Food Intolerances 101 by Shauna Lee Sexsmith

What is a Food Intolerance?

Food intolerance is an unhealthy reaction to a specific food that typically should cause no threat to health at all. This reaction can lead to an array of uncomfortable symptoms such as IBS, migraines, skin problems, digestive disorders, fatigue, weight problems or just a general feeling of “not being up to snuff.”

What is the difference between an Allergy and an Intolerance?

Food intolerance is quite different from an allergy and one should not be confused with the other. Food allergies trigger off an immune response but because they trigger a different kind of antibody, the immune response is different than what occurs when one simply has intolerance. With allergies, sufferers experience an immediate, alarming and sometimes deathly reaction to foods that the majority of people can eat without any problem at all. With food intolerance, the reaction is very different, as the food generally has to pass through the digestive system first before an immune response is instigated. This results in a delayed reaction of hours or even days and the symptoms are much more general, less severe but more likely to result in a chronic health condition. A food intolerance can also be due to enzyme deficiencies which prevents the break down of food for absorption as found in lactose intolerance.

The severity and rapidness of a food allergy makes the diagnosis of “something you have just eaten” pretty easy to identify. Sufferers know that if they keep clear of that food there is no reason why they cannot lead a healthy life. Also allergies are generally something we are born with and stay with us throughout our life. The delayed and relatively mild reaction of food intolerance makes it very difficult to associate negative symptoms such as abdominal bloating or fatigue with something you ate 12 hours ago. Also as the symptoms can relate to so many other health conditions, isolating food as the problem is difficult. If food intolerance is disregarded, sufferers carry on for years with a chronic condition of lower grade health because they’re eating the offending food every day.

What causes intolerances to food?

There are many reasons why food intolerance can develop; some we know about and some remain for the time being a bit of a mystery. Like allergies they can be a genetic fault in the immune system that sends out the wrong signals to attack perfectly harmless food molecules instead of harmful pathogens. Food intolerances can also develop through prolonged poor health. This could be anything from contracting a nasty stomach bug while you are on holiday to a resistant infection that results in long term antibiotics. These non-immune food intolerances may result from poor digestibility due to low enzyme levels, as is the case with lactose intolerance, or from an adverse chemical reaction to naturally occurring components in foods or their preservatives, such as with histamine or sulfite sensitivity. To complicate matters, reliable tests to diagnose non-immune food intolerance are only available for a small number of foods, which makes assessing the existence of these conditions a largely subjective exercise.

Food intolerances linked to a diet-rich in processed foods?

While it's anyone's guess as to whether the actual prevalence of non-immune food intolerances is increasing, there are some strong reasons to think they are. As American diets include higher amounts of processed foods every year, our intake of staple processed ingredients like wheat and fructose is also increasing. Average per capita intake of fructose appears to have increased by an estimated 32 to 48 percent between the late 1970s and 2004, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Experts also point out that the quality of the ingredients we eat has changed. As food engineering has increased the average percentage of gluten in wheat from 4 percent to about 14 percent, according to Alessio Fasano, director of the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research. Our processed diets also contain more preservatives and artificial chemicals, some of which have been implicated in triggering adverse chemical reactions in susceptible people. Some speculate that while small quantities of any of these ingredients would not be problematic, repeated exposure to high amounts of them may expose the fault lines of our old-fashioned digestive systems, which have not evolved as fast as our modern diets. There appears to have been a dramatic rise in suspected food intolerance linked to today’s modern manic lifestyles, leading to increased interest in the subject.

How do you treat food intolerance?

So what do you do if you suspect you have food intolerance? There are two approaches to overcoming the negative symptoms of food intolerance. Initially the aim is to, as with allergies; isolate the offending foods to offer symptom relief

1.      If you suspect food intolerance, keep a food journal for two weeks that includes times, foods, portion sizes, and any symptoms experienced. Then, bring your journal to a gastroenterologist or registered dietitian who can evaluate the relationship between the timing of your symptoms and food(s) eaten. The problem with food intolerance is it is very difficult, even following an elimination diet, to isolate the offending foods.

2.      If you have isolated your offending foods, eliminated them from your diet and are experiencing improved health then you need to address enforcing a healthier lifestyle. Remember with many food intolerance cases it is often unhealthy lifestyle practices that result in digestive problems and food intolerances. For full health restoration, combining a healthy diet, stress management, time out to have fun, relaxation and activity with your food intolerance diet plan is the most effective way of returning you body back to full health.

Hungry for more? Please feel free to post any questions or concerns on our page and we will answer them to the best of our ability. If we feel your questions are outside the scope of our knowledge base, we will do our best to guide you in the right direction of professional services that would be better suited to answering your questions.

The Hell with Cardio Machines: A new way to burn fat, get shredded, and look like a BOSS on the beach! By Matt Hamilton

I can’t tell you how many times I walk into the gym and see someone on a cardio machine trying to burn fat by going at the same pace for hours! Then they proceed to stretch a little, maybe do a crunch, leave and wonder why they look the same as they did 9 months ago. This really makes me boil inside. Sometimes I get the urge to walk over and help them change their “soft” mind set.

LISTEN FOLKS!!!  If you think spending 40 minutes on an arc trainer or elliptical is going to strip down some serious weight, slim those thighs, and give you abs that could become the hardest metal on the periodic table of elements… well good luck!!

Now… for those who haven’t exited out of the article and said screw this clown yet, I have something earth shattering, groundbreaking, and all-around the best thing you’ve ever heard!!  Okay that may not be so, but I do have something that will work wonders when it comes to shredding fat, building muscle, and increasing your conditioning.

It’s called COMPLEXES!!!

I have to warn you these aren’t for the weak hearted!!  They suck… A LOT!!  They will have you gasping for air, and make you want to crawl back into your momma’s arms.  BUT, if you work hard and stick with them you WILL achieve your goals. 

All right, enough descriptive garbage!  Let’s get into the actual workouts!

What Are Complexes? 

It’s a pretty simple concept really. You are going to “cycle through a series of exercises without putting the bar (dumbbell, or kettle bell) down transitioning smoothly from movement to movement, and performing all the assigned reps on one exercise before moving to the next” (1).  Now that you know what they are, here are a few examples.

Barbell Complex – Alywn Cosgrove’s Evil 8 (2)

Deadlift

Romanian Deadlift

Bentover Row

Power Clean

Front Squat

Push Press

Back Squat

Good Morning

During the first round perform each exercise for 6 reps.  Make sure to complete all 6 reps before moving onto the next exercise.  Rest 90 seconds after you complete the round then do it again only this time perform 5 reps per exercises.  Rest 90 seconds and do it again but only 4 reps per exercise.  Continue this trend until you complete the complex with 1 rep each exercise.  Keep the same weight all 5 rounds.

Dumbbell Complex – Chad Waterbury’s Submission Complex (2)

Reverse Lunges x 6 reps each leg

Romanian Deadlift x 12 reps

Good Morning x 12 reps

Front Squat x 6 reps

Military Press x 6 reps

Bentover Row x 6 reps

Floor Press x 12 reps

Rest 60 seconds and try to complete this complex 2-4 times.

Barbell Complex – HamDog’s Oly Hell

Snatch Grip Deadlift x 5

Hang Snatch x 5

Over-Head Squat x 5

Back Squat x 5

Push Press x 5

Hang Clean x 5

Conventional Deadlift x 5

Take 90 seconds to rest and perform 3-5 rounds.

So some of you may not know how to perform Olympic lifts like the snatch or clean but that doesn’t mean you can’t perform some of these complexes.  Here is another complex that you only use a plate for.  You don’t need to know how to Olympic lift for this one, but it’ll still kick your ass if you give it your all!

Plate Complex – Nick Tumminello’s Plate Metabolic Circuit (2)

Overhead Squat x 6-8

Swings (Like kettle bell swings) x 6-8

Bent Over Row x 6-8

Reverse Lunge with Twist x 6-8

Diagonal Chops x 6-8

Perform the complex 5 times and rest 90 seconds between rounds.  What’s great about this complex is that you can simply buy a plate from a yard sale, and can have a great workout anywhere you go!

So there you have it folks! A sure way to burn fat, get shredded, and look like a BOSS on the beach!  One of the best things about complexes is that they only take 12-20 minutes to complete. Everyone complains that they don’t have time to go to the gym, well now you only need 20 minutes max in the gym. STOP wasting hours on the cardio machine and start killing it on the Olympic platforms as you bust out a bad ass complex.

Stay fit my friends!

-HamDog

(1) Romaniello, John. "Complexes 2.0 — Optimize Your Fat-Loss Workouts." Testosterone Muscle Articles. N.p., 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 19 July 2013.

(2) Shugart, Chris. "Screw Cardio! Four Complexes for a Shredded Physique." Testosterone Muscle Articles. N.p., 26 Aug. 2009. Web. 19 July 2013.

Reinventing Our Eating Habits by Rachel Riboflavin

Eating Thoughtfully

Conversations about food typically revolve around WHAT to eat; what fats are the good ones? What protein source? When are carbs okay and why some people think they’re evil? This post aims to strip away the thoughts about what we should be consuming and will cover eating behaviors.

By the time we’re five, we have been conditioned to ignore feelings of fullness and subsequently have the capacity to overeat. With the onslaught of food at home, work, and social gatherings, the chance to indulge creeps up almost daily. Even folks with great self control can learn a thing or two about existing habits that we may not recognize. These “mindless” habits could be detracting from our weight loss goals.

A few simple tips may keep off a few hundred calories a week and leave you feeling empowered. From a personal stand point, my diet affects my motivation on almost a daily basis. A good day or week of food makes me feel in control and ready to tackle a workout. A bad day makes me want to throw in the towel. 

Here are a few examples to get you thinking:

Eating scripts - We are creatures of habit

Habits are formed over time and eventually become so ingrained in our routine that we rarely think about them. Unfortunately some habits or “eating scripts” can lead to slow and steady weight gain. For example: Do you have a snack when you’re making dinner? Do you always read the news or check Facebook at breakfast (or anytime you eat during a task)? Do you grab more food if you see others eating even when you’re not hungry? There are dozens of food related habits and behaviors we've learned over time. An extra 100-200 calories a day may not seem like much, but it adds up- and affects the waistline. 

The Solution? - Rewrite the script. 

Throughout the week look for moments when you find yourself eating when you’re not hungry and work on eliminating these moments one at a time. When performing a task think “am I eating until the task is done or until I feel full?” chances are if we’re eating when distracted we’re not focused on the food and are more likely to overeat. If you’re cooking and there is some snacking going on to curb the hunger…wait. Patience is an important part of diet and weight loss- impulsiveness is not.

“Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance”

The above statement is a mantra I learned from an English teacher, and boy does it apply to almost everything. Make life healthier by planning ahead. How many times have you made a poor choice when hungry and in a hurry? Studies have shown that going grocery shopping on an empty stomach makes people buy more junk food (http://www.futurity.org/health-medicine/hungry-shoppers-buy-more-junk-food/).  When I forget my lunch not only do I have to spend more money I typically make a poor choice regarding my diet because I want it to be quick and tasty. 

You can avoid having to make the choice at all by:

1.    Taking some time on the weekend and a few minutes every night to make lunch, it can do wonders.  

2.    Writing down your meals for the week, it helps a person set a schedule and stick to it.

3.    Avoid having to make a decision on impulse, it's a sure bet you’ll be making the right one.

One week of lunches ready to go!

The More You See it….The More You’ll EAT it.
The average person makes at least 300 food based choices every day (1). Every time we see food we decide "Yes" or "No", how much, how often, when, and what. This can be daunting and it’s much easier to go on autopilot.

Our bodies release insulin when we see food being prepared (even if we are not planning on eating it), this lowers blood sugar and can create sensations of hunger, yet another thing to fight even when we want to say NO.

A study was conducted using secretaries and candy jars; the results revealed that the participants ate 70% more when a clear dish was left in front of them, versus having a solid colored dish with a lid on it (1). Over the course of the year, if the behavior continued each person would have gained 5 pounds (1)! All that weight gained just from seeing food and having to think about it!

Eliminate Exposures so you don’t have to think about it.

Out of sight-out of mind. If it’s not visible you don’t even have to think about eating it. There are examples of people changing their route home from work just to avoid a restaurant. 

If it’s Thursday and you've said ‘no’ to stopping 3 times this 4^th time you might be the time you tell yourself it’s okay. 

If you can’t eliminate it from the house make it inconvenient to access. Put it in the basement - put it in the garage if you have to. The walk down the stairs should be enough time to think “what am I doing?!” Stay strong- you can do it. Another idea is to wait 20 minutes to distract yourself with something else, if you’re mind returns to the food think about how much you need it.

Sensory Specific Satiety (1)

Sensory Specific Satiety (SSS) is when we get accustomed to a flavor and it becomes less exciting. The first bite is the best and the flavor gets dulled the more you consume it. In general, this isn’t an issue until you add three or four things together. When we have multiple flavors (think Neapolitan ice cream) our taste buds are free to experience three different flavors, which takes us three times as long to get sick of it. 3X more ice cream? I think you see where I’m going.

I think we can all agree this would be overwhelming to our taste buds.

In regards to variety, try limiting your plate to no more than 3 things (if it’s bad for you). However, if your meals are already healthy let variety work for you and embrace the many vegetables you might be having.

Variety in meals can be a good and bad thing. Our food supply has so many more choices now than what it did in the 1950’s and most of what’s been added is not good stuff.  Regimented diets can work- but if you get bored it might lead to some “cheating” on your diet. Essentially, keep a diet varied enough with healthy choices so you don’t seek out something high in calories later. When you do go for the sweet treat limit it to 1 thing.

I encourage you to analyze your habits and see which ones are chewing away at your success. A healthy diet is not only about knowing what to eat but knowing yourself and being thoughtful about consumption.

Yours Sincerely,

Rachel Riboflavin

Sources:

Wansink B. Mindless Eating. Bantam Books. New York. 2006.

The Misconception of Overtraining by Greg Lewandowski

The Misconception of Overtraining

How YOU should periodise your training to avoid symptoms

Whether I hear it in the gyms, or I see it being discussed online, I find people are repeatedly misinformed on the topic of overtraining. I constantly see and hear people saying, “Hey man, if you are going to keep training like that, you are going to overtrain etc etc.” Well, whether that is true or not is very debatable, as everyone is different and reacts differently to training stimuli; everyone has different training backgrounds and different genetic make ups and I can go on. The fact is, everyone is very different when it comes to training status and capabilities.

Getting to the topic of overtraining. If you are looking for a clear-cut answer, well, you are out of luck. There is conflicting information in regards to overtraining, however, what I can offer you is my perspective on this topic.

What is overtraining?

It’s an accumulation of stresses, whether it is through training or non-training, in which your performance is decreased. (1) This can result from an increase in volume/intensity where the body is able to adapt to training (2). Basically, your physiology, or body, just can't cope with all the stresses; Its reached its capacity. It is quite interesting that the definition includes: “through non-training” but I will touch on this later.

Some symptoms (3) of overtraining include:

- chronic fatigue

- muscle/joint pain

- depression

- insomnia

- performance decline

- mood disturbances.

- poor immune system

If you are identified as ‘overtrained’, it can take weeks or months to fully recover (1).

Before going into too much detail on ‘overtraining’, I would like to point out there is something called ‘overreaching’ that is far more common in the general population. Many people don't even know this concept exists.

Overreaching has the same symptoms as overtraining except it takes a couple of days to a couple of weeks to recover. However, these symptoms are less exaggerated than in overtraining (1).

Most Common Reasons: Why and when does Overreaching/Overtraining Happen?

1. Ego and Super motivated

I see it too many times during the year, where people get motivated to get into shape and dive into a rigorous training program, but have a low baseline fitness. Then a couple weeks in, they say, “I don’t feel like training anymore, I'm tired…I just feel burnt out.” Well, congratulations, you just experienced what overreaching feels like. I may be generalising a bit as this doesn't necessarily always have to be ‘overreaching’, but I feel it is a common reason why it happens.

This is one of the many instances where people experience the symptoms of overreaching. They are constantly sore, tired, their joints hurt and are mentally drained.

2. Lack of Recovery

If you are not getting the appropriate recovery in between your intense training sessions (this means enough sleep as well), and you continue to this type of program, you will be fatigued and won’t have a positive response to future training sessions; your performance will continue to decrease (3).

Remember you are not a machine. If you are not giving your body (including your nervous system) sufficient time to adapt to the stress (from the workouts) you WILL NOT continue to get stronger.

3. Stress!

Working out is a form of stress for your body, but life in general can be very stressful. This can be especially important in men, where excessive stress decreases testosterone while cortisol increases. As a result, your performance starts to decline.

If you are killing your body in the gym (working out is a form of stress for your body), plus have a pretty stressful lifestyle, overreaching is not out of the equation. Remember, if your body can't handle these stresses, you may see symptoms like fatigue, insomnia etc.

What you don’t want to do

The worst thing that you can do is when you see your performance dwindling, is increase your training loads and intensities. If you are actually in an overreached state, this is where you begin to transition into an overtrained state and your performance will probably continue to decrease.

If your performance has been suffering the last few workout sessions

Before you self-diagnose yourself as overreaching or overtraining due to your training sessions, you might want to consider the following:

Reassessing Your Diet:

It is important to reassess your diet. Well, because if you are on a low carb/ low calorie diet, where are you supposed to get your fuel from? How long can a car run on fumes? You are probably running low on glycogen stores, hence your sluggish workouts etc. So I would recommend to up your caloric intake, especially your carbohydrates and see how you feel in your training sessions and overall performance.

And importantly, assess your daily ‘stress’

The fact is, like mentioned in the definition in overtraining, have a look at your life past the gym. If you are having relational issues, if you're stressed out at work or whatever else, these accumulated stresses are going to take a toll on your body and nervous system. Combine all these factors and your gym performance will go down hill.

What you want to do with your training program

Periodise Your Workout Program!

Basically, gradually work your way up. Yes, this can be a long and slow journey, but the end result will be far superior. The same can be applied to anything. If you just started training for a marathon, chances are you are not going to go out and run 40 kms in your first day of training. Why? Because you probably won't be able to move the next day, and your training will stall as a result. You want to gradually build up your endurance to a marathon distance. It’s the “shocks” or sudden increases in training load that lead to a state of overreaching and eventual injuries (3-5)

The fact is, many people, including myself, have experienced symptoms of overreaching. However, many people tend to ignore the messages that their body is sending.Next time you tell someone, “Hey, with that type of training program you are going to overtrain etc etc.” I encourage you to look into some of the Russian or Bulgarian training programs and you will see how rigorous their programs are; yet they are amongst the worlds best in weightlifting.

So are they overreaching or overtraining? Simple fact is, they didn't just start training like that. Through constant training, they built up the capacities, both in their nervous system and muscular system, to handle these loads and stresses.

Like any athlete, it is important to have a structured program, because progress can be monitored and accounted, but  a structured program can also reduce the incidence of suffering from overreaching/overtraining. That is why I encourage everyone to keep a workout logbook.

Leave your ego at home and properly periodise your program.

Other things to consider:

-          Proper diet

-          Proper recovery

o   Meditation, foam rolling, stretching etc. (With the purpose of channeling stress out the body)

The BEST advice I can give is this: KNOW YOUR BODY! If you feel something is not right, take a step back and reassess everything, from daily stress to your workout plan.

1.         Kreider R, Fry A, M. OT. Overtraining in sport: terms, definitions, and prevalence. R. K, AC. F, M. OT, editors. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; 1998.

2.         Fry AC, Kraemer WJ. Resistance exercise overtraining and overreaching. Neuroendocrine responses. Sports medicine. 1997 Feb;23(2):106-29. PubMed PMID: 9068095.

3.         Halson SL, Jeukendrup AE. Does overtraining exist? An analysis of overreaching and overtraining research. Sports medicine. 2004;34(14):967-81. PubMed PMID: 15571428.

4.         Borresen J, Lambert MI. The quantification of training load, the training response and the effect on performance. Sports medicine. 2009;39(9):779-95. PubMed PMID: 19691366.

5.         Snyder AC, Jeukendrup AE, Hesselink MK, Kuipers H, Foster C. A physiological/psychological indicator of over-reaching during intensive training. International journal of sports medicine. 1993 Jan;14(1):29-32. PubMed PMID: 8440542.