TOPIC: READING FOOD LABELS

Hey guys, today we wanted to share a post with you about reading nutritional labels at the supermarket.

This photo depicts a nutritional information panel that may be found on any foods in the supermarket, but in this case, its on a cereal bar. The panel that says ‘avg qty per serve’ shows the amount of each of the macronutrients in that particular food. You should look for snacks that contain less than 600kJ per serve. This is the energy content of the food and how much it will contribute to your daily total.

Next is the protein content. Some protein is better than none, and the protein content may be higher in snack foods containing nuts, dairy or meats (where possible). 

When reading the fat section it’s important to focus on the saturated and trans fats. You want to limit your intake of saturated fats and try to avoid trans fats where possible. For fats it’s important to look at the ‘per 100g’ panel. Try to choose snacks or foods that contain less than 1.5g per 100g of saturated fat. 

As far as carbohydrates go, it’s important to look at the ‘sugar’ section under the main heading. Some snack foods will naturally have sugar if it contains fruits or milks for example (fructose & lactose), but it is important to distinguish this from sucrose/sugar that may be added to enhance flavour. It’s best to look at the ingredient list directly and see if cane sugar/sugar are listed as one of the first ingredients. If it is, it may be wise to choose another option. That being said, it is nearly impossible to avoid all added sugars unless you really endeavour to do so. It would be preferable if ‘sugar’ didn’t account for 50% of the total carbohydrate amount.

For sodium (salt) it’s important to look for foods with less than 120mg per 100g. Foods shouldn’t be loaded with extra salt, but usually it’s added as a flavour enhancer, so be careful!

All this being said, you don’t have to meticulously check every single food label! It’s more about being aware of what foods you are choosing at the supermarket and what you are putting in your body! Make every choice count, but don’t be afraid to include treats as part of a healthy and balanced diet.

Mission Nutrition 🙂

TOPIC: BRANCHED CHAIN AMINO ACIDS (BCAA) DRINKS DURING A WORKOUT, WORTH THE MONEY?

Hey guys, how many of you see people at the gym drinking those colourful drinks during their workouts? A few? 75% of the time it’s a BCAA drink of some sort. So why do people use this stuff? Large companies who manufacture BCAA’s, market their benefits as an energy booster during workouts. Research has proven BCAA’s do in fact contribute to energy metabolism during a workout. These amino acids are broken down in to substrates and pool as citric acid-cycle (energy pathway) intermediates for gluconeogenesis (production of glucose). Energy production from BCAA’s only occur when used during a catabolic state (exercise or starvation). For recovery, BCAA’s contribute to protein synthesis. So it works, if you are looking for a little bit of energy in your workout! But is there a cheaper or effective alternative? An alternative beverage that we recommend that promotes energy during exercise would be a sucrose-based drink. Sucrose is broken down into fructose and glucose which are rapidly digested and absorbed into the blood for that extra kick in energy and does not require as many conversion pathways as BCAA’s would. An example would be Powerade or Gatorade Isotonic beverages. We hope you have enjoyed this post 🙂

Mission Nutrition 🙂

TOPIC: DEXTROSE SCAM

Hey everyone, welcome to another review. Today we will be busting the myth about dextrose and it’s use in the fitness community. So what is dextrose? Dextrose is a simple monosaccharide (simple sugar) found in plants. Dextrose is also referred to as glucose or D-glucose. Food suppliers usually display dextrose on the back of food labels instead of glucose due to peoples negative association towards glucose. Current knowledge by the community upon dextrose is below par compared to glucose. Supplement companies will take this opportunity to produce dextrose in bulk for sport use. We don’t recommend purchasing this supplement as you could just add in table sugar (only if required) and it’s quite expensive. Dextrose at your local health food store will set you back approximately AUD $10 – $18 per kg compared to only $4 per kg for table sugar at the supermarket, and it’s basically the same product. Don’t become a victim to marketing scams like this. We hope you’ve learnt something today 🙂

Mission Nutrition

TOPIC: CARBOHYDRATE RESTRICTIONS

Hey guys! So we know there is a lot of information swirling around the internet that relates to low carb diets, and high protein or high fats in replacement. Here at MN we believe in a more balanced approach to food and think that one macronutrients should not be preferred over another for the general population (except for those with medical conditions, athletes etc. that may need a particular individualised and calculated diet).

We understand that everybody has their own view on this topic, however this is ours and we wanted to share!

It is best to include carbohydrates in your diet for optimal energy. Your body tissues and brain runs on glucose which is produced from the breakdown of carbohydrates in the body. Good sources of carbohydrates are grains, cereals, fruit, vegetables, legumes and milk. The hardest thing about including carbohydrates in your diet is not to overdo it as many foods do contain carbs. This doesn’t mean ‘restrict’ or ‘remove’ but to simply make healthy carbohydrate choices and to be mindful of what and how much you are eating.
For somebody who is trying to lose weight and thinks cutting carbs will help, think again.

It is true that at first you will lose weight. However most of this is just water weight. When you deplete your muscle stores of glycogen you also deplete the water stores that accompany it. Over time you will regain this all back (+sometimes more) when you include carbohydrates again. This is not an ideal way to lose weight as it is not realistic, achievable over a long duration or long lasting in terms of results. The easiest way is to include carbohydrates in your diet and to just ensure you are eating health choices throughout the day. A rule of thumb is that food in its natural state or those foods with minimal processing are best for you! Eat as natural as possible where you are able!

Stay tuned for our post on how to read nutritional labels on foods in the supermarket. This will be coming shortly!

Share this information around if you have a friend who you think would benefit from it and to help spread the word!

TOPIC: SWEET POTATO

Hey guys, we had a request to do a post about sweet potato and its uses and benefits. This family favourite root vegetable is known for its orange appearance and delicious flavour. It is sweeter than regular white potato with a fluffier, lighter and less dense texture. It is classified as a staple food in some cultures and has an impressive nutrient content. Sweet potato is rich in vitamin A, beta carotene and other traces of essential vitamins and minerals. It is a great food to add into your regular diet if you feel you are lacking in some antioxidants or variety.

It is commonly used in dinner meals to accompany meats or other vegetables. It is such a versatile ingredient though, that it can be used in almost anything. Some people have used it to make cocoa-based brownies richer and denser, and it can make a great batch of home-made oven baked fries. It can be boiled, steamed, roasted, and fried to create different textures to suit any meal. A common favourite is steaming it in thin layers and using it on salad wraps for lunch or dinner, or as layers in a vegetable lasagne. If you’re looking to change up your meals and get some colour on your plate, why not try some sweet potato.

Half a medium sized sweet potato or approximately 75g is classified as one serve of vegetables. Add this serve into your diet to count towards your daily goal of five serves per day! While both sweet potato and white potato are classified as high GI and GL foods, they should not be excluded from the diet as they contain great nutrients when eaten close to their natural state as possible (when cooked).

For those who are athletes, or interested in sports and exercise, sweet potato can be used as a great carbohydrate source pre- or post-training. Some athletes eat it steamed or boiled to accompany their meals during training. If you haven’t already tried sweet potato, give it a go! Let us know what other blog posts you want to see on our page and remember to recommend us to your friends.

 

Mission Nutrition 🙂

TOPIC: CREATINE LOADING

Hey everyone, just a quick one today! We have been getting alot of questions about creatine and the proper protocol on how to load before exercise. For those who take this supplement and are interested, the Australian Institute of Sport recommends 5 days of repeated doses consisting of four 5g doses per day. After this period, a maintenance dose of 3g per day is needed for 28 days. After this, you may choose to have a washout period. For further info, check out the link below.

Link: http://bit.ly/17ASiAz

 

Mission Nutrition 🙂

TOPIC: WAYS TO PREVENT USELESS SNACKING

Have you ever thought about your snacking habits? Healthy snacking between meals can keep you satisfied and satiated until you’re ready to sit down for your next main meal. But sometimes we can get caught up in mindless snacking and grazing too often throughout the day. Here we share some basic tips to help prevent mindless snacking so often.

– Stock treat foods out of sight and to the back of the pantry or fridge. Make lots of room to place healthier and fresh foods at the front of the pantry or fridge to promote healthy snacking.

– Opt for an over-stocked fridge compared to an over-stocked pantry. Load up on fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables stored in the fridge, and incorporate them into every meal.

– Be careful of mindless grazing during meal preparation. We often snack on foods in the kitchen when cooking or preparing meals. This can easily lead to over-snacking!

– Portion out your snacks during the day. Be mindful when eating healthy snacks like nuts as you can easily over-do it if you’re eating straight from the bag!

– Keep your kitchen and food preparation areas clutter free. Clutter can sometimes turn the kitchen into a stressful place, which can often leads to mindless snacking. Try to keep the kitchen neat and tidy with foods and prep material in easy to reach places!

Mission Nutrition 🙂

TOPIC: TURMERIC

Have you heard about this powerful herb and antioxidant yet? Turmeric, also known as Curcuma Longa has been used as a staple in Middle Eastern and Asian cooking for a long time. It is the well known yellow tinged spice that gives most Indian curries their great colour.

Some studies suggest that the active ingredient in Turmeric, which is Curcumin, has significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This is due to the level of phytochemicals in the herb. It’s said that Curcumin works in a similar way to scavenge free radicals in the body, suposedly being more potent than the antioxidants found in Vitamin C. It is also thought that Curcumin can help offer relief from joint inflammaton by hindering prostaglandin production and reducing pain.

Another benefit to the herb is that it can play a role in aiding digestion; by reducing indigestion, bloating and treating gas. This multi-function spice can easily be added to many foods, mostly savoury, but can be used in sweet dishes. Here are some ways to include the spice in your daily diet:

– Add it to curry dishes for flavour
– Add to rice during cooking
– Saute with cauliflower or zucchini
– Use it to spice up hummus
– Use it to add a kick to salad dressings
– Sprinkle over scrambled eggs for breakfast

Let us know if you include it in your diet and which foods you add it too! Remember to spread the word from our posts and give us feedback for what you’d like us to include on our page.

Mission Nutrition

TOPIC: BETA ALANINE REVIEW

Hey guys and girls and welcome to another supplement review. If you have ever taken, currently taking or thinking of taking beta alanine as a supplement to improve sports performance, this post is for you!

So what is beta alanine? Beta alanine is a naturally occurring amino acid which is a rate limiting precursor of carnosine. In simple terms, this means the amount of carnosine present in the body is dependent on the amount of beta alanine ingested. So what’s carnosine you ask? Carnosine is a dipeptide which is highly concentrated in the brain and muscle tissue. Carnosine in muscle tissue has been observed to increase the strength of muscle contractions in high intensity exercise. From what research tells us, supplementing with beta alanine can increase levels of muscle carnosine by 40-80%. This supplementation is very similar to creatine loading but in this case with beta alanine.

After completing a brief literature review we found that beta alanine is still recognised by the AIS as a category B supplement. This means it still requires research before it is scientifically proven to be effective.

In the meantime, for those currently taking this supplement, the newest article written by Stegen et al. 2013 has found that beta alanine loading is 64% more effective with a meal than loading the supplement individually. They revealed the mechanism behind this loading is similar to creatine loading involving the hormone insulin. Therefore for those who feel this supplement is effective, try loading with a meal. For the rest of us, we will continue to wait until beta alanine is approved by the AIS as an effective supplement for sport performance. It won’t be long!

 

Mission Nutrition

TOPIC: INCREASE LEAN MUSCLE MASS WITH 3 SIMPLE RULES!

– Make sure you are having adequate amounts of protein per day after resistance training. We usually recommend 1.2 -1.5g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day

– Include complete sources of protein such as eggs, meat, poultry, fish, etc. into your pre and post workout meals. Pre workout composition depends on the time you start training. We have recently written a post about this so check it out! For your post-workout meal, a rule of thumb is to have at least 35g of carbohydrate and at least 20g of protein

– Lastly, ensure you have a good night sleep. A minimum of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep is required for maximum tissue growth

By following these 3 simple rules +2 to 3 times of high intensity resistance training per week will increase your muscle mass, tone and strength in no time! Have a great day!

 

Mission Nutrition 🙂