MUST READ ARTICLE: Nutrition for Newbies

[roman]

Part 1: http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1793585&cr=

Part 2: http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1795045&cr=

Very easy read... gives you all the fundamentals of proper nutrition for your goals! Highly recommended... a big eye opener for people with limited knowledge about nutrition (like I was)!

P.S - If one of the admins/mods can make this a "sticky" topic, that would be great!

[Richard Duelley]

Good read.

Thanks

[Ortprod]

I agree, a sticky of this would be good.

[Blairbob]

I'll take a look at it when I get home.

[Blairbob]

I like the read and agree but being that it's hosted on T-nation, a commercial site is what makes me unsure. Personally, I like T-nation as a whole but don't follow the forums there. I'll be asking Coach Sommer and the other mods soon.

[Richard Duelley]

From reading all of their stuff, and talking with other strength enthusiasts, most of the information is great (you have to read, understand and apply it to your personal conditions/goals) but they do push certain products.

Little tidbit about T-Nation: T-nation is owned and operated by Tim Patterson (he also owns BioTest).

[Ortprod]

Thanks for taking time out to read Blairbob. I agree about t-nation pushing products and the forums can definitely seem a bit over the top as well.

[Blairbob]

I know all about T-nation and how they run their site but they have a lot of good articles and enough silly ones with hot babes that keep me interested. I've considered ordering some of their products but I'm lazy about buying supplements online.

[Ortprod]

I hear ya. I almost ordered ZMA but I tend to look up reviews on supplements before I buy them. I found one and decided it's not for me. I used to just buy everything I saw in the supplement shop and I would spend $100-200 per week (no joke) so I try to keep it to a minimum now. Sorry to go off on a rant.

T-nation does have some good articles, I believe there was one called "all muscle, no iron" >_<

[Blairbob]

I used to be way into supplements using myself as a test subject. Ehh, not for me anymore and it's been that way for years now.

[Gregor]

I hear ya. I almost ordered ZMA but I tend to look up reviews on supplements before I buy them. I found one and decided it's not for me. I used to just buy everything I saw in the supplement shop and I would spend $100-200 per week (no joke) so I try to keep it to a minimum now. Sorry to go off on a rant.

T-nation does have some good articles, I believe there was one called "all muscle, no iron" >_<

ZMA is good only if you have to small amount of zinc in your diet, which is common.

[roman]

Could one of the moderators please change this topic to "sticky"... ?

[Animalonfire]

Thanks, very helpful.

[Charles Weill]

After reading the article, I feel it provides a good amount of information. At least it's consitent with everything else I have read about sports nutrition. My only disagreement is the 1.2-1.5g of protein per day per pound of BW. I know that that number will always be questioned, but I have read that .8g/lbs BW is more reasonable for many individuals and does not require the use of protein isolate powder i.e. it can be done with a diet of whole foods. That is proportion I follow.

And remember:

1g carbs = 4 calories

1g protein = 4 calories

1g fat = 9 calories

Everyone on this forum needs to consume more than the american Nutrient Facts label recommendations.

Thanks for the link!

[Gregor]

cca. 1,5-2g of protein per kilogram of body weight

[Charles Weill]

cca. 1,5-2g of protein per kilogram of body weight

For those of us who cannot read metric, there are 2.2 pounds per kilogram, so here's some math with Gregor's numbers:

1,5g/kg divided by 2.2 lbs/kg = .68g/lbs

2g/kg divided by 2.2 lbs/kg = .90g/lbs

So yea, .68g to .90g of protein per pound of BW.

Your kidneys will thank you.

[Gregor]

Are you talking like an expert or just something that you hear form others?

There is no side effects for kidneys.

I saw a recent study with much more protein then 2g per kg. Duration was 10 years and there was no side effect to a kidney or it's function.

[Ortprod]

There have been no studies done that prove protein causes kidney problems.

"...The calorie counters and low fat advocates have dismissed high-protein diets for years as non scientific and dangerous. The naysayers usually point out the potential for kidney damage to the unwary public. The potential for kidney damage would be remote even if the diet went on for more than seven months with absolutely no carbohydrate intake, but that's not possible, even cashew nuts have carbohydrates. In this world, staying completely carbohydrate free for seven months is not only very unlikely, it is impossible.

In fact, contrary to popular medical wisdom, not only won't you damage your kidneys, but without the incoming carbohydrates, you will drop ten or so pounds of retained fluid, dropping your blood pressure and burning your fat base, a process that throws off ketones and reduces your serotonin too, so you're not as paranoid or depressed. The blood pressure drop is a respite for your kidney function."

Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar and Survival by T.S. Wiley

[Charles Weill]

Are you talking like an expert or just something that you hear form others?

Okay, guess your kidneys won't really care.

Heh, honestly it's from what I've heard from protein naysayers. I'm glad you were able to respond with a data from scientific journals, though.

[Gregor]

Effect of Short-term High-Dose Creatine Supplementation on Measured GFR in a Young Man With a Single Kidney.

Gualano B, Ferreira DC, Sapienza MT, Seguro AC, Lancha AH Jr.

Am J Kidney Dis. 2010 Jan 7. [Epub ahead of print]

It currently is unknown whether creatine supplementation is safe for people with or at risk of kidney disease. We report on the short-term effects of creatine supplementation on kidney function in a young man with a single kidney and mildly decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR). A 20-year-old man who had undergone unilateral nephrectomy and presented with mildly decreased GFR without kidney damage underwent a trial with 35 days of creatine supplementation (20 g/d for 5 days followed by 5 g/d for the next 30 days) and had his kidney function monitored. After the intervention, (51)Cr-EDTA clearance (pre, 81.6 mL/min/1.73 m(2); post, 82.0 mL/min/1.73 m(2)), proteinuria (protein excretion: pre, 130 mg/d; post, 120 mg/d), and electrolyte levels were unchanged. Albuminuria, serum urea level, and estimated creatinine clearance were decreased (pre, 4.6 mg/d; post, 2.9 mg/d; pre, 37 mg/d; post, 28 mg/dL; and pre, 88 mL/min/1.73 m(2); post, 71 mL/min/1.73 m(2), respectively), whereas serum creatinine level was slightly increased (pre, 1.03 mg/dL; post, 1.27 mg/dL), falsely suggesting kidney function impairment. This prospective report suggests that short-term creatine supplementation may not affect kidney function in an individual with a single kidney, mild decreased GFR, and ingesting a high-protein diet (ie, 2.8 g/kg/d). This finding has great relevance considering that creatine-induced kidney disease has been a growing concern, even for healthy people.

Dietary protein intake and renal function.

Martin WF, Armstrong LE, Rodriguez NR.

Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA. William.martin@uconn.edu

Recenttrends in weight loss diets have led to a substantial increase inprotein intake by individuals. As a result, the safety of habitually consuming dietary protein in excess of recommended intakes has been questioned. In particular, there is concern that high protein intakemay promote renal damage by chronically increasing glomerular pressure and hyperfiltration. There is, however, a serious question as towhether there is significant evidence to support this relationship inhealthy individuals. In fact, some studies suggest thathyperfiltration, the purported mechanism for renal damage, is a normal adaptative mechanism that occurs in response to several physiological conditions. This paper reviews the available evidence that increased dietary protein intake is a health concern in terms of the potential toinitiate or promote renal disease. While protein restriction may be appropriate for treatment of existing kidney disease, we find no significant evidence for a detrimental effect of high protein intakes on kidney function in healthy persons after centuries of a high protein Western diet.

I didn't find the study I was looking for but ok...

[Tarun Suri]

From the two articles posted by the OP, the author states that eating one source too often will cause your body to become allergic to it.

I consume 2-4 eggs daily for breakfast. Would that be sufficient for this trend to occur? Also, I'm planning on sneaking some turkey cuts at home (since I'm not allowed to bring meat home) so I can start consuming some meat daily. Would this also cause this reaction?

[Blairbob]

I find I generally just get sick and tired of the same meat source and stay away from it unless I become very hungry and there isn't anything else at home nor am I willing or able (budget) to get something else.

[roman]

Just to share my personal results. I've been experimenting with upping the protein intake while lowering the total caloric intake to get rid of excess fat and "keep" muscle mass. What I discovered is that with enough protein you can actually INCREASE your muscle mass WHILE burning the fat off quite easily.

I'm 6"1, went from 91Kg to ~86-87 Kg in about 1 month (or slightly more), lost fat and gained muscle (and continuing to do so). I dropped down from 3,600-4,200 kCal/day, to just 3,000-3,100 kCal/day, while maintaining 1.5 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight. That's about 40% of my daily caloric intake and equals to about 300 grams/day of protein for me. The rest is mainly fats, and very little carbs (except for after workouts where I drink plenty of apple juice ), and carb loading day once/week.

By any indication (e.g. cunningham equation) I'm eating less calories than I need to in order to even *maintain* muscle mass, let alone build muscle mass, and yet I'm doing better than ever on this diet for the past 2 months than any higher caloric diets I've ever tried. So this leads me to believe that "you are what you eat" has more truth to it than most people think, and that the composition of your macro nutrients is more important than any arbitrary number of total calories/day.

I get my protein mainly from Canned Tuna and Fried chicken breast. I eat 4 eggs each day. And also supplement with some protein shakes (but usually no more than 1 maybe 2 of them/day... most of the protein comes from regular food).

Just my two cents.

[roman]

Per Coach Sommer's request here's a general sample of my daily meals:

Breakfast:

Egg + cheese + Onions omelette (4-5 eggs depending on the size [about 280grams of eggs total incl. yokes], Cheese = 28% yellow cheese [about 113 grams]).

1 can of tuna fish in water (about 100 grams) OR 1 protein shake (25g of protein).

Lunch:

Fried Chicken breast (around 200 grams) + 1 can of tuna fish in water + Omega 3 enriched oil (poured on the tunafish to make it less dry).

Or:

Chicken Salad (fried chicken breast + vegetables + omega 3 enriched oil) + 1 protein shake.

(as you can see i'm alternating between the protein shakes and the tuna cans for the extra protein in each meal)

Dinner:

Fried Chicken breast + 1 can of tuna fish + Omega-3 enriched oil + Raw Tahini (raw tahini is rich in fat & protein).

Alternatively:

I will sometimes substitute one of the above meals with 100-130g of almonds + protein shake.

Other than the breakfast which is almost always the same, the other meals are really interchangeable depending on my mood. The main thing I look at is total calories/day consumed and what % of that is protein (always shooting for 40%). Basically anything that's rich in protein and low in carbs is a good choice for this particular diet. The above are just the things I came up with which are affordable and simple. But red meat for example is also pretty good (but more expensive ).

After workouts I usually drink about 2 cups of natural fruit juice (apple/grapefruit/orange/clementine etc.) with a protein meal (so chicken breast + tuna in water only for example... no Omega-3 oil as to not mix in carbs and fats in the same meal). Once a week I have carb loading day where I still strive to keep the same % protein in my diet, but mix it mainly with carbs instead of fats, so I even eat pastries, drink beer etc. (hey, gotta have some fun too ).

Yeah that's pretty much it. I got most of the information on my current dieting from "The Metabolic Diet" by Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale (I'm sure I spelled his name wrong!). It's very similar to the Paleo diet from what I've read about it, including here on the forum (Mainly from Ido). So I highly recommend to check it out.

P.S - I completely dropped Milk out of my diet as I discovered that most people are lactose intolerant to some degree or another, and in fact most people don't ever realize this because they only experience mild symptoms (like bloating/gas) and they don't make the connection. Just a general tip for people who have had these problems

Hope someone finds this useful!

[Martin de Jesus Ponce Robaldino]

it's very interesting, and also easy for reading... thanks a lot!