Gymistry

Decoding Protein Shakes (by Artha Ting)

A staple of every gym buff’s diet is a protein shake but with the mushrooming of many different types and brands of the beverage, it can get pretty confusing for starters and amateur body conscious people. Upon asking a fried, who is a gym enthusiast and body builder, he suggested two more famous protein powders in the market: Optimum Nutrition 100% Gold Standard and Muscletech Nitro-Tech Hardcore Pro Series.  The real question is… why do muscle builders need protein shakes? And what exactly happens when they take it? Let’s take a gymistry look at these two products to compare them.

The main investment of gym buffs, the muscles, is actually made up of protein building blocks or monomers called amino acids. To maintain the muscle’s integrity and to keep them in tip-top shape, proteins are the key. It’s easy to find protein sources in all kinds of food but supplements such as protein shakes are apparently formulated to be absorbed by the body at a faster rate than just eating protein-rich foods. Whey protein, which is isolated from milk, is the most popular as it is fast-absorbing, and contains many amino acids vital for muscles growth. Plus, it helps boost the immune system fighting off illness, which means more time for you to go to the gym! However, we have to go all myth-buster for a while, protein shakes don’t mainly help BUILD muscle, they’re more repairmen of tissue that tear when people work-out by lifting heavy weights or doing other strenuous exercises.

Another type of protein powder also from milk is casein. It has a slower absorption rate and is ideally for consumption in between meals or before going to sleep for better muscle repair during recuperation. Casein contains three amino acids: arginine, methionine and glycine, all of which are essential in protein synthesis. This brings us back to amino acids being an important factor in muscle build-up and functioning.

In general, Gold Standard contains 24g of protein while Nitro-Tech gives 25g. The former is almost exclusively made out of whey protein while the latter contains creatine. Here’s the nutritional value of Nitro-Tech complete with all the amino acids and enzymes it has in its big tub of powder. Comparing it to the supplementary table of Gold Standard, it seems like Muscletech gives better results in terms of protein concentration. 

It’s also important to note that protein shakes don’t have 100% protein in them but also the other biomolecules such as carbohydrates and lipids. Thus it’s not a substitute to real healthy nutritional food. Moreover, protein shakes are generally expensive especially Muscletech products. Every good body builder balances every aspect of his/her entirety which means the person doesn’t only stock up on protein but also in essential vitamins and minerals. 

Teach me how to lose it! (interview and write-up by Abigail Agoncillo)

College life can be really stressful; with the gazillions of readings and chapters to read, seemingly endless papers to write and that organizational report that you have yet to accomplish. To add to that, you’ve been running on caffeine for the past two weeks with barely enough sleep to keep you awake in your classes. What do you do to have that sudden rush of endorphins during these trying times? Are you itching to grab that big ‘ol bag of chips? Or to open the pint of Häagen Dazs you found in the refrigerator?

Hold your horses! Yes, those foods may bring you some comfort, but are you putting the right type of fuel in your body?

Gymistry recently interviewed Eclipse Gym trainer, former member of the Blue Babble Battalion and self-confessed former food junkie, Eriko dela Cruz (BS Biology), for some tips on how to survive those long sleepless nights in a healthy manner and how to keep those pounds off of your waist and thighs, or to simply get rid of the ever famous, freshman 15.

Gymistry: How heavy were you before you started working out and what is your current weight?
Eriko: I used to be 172 [lbs], and then I shaped up and got it down to 164 [lbs]. I now weigh 176 [lbs] with more muscle mass.

G: Impressive! What’s your secret?
E: Discipline is very important. The rigorous training with the [Blue Babble] Battalion also helped. But all in all, it was really diet and exercise.

G: What was your motivation?
E: Since I want to be a doctor, I wanted to set an example on how to have a healthy lifestyle. Plus, my mom, who is also a doctor, urged me to go to the gym, and so I did. The gym even offered me a job as a part-time trainer. I accepted it because I want to help people who really want to live healthily. Notice what I just said, living healthily is the main thing, and not the amount of pounds you lose. 

G: Being a pre-medical student, how do you find the time to work-out despite your busy schedule?
E: I set a schedule and I see to it that I follow it. I also do circuit training – a combination of resistance training and high intensity aerobics. And as the Romans once said, Mens sana in corpore sano – a sound mind in a sound body.

G: What diet do you recommend to people who want to lose weight effectively?
E: First of all, don’t starve yourself! That’s a common misconception about dieting. And most diets are just fads or trends that come and go. I recommend that you find a diet that suits you, one that you can live with and make sure you strictly follow it. Dieting requires a lifestyle change. If you want to get toned, in general I recommend the classic little-to-no-carb diet. Because when you exercise glycogen gets burned first, then after that the fats. This leaves you with more muscle mass. For over all healthy living, I do suggest a balanced diet. Sounds cliché, but that’s all it is to it.

G: Living in a rice-consuming country like the Philippines, is it really possible to have a little-to-no-carbs diet?
E: It is. But I suggest that if you’re going to consume carbs, pick the right carbs. The right carbohydrates are the unrefined carbohydrates. Take rice, for example. I’m sure you’ve heard that brown and red rice are healthier than white rice. This is because the white rice is already polished; they removed the rice husk which contains a lot of vitamins and fibers leaving you with just glucose. And excessive glucose in the system will be stored in the body as fats. Plus, white rice and white bread have high glycemic indices, meaning these can make your blood sugar higher.

G: What about for carbohydrates loving individuals? Is there any way that they can lose weight and still eat their carbs?
E: Yes, in fact, you can. For college students, I know how wonderful it is to eat about 2-3 cups of rice after a grueling all-nighter or after that 200 point exam. But if you really want to lose weight, try regulating your carbohydrate intake. You can do carbohydrate cycling or the anabolic diet. Carbohydrate cycling means that you can consume a lot of carbohydrates during work-out days, medium carbohydrates during regular days – including your stressful all-nighter days, and low carbohydrates during those lazy days. Anabolic diet, on the other hand, means that you have to deprive yourself of carbohydrates for 5 days and the 6^th and 7^th day will be a carbohydrate fiesta. And remember, good carbohydrates all the way and try to lay off the junk food!

G: Are there different approaches when you design work-out programs for your clients?
E: As a trainer, I design work-out programs for my clients based on their end goal and their physical capacity. Of course I don’t want to assign a program that my client can’t do because our bodies have their limits. There are three body types, the ectomorph, the endomorph and the mesomorph. Ectomorphs are those who find it hard to gain weight, the endomorph are those who cant seem to lose a pound, and mesomorphs are usually athletes, yung tipong titingin lang sa barbell, ang laki na ng katawan. There are ways for ectomorphs to increase their body mass and for endomorphs to decrease theirs; it really depends on the diet, work-out and maintenance. For ectomorphs, I recommend that they aim to gain 1-2 lbs every week, load up on the healthy carbs and pair it up with weight training. For endomorphs, I want them to aim to lose about a pound or half a pound per week. And never underestimate the power of building up muscle mass, the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism gets, and the faster it gets, the more fats you burn!

G: For beginners, what exercise do you suggest for effective weight loss and how often should they exercise?
E: For beginners, I recommend them to work-out 3-4 times a week with active recovery in between each set. If you really want to exercise for 5 days, you can do that too. I suggest you do it every other day, alternating aerobic exercises and weights. Remember that doing more isn’t always better. You have to allow your body to recover after working-out, otherwise you’ll crash. Don’t use the pain as a trigger that you’re losing weight. That’s just the lactic acid building up in your muscles as you do strenuous exercises or the failure of your muscle cells to contract properly, but it’s not an indicator that you’re losing more than the next guy. Actually, you should be happy when you’re doing the same sets with less pain. That means you’re getting stronger.

G:  Let’s talk about supplements. Are they really helpful?
E: Well, as the name suggests supplements are just supplements. So if you’re taking in enough vitamins, minerals, fibers, proteins etcetera in your diet, then you don’t have to take supplements anymore. I actually take cod-fish oil that contains DHA, EFA and omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids and sometimes omega 9. I read a research once that these fatty acids improves your over-all brain and cardiovascular health, gives you better skin and hair and aids in weight loss. A lot of gym-goers drink whey protein to help increase their muscle mass. Whey has a fast absorption rate of about 30 minutes to an hour and a half. Food protein and casein protein usually takes about 6-8 hours before it gets absorbed so some would take whey as a protein supplement. Back when I drank whey, I had it 2-3 hours after working out, during the body’s four hour anabolic window when it’s practically receptive to anything. I mixed it with dextrose which efficiently shuttles in whey protein into your muscles.

G: What about the “fat burners” in the market? Are they really effective?
E: In terms of effectivity, yes they do, but I don’t really recommend them. “Fat burners” like Orlistat, I wont mention any brand names anymore, work by inhibiting your lipases. Lipases are enzymes that break down fat in food so it can be stored in the body. So when lipases are inhibited, break down and storage of fat is also inhibited. That’s why when you defecate, it seems oily – you’re basically excreting unabsorbed fat. I don’t recommend them unless you want to be a constant bathroom visitor. I’ll leave out the messy details, but it is messy I tell you! Caffeine is a good alternative, but in the right amounts. Caffeine is a major component of diet pills and it is able to breakdown fat. So the next time you’re about to pull an all-nighter, try to avoid the frappuccinos and lattes from coffee shops that are usually filled with milk, sugar and chocolate, but instead opt for the classic black coffee. It’ll keep you awake much longer and it’ll help break down fat in your system.

Slow-Twitch & Fast-Twitch Muscles (by Miguel Valera)

Athletes usually do not do the same training in the gym. They have different needs to improve their athletic performance and their sports have different demands. Today, it is not common for athletes to hit the gym in order to improve their performance in their respective sports. Before, weight training or going to the gym is not adamant since many coaches believe that lifting weights can hinder the performance of an athlete. For example, John Wooden, a famous basketball coach during the 60s and 70s thought that weight training can cause the player to have a decreased accuracy in shooting a basketball. But now, players in professional basketball as well as in collegiate ranks are still proficient in shooting the basketball, but are much stronger than their predecessors back in the 60s and 70s due to weight training.

 For athletes, what does weight training really do? For one it strengthens the muscle fibers that are required in their own respective sports. It recruits the muscle fibers that are needed to do the exercise, and if the muscle fibers under work are stressed, this could in turn make the muscle fiber bigger (Bompa 1999). Basically, humans have two types of muscle fibers and these are the slow-twitch and the fast-twitch muscle fibers. What are the fibers that rely on oxygen? These are called aerobic Type I slow-twitch muscle fibers that are usually red in appearance. On the other hand those that do not require oxygen are called Type II fast-twitch fibers. To give the readers a more general idea, slow-twitch or type I fibers are the ones that are used in low intensity activities such as lifting a spoon or playing a video game. The reason why these activities mentioned above are not as tiring as running a sprint is because slow twitch (ST) fibers are fatigue resistant and are the ones that are recruited during low intensity work. On the other hand, the ones that are recruited for exercises like sprinting and in high-intensity exercise such as jumping are the fast-twitch fibers.

What are the differences between a fast-twitch muscle fiber and a slow twitch muscle fiber? For one the most basic difference is that slow-twitch fibers are much smaller and fatigue-resistant, while fast-twitch fibers are much bigger (Bompa 1999). Slow-twitch muscles reach its maximum force at around 100 milliseconds and the force generated is the one that is most prolonged among the muscle fiber types. On the other hand, the fast-twitch fibers are subdivided into two which are Type II A, and Type II B. Type II A, reaches it maximum force at about 30 milliseconds, while Type II B, is pegged at 25 milliseconds (Bagett 2005).

Basically, the percentage of small-twitch fibers to fast-twitch fibers is fixed. But arguably through training, the size of the primary muscle fibers used increase and this could change the proportion of muscle fibers. That is why there have been studies that it is a possibility that there are intermediate fibers that can be changed into either fast-twitch or slow-twitch (Bagett 2005). Kelly Bagett, an expert on improving vertical jump said that the composition of these “plastic” or intermediate fibers can be changed through training. But, he also said that the compositions of muscle fibers are not the only determinants of athletic performance since the nervous controls of the individual in recruiting muscles can also affect this (Bagett 2005).

There have been studies that relate slow-twich and fast-twitch fiber muscles to performance in some sports. Some of these sports include running and sprinting. Elite runners have high percentage of slow-twitch muscles over fast-twitch muscles, while elite sprinters have higher percentage of fast-twitch fibers over slow-twitch fibers. Yet, untrained individuals primarily have 56 percent as compared to the 61 percent of elite sprinters. But, the untrained individuals don’t have the strength and the speed of the sprinters (Bompa 1999). This shows that there are still unexplained factors that help athletic performance.

The ones that are recommended by physical trainers are the movements that are used in the sport. Performing exercises in the gym that are used in their own respective sports can benefit the individual. For example, if one is a sprinter, he can improve his athletic performance if he focused on high-intensity exercises for improving the muscle groups that are needed for his sport in order to increase the percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibers over slow-twitch fibers. Having a knowledge regarding muscle fiber types totally helps the athlete to understand what weight-training exercises he should do and what intensity should be given while doing it in (Bagett 2005). As a rule of thumb, in the gym, doing exercises of many repetition and low-weight primarily work on endurance and the fast-twitch muscles are not given much importance when doing this. In working fast-twitch muscles, heavy weights (80-100 percent of what the individual can lift) are used, since the fast-twitch fibers are the ones that are recruited and activated if this was done. In lifting heavy weights for few repetitions primarily focuses on speed and power, while lifting weights for longer repetitions gives importance to endurance (Bompa 1999).

            That is why if you are an athlete or an individual who trains in the gym to improve athletic performance, it is important to train smartly since gains will be made if perfect practice is done.

Absence of Fairness: The Use of Anabolic-Androgen Steroids in Sports (by James Barte)

For some athletes, there is no cost too high to pay to win. They’re willing to deprive themselves of food they deem unhealthy, wake up at the crack of dawn to train and devote several hours of their day into honing their skills so they can be the best in their field. Yet, for some athletes, this is not enough. The use of performance enhancing drugs in competitive sports is a serious and controversial issue. This is not a new phenomenon, since athletes competing in the Olympics in Ancient Greece were said to have used natural products that acted like steroids (Fitch 2008). Even today, pop culture icons such as Arnold Schwarzenegger have attributed their physique to drugs such as Diabonol. So, what are these performance enhancing steroids?

Anabolic-androgen steroids (AAS), simply called “steroids” or “roids”, are types of drugs that mimic the effects of the hormone testosterone (and to an extent, hydrotestosterone). These substances typically increase the protein synthesis within cells, thus increasing the build-up (or anabolism) of certain cellular tissues such as muscles. The word anabolic comes from the Greek word anabole, meaning “that which is thrown up, mound”, as well as the word androgen from the Greek word andros meaning “born of a man”.  There are generally two types of anabolic-androgen steroids: exogenous and endogenous. Exogenous AAS are synthetic versions of testosterone (TeachPE) and these include Nandrolone and Danazol. Meanwhile, endogenous AAS are naturally occurring and these are involved in the metabolic pathways of the testosterone. Anabolic steroids can be taken by means of an oral or intramuscular injection. Newer means include the use of tablets, nasal sprays, skin patches and creams. These are used in a cyclical pattern with 6-12 weeks of heavy use, with following drug-free periods of 1-12 months (TeachPE).

The American College of Sports Medicine has acknowledged the substances’ contribution to the increase in body weight and in muscular strength, along with a high-intensity exercise and proper diet Powers 2005). These steroids also help in reducing the muscle damage that occurs, thereby helping athletes recover more quickly and having a reduced muscle catabolism. There are also health risks associated with anabolic steroids that are extremely common. These include harmful changes in cholesterol levels (from an increased low-density lipoprotein and a decreased high-density lipoprotein), acne, high blood pressure, liver damage and in the structure of the left ventricle of the heart. Also observed include decrease sperm production and sex drive, increased aggression, irritability and mood swings, baldness, gynecomastia (oversized mammary glands for males), hirsuitism (excessive hair growth for females), reduced immunity, and possible development of tumors (TeachPE).

As such, the use of these types of performance-enhancing drugs is very controversial in sports and bodybuilding due to the broad range of adverse health effects mentioned. There is also the potential in gaining advantage that is already considered cheating. Anabolic-androgen steroids have been the most detected doping substances in laboratories accredited by the International Olympic Committee (Kickman 2003). Due to such stricter procedures of detection, “designer steroids” such as tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) are developed. Designer drugs are created to get around existing drug laws. This THG breaks down during the preparation method used for normal steroid procedure (TeachPE) and is closely related to some banned anabolic steroids like gestrinone and trenbolone. THG was used by several high profile athletes; for example, the sprinter Marion Jones used it in the 2000 Sydney Olympics where she had won three gold medals (BBC News 2007).

In summary, this particular type of drug poses serious health risks that make competition unfair. Even if the International Olympic Council and most professional sports leagues issued a ban on anabolic-androgenic steroids and other related drugs, this hasn’t stopped some athletes from using them. Long term side effects, as well as death, can be prevented if there are much stricter measures in analyzing and detecting these steroids inside the body. If new researches can be done, fairness and equality would be maintained for all competing persons in the sports community.

  Testosterone   

Nandrolone

Danozol

Terahydrogestrinone

Gestrinone

Trenbolone

Reduced-carbohydrate and ketosis-induced weight loss in low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) (by Reshan Baoas)

For several decades now, weight loss through diet to achieve slimmer bodies or combating obesity has been popular. There are many dietary measures that have sprung over the years. Of these, most diets target the reduction of carbohydrate intake and adhere to the low-carbohydrate diet, shortened as LCD. Two popular LCD variations are Atkins and South Beach diets. The Atkins diet initially reduces the carbohydrate intake into a bare minimum and subsequently allows carbohydrate intake in very restrictive amounts. Carbohydrates are allowed in South Beach diet but only from vegetables and some fruits (Pogozelski 2005). Only carbohydrate intake is reduced in most LCD. The normal intake of fats and proteins are usually not changed but because of low amounts of carbohydrates, the percentage of calories from fats and proteins increase. The body turns to fats for energy in LCD (Westman et al. 2004).

            LCD affects the balance of insulin and glucagon levels in the body. This ultimately dictates the blood glucose regulation. Both hormones are produced by the islets of Langerhans. The islets are the endocrine part of the pancreas. Beta-cells produce insulin while α-cells produce glucagon. The effects of the two hormones are antagonistic. Insulin is involved in anabolism and the build-up of energy reserves. Its effect primarily heightens after a meal. On the other hand, glucagon is involved in catabolism and the breaking down of energy reserves. It is active in times when energy is needed in the body such as in work or hunger (Mescher 2010).

            Food is digested in the stomach after eating. Biomolecules such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats are broken down into constitutive units which are amino acids, monosaccharides and glycerol and fatty acids, respectively. The breakdown of carbohydrates primarily produces glucose. Insulin induces the formation of glycogen, the stored form of glucose, by the liver and muscles. Glucagon, meanwhile, induces the utilization of energy via glycogen degradation (Bramble [date unknown]).

            Insulin also affects fat levels. It inhibits fat breakdown and induces cholesterol production. Therefore, insulin contributes to weight gain and consequently, obesity. Ideally, LCD are designed to obtain high glucagon levels and low insulin levels. This is achieved by limiting intake of certain foods (Bramble [date unknown]).

            It is important to note the difference in glucose content of various foods and even that of carbohydrates. Blood glucose levels are not significantly affected by fat and protein intake. Carbohydrates in the form of higher orders of oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, polydextrose and fibers are not broken down by the body into glucose (Wilson 2002).

            The glycemic index is used to measure the rate of conversion to glucose for carbohydrates that release glucose. The glycemic indices of different food are compared to that of glucose which is arbitrarily set at 100. The glycemic indices of some common food are 65 for table sugar, 72 for white bread and 85 for potatoes. In LCD, the lower the glycemic index of food, the better. Dairy products, green vegetables and beans have low glycemic indices.             However, standard portion size of food should also be looked upon. In this case, glycemic load is a better indicator than glycemic index (Wilson 2002).

            Certain low-carbohydrate diets such as Atkins diet result to very low glucose levels in the body. Since the glucose level is very low, the body compensates by transforming fats into ketones. These are used by the body as energy source. Excess amounts of ketones do not build up but instead are excreted in the breath and in urine (Bramble [date unknown]).

            This dependence on ketones and ketone derivatives in the scarcity of glucose is called ketosis. Ketosis is a normal metabolic phenomenon in humans that is experienced in instances such as after eating in children, after a long duration of exercise in adults and gestation and lactation in women. In addition, muscles avoid degradation by undergoing ketosis (Pogozelski et al. 2005).

            In a normal diet, the liver converts acetyl-CoA from fatty-acid oxidation to CO₂ and H₂O in the citric acid cycle. In ketosis, acetone and ketone bodies acetoacetate (AcAc) and D-β-hydroxybutyrate (HB) are formed from the conversion of acetyl CoA and partially oxidized fatty acids. An enzyme found in the mitochondria, β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, facilitates the interconversion of HB and AcAc. Also, NADH/NAD⁺ redox couple also fuels this conversion. Reverting HB and AcAc to acetyl CoA is accomplished in ketolysis. Acetyl CoA can be made from two AcAc with the help of the enzyme acetoacetyl CoA thiolase (Pogozelski et al. 2005).

            Ketosis occurs in very-low-carbohydrate diets. Ketone bodies are transported from the liver to organs such as the brain. Monocarboxylate transporters facilitate the entry of these ketone bodies into the cells. Cells in the brain are rich in mitochondria with the enzyme succinyl CoA:3-ketoacid CoA transferase. This enzyme is lacking in the liver cells. It activates acetoacetyl CoA from acetoacetate (Manninen 2004, Pogozelski et al. 2005). Excretion of acetone is through respiration, transpiration through the skin and urination. Likewise, excess HB and AcAc are readily excreted through urine (Pogozelski et al. 2005).

            Thus, ketone bodies replace glucose as energy source when the latter is lacking. In fact, it was found that ketone bodies are very good respiratory fuel. To illustrate, ketone bodies such as 3-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate yield 10.5 kg and 9.4 kg of ATP versus only 8.7 kg ATP produced by glucose (Manninen 2004). Erythrocytes, retina, lens and renal medulla, tissues and organs which use glucose as primary energy source still get their requirements through liver and kidney gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis from protein and fat (Westman et al. 2004).

            Weight loss is greatly achieved in diets that promote ketosis. This is related to a number of different factors. First, the ΔH_combustion of the ketosis product HB, 243.6 kcal/mol, is higher than that of pyruvate, the product of glycolysis, with 185.7 kcal/mol. Second, ketosis has more energy produced in electron transfer or oxidative phosphorylation pathway for ATP synthesis. This is due to the enhanced redox potential of the pathway. Third, more products are formed in excess in ketosis but not all are used up. Additionally, glycerol from degraded fats is used for gluconeogenesis in the production of glucose in ketosis (Pogozelski et al. 2005).

            Dietary ketosis is harmless for ketone bodies are produced in a regulated and controlled manner. In fact, it results to improvements in glucose, serum triacylglycerol, HDL cholesterol, abdominal circumference, blood pressure and other health benefits such as reduction of hunger and elimination of allergens, food additives and artificial coloring (Westman et al. 2004). In this state, the pH of the blood is maintained. Ketone bodies also exert effects on insulin and glucagon production as well as in lipolysis. Ketosis is being looked upon for possible roles in the therapy of diseases such as those characterized by substrate inefficiency or insulin resistance, free radical damage and hypoxia. Ketosis is harmful when uncontrolled as in the case of type I diabetes (Manninen 2004). Even though adverse affects of ketosis are unlikely, multivitamin and mineral supplements are recommended to reduce the possibility of scarcity of dietary requirements (Westman et al. 2004). Manninen (2004) elucidated the lack of clear carbohydrate requirement in humans. This is primarily shown by the apparent harmlessness of ketosis and the possibility of very-low-carbohydrate diet.

            In conclusion, low-carbohydrate diet has many health benefits that do not only include weight reduction and prevention of obesity but also promotes healthy living. Furthermore, it is harmless. Low-carbohydrate diet rests on the foundation of carbohydrate and insulin reduction as well as alternative energy attainment through fat degradation in ketosis instead of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis.

Bread for Life (by Maita Visenio)

Filipinos are well known for their rice consumption with anything, from salt to the various Filipino delicacies, and even fast food chains like McDonald’s would carry chicken and rice which is unusual for foreigners (especially Americans). It was surprising for me to notice that in one recent gathering I went to, there were loads of vegetables and viands and one small bowl of rice, which was instantly finished by the first 2 or 3 people in the buffet. To my curiosity I asked the host why there was not much rice and she said, people nowadays are so concerned with their weight that they cut on carbohydrates thus the small amount of rice available. For a rice lover like me and I believe a lot of Filipinos, it is hard to cut on carbs, thus the “Bread for Life Diet” may be a light in the darkness of dieting.

            A lot of people believe that carbs make people fat, thus their low-carb or even no-carb diets, but if this was true then all of the vegetarians should have been obese. But the mantra of the “Bread for Life Diet” is that the energy spent over a specific period of time must be greater than the intake of calories for that period. An expert, James Deanneo explains scientifically,

            “When there is an excess of metabolism fuel in your body it will produce higher levels of Malonyl COA. This Malonyl COA prohibits the process known as carnitine acyltransferase, which also leads to the prevention of Acyl COA migrating through the cell membrane into the mitochondria. Acetyl COA stops Thiolase from crossing the membrane just as NADH stops a list of others. Basically, when too much glucose is built up in the body the metabolism of fatty acids is completely stopped.” 

For everyone else to understand, it means that when there is high carbohydrate intake, the body will use it up for energy and store fat, which make people fat, thus the gain in weight. So a low carb diet Is usually done so the body will use up the fat for energy thus the lost in weight. But a high intake of carbs is scientifically proven to increase serotonin, which allows a faster metabolism which is a key to losing weight, opposed to a high protein diet. But the key to this diet is a low intake of fat. This now explains why obesity is a problem in the United States because their diet is always composed of a high carbohydrate and a high fat content.

            An expert, Dr. Howard wrote that “long-term recommendations to achieve a diet lower in total and saturated fat with increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and without focus on weight loss, do not cause weight gain.” High carbs diet may be done with the following guidelines:

            Carbohydrate 101:

1.      Can be found in fruits and vegetables

a.      Choose fruits that are bright in color

b.      Choose leafy vegetables which are dark green in color.

2.      Can be found in grain products

-          3 servings of whole grains a day

Fat 101:

1.      Remove skin or visible fats from meat

2.      Choose lean cuts of meat

a.      CHICKEN: Skinless breast of

b.       BEEF: eye of round, top round roast, top sirloin and flank

c.       PORK: tenderloin and loin chops

3.      Occasionally,  substitute meat products with any of the following:

a.      Fish and seafood

b.      Soy products

c.       Nuts

4.      Use lower-fat versions if available of salad dressings, spreads, dairy products and cooking sauces, etc

So now, we can enjoy our favourite Filipino delicacies such as lechon, kare-kare and dinuguan without sacrificing its best with rice and puto. Now holidays will not haunt us with fears of being fat after. Now we don’t have to be burdened by the low carb diets such as Atkins, South beach, and Protein power. We Filipinos earn from the riches of our rice fields and we need those carbs, with “Bread for Life” diet, we wouldn’t be scared of obesity anymore.