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Sep 23 2013

Guide to nutrient selection and nutrient timing

Let me start with a disclaimer: the tips provided on this page and the studies referenced are not necessarily 100% conclusive. The human body is an extremely complex machine and there are so many variables that nutritional science will likely always be a hot topic of debate. However, all nutrients listed are natural compounds that have been known and used for decades if not centuries, and will not do you any harm. Most of them are easy to obtain and relatively cheap, so you can rest assured that I’m not trying to promote any specific brand or product. These are just tips based on research and personal experience, meant to optimize nutrient selection and nutrient timing, which might have beneficial effects on your progress.

Nutrient timing: Best post-workout macronutrients

Whey is an excellent choice as pre- and post-workout protein source

Whey is an excellent choice as pre- and post-workout protein source

Protein: Obviously your muscles will require amino acids to start rebuilding the damage training caused. Ideally you already have some floating around in your bloodstream from a pre-workout shake or protein-rich meal, but studies show that an intake of 20 grams of protein every three hours (up to four times) after training is better at helping men build lean body mass than eating smaller amounts of protein more often.

Since research has shown contradictory results regarding the most important factor being timing of intake, protein quality, speed of absorption, combination with carbs, my conclusion is that various factors are at work and different people might react differently. What seems to work best for me and is most convenient is to take 20 grams of whey before exercising since it digests easily, another 20 grams after my workout along with a glucose-laden drink, and then have regular meals the rest of the day with at least 20 grams of protein each every 3 hours or so.

Glucose Powder is universally available and dirt cheap.

Glucose Powder is universally available and dirt cheap.

Carbohydrates: A lot of controversy exists around the topic of whether or not you should combine your post-workout shake with carbohydrates and if so, which kind. Most athletes and most notably bodybuilders seem to agree that it’s best to carbs which rate high on the glycemic index to create an insulin-spike which transports nutrients to your muscle cells which are hungry for nutrients after a workout. Most bodybuilders use pure glucose (a.k.a. dextrose) which is available at most pharmacies or large supermarkets.

Studies do not seem to be conclusive about the benefit of rushing glycogen replenishment. Some argue that over a 24-hour span glycogen stores will be replenished equally as long as carb intake is sufficiently high, regardless of them being absorbed quickly or gradually. Personally, I take  the route that seems most logical to me when research is inconclusive, which means I use high-GI carbs just after my workout and more complex carbohydrate sources such as pasta every 3 hours thereafter. I would recommend 25 to 75 grams of sugars depending on the duration and intensity of your workout.

Fat: After working out it’s best to avoid fat since it will slow down absorption of nutrients and as such their delivery to the muscle cells. In fact, it’s best to avoid high-fat meals for about 6 to 8 hours before the gym since you’re going to spike your insulin levels. Considering insulin triggers cells to take up nutrients and you want them to take in carbohydrates for energy and protein for muscle repair, it’s best to avoid too many fatty acids floating around in your bloodstream at that time, since the excess of nutrients and raised insulin levels will cause them to be stored as body fat.

Nutrient timing: Best post-workout micronutrients

β-alanine: According to the double-blind, placebo-controlled study study “Effects of β-alanine supplementation on performance and body composition in collegiate wrestlers and football players“, previously trained wrestlers taking 4 grams of β-alanine daily gained nearly twice as much lean muscle mass as the placebo group. More research is required since results were not statistically significant, but β-Alanine appears to augment performance and promote lean muscle mass in only 8 weeks.

Creatine: This is one of the few supplements that has conclusively been proven to improve resistance training performance by increasing the formation of ATP. Although the human body can synthesize creatine, supplementation significantly increases the levels of creatine stored in muscle tissue.  In 2004 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) stated that long-term supplementation of 3g creatine per day does not pose any health concerns. Extensive research has indicated that creatine supplementation up to 20 grams per day appears to be very safe and largely devoid of adverse side-effects. You should also know that caffeine might undo the positive effects of creatine to some extent, even though both are common ingredients in commercial pre-workout products.

Electrolytes: When this term is used in context of nutrition, one is usually referring to potassium and sodium. These minerals are commonly found in fruits and vegetables, notably coconut water has high quantities of potassium and makes an excellent natural sports drink. Commercial sports drinks usually combine electrolytes with sugars to promote absorption. I would recommend to check the label on these drinks to make sure that the sugar used is glucose rather than high-fructose corn syrup since fructose needs to be broken down by the liver whereas glucose can be oxidized directly.

Fenugreek: This is a plant commonly used in Indian dishes. A study performed in 2011 at  the Australian Centre for Integrative Clinical and Molecular Medicine concluded that men between the ages of 25 and 52 taking the extract twice daily for a total of six week scored 25% higher on tests meant to gauge libido in comparison to a placebo. This seems to indicate that fenugreek is somehow promoting testosterone levels. Scientists aren’t sure why fenugreek seems to have this effect on men, but one possible explanation is that the herb’s seeds contain saponins, which affect hormone levels. One particular saponin, called diosgenin, could affect production of sex hormones. According to another study “Therapeutic Applications of Fenugreek” there might be further benefits to supplementation such as ower serum trig- lycerides, total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).

Curcumin: Although clinical trials are underway to study the effects of this compound, at this time there is not enough data to confirm its effects

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Sep 21 2013

How do I determine the macronutrient ratios in my diet?

As you probably already know, food consists of three macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate and fat) and many more micronutrients (minerals, vitamins, etc). Knowing what your food is composed of is essential if you want to fine-tune a diet to your individual needs or tailor one from scratch. There are many conflicting opinions about which is the “best” protein/carb/fat ratio, and even governments are participating with recommendations that are supposed to apply to everyone, but the truth is more complicated. Everyone should consider their goals when determining how much protein/carbs/fat to eat and as such, it’s helpful to know a bit more about these macronutrients.

Protein

Many people use whey protein to reach their daily recommended intake since it's easier to digest than meat and takes less time to prepare.

Many people use whey protein to reach their daily recommended intake since it’s easier to digest than meat and takes less time to prepare.

Proteins make up our muscles and other tissues, so it’s very important to have adequate intake to make sure your body never has to resort to breaking down muscle for energy. When trying to build muscle it should be evident that you need a surplus of protein since the body cannot synthesize certain amino acids. Though how much protein do you actually need? This is the subject of the one the longest standing discussions in nutritional science and there is no straight answer. The RDA is set at 0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight, though bodybuilders typically recommend 2.2 g/kg (one gram per pound) or higher. Based on studies too numerous to list I’m setting my personal minimum intake at approximately 2 g per kg of lean body mass since this amount isn’t harmful and eating more doesn’t seem to provide any beneficial effects. I base my protein intake recommendation on lean body mass because adipose tissue hardly has protein requirements.

Eating higher quantities of protein generally isn’t harmful as long as you don’t go overboard, but if it’s recommendable to do so depends on your goals. For weight loss it’s not a bad idea to have a diet which derives up to 25% of its calories from protein since protein increases satiety, meaning you’ll feel full for a good time after eating, which is helpful when trying to decrease total calorie consumption. When trying to gain muscle mass I would stick with my earlier recommendation since eating higher amounts of protein has no apparent benefits and could possibly result in an increase in the occurrence of kidney stones.  Personally, I’d rather play it safe than end up squeezing small pointy rocks through my urethra.

I would recommend “Dietary protein for athletes: From requirements to optimum adaptation” by Tipton and Wolfe if you want more in-depth information about the effects of protein consumption in athletes.

Carbohydrates

For most people these are the main sources of carbohydrates.

For most people these are the main sources of carbohydrates.

For a long time, carbohydrates were considered the staple of any diet. Who doesn’t remember the food pyramid with rice, pasta and bread forming the foundation? Then, Dr. Atkins and other supporters of low-carbohydrate diets came along, resulting in a lot of controversy and confusion. Are carbohydrates good or bad for you? Again, it depends on your goals. Before explaining this in more detail, I’d first like to clarify the terminology I’ll be using to avoid misunderstandings. If you’re already familiar with it, feel free to skip the next paragraph.

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates, also referred to as carbs or saccharide, are grouped depending on their size/weight into monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. The first two being the lightest and least complex are also referred to as sugars. Table sugar for instance is a disaccharide which is broken down very quickly when ingested into glucose and fructose, which are monosaccharides. Starches are long and sometimes branched chains of polysaccharides. Foods containing starch include vegetables, and whole grains. Carbohydrates stored in the body is known as glycogen.

Should I eat carbohydrates?

If you’re trying to lose weight, then you could benefit from a low-carbohydrate diet. One could fill a library with studies detailing how your body reacts to carbohydrate restriction, but I’ll keep things very simple. Carbohydrates are broken down to simpler sugars once ingested. The speed at which this happens is determined by the complexity of the carbohydrate and fiber content. Generally, complex carbs are labeled “good” because they take longer to digest and doesn’t create as big a peak in blood-glucose levels as simple carbs would. These simple sugars and their associated blood-sugar spikes are usually labeled “bad” because they result in the release of insulin from the pancreas. This hormone regulates the carbohydrate and fat metabolism. High insulin levels stop fat being used as a source of energy since the body can more readily use glucose.

If your goal is to build muscle, then you absolutely need insulin since this hormone is responsible for shuttling nutrients into skeletal muscle to replenish glycogen and repair damage caused by training.  Your body is in a unique metabolic state after an intense weight training session and the bulk of carbohydrates consumed will be consumed by muscle tissues instead of fat cells. The longer and more intense the workout was, the more glycogen needs to be replaced. It’s a bit tricky to figure out exactly how many grams of carbohydrates you will need to fully replenish glycogen stores unfortunately. Too little and you will not achieve maximal muscle hypertrophy, too much and you will be growing your fat cells as well.

Lipids

Avocados, salmon and olive oil are very healthy sources of fat

Avocados, salmon and olive oil are very healthy sources of fat

Fats as you probably know are the most calorie-dense of all macronutrients at nine calories per gram. They also have the worst reputation even though they are essential nutrients and some fats might even help us burn body fat. It’s important to make a distinction between these “good” unsaturated fats which itself comes in two varieties. Monounsaturated fats are found in olive oil, avocados, most nuts and seeds. Polyunsaturated fats are found in oily fish such as salmon, soybeans and walnuts. These fats are generally liquid at room temperature because of their chemical structure.

The “bad” saturated fats on the other hand are usually solid and can be found in cream, butter, hard cheese, meats, and coconut oil for instance. Trans fats, which have gotten a lot of attention lately, are unsaturated fats which have been chemically altered (hydrogenation) to harden them into saturated fats. The resulting chemical structure is rare in nature, which is likely why our body reacts to them in such a poor manner. Studies indicate that these synthetic fats can increase unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy HDL cholesterol.

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