Incidentally, for anyone interested in scientific literature but not willing to delve into the original research just yet, Science Daily is an excellent way to start reading material with for more credibility than the junk you find on websites like Shine, Prevention or the homepage of MSN.com.

In this particular study, researchers took 115 women and assigned them to one of three groups:

1. a calorie-restricted, low-carbohydrate group (2 days a week)
2. an ad-lib low carbohydrate diet (subjects could eat as much protein/healthy fat as they pleased 2x/week)
3. a standard, calorie-restricted, Mediterranean diet (7 days a week)

I always enjoy studies that include a group that involves some sort of “ad-lib” group, because I find it better represents eating conditions for free-living humans than do diet conditions with all kinds of artificial calorie restraints.

At the conclusion of the four month trial, researchers found that the two carbohydrate restricted conditions led to greater weight loss and fat loss (both groups lost an average of ~9 lbs vs. 5 lbs in the Mediterranean condition), as well as yielding superior benefits in decreasing the prevalence of insulin resistance (22% reduction in the low carb calorie-restricted, 14% reduction for the ad lib group and 4% reduction in the Mediterranean group).

Now to be fair, this is just the summary report from a conference presentation so I can’t exactly go through the methodology to see what kind of diets the two low-carb groups were following the other 5 days of the week. I also don’t know what their definition of “low carbohydrate” was (20 g/day, 50 g/day, <100 g/day, etc).

Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the participants in those two intermittent low carbohydrate groups actually ate fairly low carb for more than just those two days a week. If this were the case, then it would be impossible to say whether the positive outcomes were solely from the 2 days a week of deliberate low carbohydrate dieting, or the fact they reduced their carbohydrate consumption closer to 7 days a week…

But in any case, the important thing to note here is once again, we see evidence of superior body composition results as well as health outcomes when you consciously reduce (*note I did not say eliminate) the amount of carbohydrate you consume in your diet.

The Food Period of Champions

Obviously there are exceptions to this (I’ve written extensively on the subject previously), but the general theme emerges: adopting a lower-carbohydrate lifestyle, at least several days a week, can pay huge dividends in your weight loss and health improvement efforts.

Incorporating a few deliberate low-carbohydrate days into your regular routine can also be a fantastic way to avoid gaining a whack load of weight through the Holiday season, which is fast approaching. In fact, we can take the whole periodic, deliberate low intake philosophy one step further for really explosive results… but that’s a blog article for next week!

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

While there are numerous low carb energy bars on the market, virtually all of them make liberal use of tons of artificial sweeteners, which we can all agree aren’t exactly “healthy”. Sweeteners may be less damaging than pure white sugar, but neither of the two are something people are lacking from their current diets…

So the low carb bar will require a few minutes in the  kitchen. Now one of the challenges of creating a low carb protein bar is finding a way to get it to hold together and have enough body.

One thing you’ll realize about most homemade energy bar recipes is that they rely heavily on things like: oats, dried fruit, honey, etc to actually create a product with enough bulk. Needless to say, those are all off limits for the purpose of this little endeavor.

However, a few years ago I did experiment with a very easy to make bar that fits this request to a T. So I figured, why not share it with all of you?

Introducing the “Aztec Energy Bar”, the ultimate in low carb energy bars. I coined that name myself, mostly because I used Chia seeds in this thing. Incidentally, my good friend “Mr. Google” tells me that the Aztecs actually had their own recipe for peanut butter, so this recipe is seriously “authentic”

Aztec Energy Bar

1 cup natural peanut or almond butter
5 scoops (~125 g) chocolate whey protein
1/4 cup almond milk
2 TBSP chia seeds

Directions

Mix together peanut butter, protein powder and chia seeds. Then very slowly add almond milk to the mixture (if you add too much too quickly, the bar will become runny) just so that the entire mixture gets moist.

Press into a pan lined with wax paper, then place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Makes ~ 8 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): 280 kcal, 18 g fat, 11 g carbohydrate (5 g fibre), 23 g protein.

That’s all there is to it. In keeping with my overall approach to food preparation, this takes maybe 5 minutes to throw together and will do your body a hell of a lot more good than mowing down on a store bought protein bar.

Give them a try and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

• those that believe humans must exclusively eat plain meat and raw vegetables
• those who believe that 100 calorie Snacks and Splenda/Stevia are diet staples

Needless to say, I think we can all agree that any diet coach falling into the latter category (i.e. one who doesn’t understand “nutrient quality”) is someone lacking any true nutrition understanding and someone whose programming will always fail in the long run. Unfortunately, coaches whose nutrition advice consists primarily of the former also are missing the boat.

While I won’t dispute that there’s a strong physiological argument in favour of getting humans to center their culinary habits around a higher protein and vegetable diet, the reality is that most people aren’t ready to take that kind of drastic action with their diet.

Not now, not ever.

So continuing to preach to (or berate) people into believing that good health requires strict avoidance of any food a typical North American might deem “enjoyable” is largely an exercise in time wasting. Since my livelihood not only depends on helping people look amazing, but also helping them lead healthier lives, I’ve adopted the following philosophy for diet creation: make healthy food taste good.

Frankly, unless I (or any diet coach) can give clients options for meals that  taste as good as (or better) than the typical junky North American alternatives, there’s little hope the client will stick with healthy eating for the long haul.

You’d think this would be an obvious strategy for anyone who works in nutrition… but I seem to be among the minority with this approach.

So on that note, I must relay one of my latest “amazing recipe” finds (in full disclosure, my business partner Dylan Olver sent this to me… who got it from his girlfriend Jessica Mackle… who got it from her mother… who got it from an Atkins diet book…). But let’s not worry too much about where this recipe originally came from, the important thing is this recipe should become a staple for all of you.

As an added bonus, the meal prep and cooking times are ridiculously quick, making it one on the healthiest pieces of “fast food” you’ll ever come across.

60 Second Flax Muffins

• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp splenda/stevia
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 tsp butter or coconut oil

Directions

1. Mix together all the dry ingredients.
2. Add butter and egg, continue mixing until batter is moist.
3. Put batter in a good-sized mug, microwave on high for 60 seconds.
4. Remove, allow to cool and enjoy.

Nutrition facts: 290 kcal,  22 g fat (almost 4.5 g Omega 3!), 15 g carbohydrate (11 g fibre!), 12 g protein

With an impressive blend of omega 3 fats, fibre and protein – these muffins pack some serious physique transforming power. But not only are these muffins exceptionally healthy, they taste great and best of all can be whipped up at the drop of a hat.

Imagine that, a muffin you can enjoy totally guilt-free!

Obviously, this is just a base recipe and you could easily add some other ingredients to switch up the flavour/nutrient content. Unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana or canned pumpkin would make these uber moist, whereas raisins, blueberries or chopped nuts would make great additions.

You are really only limited by your imagination. But once you get creative with your meal planning, it’s amazing how easy “healthy eating” becomes to make part of your daily routine.

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

Although I enjoy cooking, I can be quite lazy with my meal preparation. The beauty of this tuna recipe is that it takes about 2 minutes to prepare and packs in several servings of vegetables to boot.

Tuna Avocado Stuffed Peppers

• 1 bell pepper (any colour)
• 1 can tuna
• 1/2 avocado (ripe)
• 1/2 cup onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup salsa

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, max ripe avocado. Add tuna, onion and salsa, stir together with avocado.

Wash and cut bell pepper (in half), remove the seeds. Spoon tuna mixture into each pepper half and consume like a sandwich.

Optional: you can swap 1 TBSP of tzatziki for the avocado for a different flavour and lower caloric impact.

Nutrition Info: 400 kcal, 15 g fat, 28 g carbs (12 g fibre), 38 g protein

So there you have it, an awesomely healthy meal that even the laziest among us can prepare!

And who said fast food had to be unhealthy?

Till next train, train hard and eat clean. W2C3QWFZWQFP

Over the past 4 parts of this series, we looked at:

1. How the internet has created an army of pseudo-gurus and their universal truths.
2. How errors in interpreting science support the idea of universal truths.
3. Why “one-size fits all” does NOT work in nutrition from a global perspective.
4. How your underlying phsyiology can produce differential responses to foods.

All great stuff, but heavy on the theory.

Today, as promised, I’m going to provide everyone a resource that condenses a bunch of this science into a simple, practical tool. At the bottom of this post, you’ll find one of the tests I use with my clients. Well to be fair, I combined several tools but that just makes it even better!

Where do you fit in?

This metabolic questionnaire will help you identify what types of macronutrients you should be eating, as well as which foods might be best for your metabolic type.

As explained in part 4 of this series, there are 3 basic gentotypes:

• Carbohydrate intolerant: responds well to a low carbohydrate diet.
• Balanced: responds well to a mixed diet.
• Carbohydrate tolerant: responds well to a low fat diet.

When eating appropriately for your type you can expect to have more energy, fewer food allergies, lose more fat and experience an overall better mood.

You really can’t lose!

So without further ado, get started on your FREE assessment… it only takes 5 minutes and it might just be the most significant self-discovery you make all year!

Keep in mind, there is no one “perfect” formula. However, by paying greater attention to some of the factors outlined in the test, you might be able to finally have nutrition start working for you, instead of against you.

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!