|
This week, we’re going to end one of the most pointless arguments related to Omega-3 fats. Tackle the amount or timing question with protein. We’ll also try to figure out why beans aren’t cool and how you can reap their health benefits even if you don’t cook.
Key Takeaways
- Eat the foods that contain the omega-3 fats that you want - salmon, tuna, sardines, or take EPA/DHA supplements.
- Never take alpha-linolenic acid (or ALA) supplements - total waste of $$$
- The total amount of protein that you eat is more important than how you eat your protein throughout the day.
- Spreading your protein intake across all of your meals is thought to have a large compounding effect (so do it every day for years). This is a habit I recommend you build.
- Beans are a true powerfood. If you aren’t a bean eater, rinse a can worth of beans, put it in your fridge and eat ½ cup serving at a time until they are gone. Your initial goal is 1 can per week - light work (as my kids say).
Before We Get Started
This post and its accompanying audio recording is free to all subscribers. Enjoy.
- The curriculum for the nutrition certification, nutritionOS, that I created just received 1.4 CEUs from NASM and 1.5 CEUs from NSCA! If you are interested in getting certified, reply to this email and I can get you a $100 discount this week.
- The new size (500g) of Creapure Creatine at Substance Nutrition has been a huge hit. It is back in stock now. You can use the code DRMIKE10 to save 10% at checkout.
- I have a new program, Mindless Meal Planning, in the works. My goal is to have it in your hands before the end of 2024.
|
|
|
Fats - Omega-3s Don't Convert
I think that I’ve told you this before. When I left medical school in pursuit of my PhD in nutrition - I thought that I was going to study omega-3 fats. I was OBSESSED with omega-3 fats at the time (I’m pretty keen on them still, but I wouldn’t say obsessed).
When it comes to omega-3s there are short and long chain fats. The short chain omega-3 fat found in flax, chia, and other plant sources. This is alpha-linolenic acid or ALA. The long chain omega-3s are DHA and EPA. These are found in fish. DHA is found in algae to a lesser extent too (this is where vegan DHA supplements come from).
A big area of focus has always been how efficiently the body converts ALA to EPA (and then eventually DHA). Or how to the short omega-3s convert to the long ones. I’ve studied this process in GREAT detail…
…even taking a class that focused on the molecular conversion of these fats into short lived hormone like compounds called eicosanoids, resolvins, and protectins. But we don’t need to get into any of that now.
Here’s the thing. The body does a TERRIBLE job at converting short chain omega-3s to longer chain omega-3s. Sure, the conversion is a little better in people that eat a vegetarian diet, but a little better than terrible is still horrible (not much better).
Here’s what to do.
Much of the health benefit from omega-3s comes from EPA and DHA. So do whatever you need to do to get these fats.
Eat salmon, tuna, sardines, or take supplements (research shows that it doesn’t really matter how you get them - just get them).
How? Fish 3-4 meals a week at a minimum or take supplements daily.
The plant based omega-3s, ALA, is also good for you. But I would put ALa in the good for your overall health and performance category. It isn’t going to revolutionize your life but you should eat them.
How? Ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, and nuts. These are all great sources of ALA. I eat them daily. 1 Tbsp of chia seeds, 2 Tbsp of ground flaxseeds, and a handful of nuts - every day.
|
|
|
Protein - What Matters? Amount or Spacing
Protein researchers have been working for decades to determine what is the ‘optimal’ amount of protein for someone to eat and how (if at all) you eat that protein matters.
As of late one of the larger discussions has centered around protein timing vs. total amount of protein - which is more important?
For me, asking this question is similar to asking “What is more important - diet or exercise?”
Both are important. You should be dialing in your diet AND committing to your exercise regimen.
If you want to be in the best health possible - do both. That’s what being a performance optimizer is all about.
Everything doesn’t have to be either or. The answer can be both.
The biggest factor with protein is getting enough. That is step 1, non-negotiable.
Next is timing/spacing. Spread your protein out so that you can get at least 30g at each meal throughout the day.
The benefit to spreading out your protein across meals is smaller than we once thought. But when you are doing this day after day after day for years, many protein researchers think that there is a compounding effect. What seems insignificant in 24hrs could squash age related muscle loss when repeated over 50,000 days.
|
|
|
Carbs - Beans are NOT Cool
One of the healthiest foods that you can eat are beans. Despite being the magical fruit, beans are still not cool. One of my kids once told me that they don’t eat beans because they didn’t want to contribute to global warming with all the gas that would be produced if they did.
The only person that I ever saw get excited about beans was giving oral testimony leading up to the dietary guidelines. She was Passionate (with a capital P) about how we needed stronger recommendations for lentils. No one else in the room was as excited.
(lentils are actually my favorite legume - they aren’t technically beans but for our purposes they are).
Beans contain slow digesting carbs, 6 grams of fiber per ½ cup, they’re better for your gut than any new ‘gut soda’, they contain lots of potassium, and a nice dose or protein.
So why aren’t beans cooler? They take a little time for many people to enjoy the taste and texture. They haven’t set any good trends on TikTok. The list goes on.
Despite this, I implore you to eat beans on a regular basis. Here’s how to get started if you aren’t a regular bean eater.
Buy a can of beans at the beginning of the week. Open the can, rinse them, and put them in a container in your refrigerator. This will cost you around $1.50 (probably less). Add a ½ cup serving to meals throughout the week. You’ll be having 3 servings and then ½ of a serving (a quarter cup). You don’t even have to cook to do this. Ordering out and getting a salad in for dinner? Just scoop on ½ of a cup of beans. No problem.
Remember practical planning and daily execution of your diet are keys to being a performance optimizer. That’s what Macros on Monday is all about.
|
|
|
Sponsored by Synthesis
Synthesis is the protein powder that I always wanted - so I made it. Over a year in development with a Master Chef and top notch R&D team, I brought my dream protein to life. 1 scoop of Synthesis delivers 30g of top quality protein (the amount research tells us we need!). It is a blend two elite proteins. A high powered protein designed to jumpstart the muscle repair and recovery process (whey protein isolate - the Porsche of proteins), combined with elegant un-denatured proteins that focus on stopping muscle breakdown (micellar casein). The flavor is subtle and pure. You can taste the quality of the ingredients as we didn’t have to mask it with a ton of sweeteners or artificial flavors. In fact, the list of ingredients is only 8 items long.
Use discount code DRMIKE for 25% off.
Sponsored by Neutein
It’s not magic, It’s science - That’s why Neutein works. Years ago I gave a keynote speech at a supplement ingredient conference about what people that buy supplements want in their products. My list - science to show that the products work, products with enough of an ingredient so people can actually have an effect, trust that what is on the label is actually in the product. It didn’t go over that well - funding research, proper dosing, and extensive quality testing are all expensive. More expenses = less profit for supplement companies. But there was one company. They found me after my talk and said “Those 3 things are the most important thing to OUR company too. Come and look at our ingredients.” We were a great match. 11 months later - Neutein was born. The only memory supplement backed by 12 human clinical studies, shown to improve attention, concentration, sustained focus, and short term memory. Neutein is my cheat code. It is available nationwide at CVS. But….
Use coupon code DRFOCUS for a special buy one, get one free discount only for Thinking Beyond Calorie readers.
|
|
|
|
Remember practical planning and daily execution of your diet are keys to being a performance optimizer. That’s what Macros on Monday is all about.
Talk soon,
Dr. Mike
|
|
Mike Roussell, PhD
Your Nutrition Strategist
|
|
|
|
Note: Mike Roussell, PhD is not a physician or registered dietitian. The contents of this email should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.
Not getting what you need? No hard feelings. Unsubscribe from my emails.
3349 Monroe Ave, #299, Rochester, NY 14618
|
|
|
