TOPIC: Q&A VEGETARIANISM

We recently had a reader send us a message asking for information about vegetarian diets. She is in the transition phase and was looking for info about how to maintain her diet while making substitutions for meat and animal products. We sent her through some information that related to her specific circumstances and she was grateful for our help and knowledge! Here we’ll share with you some of our brief thoughts and comments on vegetarianism!

Some common complaints from new vegetarians are that they may feel tired or lethargic. This can be common if you are removing meat and/or animal products from your diet and not substituting them properly. When cutting out meat you are losing some extra protein from your diet, as well as some B group vitamins (namely B12), iron, zinc and calcium (from dairy if you choose to cut this out). Proteins, classified as a macronutrient, are needed for tissue repair and lean muscle maintenance. If you aren’t getting it from meats or poultry then you’ll need to substitute with dried beans, whole beans, lentils, peas, nuts, seeds, nut & seed butters (no added fat or oil), and some special fruits and veggies. If you still consume eggs then they are a great source of protein. Protein combining or complementation can come in handy too. The table on this page shows how it works and tries to explain it a little better: http://www.nutrition.org/asn-blog/2011/03/protein-complementation/.

Vitamin B12 is important as it is not found naturally in plants. It’s found in fortified foods and nutritional yeast (from health food shops) and eggs (if you still consume them). Iron is another important one, as a diet lacking in this may result in those tired feelings. It can be found in fortified breads and cereals, pumpkin seeds, beans, almonds, pistachios, chickpeas and mushrooms. It’s very easy to add these foods into your diet if you haven’t done so already. Iron absorption is heightened when you consume iron rich foods with vitamin C. Think orange juice, citrus fruits and bright veggies.

Overall try to include a variety of fresh foods daily to reduce any negative effects like tiredness. Keep your mind open to new foods when browsing the supermarket shelves, like trying out a new grain instead of a staple like rice (try Quinoa or Buckwheat), or trying out a new vegetable. If you’re trying to base your new diet around a guideline, why not stick to the Australian Dietary Guidelines for how many serves of each food group you should be having per day (included is vegetarian substitutes):http://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/the_guidelines/n55a_australian_dietary_guidelines_summary_130530.pdf.

In most cases it can be best to seek advice from a dietitian or nutritionist and have them organise a tailored meal plan for you to follow. They can work with you and your goals/needs to find out exactly what you need to be eating. Finding meal plans online might seem ideal, but they may not be targeted to your goals. For example, some meal plans may be targeted at weight loss instead of meat substitutions. A lot of information from health coaches online may not be reputable either. Information given from food websites may not be accurate as bias may be involved (they might just want you to purchase their products).

However, once you know what foods you should be choosing, there is a great assortment of vegetarian recipes online! Websites such as http://www.veg-soc.org/cms/html/ orhttp://www.vegetarianvictoria.org.au/ may help with basic vegetarian information plus links to some recipes also.

Thanks for reading!

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 🙂

TOPIC: JUICING

Hey guys, one of our readers suggested that we do a post on juicing fruits and vegetables, so we wanted to share our opinion on the topic!

Most of you will no doubt enjoy a glass or two of fruit juice, or perhaps a vegetable juice… but do you know if it’s really healthy or not? Many ‘experts’ in the field have suggested juicing detoxes or cleanses to help detoxify the body and to rid yourself of unwanted weight or fat. This is not necessarily the case as most detoxes and cleanses are not in fact healthy! Limiting processed food while on a detox is usually the factor which contributes most to weight loss, compared to the actual fruit juice intake. Because of this, more individuals should think twice before embarking on a juice detox or cleanse and to research all health claims made by the ‘expert’.

When juicing fruits and vegetables you’re essentially left with the sugar and water content from the food. By removing the skins, seeds and pulp of fruits, you are removing most of the essential nutrients. By removing the fibre, you won’t get that full feeling as if you were eating the fruit itself. By restricting your meal to a glass of juice you may also be tempted to binge or crave unhealthy treats and snacks. This can easily lead to weight gain instead of the weight loss you might be looking for. It is also important to remember that the calories of fruit juice can quickly add up if using large amount of fruits. Not to mention the hit of sugar your body would be receiving if you were to drink a fruit juice with no other foods (eg. carbs or fibre, which can slow absorption of sugars).

Juicing shouldn’t be the sole way to meet your needs of fruits and veggies. The Australian Dietary Guidelines suggests individuals consume 5-6 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit per day while limiting intake of fruit drinks. It is important to continue eating whole pieces of fruits and veggies to ensure you’re gaining the most nutrients. Important components of fruit and veggies (fibre, starches, phytochemicals etc.) are needed for optimal nutrition. Fruit keeps you full, and can be eaten for snacks, added to breakfasts or desserts, and are a versatile ingredient in baking!

This being said, juicing can be a good way to get in a larger variety of fruits and vegetables than normal. If you’re a fussy eater it may be a good way to introduce yourself to different flavours of fruits and vegetables. Mixing them with other fruits or veggies of your choice may allow a gradual introduction that may not happen otherwise if you were to cook and eat them plain. It can also be a way to meet your recommended intakes for these foods if you are struggling to meet them or can only consume liquids as part of a health practitioner controlled meal plan (eg. a medical condition or chewing difficulties).

However, blending some fruits and veggies into a smoothie type drink is okay if the food is whole with pulp, seeds and some skins intact. This method helps retain the most nutrients and can be a good idea if you are in a rush and don’t have time to prepare something else. Whole berries, bananas, grapes, watermelon and high water content fruits and veggies are best used when blending. If the product becomes too thick, you can add water to thin it out a little to a drinkable consistency!

So while juices are fine to consume in moderation, we do not recommend they be drank as a meal replacement or as part of a detox for a long period of time. We acknowledge that fruit juices are a popular choice in the warmer months, but they should not replace eating whole fruits or vegetables! Blending is a more preferred method if you decide to drink rather than eat your fresh produce. We hope you liked this topic, please like this post or share to your friends to help spread the word!

Mission Nutrition 🙂

TOPIC: RASPBERRY KETONE REVIEW

Raspberry ketones (RK) are an aromatic compound found within red raspberry fruits (Rubus idaeus). This ketone is the primary compound responsible for the fruity aroma of raspberries and is often used as a fragrance and flavoring agent for cosmetics, perfumes, foods, and beverages. It is suggested that RK have the potential to assist with alopecia, skin rejuvenation and weight loss. Since it has been recently advertised on TV (especially on the Dr. Oz show) as a weight loss supplement, we thought we’d share the available facts on this product.

The theory behind RK is quite interesting, and one that requires extensive research before confirming its effectiveness as a weight loss supplement. RK’s structure is similar to capsaicin (found in capsicum and chilli peppers) and synephrine (similar to adrenaline and noradrenaline). Capsaicin has been reported to decrease the weight of fat tissue and serum triacylglycerol (fatty acids) by enhancing energy metabolism and synephrine exerts lypolytic activity within the cells. However, there is no evidence to suggest it causes weight loss, but probable research has been done on its effect at reducing weight re-gain.

We found an article written by Ulbricht et al. (2013) who did a full review on RK. They found that RK supplementation to assist weight loss qualifies as grade C evidence (which means unclear or conflicting scientific evidence). Most research that exists focuses on weight loss and RK, however, more research is required to confirm this finding as significant and not just a coincidence. Therefore, future studies that prove RK to be effective may change evidence to a grade A level. For now it is extremely unclear, so please apply caution and do your research before taking anything that you are unsure about! We hope you have enjoyed this article. Please continue to support us by liking or sharing our posts.

Mission Nutrition 🙂

TOPIC: BCAA’s SCAM!

It has been brought to our attention by one of our subscribers the way BCAA supplements are marketed and taken post workout.

Taking branched chained amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine) post workout would be ideal if it was accompanied by the other six essential amino acids. We did a brief web search on BCAA supplements available on the market and found most did not contain any of the other six essential amino acids. It is crucial to have the nine essential amino acids and carbohydrate after exercise. For those who take BCAA’s supplements alone, are not receiving adequate nutrition. Therefore a WPI liquid solution post workout contains all the essential amino acids (including BCAA’s). By taking BCAA’s and offering them to the public as a standalone has been a very clever and effective marketing ploy!

We hope you have enjoyed this post.

Mission Nutrition 🙂

TOPIC: Q&A PEPTIDES

Hey guys, we have a question from Nick asking, “What are peptides exactly and what is their involvement with protein and protein synthesis/rates?”

This is a great question Nick as most people are confused by this term. Most of you have probably seen ‘peptides’ or ‘polypeptides’ advertised on protein powder supplements. Peptides are indeed just another term for a single amino acid such as tryptophan or arginine, etc. When 2 to 12 of these single amino acids are linked together to form a protein chain, they are referred to as oligopeptides. Twelve or more, and this is called a polypeptide.

When protein synthesis or the making of new protein occurs, peptides are arranged into different sequences to form a new protein strand. A protein strand can vary in size ranging from very few amino acids to thousands of these building blocks. Rates of protein synthesis are highly dependent on the hormone insulin, especially after exercise. If you are ingesting a peptide solution, protein synthesis may increase slightly as the amino acids are already in their simplest form. This is different to whey or casein protein solutions; where hydrolysation or breakdown of peptide bonds from large protein strands into simple peptides needs to occur first, before protein synthesis can occur.

This is a difficult process to explain but we hope it has helped you. Any questions or comments are welcomed!

Mission Nutrition 🙂

TOPIC: ANTIOXIDANTS

Hey guys, with winter season in full swing you may be feeling run down, tired, a little off, or just lacking in some antioxidants! Antioxidants in your diet help to neutralise free radicals that are found within your body. These free radicals (produced as by products of chemical reactions) have the ability to morph or change shape. In some circumstances they can have harmful effects on your body and damage your cells. This is where antioxidants play a key role in neutralising free radicals to reduce any negative effects and keep things running smoothly.

Your fruit and vegetable intake is what contributes most to your antioxidant intake. Bright or dark fruits and vegetables have the highest level of health enhancing nutrients, with darker ones containing the most chemically active compounds. Choose fruits and vegetables that are in season to gain the most from them nutritionally! Lycopene is commonly found in tomatoes and red fruits and vegetables; Beta Carotene is easily found in carrots, sweet potato and pumpkin; and Hesperetin is found commonly in citrus fruits.

We cannot stress this enough, that variety in your diet is key! Choosing a range of fresh fruits and vegetables daily will help you to maximise the health benefits! Consuming an assortment of antioxidants from an broad range of foods is important for general health and wellbeing. An easy way to ensure your getting enough antioxidants in your diet is to find ways to slip extra fruits and vegetables into your meals. For example, have a side of fruit salad with your breakfast, snack on fruit with your yoghurt for dessert, make soup with pumpkin and sweet potato, or add kale and dark leafy greens to lasagnas, pastas or soups!

Mission Nutrition 🙂

TOPIC: FUEL YOUR BODY APPROPRIATELY

Hey guys, a quick tip for your weekend workout. This table was pulled from the Journal of Sports Nutrition and just tell you how much you should be eating before competition. This will allow you to avoid possible stomach cramping and indigestion during sports activity. Before you exercise next time, see how much carbohydrate you need to eat to perform at your best!!

Mission Nutrition 🙂

TOPIC: GROWTH HORMONE SUPPLEMENTATION

Hey everyone and welcome back to Mission Nutrition! We have had a pretty hectic exam period but are now back in full force. Growth hormone (GH) is a common topic in the gym, but does it work?

For those not familiar with GH, it is a hormone naturally produced by the body’s endocrine system (hypothalamus) to regulate tissue growth. The release of GH is proportional to the level of physical activity, intensity and age. Therefore if you’re working harder in the gym, you’d expect to have higher levels of growth hormone. Adolescent individuals have higher peaks of GH during their growth spurt which is reflected by increased tissue and bone growth. Post-adolescent individuals try to mimic this effect by taking GH supplements, but does this actually work? Recent studies by expert endocrinologists Triay and Ahmad (2012) found no additional increase in skeletal muscle size, strength or protein synthesis was found in a trial with experienced weight lifters. Therefore no anabolic effects were seen. Results actually revealed possible side effects including hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance. Hope you guys have enjoyed the post. Any questions or requests, don’t hesitate to ask!

 

Mission Nutrition 🙂

Some of the weapons in Mission Nutrition’s arsenal!