obesity

What’s On The Menu – The Superior Nut Butter

Much like coffee creamers, the variety of nut butters has seemed to increase almost exponentially over the past 5-10 years. I imagine that the increase in childhood peanut allergies (21% increase since 2010) has been a major contributing factor.

For those of us that aren’t stricken with that terrible affliction, deciding on whether to buy peanut butter or almond butter can be a constant struggle. Well no need to worry because this menu spotlight will tell you which nut butter is nutritional superior.

Both are a great source of monounsaturated fat, fiber and plant based protein, but almond butter has more vitamin E, iron and calcium. Just make sure the only ingredients are almonds and maybe a pinch of salt. You don’t want to negate the nutritional benefits by buying something full of sugar and additives that prevent oil separation.

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What’s On The Menu – The OG of Coffee Creamers

The coffee creamer industry has really blown up in the past couple decades. Every grocery store now has multiple shelves dedicated to every type of creamer you can imagine.

Hazelnut flavored creamer made from soy milk? Got it!

Pumpkin spiced flavored creamer made from almond milk? You betcha!

I, on the other hand, prefer the original coffee creamer.

ACTUAL CREAM!

Besides collagen from Great Lakes, heavy cream is my preferred coffee additive. Two tbsp contains 12 g of fat (mostly saturated) and no sugar or carbs. It does contain a small amount of lactose so those that are intolerant may want to use unsweetened coconut milk if they want a fatty coffee creamer.

Just stay away from the sugar-laden creamers filled with artificial ingredients.

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What’s on the Menu – Quick & Easy Protein

I’m a big believer that increasing your intake of whole sources of protein will reduce your feelings of hunger & increase your chances of maintaining a healthy diet. In fact, numerous scientific studies suggest that that foods containing a significant amount of protein will help you stay fuller longer and hold back that pesky hunger hormone gherlin.

One of my go-to sources for protein as of late is “just grilled chicken” from Trader Joe’s. Three ounces contain 14 g of protein and the only ingredients are chicken, spices and potato starch, which prevents freezer burn.

It only takes a few minutes to defrost in the pan or microwave. It’s great on its own or you can add it to a vegetable medley like Shannon and I love doing. If you’re having trouble curbing your hunger cravings, I’d suggest adding something like this to your daily meal plan.

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What’s On the Menu – Too Good To Let Go To Waste

Let’s be honest. Guacamole is the best “dip” there is. Don’t bring your hummus, spinach & artichoke or salsa in my kitchen. NOT UP IN HERE!

Between the taste, nutrition and ease associated with preparing it, every thing else is playing for second place. Which is why I had to act fast when I had several ripe avocados at the house last week.

Instead of letting them go bad, I decided to make guacamole with whatever ingredients I had available. I ended up using 2 avocados, cherry tomatoes, shallots, fresh lime juice and salt. The heart healthy monounsaturated fat contained in the avocados was too good to let go to waste. ⠀

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What’s on the Menu – The Best Breakfast Option Out There

I’m a gigantic breakfast fan. The options you have at breakfast far surpass anything lunch or dinner has to offer, and I believe it’s all thanks to one magical food.

Eggs.

Whole eggs, yes yolks and all, are at the top of my “Whole Foods” power ranking list. Right below eggs on that list is its frequent companion on a many diner menus. Steak.

Steak & eggs is high in protein & fat and contains a ton of important micronutrients like iron, vitamin B, choline and omega fatty acids. I had the meal below and swear I wasn’t hungry for the rest of the day. I believe based on the nutrition research I’ve gathered & personal experience, that this is a much healthier option than the meals filled with processed carbs that seem to dominate breakfast foods (cereal, bagels, etc.).

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Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – From the Vault: Our Very First Fitness Podcast

We take the Addicted to Fitness DeLorean all the way back to the very first podcast I every produced almost two years ago. The podcast was known as the ETT Wrap Show in those days and in this week’s throwback episode my cohost at the time, Tyler Knox, and I describe what we would be “rapping” about on a weekly basis.

You will hear how the development our current format of recapping our previous week’s training and debating pertinent health topics. You will also get to hear about the evolution of ETT from weekend bootcamp outfit to concierge personal training business. It’s amazing to see how much ETT and the podcast has grown in just two years.

nick & Tyler

One of the topics discussed on this old school episode is how I developed my approach to fitness. I encourage you to go back and check out the very first post on elementaltampa.com to hear all the details, but the short version starts at Amir’s Academy of Martial Arts. Upon graduating from college, my physical & mental health began to wane due to lack of activity and motivation. I finally got fed up with the way I looked & felt and walked into Amir’s. That’s where I regained my fitness and learned that helping others recapture their fitness was my passion.

We also debated the news article involving the World Health Organization’s (WHO) listing of red meat & processed meats as possible carcinogens. It should be noted that even the WHO mentions that their listing, especially for red meat, is based on limited evidence. However, that didn’t stop news outlets & plant-based diet promoters from shouting their listing from the roof tops. I believe Chris Kresser does a great job explaining how weak the link between red meat and cancer in this article on his site. I recommend you read it and make your own conclusion.

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After the red meat discussion, we touch on more dietary recommendations including my own. I mention that due to my own personal experience and through the nutrition research I’ve gathered, a low-carb approach to nutrition is the best way to lose weight/keep weight off. If you reduce that amount of sugar and grain products you consume you can reduce the production of insulin and other digestive hormones that play a large part in helping you maintain a healthy weight.

The final topic of our very first podcast is one that Shannon and I recently talked about in our 2018 Biggest Health Trend Predictions episode, which is the importance of dietary fat. This marks the start of my dedication to being “fat fueled” and ultimately led to Tyler and I taste testing bulletproof coffee in a later ETT Wrap show, which was one of our past “from the vault” episode, if that makes sense.

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Speaking of coffee, please check out our great sponsors, The Hemp & Coffee Exchange. Visit hempcoffeeexchange.com to learn about their awesome products and WHEN you buy some of their coffee, use the code “ATF” to get 20% off your purchase.

If you haven’t done so already please give us a rating and review in iTunes and/or on the Addicted to Fitness Podcast Facebook page. Thanks in advance and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/from-the-vault-our-very-first

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/from-the-vault-our-very-first-fitness-podcast

 

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Apple Watch Review & Childhood Obesity

Welcome back!

Nick and I have been making progress on our training, bit by bit. We kick off this week’s podcast episode with a recap on what we’ve been doing.

Nick has been finding his Title Boxing classes to be a built in workout, which has been good since time between work and parenting has been somewhat limited.

He also gets into what he’s doing in his diet – intermittent fasting (phase two – which includes a 10 hour eating window and 14 hour fast). He’s already lost five pounds, which he wasn’t expecting, thinking he didn’t have that much weight to loose.  The point was never to loose weight, but rather to attempt to eliminate precursors of detrimental health conditions like insulin resistance and cancer. You can read more about his previous blog post on intermittent fasting and its benefits here.

I meanwhile, have been focusing on childcare, which is a workout in itself, but have already dropped over 20 pounds off my pregnancy weight (mostly due to breastfeeding). My available time to workout is about 30 minutes, so whatever I choose to do (Peloton bike or yoga usually) must fit in that window.

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We’re big fans of our Peloton Cycle

My cardio is the area that I have seen the most need for improvement. My goal for training has not been to loose weight though, but rather just to continue to combat postpartum anxiety and depression.

Our first main topic of the episode is a review of the new Series 3 of the Apple Watch.

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Now, if you’ve been listening for a while, you might recall my review of the Fitbit Charge 2 earlier this year (listen to that ATF episode here) in which I stated that it was a test on whether I would like a fitness tracker and heart rate monitor at all. I wasn’t ready at that time to invest in anything more.

Well, I decided recently that I was ready for a smart watch, as the actual watch functionality was something that I really missed. With the latest release of the Apple Watch, Series 3, I felt it was finally time to make the move.

So first, a quick introduction to what I got!

I purchased the Series 3 – 38MM Apple Watch with GPS and the gold aluminum case, along with the Pink Sand Sport Band.

apple & Apple

The specs include:

  • Gold aluminum case
  • Built-in GPS and GLONASS
  • Faster dual-core processor
  • W2 chip
  • Barometric altimeter
  • Capacity 8GB1
  • Heart rate sensor
  • Accelerometer and gyroscope
  • Water resistant 50 meters
  • Ion-X strengthened glass
  • Composite back
  • Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz)
  • Bluetooth 4.2
  • Up to 18 hours of battery life
  • watchOS 4
In terms of the look and comfort, the 38mm size is great for my wrist size, as is the band, which fits even my smaller wrists surprisingly well. Plus the band is made of high performance fluoroelastomer that will stand up to my heavier use. The ability to customize the look by switching out the bands is the icing on the cake!
One of the best parts of this watch, is the watch face/s. Not only do they actually show up when I look at my watch (the Fitbit was not as sensitive) but the multiple, customizable faces that you can switch between and manage on your iPhone via the Apple Watch app, are crystal clear and very convenient.
Another key strength of this device is the integration with the iPhone, which is truly amazing. Everything is customized and controlled/setup through the iPhone via an app. It even has some of the same functionality (flashlight, talk to text, Siri, reminders, sound controls, etc.) to the iPhone.
Some of my favorite apps/programs include:
  • Heart Rate Monitor is pretty accurate and can run ongoing or in the background, depending how you’re using it (will drain battery life if using it to track an activity).
  • Activity – Set goals and get reminders. All of which integrate into the Health App on your iPhone
  • Workout – Quickly select a workout for tracking purposes. All metrics integrate into the Health App on your iPhone
  • Weather – Pretty straight forward, but seeing it on your watch at a glance is remarkably helpful
  • Timer & Stop Watch – Again, straight forward, but handy for a variety of instances
  • Maps – Would probably be good when you’re walking around and need to find something. Just takes a little time to get the directions on your watch.
  • Messages – Not particularly health focused, but is a simplified version of the Messages app in your phone. The talk-to-type tech is surprisingly accurate and makes it all that much easier to respond to texts without having to get your phone.
Finally, the magnetic charger sits in my bathroom and is super easy to lay the watch on. The fact it’s the basic charging cube cord makes it easy to interchange with other cords in my house (which are everywhere since we have so many apple products!).
The popularity of the Apple Watch means it’s been appearing on the wrists of people of all ages, including teens and kids! The question of whether these younger age groups are truly using these gadgets for fitness is somewhat questionable given our next topic… childhood obesity rates.
Nick came across this article in Time magazine recently that cited a study in a medical periodical, about how the BMI (ratio of weight & height) indicates that childhood obesity has risen 10 times worldwide over the last 40 years. [Insert gasp here]
The study reported dramatic increases in childhood obesity in African and Asian countries especially, which have historically had low obesity rates. This was a surprise to us. Additionally, in several countries where childhood obesity rates were already high (including the U.S.), the rates have plateaued, however, the researchers believe it is more due to coincidence and not policy action.

 

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A related article Nick recently saw from the Washington Post (link) stated non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease (cirrhosis of the liver) is the fastest growing reason for liver transplants among young adults in the U.S.. This disease can be caused by obesity, hypertension and diabetes (i.e. high intake of sugar and grains IMO). One researcher in the article stated that they had a patient develop this condition at age 13.

It should be noted that the number of liver transplants due to non-alcohol related cirrhosis is small, but what is alarming is the dramatic increase in its prevalence over the last 10 years.

All in all, it’s an alarming study, reinforcing how important food and health education is among our youth!

As we wrap up, we encourage you to please visit our sponsor hempcoffeeexchange.com and use the code ‘ATF’ to get 20% off at checkout!

Reach out to us on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) or send us and email at elementaltampa@gmail.com.

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/apple-watch-review-a-childhood-obesity/id1121420986?i=1000394456914&mt=2

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/apple-watch-review-a-childhood

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/apple-watch-review-a-childhood-obesity

What’s On The Menu is this Weekend’s Workout

I didn’t get my weekly “What’s on the Menu” post done for its normal Thursday post date, but I still wanted to share it with you. Read about my experience with intermittent fasting then enjoy another effective weekend workout.

I was first introduced to the idea of fasting during my formative years in Catholic elementary school. Every Friday during Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter), all Catholics were encouraged to fast during the day and then finish the day with a “meatless” dinner. Thankfully the Bible didn’t consider seafood meat, which meant I enjoyed a lot of McDonald’s fish sandwiches and pizza for dinner during Lent.

I’ll admit that my dedication to daylight fasting during Lent was spotty at best and, as devoted to Catholicism as my parents were and still are, they didn’t send my brother and I to school without lunches.  I was extremely grateful to them at the time, but with what I know now, periodic fasting could have been extremely beneficial.

The origins of fasting date back to ancient Greece and it’s inclusion in numerous religious doctrine make it one of the oldest weight loss/control methods. Even though its been used for several millennia, the extent of fasting’s metabolic benefits are just starting to be discovered (source).

One of my go-to sources for the latest health research, Dr. Rhoda Patrick, has been promoting the benefits of intermittent fasting, which she refers to as time restricted eating, for some time now. The basic concept is that you have an eating window everyday that syncs up to your natural circadian rhythm. The research suggests that the most metabolic benefits occur with a eating window of no more than 12 hours and, unlike my Lenten fasts, occurs during the day (source).

Studies have shown that adherence to this way of eating may save you from a number of the leading causes of death. Several recent discoveries about the death-defying benefits of intermittent fasting include:

  • Every other day fasting found to reduce obesity and insulin resistance by changing gut bacteria (source)
  • An 11-hour eating window associated with a significant reduction in breast cancer risk & reduction in recurrence (source)
  • Frequent fasting has been shown to reduce the insulin-like grown factor 1 (IGF1) which has been show to proliferate the growth of cancer cells (source)

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I’ve been partaking in time restricted eating for the past 3 weeks and I’ll admit it’s pretty tough for someone like me. I have a very active job and some days I leave the house before 7am and don’t return till 8pm. Thankfully I’ve been very good at packing a lunch full of nutritious and satiating foods that help me get enough fuel in during my eating window.

Even though I started my current intermittent fasting plan with no desire to lose weight, I’ve lost nearly 5 lbs in 3 weeks. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot but when you’re 5’11” and 160, losing 5 lbs without really trying is pretty significant. As great as the weight loss is, I’m more excited by the possibility that this way of eating can help me prolong my life.

Another way to prolong your life is with regular exercise, which is why you should try the weekend workout featured below. This workout includes several variations of one of the most beneficial exercise there is, the squat.

Squats are considered a compound exercise, which means they are multi-joint movements that require the use of various muscle groups. Try to knockout these various forms of the squat and make sure you let us know in the comment section below or on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) how you feel the next day. Don’t forget to warmup and modify the workout to match your fitness level. ENJOY!

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