Nutrition

There was a time when my diet consisted of only processed foods. All of which had added salt, oil and sugar to a degree that was both addictive and dangerous in the long term. When I learned about whole foods and the benefit they provided, it caused me to reexamine my diet. In 10th grade, that meant reviewing what was in my lunch box. What my lunch box boiled down to was a peanut butter sandwich, barbecue chips, gushers, sugar frosted cookies and a Kool-Aid pouch. This lunch was the exact opposite of a whole foods lunch. It was heavily processed, salted, oiled and sugared. And, I was eating that everyday. You can see how eventually, that would have caused a problem if didn’t change my diet… obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, dementia, stroke… ok it would have caused more than a few problems

10 years ago, back in high school health class, I remember learning about meal timing. We were taught that spreading your food out over the course of the day through meals and snacks was optimal for your body. I started following this advice and haven’t really revisited it since. That means I had my breakfast at 6:30am and ate approximately every 3 hours after that until my nightly smoothie bowl that could be at 10:30pm. What this meant was that my body was in a state of eating, digesting and absorbing nutrients for at least 16 hours everyday (6:30am – 10:30pm). That also meant my body was only in a fasting state, where most healing and self-repair happen, for 8 hours straight (while I slept). But, research is showing that increasing the duration of the fasting state provides a litany of benefits. This research is reshaping the way I and tons of other health focused individuals are eating everyday

Watermelon seeds, acai berries, pine nuts, seaweed, maca powder and black garlic. These are just a few superfoods that have hit headlines within the past few years. Foods that are extremely nutrient dense. Exotic foods found around the world. Foods that have the ability to fight cancer, prevent heart disease, melt fat, increase energy levels and make you feel super. And if these superfoods are new to you, seem exotic, and have tons of health benefits, you’re probably eager to learn more. Because we’re always looking for a shortcut, a “get rich quick” strategy, a new method to achieve quicker and better results. But, are superfoods really that super?

Almost every city street now has a shop that sells CBD. It’s known to help reduce pain, treat depression, alleviate anxiety, wipe away acne, heal the heart, cure brain cancer, and bring people back from the dead. Basically, CBD is rumored to do everything. And it now comes in oils, gummy bears and roll-on topicals. Intrigued?

Most people are confused by what makes up a vegan diet. They usually ask me, so do you just eat a lot of salads? How are you getting your protein? Aren’t the meals fairly bland? While I don’t call myself a vegan, I do eat a mostly whole foods plant based diet. This means I avoid animal products but every once in a while I do sneak-in a dessert that may have egg in it, or try my girlfriend’s burrito that has a little cheese in it. But, other than that I follow a vegan diet. And my vegan diet is probably much more exciting, fulfilling, and sustainable than your traditional american diet. Here is everything I’ll usually consume in a day

We’ve been tricked into spending tons of money and time on something that has very few benefits. Drinks. How often is it that you go to a restaurant and there’s a drink menu larger than the food menu? There’s dozens of alcoholic drinks, sodas, lemonades, teas, smoothies, juices, coffees, milk and more. And out of the 30+ options, I get water 90% of the time. I’m always happy with it. It always tastes great. And it’s always free

It’s not possible to consume enough protein without meat and dairy.
If you don’t drink milk, you’ll have weak bones from calcium deficiency.
Too many carbohydrates from bread, pasta and rice will cause weight gain.
You should avoid fats to stay lean and fit.
Eating plant-based will leave you hungry all the time.

These are some of the popular myths that many people believe. Myths that are kept alive partially due to the USDA’s inability to publish nutrition recommendations based on the latest research studies. In this article, I’m going to explain the USDA’s food recommendations and why you shouldn’t follow them to a T