Lean
Body Coaching Club
Nutrition
FAQ
Here
are some of the more common questions we receive from Coaching Club
members. Your question may have already been answered here, so please
read on. If not, please feel free to send your question on to AskLee.
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How old do I have to be before I should start using creatine and
other supplements?
Somewhere between eighteen (18) and twenty (20) is generally a good
age to begin using supplements like creatine. On the other hand, supplements
like multivitamin/mineral supplements, meal replacements products, or
protein supplements could be safely be used earlier to fill in the gaps
in a less than optimal eating plan. In general, although it?s
better to get nutrients from food, getting a nutrient in supplemental
form is still better than not getting it at all.
Can
I trust the media to deliver nutrition news?
News media
is always looking for new findings and those in the media often latch
onto ideas from scientific laboratories before they have been fully
tested. There is a great possibility that a reporter who lacks a strong
understanding of science may misunderstand or misinterpret complex scientific
principles. News media groups often expose the public to late breaking
new stories before findings are fully confirmed. Scientists uncover
nutrition facts by experimentation. Single studies must be replicated
before their findings can be considered valid. Here are a few things
to consider:
1.
Just because something happens in a test tube or rat, doesn?t
mean it will happen in a human.
2.
A valid experiment must be "blinded". Participants should
not know if they are in the experimental group or in the placebo group.
3.
Be leery of percentages
4.
"May" doesn?t always mean "will".
5.
Hidden variables may often hide the actual facts.
6.
Sometimes studies can be flawed.
Remember
that all research is equivocal. For every piece of research that states
a conclusion, I can find another piece that states the opposite.
I
am interested in starting this new high protein, low carbohydrate diet.
Do you think that is a good idea?
Some confusion
of carbohydrates may stem from the fact that people see and hear bits
and pieces of information from friends, books, the media and workout
partners. Unfortunately, most people accept the information as fact.
Dropping carbohydrates too low while on an exercise program can alter
your body?s T3 levels. T3 is an active thyroid molecule that helps
regulate your metabolic rate. Thus, eating low levels of carbohydrates
can actually slow down your metabolic rate. Secondly, muscle fullness
depends on carbohydrate intake. Low carbohydrate diets can also cause
muscle to loose density and cause muscles to flatten out. Carbohydrates
are a great source of fuel, so not eating enough can lower your energy
level and make your muscles feel softer. I have found that eating complex
carbohydrates at breakfast and lunch meals and omitting the carbohydrates
at the final meal can actually help improve weight loss. That is a far
cry from cutting the carbohydrates completely from the diet.
How
are dietary supplements regulated?
In 1994,
congress passes and the President signed into law the Dietary Supplement
Health and Education Act limiting the FDA?s control over dietary
supplements. Under this law the FDA can not require pre-market tests
to prove that supplements are safe and effective. Secondly, the FDA
can not limit the dosage in any dietary supplement. Finally, the FDA
can not halt or restrict sales of a dietary supplement unless there
is evidence that the product has caused illness or injury "when
used according to the direction on the package".
Bottom
line, be safe. If you have any medical conditions or are taking any
kind of medication, do your homework. Make sure that there are no known
interactions with the supplement and get your doctor?s approval.
If you begin to notice any unusual side effects stop using the supplement
immediately and contact your doctor.
Why
does my weight fluctuate every time I step on the scale?
Consider
the normal body fluctuations that occur everyday. The human body is
always in a constant state of flux; therefore, no one?s body weight
remains constant. A persons lean body mass can fluctuate up or down
by one to five pounds on any given day. These fluctuations have nothing
to do with body fat, but have more to do with other variables. Water
retention, hydration levels and the time of day can contribute to variations
in body water. In addition, the weight of your clothes, the amount of
food in your stomach and certain medications can all affect the reading
on the scale.
How
does elevated homocysteine levels relate to heart disease? How do I
lower those levels?
Homocysteine
is an intermediate, a chemical released when you metabolize protein.
Unlike other amino acids, which are vital to your health, homocysteine
can be hazardous to your heart. Homocysteine raises your risk of heart
disease by attacking cells in the lining of your arteries, by making
the cells reproduce faster, or by causing your blood to clot. The American
Heart Association has now cited high homocysteine levels as an independent
risk factor for heart disease.
There
have been several studies that suggest that a diet rich in the B vitamins
and folacin lowers blood levels of homocysteine. Let?s not forget
that a diet that is low fat and a lifestyle that incorporates exercise
can also help improve overall cardiovascular health.
How
much sugar should I be eating throughout the day?
Americans
eat their weight in sugar each year. On average, this amounts to 140
pounds. This number may be hard to believe, especially if you are not
adding sugar to the foods you eat. Most of the excess sugar ingested
is hidden in processed foods. The nutrition facts panel on packages
is required to label the sugar content in grams. In contrast, we measure
sugar in teaspoons, tablespoons and cups. Here is a quick and easy way
to convert grams into teaspoons. 1 teaspoon of sugar weighs 4 grams.
So if a product has 40 grams of sugar, 40 divided by 4 = 10 teaspoons
of sugar.
Bottom
Line: If you can keep your sugar intake to 40 grams or less, consider
yourself doing a good job.
What
type of calcium is the best to take?
Do not use
an antacid as your source of calcium. Also try to avoid using calcium
carbonate or bone meal. Look for calcium supplements that contain 1,
000 mg of calcium, it should also contain 500 mg of magnesium. Calcium
work synergistically with magnesium and vitamin D; and when combined
together increase the absorption of the calcium. Calcium citrate and
calcium gluconate are the best sources of calcium to use particularly
if they are chelated. Always take your supplement with a meal, never
on an empty stomach. Don?t for get that you can also get calcium
from foods such as cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, milk and a variety
of veggies.
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