carbs

What’s on the Menu

Today’s #whatiatewednesday post is a slight departure from what you normally see from me. I was doing some research for an interview that will be featured on an upcoming episode of the Addicted to Fitness podcast and I came across this chart from 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Every five years, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) puts out a comprehensive report about what Americans are eating, how it’s affecting our health and somewhat educated suggestions on how to reverse some scary health trends. I believe that one of the reasons we’re seeing ever increasing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes is due to the massive amount of grains, specifically refined grains, we eat on a daily basis. If you look at the chart below, you’ll see that some age groups are eating more than 1.5 times the daily recommended amount of refined grains. If you need a frame of reference for what 1 ounce of grain looks like, it’s equivalent to approximately 1 piece of bread. But bread isn’t the only culprit. Cereal, bagels, tortillas,  grain-based dessert and numerous other refined grain products are contributing to several of the current health problems we as Americans face nowadays.

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Please don’t take my word for it. Do yourself a favor and check out research done by much smarter people than me like Nina Tecicholz, Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. David Perlmutter (his book Grain Brain is enlightening). You can also listen to registered nurse and certified diabetes educator Nicole Recine on the upcoming episode of the Addicted to Fitness podcast. She, along with the other people I listed, do a great job explaining the detrimental effects of excess carb intake.

What’s on the Menu

I have to admit that I’m a big fan of Trader Joe’s. They don’t always have the widest selection of groceries, but the price of their quality items (organic, grass-fed, etc.) is hard to beat. One of those quality items that I’ve sorta already professed my love for is avocado oil. Yes, if I had to choose between an actual avocado and avocado oil, I’d choose an avocado all day. The actual fruit has way more macro and micronutrients. However, as someone who’s trying to be more fat-fueled opposed to carb-fueled, avocado oil is a healthy addition to my fat sources. The consumption of monounsaturated fats, which this oil is high in, has been linked to lowering the risk for certain types of cancer and type 2 diabetes (source). Looks like I’ve found a new salad dressing.

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The Macros Game Debut

Shannon and I talk about several poignant health & fitness topics on this week’s Addicted to Fitness podcast including the ETT take-home workout, my quest to be alcohol free in July, our active Hawaiian honeymoon and the negative health impacts of air travel outlined in a 2015 Economist article. All those topics are super interesting but the reason I’m so excited about this episode is because it is the debut of THE MACROS GAME! Being a lover of game shows, I decided to periodically include a nutritional trivia segment into the podcast. Listen to me test Shannon’s knowledge of macronutrients with this fun little game. Bob Barker ain’t got nothing on me! If you don’t know who Bob Barker is, shame on you.

Thanks again for all the feedback. Your input is making the podcast better and better each week. If you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Google Play. You can also listen to this and every episode on the Addicted to Fitness podcast website. Don’t forget to share it with a friend, thanks peeps!

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(Image created with a template courtesy of http://www.goliath.com/interest/wheel-of-fortune/)