you want to know about and I will go into geek mode to rank it.

Bonus, 5 Fruit Rules:

1. Buy in-season whenever possible.  There is some research to suggest that it is better for you and there is no doubt it is better for your wallet.  Check out this guide to produce seasonality.
2. Buy organic.  Fruits are the most heavily sprayed foods out there.  Register for my newsletter at the end of this article to get my Hierarchy of Organics.  You will learn which foods are the most important to buy organic and why. 
3. Check the date on fruit and check it for bruises and mold.  Any time you buy berries turn the container over to look for mold.  It usually hides on the sides not exposed to light. 
4. Wash your fruit before prepping or eating. I make it a routine to wash and prep all of my produce as soon as I get home from the market so all my food prep is already done.
5. Keep stored in an airtight glass container in your fridge for best and longest freshness.  This set from Bed, Bath and Beyond is my favorite and the kind I use at home.  Great product for a good price. 

Hierarchy of Carbohydrates

shopping

For those of us trying to maximize our health, longevity, weight and tasting experience, deciding which foods to choose from can be a stressful shopping experience.  You want to make the best decision, but your head is filled with conflicting information, marketing hype, and plain old bullshit that all becomes white noise.  Add that to the fact that you want to stretch your grocery dollar as far as it can go and it is enough to make you throw your hands up in frustration and head for the TV dinners. I found myself snapping out of total zone-outs in the middle of the grocery store holding up two items like some kind of confused Lady Justice one too many times.

How many times can you put something in the basket and then take it back out before you have to buy it?  How long can you stand in an aisle staring at a food label without blinking before you are asked to leave Trader Joe’s?

By nature I am an organizer and list maker.  I like to rank things.  It started with ranking my favorite basketball players in elementary school which turned into lists of the girls I most wanted to make-out with in middle school which evolved into ranking colleges I most wanted to attend with heavy weighting for the quality of girls I could potentially date at those schools.  Thankfully, by age 30, those lists have matured into hierarchies of health and fitness related information that can actually be beneficial.

Hierarchy of Carbohydrates

Of all the challenging food decisions, carbs rank near the top of the list.  Low-carb, no-carb, high-carb and the glycemic index can seem like a barrage of information to defend yourself against.  Let me arm you with my hierarchy of carbohydrates so you can go to battle with a straight-forward plan of action.

Carbs are…

I am in favor of a relatively low-carb diet for health, longevity, and weight management (three core elements to optimizing SLAPP).  However, I do recognize that carbs are…

1. In many foods containing nutrients that are crucial for optimum SLAPP (Strength, Longevity, Athleticism, Mental & Physical Performance and Power-to-weight ratio.).
2. An important energy source that supports certain types of training.
3. A part of solid recovery strategies for certain specific training goals.
4. Useful for macronutrient cycling.
5. In delicious food.

Unfortunately, foods that contain carbs are not created equally and can have a negative effect on your health and waistline.  When I created this hierarchy I tried to account for all the pros and cons related to common categories of foods that are made up primarily of carbs.

1. Leaves (e.g. spinach, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and bok choy) and Flowers(e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, and squash flowers) are the most nutrient dense, loaded with micronutrients, phytonutrients, enzymes, antioxidants, and fiber. They all have high ORAC values and sensitivities/allergies to these foods are relatively rare.  You should be getting 6-11 servings of vegetables a day. Leaves and flower vegetables should be the foundation of that plan.  You can’t overeat these.  If I were to make a sub-rankings within each level of this hierarchy fermented foods (e.g. sauerkraut) would rank at the top of each level.
2. Bulbs (e.g. fennel, garlic and onion) and stems (e.g. asparagus, celery, and kohirabi) are just behind Leaves and Flowers in nutrient density.  I also factored that sensitivities and allergies to some bulbs, particularly garlic, are common.  I have an upcoming article that will explain how you can find out if you have food sensitivities by doing a 14-day Elimination Diet.  Sign up for my newsletter at the end of this article to get updates on the Elimination Diet and other upcoming articles on nutrition, training, lifestyle and motivation.
3. Fungi (e.g. mushrooms all types) are some of the most potent natural medicine on the planet, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola (great article from Dr. Mercola on mushrooms).  Mushrooms have been are known for high levels of selenium, iron, protein, fiber and vitamin C as well as antioxidants.  Ancient Chinese medicine has been using mushrooms, particularly Cordyceps, for thousands of years.  Cordyceps are particularly popular with athletes because they have been shown to increase ATP production, strength and endurance, and to have anti-aging benefits.
4. Berries (e.g. blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries) have sky-high ORAC values, are packed with anti-oxidants, and are relatively low glycemic, not to mention they are freakingdelicious!
5. Fruit Vegetables (e.g. cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and pumpkin, Roots (e.g. carrots, beetroot, and turnips) and Tubers (e.g. potatoes, yams, and Jerusalem artichokes) have a lot to offer in terms of nutrients, but they are also more calorically dense and known to be high glycemic causing higher insulin spikes than other vegetables.  Although these rank #4 on the list as a unit there are some super stars in the group, like cucumbers and sweet potatoes.  If weight loss is your primary goal be careful with roots and tuber.  I would eat these sparingly and do my best to eat them after a hard workout or as a part of a carb cycling program.  Yams and sweet potatoes aregreat choice for fueling hard training and recovery because they provide carbs you need, but are lower on the glycemic scale making it easier to manage weight and optimize power-to-weight ratio.  It is also important to note that food sensitivities and allergies to a class of fruit vegetables called “night shades,” that include peppers and tomatoes are some of the most common.
6. Fruit other than berries (e.g. citrus, melon, and bananas) rank lower than berries because they don’t have the same nutrient density, tend to be much higher on the glycemic scale and have fructose.  There are a lot of sub-rankings for fruit so I will be ranking them in tomorrow’s blog, “Hierarchy of Fruit.”  Register for my newsletter if you are interested in that upcoming article.
7. Legumes and Seeds (e.g. beans and peas) round out the vegetables.  They are calorically dense and don’t provide a lot of nutrition that is readily absorbed by our bodies unless they are sprouted.  Personally, it isn’t worth it to me to take the time and energy to sprout when I can get even better nutrition from something higher up on the list.  Un-sprouted legumes and some seeds are known irritants to our GI tract causing immune response and inflammation.
8. Sprouted grains (e.g. Ezekial bread) rank higher than the rest because the sprouting process unlocks nutrients that we wouldn’t normally be able to absorb and it minimizes some of the nasties in grains, like gluten.  Still, I am not a fan of sprouted grains and wouldn’t recommend them for anyone focusing on weight loss.
9. Whole grains are really only good for maintaining certain social conventions and getting some cheap sugar energy, but other than that there is really no reason whatsoever to eat them.  They have some nutritional value, but you can look to items at the top of the hierarchy for far more nutritional punch that is more easily assimilated without all the calories.Don’t forgetfactor in gluten and other anti-nutrients like phytates that make minerals like zinc and magnesium bio-unavailable and lectins that bind to insulin receptors and cause leptin resistance.
10. Read everything I said above minus “some nutritional value” and you have described the bottom of my hierarchy, Processed Sugars and Grains (e.g. pastries, candy, cereal and junk food).  I’m not going to waste time explaining how terrible these are for you.  That has been done in other articles on this site.  Included in this list category are all the processed energy goos and bars that supplement companies try to pitch to endurance athletes.  The only value they have is to give you a huge shot of sugar energy quickly if you are in serious need.  If you find yourself needing that kind of energy and you aren’t a lean, pro-level endurance athlete putting in pro-level mileage then you either, A) didn’t prepare well nutritionally for your training because there are far better options, or B) are lying to yourself about the real energy demands of your training.

This hierarchy is the beginning of building your knowledge base, but it will be useless without a plan of action.

First, take a piece of paper and write the numbers 1-10 to represent each level in the hierarchy along the left margin.  Go through your fridge and pantry making a tally mark in next to the numbers you wrote for each primarily carb-based food you have in your kitchen according to where it would fall in the hierarchy.   This will serve as a quick assessment of where your decision-making was before reading this article.

Check out this link for more extensive lists on the categories of vegetables for more to help you with your assessment and with building a grocery list in the next step.

The second step is to make a grocery list according to my 65-30-5 Rule for optimizing SLAPP (Strength, Longevity, Athleticism, Mental & Physical Performance, and Power-to-Weight ratio).  The rule states that 65% of your carbs should come from #1-3, 30% from #4-5, and 5% from the rest. If weight loss is your primary goal make that the 75-20-5 Rule until you reach your goal.  Eating according to this ratio has a natural calorie restriction mechanism, keeps blood sugar and insulin low, and ensures you are getting the proper nutrients you need for optimum cellular function.  Put simply, it means your metabolism will be burning as fast as possible.

Improving in any arena boils down to improving your decision-making.  Hopefully this will help put an end to your decision-making stress and grocery store zone-outs.  There are more hierarchy articles in the works that will solidify the rest of your strategy, but I would love to hear which decisions cause you the most headache.  Let me know what you want to know more about.

Myth #4: Eating Fat Makes You Fat

fatty-steak

Nature Doesn't Make Bad Fats

Fat and protein were the backbone of our Paleolithic ancestor’s diets.  From studying their remains we know that they were muscular with a very lean body composition.  We also know that they had no incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer; the three biggest killers in America today, which didn’t begin popping up until the invention of processed sugars and hydrogenated fats (trans-fat) only a few centuries ago.  That’s right, humans lived for thousands of years eating diets high in fat (mostly animal fat) while maintaining more muscle mass and leaner bodies than we do today without any of the chronic diseases that are on epidemic levels today.

The fact is that natural fat does not make you fat.  Eating natural fat regularly as your primary fuel source rather than carbohydrates actually makes your body more efficient at burning fat.  Unlike carbohydrates, fat provides energy without spiking blood sugar or insulin levels that are responsible for fat storage.

Saturated fats like those found in animal fat and coconut oil are responsible for maintaining cellular integrity everywhere in the body.  Ideally, every cell membrane is made up of about 50% saturated fat.  When you don’t get enough good fats your cells are not able to maintain the proper stiffness, which affects their ability to work properly.  This affects every metabolic process including fat metabolism.

Your body needs not only fats, but saturated fats, to nourish your brain, heart, nerves, muscles, hormones and every single cell.

Disclaimers: 

When I refer to natural fat I am referring to any fat found in nature free from any kind of processing.  These include animal fat (see next disclaimer), natural oils (ie, coconut oil and olive oil), nuts, and fats found in some plants like avocado.

Anytime I refer to animal fat I am talking about the fat from animals that are grass-fed, humanely raised in organic pastures, and free of any hormones or antibiotics.  I am NOT talking about animals raised under conventional farming practices.  I consider organic grass-fed meat a completely different food than conventional meat and if you value your health you should too.  Comparing these two kinds of meats are like comparing apples to oranges.  I highly recommend watching the award-winning documentary Food, Inc. to educate yourself on the difference.

The Factors that REALLY Make you Fat

I’m starting this blog with the information you are probably most interested in and that you can most immediately apply to help yourself.  Understanding the history behind the fat myth is important, but not necessary for weight loss, better performance, improved health and longevity.

1. Arachidonic acid (AA), converted from Omega 6 fatty acids, makes fat cells divide thereby increasing the total number of fat cells.  Stress, sleep deprivation and obesity generate more AA.
2. Insulin tells your body to increase its number of fat cells.
3. Sugars,
   1. increase insulin levels,
   2. increase triglyceride production in the liver,
   3. trigger fat cells to start making more fat that from sugar in the blood stream that will then fill up the cells like a sponge saturating with water
   4. Glucocorticoids stimulate fat cell division.  Our bodies make glucocorticoids all the time, but levels rise during stress and sleep deprivation.
   5. Unnatural, trans fats (vegetable oils) distort all cellular function to the point that it can kill cells.

In case you didn’t notice there is a trend:  stress, sleep deprivation and sugar.

The History: Why do Americans think that fat is bad?

In 1958, Dr. Ancel Keys, father of the lipid hypothesis began a crusade on dietary fat that did more damage to American health than anything in our history.  Armed with completely incorrect statistical evidence that showed a causal relationship between heart disease and saturated fat, Dr. Keys began a crusade that vilified saturated fat and began the “low-fat” diet craze that is still sweeping America today.  It is important to understand the back-story because it explains why Americans generally accept the myth that eating fat makes you fat and that it is detrimental to your health.

Dr. Keys did laboratory experiments on rats as well as human experiments trying to link saturated fat to the rising rates of heart disease in America.  What most people didn’t know then and still don’t know now, is that Dr. Keys didn’t use animal fat in any of his experimentation!  Instead his subjects were fed margarine made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, or trans-fat.  Margarine contains saturated fat made during the hydrogenation process that also generates trans fat.  Completely ignoring the presence of trans fat, Keys came to the utterly nonsensical conclusion that saturated fat caused heart disease.  Making matters even worse, he equated the saturated fat from the vegetable oils he used in his studies to saturated fat found in animal fat.  Thus is the genesis of the anti-saturated fat, anti-cholesterol myth.

From there it isn’t a big leap to get people to make the connection that dietary fat is stored as body fat.  I’ll admit that it seems like a logical connection to make.  Unfortunately, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: How has it all played out for Americans?

1. More than one-third (34.7%) of US adults are obese.  That is 72 million Americans.  No state has an obesity rate less than 18% (Colorado).
2. Approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese.
3. In 2009, 2.4 million more Americans were obese than in 2007.
4. In 1900 heart disease was rare and so was trans fat.  By 1950, heart disease was killing more men than any other disease.  By the year 2000, heart disease is the number one cause of death for both men and women.  Natural fat consumption: down.  Processed fat and sugar consumption: up.  Heart disease: way up!
5. In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.

Statistics courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

America has a perception problem, not a dietary fat problem.  Eating fat doesn't make you fat.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of food companies that are spending a lot of money to make sure you don't find out the truth because they have a lot invested in the low-fat/non-fat diet fad that has become the American way.

Our taste buds love fat because it is our body's way of guiding us to the most nourishing food.  Return to your ancestral roots and eat with your instincts.  Enjoy a delicious ribeye steak cooked in Kerrygold butter from grass-fed cows.  The menu change will improve your health and the way you look naked.  You can also feel good knowing the extra money you spend on quality meat is more than negated by lower medical bills and better quality of life.  Pay now or pay more later.

Hierarchy of Alcohol

picnic-close-up-at-table-1294509695

A Guide to Choosing Your Booze

Alcohol is a question that comes up all the time and for good reason.  People enjoy it, myself included, but we know there are some obvious negatives to alcohol consumption when it comes to weight management, athletic performance and longevity.  I recommend going periods of time from 14 to 90 days without alcohol throughout the year, however, I do enjoy and support alcohol consumption in moderation if you are someone that handles alcohol well.  There is certainly plenty of research to support health benefits from certain alcoholic beverages. Perhaps even more important are the stress relieving and social benefits.  Humans are social creatures and alcohol is the ultimate social lubricant.

Positives & Negatives

The body doesn’t metabolize alcohol like a carbohydrate and it doesn’t spike your blood sugar like carbs, meaning there isn’t the same insulin spike.  Alcohol gets sent straight to your liver where it moves to the front of the line as an energy source to be burned in front of stored glycogen.  If fat loss is your goal, this can be a problem because in addition to detoxifying and processing alcohol, your liver is responsible for mobilizing body fat into energy your body can burn.  Detoxification and alcohol processing are higher up on the liver’s To-Do List than fat burning so every time you drink you are robbing your body of some of its fat burning resources.

It’s pretty well known that certain alcoholic beverages are high in antioxidants that fight free radicals and promote longevity.  Epidemiological evidence shows that those who consume moderate amounts of alcohol live longer and are at lower risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in comparison with those that completely abstain and “heavy” drinkers.  Moderate alcohol consumption has also been shown to reduce incidence of Type II diabetes and CVD in diabetic men and women.  As long as you aren’t looking to lose weight there is no reason you shouldn’t enjoy an occasional drink.  If your goals are weight loss oriented I suggest going without alcohol or going extended periods of time (14-90 days) without it and then timing alcohol consumption to follow a few days of carb depletion and then a longer, relatively intense aerobic workout on the day of drinking.  Drinking alcohol, or any liquid calories, will only stand in the way of your fat loss goals.

Burn It: 15 Commandments of Fat Loss

Hierarchy of Alcohol: Top Shelf to Bottom of the Barrel

1. Red wine takes the #1 spot because it has the biggest health benefit with the fewest carbs and additives. It is high in antioxidants, particularly resveratrol, which has been shown to fight cancer and reduce signs of aging.
2. Unflavored distilled wood aged spirits like whiskey, scotch and brandy are low carb and have an underrated antioxidant content.
3. Other unflavored spirits like vodka and gin are low carb, but have virtually no antioxidant benefit.
4. White wines don’t stack up to red wines in terms of antioxidant or phenol content and they don’t have resveratrol, but they still offer a healthy dose of antioxidants.
5. Beer offers about the same antioxidant content as white wine, but more carbs and calories.  Don’t always assume that darker beer has more calories either.  This is a pretty good resource for figuring out where your favorite beer stands.  Although light beers offer less calories they also offer less taste and enjoyment in my personal opinion.  If I’m going to drink a beer I want to drink a real beer.  My personal favorite is Baba Black Lager, an organic beer made by Uinta Brewing.
6. Sugary drinks like Grand Marnier, Amaretto, Kahlua, daiquiris, and pretty much anything that is popular in tropical beach locales or at spring break are the bottom of the barrel in this hierarchy by a long shot.  Putting them only one numerical spot behind beer does a disservice to beer.  They are high calorie, high carb, and lacking in any health benefits, not to mention that at a certain age you shouldn’t be drinking anything that is neon colored.

It is worth mentioning that mixers need to be taken into consideration when drinking.  From a health and weight loss perspective it is always best to drink alcohol straight up or with mineral water.  Soda water is acceptable too.  Stay away from orange juice, 7Up, Coke and tonic water, which goes about 90 calories per serving.

Always keep in mind that you aren’t missing out if you abstain.  A healthy diet and supplementation with fish oil can offer all the same health benefits as red wine.  If you are in weight loss mode I recommend abstaining until you reach your goal and then seeing how you respond.  Regardless of what your goals are, enjoy responsibly and never drink and drive.

Burn Fat

15 Commandments of Fat Loss

Options aren’t always a good thing.  Too many of them can paralyze your decision making process. The time you spend on decision-making takes time away from execution.  My motivation for creating the Hierarchy of Fat Loss was to simplify the decision-making process to help you get the most out of your time and energy.  Proper nutrition holds down both the #1 and #2 spots on my hierarchy because it is that important.

The following 15 commandments make up the backbone of my system for fat loss and weight management.  They are meant to be simple and straightforward because most people need things to be simple, not complicated. These rules are not necessarily ranked in any order although if you are being honest with yourself it should be obvious which ones you most need to implement first.

If you consistently live by these rules I guarantee you will lose fat, increase your power-to-weight ratio, feel better, improve your health, have more energy and be able to easily maintain a desired weight once you get there.  Living by these rules consistently is the key.  In my experience people like to cherry pick the elements from a system that they like and ignore the ones they don’t like.  Then they combine the elements they like from one system with the ones they like from another system.  They end up with a lot of rules they like living by and no results.  Then they blame the information for being bad rather than looking in the mirror.  Don’t be a cherry picker.

1. Eat quality food.  Quality food maximizes the efficiency of cellular function keeping your metabolism burning hot.
2. Figure out an effective way to deal with stress and practice it with daily consistency.  Try meditation, prayer, art, yoga, or simply time spent in nature.  High levels of stress cause your body to make more arachidonic acid (AA) and glucocorticoids which stimulate fat cell division.
3. Eat a high protein diet to boost your metabolism and give your body the building blocks it needs to recover from the hard training you should be doing to support fat loss.  Start your day by eating 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up.  This has been shown to boost metabolism for the entire day.
4. Eat fat to lose fat.  There is no direct metabolic pathway for fat you eat to be stored as body fat. By eating more fat your body will actually begin to prefer it as a primary fuel source, making your body more efficient at burning fat.  Unlike carbs, fat doesn’t spike insulin.
5. Keep insulin low by eating fewer carbs.  You don’t need carbs as an energy source to survive or even thrive unless you are doing some serious endurance training on a regular basis at a high intensity level >90 minutes.  In the absence of dietary carbs our bodies are capable of making them through gluconeogenesis.  Carbs spike your insulin levels, which triggers your body to start storing body fat.  I am not saying go zero carb.  I’m saying the better you are at managing your insulin levels and using fat as your primary energy source the better you will be at losing fat.
6. Get more sleep to prolong HGH release.  HGH is a super fat burner.  Also keep in mind that insulin deactivates HGH.
7. Eat a variety of vegetables prepared a variety of different ways (raw, steamed, braised, grilled, sautéed, etc.). Different cooking methods unlock different nutrients from vegetables that become the catalysts of metabolic reactions that boost our metabolisms.
8. Supplement with fish oil every day.  Fish oil turns on your fat burning genes and turns off your fat storing genes.  Omega 3’s, especially fish oils high in EPA and DHA, also stimulate a part of your cell structures called the peroxisomes.  Peroxisomes handle the breakdown of fats to energy similar to the mitochondria, however, when fats are broken down by the peroxisome, 30-40% more heat is produced and 30% less energy for your body to use.  That means more fat breakdown is required to produce the same amount of energy.  Since so many fish sources are polluted quality really matters when it comes to fish oil.  I recommend Ascenta Omega 3 DHA because it's a high quality product, it has a big dose per serving (4.5g), and it's very high in DHA.  It's the one I take and the one sold at the gym.
9. Integrate medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) from foods like coconut oil.  The easiest way to do this is to do all of your cooking with coconut oil or to just take 1-2 Tbsp/day.  MCTs have been shown to boost thyroid function and they act as a natural fat burning (read Boost Your Metabolism with Coconut Oil).
10. Avoid trans-fat, vegetable oil and any hydrogenated oils.  These are the single worst things along with processed sugars that you can put in your body from a nutrition standpoint.  Fact, most restaurants cook with vegetable oil because it is cheap.  Do your research.
11. Avoid processed sugars.
12. Eat quality food.  It matters!  Eating organic produce and grass-fed/pasture raised meat not only makes you healthier, but it also boosts your metabolism through a myriad of different mechanisms that I will cover in more depth in another article.  If you have to make some compromises on food quality because of financial reasons check out my Hierarchy of Food Quality.
13. Don’t drink your calories.  They are more quickly absorbed and they spike your insulin more than an equal amount of carbs from food.
14. Cut back on your alcohol.  Read up on my Hierarchy of Alcohol for guidance on making the right choices.
15. Intermittently fast.  Intermittent fasting restricts energy intake and also allows the liver a chance to detoxify the body so that it can get to its secondary job of mobilizing fat.

Hierarchy of Fat Loss: Los Angeles

Teaching my body transformation clients how to prioritize their time and energy on addressing and applying change to their life is the most important thing I teach. The level of success anyone has with weight loss is directly correlated to the net improvement of their decision-making over a period of time.

The level of success anyone has with weight loss is directly correlated to the net improvement of their decision-making over a period of time.

To ensure that you have a large net improvement, your decision-making must be in the black in all the following areas: nutrition, physical exercise, time management and planning.  In an effort to make the learning process easy for my clients I was inspired by Alwyn Cosgrove to create my own Fat Loss Hierarchy for Los Angeles*.  Los Angeles is one of the easiest cities in the US in which to get fit because we have amazing places to train, high quality food, and knowledgeable health & fitness professionals, but you still have to know how to prioritize your time and energy because it is limited.  Use the following hierarchy as your guide for prioritizing your time and energy to maximize your results.

1. Proper nutrition is #1 in the Fat Loss Hierarchy.  You can’t out train a bad diet.  Improving food choices is the biggest hurdle to jump when your goal is fat loss.  The more natural and less processed your diet the better.  Year round great weather in Southern California ensures that we have access to fresh produce all year long.  The 3rd Street Promenade farmer’s market on Wednesday or the Sunday farmer’s market in Hollywood are the best in the city with a great variety of organic produce and grass-fed meat without spending your whole paycheck at Whole Foods.  You can even score raw dairy products for a reasonable price at both of these markets.
2. Nutrition is so important that it also holds the #2 spot. Even though Angelino’s tend to get a late start to work they are hard working, busy people that burn the midnight oil.  Many of you don’t have time to do your own cooking. Fortunately, food delivery services like My Fit Foods and Annie's Edibles will custom make your meals to meet your weight loss goals, satisfy your palate, and address your allergy concerns.
3. Surrounding yourself with positive influences is #3 on my list.  It is said that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.  Make an effort to spend more time with positive people that support your goals.  Hire a trainer, find a training partner, or join a group that will hold you accountable and support you.

4. Up to 3 hours/week of resistance interval training with bodyweight exercises and basic implements like barbells and kettlebells is by far the best use of exercise time for fat loss. I have Body Transformation clients that have made dramatic changes doing only calisthenics (bodyweight training) and kettlebell exercises.  Research has shown experienced subjects doing a kettlebell swing burned an average of 20.2 calories a minute, making it one of the most efficient fat burning exercises ever tested.  At that rate you would burn 1200 calories in an hour!  The best part about calisthenics and kettlebells is that you can do them anywhere while enjoying the sunshine and beautiful views around Los Angeles
5. High Intensity Anaerobic IntervalTraining (HIIT) is the next best use of training time if you have another 1-2 hours to train/week.  Hillsprints are my top suggestion for HIIT training.  The hills in the neighborhood north of Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica or the sand dunes in Manhattan Beach are two of my favorite locations.  Sometimes to mix it up I do sprint interval workouts on stairs.  Matt Aporta from Stronger Faster Healthier introduced me to the Culver City stairs which offer the most challenging stair workout in the city.  The staircase is over 230 yards with randomly varied step heights that have an average height of 10.5" and a max height of 20".  I still haven't gotten the chance to thank Matt with a kettlebell workout yet.
6. Aerobic intervals and steady state aerobics round out the best kinds of training for weight loss if you have even more time to exercise.  Since most people spend way too much time inside during the day, I like to recommend getting as much exercise outside as possible.  Rowing, swimming and cycling are great ways to get your aerobic exercise.  If you like a little variety and more intensity try a fitness scavenger hunt.  If you are interested in swimming, Santa Monica College has open swim hours at their world class salt water pool facility.  I get my aerobic exercise by commuting back and forth from work all week on my bike.  Several of my clients that are big cyclists tell me that the roads in the Santa Monica Mountains are the best in Los Angeles for riding.

Time and energy are our most precious and limited resources.  People that have the most success in any area of life are the ones that do the best job of utilizing them.  Use my fat loss hierarchy as your guide to ensure that you will be a massive success.

*This hierarchy applies to fat loss in any city.  With a little research I'm sure you can find places similar to the ones I describe in your town.

Workout Hard, Post-workout Smart, Part IV: Supplement Recommendations

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In the last installment of this series I made several recommendations about exercise and post-workout nutrition that will allow you to maximize your training time.  Here is a recap of the nutrition recommendations:

1. Take high quality protein within 30 minutes of training.
2. Avoid carbs unless your training ran longer than 1 hour and fat loss isn't your primary goal.
3. Omega 3 fish oil to improve protein synthesis and reduce inflammation.
4. Adding BCAAs and L-Glutamine in addition to protein will further improve recovery by aiding tissue repair and boosting immune function.
5. A high anti-oxidant blend like a green or red powder has multiple recovery benefits.
6. Vitamin C helps reduce cortisol.
7. Bonus: Cinnamon powder improves insulin sensitivity meaning less insulin release for any carbs you might take post-workout.

My Product Recommendations

Pure Whey by Stronger Faster Healthier (SFH) – This whey protein is the cleanest and best values on the market.  This is the one I use in my morning shake as well as post-workout.  It is derived from certified free range, grass-fed cows that are free of hormones and antibiotics.  The whey is prepared from a raw milk source and processed at low temperatures so as not to denature the native proteins.  It has no artificial ingredients.  This stuff is totally pure whey protein, nothing added.

Recovery (Postwork-formula) by SFH – Same idea as SFH’s Pure Whey in that it is derived from free range, grass fed cows that are free of hormones and antibiotics.  This formula is supped up with additional ingredients to help you recover from super-intense workouts at a cellular level.  Muscles run on fuel called ATP.  Recovery has creatine that replenishes ATP and a blend of Carnitine, CoQ10, and Ribose that help our cells make more energy (ATP).  It also has glutamine and joint support.  This is a step up for recovery from really intense training as well as a step up in price.

Vegan Protein by Innate Response – For those that are dairy free or allergic, I recommend Vegan Protein by Innate Response.  I love Innate as a company because all of their supplements are made from whole food sources rather than synthetic nutrients.  This pea protein has a complete amino acid profile, is grain-free and hypoallergenic.  It is a great alternative to whey without the high risk of heavy metals contamination from rice proteins and the estrogenic effects of soy.  I also like that Innate does third party testing on site.  There quality assurance is one of the best in the supplement industry.  Innate doesn't sell their products directly to consumers.  Contact me for more information if you are interested.

Armor by Energy Lab– Armor is a really well rounded post-workout branched-chain amino acid recovery formula. It boasts 7500 mg of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), 4000 mg of L-glutamine, and anti-oxidants to facilitate repairing muscle tissue through protein synthesis and to reduce oxidative stress from free radicals.  If that isn’t enough, Armor has ingredients that offer natural anti-inflammatory support to reduce inflammation and swelling.

Renewal Greens by Innate Response – A good green (or red) supplement is something I recommend to everyone as apart of solid daily supplementation regimen.  Although they are beneficial regardless of when you take them, I find that they fit perfectly into an ideal post-workout strategy.  Innate’s Renewal Greens formula is at the head of the class when it comes to greens powders.  This blend of 41 organic fruits and vegetables is loaded with anti-oxidants, has a high ORAC value, includes probiotics and digestive enzymes, is low glycemic (only 7 grams of carbs), and has multiple adaptogens to support your body’s response to stress.  This supplement will help you recover from a workout by neutralizing oxidative damage from free radicals, reducing inflammation, supporting tissue repair, providing probiotics and digestive enzymes to speed up protein synthesis, and boost your immune system that may be compromised from intense training.  Innate doesn't sell their products directly to consumers.  Contact me for more information if you are interested.

SO3 Liquid (Omega 3 Fish Oil) by SFH – Taking omega 3’s post-workout has a ton of benefits including improved protein synthesis that I wrote about in Part II of this series.  SFH has one of the best on the market.  They independently test their fish oil to ensure quality.  SO3 is free of mercury, heavy metals and other toxins that are very common with lower quality fish oils.  I prefer liquid fish oils for more efficient absorption and higher dosage.  There is 5 grams of omega 3 in one teaspoon of SO3.  It takes a lot of big, gnarly gel caps to match that teaspoon.  I also love this particular fish oil because there is no fishy taste or fish burps (gross).

L-Glutamine – If you don’t take a protein or BCAA formula with glutamine I strongly suggest getting some.  Vitacost has an inexpensive powder that is free of potential allergens.  If you can spend a little more money, Jarrow makes a pharmaceutical-grade option.

Organic cinnamon powder is a commodity you can pick up at any grocery or health food store.

Review...

Part I, Post-workout Nutrition Basics

Part II, Why post-workout carbs sabotage your hard work and why fat might maximize it.

Part III, Post-workout Hormone Optimization

Up next…

Part V, Importance of central nervous system (CNS) recovery for the advanced/hardcore trainees and so your workouts don’t leave you bonking at work.  

Q&A: Refresh Your Diet & Lifestyle

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Question #1: I feel like my options are either fast food or spending an hour in the kitchen every night.  How can I eat healthy without spending so much time cooking?

Answer:

I’ll start by suggesting more raw foods.  Fruits and veggies cleaned properly and eaten raw with perhaps a little seasoning are very healthy and take almost no time to prepare.  One of my personal favorite time savers that packs a nutritious punch are salads with a variety of fruits and veggies.  At least once a day I make a salad with organic greens, usually arugula and baby spinach, sliced cucumbers, blueberries, and sliced strawberries and/or apples, seasoned with a little Celtic sea salt and dill.  Just experiment with whatever is in season.  I like to add goat cheese or feta too.  The point is that everything I put in is nutritious and easy to prepare.  When I’m finished mixing the salad I use Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar as my dressing.  If you are willing to do a little more prep work buy a restaurant style oil dispenser and make an oil blend with equal parts coconut oil, olive oil and sesame oil.  It is better than olive oil alone because it has a better balance of fats.  I will also add protein to this salad if I don’t want the protein prepared on it’s own.  Tri-tip, flank steak, seared tuna and free-range chicken are great in a salad.

Another healthy time saver is a NuWave Infrared Oven.  NuWave’s cook meat and veggies evenly without denaturing the nutrients like a microwave.  All you have to do is set the timer and let the NuWave cook.  You don’t need to turn or flip anything.  I usually put my steak in and answer emails or fold laundry while it cooks.

Question #2:  I’m overloaded on caffeine from coffee runs and diet soda addictions -- how can I increase energy in a healthy way?

Answer:

Put down the diet soda!!!  Diet sodas are the single worst things you can put into your body.  I’d rather a client drink regular soda than diet.  Consider that stuff poison.

Start by trying to cut back on the amount of caffeine you drink without putting pressure on yourself to quit cold turkey.  At the same time start making an effort to get more quality sleep so you don’t need the caffeine buzz all day.  The more hours of sleep you can get before midnight the better.  Those hours count for 1.5 hours of sleep after midnight.

Daily meditation is another way to give your adrenals a break.  Even just 10 minutes a day is good for clearing your mind and allowing your brain to re-charge.  Staying committed to a regular strength-training regimen will also boost natural energy levels.  Strength training triggers a release hormones that give you natural energy, focus and a feeling of well-being.  Spending time outside every day, especially on sunny days is another way to get an energy boost.

Question #3:  I sit for hours in front of a computer all day and talk on the phone all the time, receiving radiation -- how do I combat a tech-dependent life?

Answer:

I would start by limiting exposure outside of the office.  Remove any electronic devices from your bedroom where you sleep 6-8 hours a night.  The ones that you must have in your bedroom should be moved as far away from your head and heart as possible.  Do yourself a favor and take the television out of your bedroom, period.

It would also be a good idea to get some headphones that allow you to make and receive calls.  It is better to use headphones to talk on the phone than to have a Bluetooth or the phone itself by your head all day.  Speakerphone is always a great option too if you have a good enough quality speaker.  I’m a huge fan of Skype and iChat.  Even though you are still in front of a computer at least it isn’t pressed right up against your head.

If you can choose your workspace make an effort to get as much natural light as possible.  And for your health’s sake GO OUTSIDE to spend some time in nature!  Take your shoes off and get your feet in the grass.

Question #4: How can physical activity release endorphins in our body and help us refresh our body and mind?

Answer:

Regular strenuous exercise and strength training in particular creates a positive hormonal cascade that up-regulates the “feel good” endorphins and hormones that give us a sense of well being.  It isn’t just a coincidence that you feel really good about yourself after you workout hard.  It’s all due to the hormones your body releases for up to 24 hours post exercise.  My friends and I call it “Leveling up.”

You’ll also be happy to know that these hormones are very effective at mobilizing fat (burning fat) for energy.  Cardio is still good to have as a part of your exercise regimen, but strength training with body weight or weights is far superior to aerobic exercise when it comes to burning fat and getting that sense of feeling good.

Question #5: I’m always stressed - how can we declutter our mind, and renew our mental clarity, and be happier?

Answer:

Stay present.  Over analyzing the past and worrying about the future takes you out of the present.  There is a saying, “I’ve been looking for the future my entire life and all I ever seem to find is right now.”

Take in the present moment and appreciate it for what it is – it is all we have.  It’s good to learn from the past, but let it stay where it belongs…in the past.  It’s wise to plan for the future, but once you have a plan you should concentrate your mind on executing your plan in the present.  Regular meditation is a good way to train your mind to stay present.  Start with 10 minutes a day and go from there.  There are lots of guided meditations you can find online and even meditation groups that meet regularly almost everywhere.

If you have more burning questions that need answers post on my Facebook Page and I'll do my best to give you a solution.

Workout Hard, Post-workout Smart, Part III

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If you want a basic understanding of how hormones and exercise are related, which I encourage, start reading here.  If you want to get down to the nitty gritty skip to the bottom where I have outlined 12 ways to maximize your results with training and post-workout nutrition.  You're welcome.

Hormones play a part in all metabolic activity.  Think of them as tiny messengers carrying information from one place to the next that dictates how every cell, organ, organ system and body function operates, even your thoughts and emotions.  Optimizing your hormone levels benefits everything from mood and energy levels to fat loss and focus.  Less than optimal hormone function compromises everything and means you are running at less than your full potential.

I cannot stress this next sentence enough.

Exercising, eating and living in a way that optimizes hormone function will make every goal you have; fitness, body composition, career, relationship, etc, easier to accomplish. 

Hormone 101: The Basics

1. Testosterone, growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) are hormones that are anabolic, meaning they build tissue.  They also mobilize fat at a very high rate when they are abundant in the blood stream.  High levels of these hormones have an anti-aging benefit as well. Exercising, eating and living in a way that maximizes the release of these hormones and limits the release of hormones that counteract them (insulin and estrogen) is your mission in life.  Spoiler alert: Not all exercise is created equally when it comes to hormone release.
2. Insulin is a hormone that is also very anabolic in nature.  Unfortunately in addition to building muscle, it is also the hormone that is directly responsible triggering body fat storage, and, it is REALLY good at its job!  Insulin is released in direct correlation with the amount of carbs you eat.  More info on all the reasons you want to keep insulin levels low.  One other big negative is that GH cannot exist in the blood stream in any great amount at the same time as insulin, meaning post-workout carbs erase the big GH release you get from intense exercise as soon as you eat them.
3. Cortisol isfat storing stress hormone that is catabolic in nature, meaning it breaks down muscle tissue.  Cortisol is released during all forms of exercise throughout the duration of the training session, which is ok as long as GH is also being released as a result of intense training.  High levels of this stress hormone tend to make you hold to stubborn belly fat (no bueno!).

How Exercise Effects Your Hormonal Cascade

In order to stimulate the release of the good anabolic hormones (testosterone, GH, and IGF-1) you have to do intense weight training (intensity is relative).   The best exercises are whole-body, high intensity movements like deadlifts, squats, Olympic lifts and kettlebell lifts.  Just think, "big movements, big muscles."  Doctors Bill Kraemer and Vladimir Zatsiorsky’s research show that the magnitude of hormonal stimulation is in direct correlation with the following:

1. Amount of muscle mass activated
2. Overall work done (work = load x reps x sets)
3. Rest between sets and exercises

Studies by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) have repeatedly shown that performing several sets of each exercise, using short rest intervals of 30 to 60 seconds best stimulates anabolic hormone production.  I would also recommend using weights that are between 75-95% of your 1-rep max for a moderate to high volume.

Note: The intensity of the load and amount of volume are dependent on the experience of the trainee.  Start easier than you think with any exercise program and build up gradually.

Aerobic endurance training does not increase the release of testosterone, GH, and IGF-1.  This is a problem because cortisol is still elevated with this type of training without the GH and test surge to balance it.

12 Ways to Maximize Your Training and Hormonal Cascade: The Good Stuff

1. Prioritize resistance training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) as outlined above.  If you only have 3 hours/week to train this is your best bet.
2. Limit training time to one hour or less.  Intensity, not duration, is the key to exercise unless you are specifically training for an endurance event.  Test and GH production begin decreasing after approximately 45 minutes at which point cortisol release begins to outweigh test and GH.
3. Avoid carbs post-workout so you can maximize the GH release you created through hard training and avoid the insulin surge.
4. Drink a post-workout shake or eat a meal high in protein within 30 minutes of training.
5. Take branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) along with post-workout shake/meal.  BCAAs decrease post-workout cortisol and increase testosterone levels.  I’ve bounced around between a lot of BCAA formulas over the years and have stuck on Energy Lab’s Armor, which is my definitive favorite because of the high BCAA content and the fact that it has a full dose of L-Glutamine along with anti-oxidants to defend against free radical damage and electrolytes to help you get rehydrated.  
6. Take omega-3 fish oils to enhance protein synthesis.
7. Add L-Glutamine to post-workout shake.  Glutamine speeds up tissue repair and boosts your immune system.  In the absence of glucose from carbs the brain can use glutamine as a fuel source.
8. Avoid caffeine, which stimulates cortisol, post-workout.
9. Include Vitamin C into your post-workout shake because it clears cortisol from your system.
10. Take a green powder, red powder or some supplement high in anti-oxidants to reduce the damaging effects of cortisol and free radicals.  This will speed up recovery.
11. Re-hydrate!  Minerals and electrolytes along with water are superior to water alone.
12. Meditate or do something relaxing post-workout to further reduce cortisol and speed recovery.

Review...

Part I, Post-workout Nutrition Basics

Part II, Why post-workout carbs sabotage your hard work and why fat might maximize it.

Up next…

Part IV, Recommendations on the best supplement brands as well as additional supplementation that can augment your goals such as, creatine, branched chain amino acids (BCAA), L-glutamine, fish oils, Greens Powders and other high anti-oxidant blends, adaptagens, and much more.

Part V, Importance of central nervous system (CNS) recovery for the advanced/hardcore trainees and so your workouts don’t leave you bonking at work.  

7 Quirky Health Tips

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1)  Do all of your cooking with coconut oil.  It has many health benefits and it is superior to cooking with fattening vegetable oils.  It is also better to cook with than olive oil because olive oil has a low smoke point making it toxic when it is heated.

2)  Eat a spoonful of coconut oil every morning, when you are hungry between meals or blend it in your coffee or tea.  The medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) in coconut oil are a natural weight loss solution because the total energy required to digest MCT's is greater than the energy they provide.  Research has also shown that coconut oil can boost thyroid function.  More info on the metabolism boosting effects of coconut oil.

3)  Add cinnamon to your coffee or water.  Cinnamon increases insulin sensitivity and lowers blood sugar both of which lead to lower insulin levels which are great because high insulin triggers the body to store more fat.

4)  Cook with turmeric and cumin.  Both are very high in antioxidants that boost immune function and slow aging.

5)  When you begin feeling sickness coming on start taking 2-3 Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar everyday.  ACV boosts the immune system and aids in good digestion.  Make sure you get cold pressed unpasteurized.  It’s not a bad idea to take 1 Tbsp. everyday regardless.

6)  Drinking pure aloe vera juice is great for digestion and healthy skin.  It aids in proper digestion and helps repair a digestive system that has been under duress from a diet high in grains, gluten, and pasteurized dairy.

7)  Substitue cayenne pepper for black pepper.  Spicy foods have been shown to have cancer preventing benefits.  Cayenne, and other capsicum plants like chili peppers, have tons of antioxidants and cardiovascular benefits.  Add cayenne and you will notice a drop in heart rate and blood pressure.  It is also easier on the digestive system than black pepper for those of you with sensitive bellies.