Food Documentaries

 

There's a few great documentaries out there about the American food industry and America's current obesity problem. I just wanted to hi-light a couple I've seen that I'd recommend to anyone who wants to get serious with their health and nutrition and another documentary that I hope to see soon that I've heard great things about. I'm not saying these documentaries are 100% right, but they'll open your mind up to some of the reasons why America has such a serious health epidemic surrounding what we put in our mouths.

 

FORKS OVER KNIVES

 

 

This is probably my favorite documentary and what inspired me most to experiment with a whole foods plant based diet. The concept of "forks over knives" is that we can prevent and at times even reverse serious diseases like heart disease and cancer by eating a whole foods plant based diet rather than relying on the knife at the surgery table to save our life. This documentary is based off The China Study, a huge study conducted in China that determined that people who ate a heavier animal protein diet involving meat and dairy increased their chances of disease and health problems than those who ate primarily plant foods. Definitely worth a watch, especially to see some of the dramatic health turnarounds people in the film experienced, which includes a woman using a plant based diet rather than chemotherapy to survive cancer, a woman with diabetes no longer needing medication after eating a plant based diet, and two men who make dramatic improvement in their cholesterol, blood pressure, and other health measurements. Here's the official description of the film and its trailer.

 

What has happened to us? Despite the most advanced medical technology in the world, we are sicker than ever by nearly every measure. Cases of diabetes are exploding, especially amongst our younger population. About half of us are taking at least one prescription drug and major medical operations have become routine. Heart disease, cancer and stroke are the country's three leading causes of death, even though billions are spent each year to "battle" these very conditions. Millions suffer from a host of other degenerative diseases. Could it be there's a single solution to all of these problems? A solution so comprehensive, but so utterly straightforward, that it's mind-boggling that more of us haven't taken it seriously? FORKS OVER KNIVES examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the so-called "diseases of affluence" that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. The major storyline in the film traces the personal journeys of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a nutritional scientist from Cornell University, and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a former top surgeon at the world renowned Cleveland Clinic. Inspired by remarkable discoveries in their young careers, these men conducted several groundbreaking studies, one of which is considered among the most comprehensive health-related investigations ever undertaken. Their research separately and independently led them to the same startling conclusion: degenerative diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even several forms of cancer, could almost always be prevented-and in many cases reversed-by adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet. Despite the profound implications of their findings, their work has remained relatively unknown to the public. In addition, cameras follow "reality patients" who have chronic conditions from heart disease to diabetes. Doctors teach these patients how to adopt a whole foods plant-based diet as the primary approach to treat their ailments-while the challenges and triumphs of their journeys are revealed.

 

 

 

 

 

FOOD INC

 

Food Inc is a documentary that takes a look at America's corporate controlled food industry and the negative effects it is having on our nutritional health. It really opens up your eyes to the uncleanliness of farms and factories where our sources of food come from, the treatment of animals, and how big food corporations put money first over our health. Here's the description and trailer.

 

The current method of raw food production is largely a response to the growth of the fast food industry since the 1950s. The production of food overall has more drastically changed since that time than the several thousand years prior. Controlled primarily by a handful of multinational corporations, the global food production business - with an emphasis on the business - has as its unwritten goals production of large quantities of food at low direct inputs (most often subsidized) resulting in enormous profits, which in turn results in greater control of the global supply of food sources within these few companies. Health and safety (of the food itself, of the animals produced themselves, of the workers on the assembly lines, and of the consumers actually eating the food) are often overlooked by the companies, and are often overlooked by government in an effort to provide cheap food regardless of these negative consequences. Many of the changes are based on advancements in science and technology, but often have negative side effects. The answer that the companies have come up with is to throw more science at the problems to bandage the issues but not the root causes. The global food supply may be in crisis with lack of biodiversity, but can be changed on the demand side of the equation.

 

 

HUNGRY FOR CHANGE

 

I have not seen this documentary yet but just ordered it. It's gotten great reviews. It's similar to the two other films above, but also touches upon how our diet affects our mental and spiritual well-being.

 

'Hungry For Change', the latest 'Food Matters' film, exposes shocking secrets the diet, weightloss and food industry don't want you to know about. Deceptive strategies designed to keep you craving more and more. Could the foods we are eating actually be keeping us stuck in the diet trap?

 

 

 

Gone Vegan

So I've decided to go Vegan. This is more an experimental thing than anything else...I'm not saying I will be a vegan for the rest of the life, but I wanted to try it out to see the pros and cons.

Let me first state I am only doing this for the supposed health benefits...nothing else. I do like animals, but I am not doing this as an F U to the beef industry. Nor am I doing it for any religious beliefs. It's simply to see how my body reacts and to see first hand the benefits of going on such a diet. The other interesting experiment I'm trying with this vegan diet is Body Beast, the mass gaining program from Beachbody. I know...they seem like polar opposites to try together, but I'd like to prove you can be vegan and gain muscle. I've now been vegan and doing the BB program for a week now and have gained 4 pounds amazingly, and here's the reason why: there's no calorie counting when Vegan. You eat when you're hungry. And I'm hungry a lot. So I basically am eating all the time. So we'll see how this continues in the next few weeks.

Vegetarian vs. Vegan

So what's the difference between being vegetarian and vegan? Vegetarians just cut out meat, while vegans cut out meat, dairy, and eggs.

The Drawbacks

Let's get the negatives out of the way. With a vegan diet, you'll be missing out on B12, vitamin D, iron, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids that come from your meat, dairy, and eggs. I'll get most of these by using vegan Shakeology (especially the B12, Vitamin D, and Iron). I'll also be using Fish Oil and Flaxseed to get my Omega-3's. However, if you don't use Shakeology, you can get some of these from the following sources:

Calcium: Leafy greens, almonds, broccoli, oranges, chickpeas, and soy. Salads each day should help cover calcium.

Iron: Spinach, pumpkin seeds, white beans, lentils.

Whole grain cereals have both these minerals too.

The Benefits

There are many nutritional benefits of going vegan. First, you're greatly reducing your exposure to a number of controversial nutritional components like cholesterol and saturated fat. If you eat seafood you'll also avoid mercury. Secondly, as long as you're not an unhealthy vegan who still eats fried and processed foods, it's very hard for a vegan to get fat. I've cut processed foods completely out of my diet, and already feel way better in just a week.

Protein

A lot of anti-vegans out there point out about the lack of protein in a vegan diet. It is true that by not eating meat and eggs, you're not going to get as much protein. However, protein has become WAY overrated in the fitness world. Over consumption of protein can actually be bad for you. According to Melissa Costello, Tony Horton's personal chef and vegan herself, as a society we are eating 3 times the amount of protein we need for our bodies to build muscle, repair and recover. She also states that when our bodies are working at their optimal and balanced states they utilize protein much more efficiently rather than when they are overloaded with nutritional stressors like caffeine, sugar, and processed foods.

You can get plently of plant based protein from beans, nuts, seeds, veggies, and grains, which are also easier to digest and more bioavailable to the system than the hard to digest protein from animals. Our bodies don't have to work as hard to break down plant protein as it does animal protein. A vegan diet should still get you the .8 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight that's required in a healthy diet.

My Diet

I'm very structured and bland when it comes to my diet, so I have a pretty simple vegan diet that I borrowed and tweaked slightly from Wayne Wyatt over at teamripped.com. I bascially eat 5-7 meals about 2-3 hours apart. Here it is:

Breakfast

- Two cups of plain oatmeal, with banana, raisins, flaxseed, and blueberries.

A.M Snack

- Banana, apple, almonds, whole carrot

Lunch

- Black or Pinto beans and brown rice (1 cup each). I also sometimes wrap this in a whole wheat tortilla.
- Apple, 2 whole carrots.

P.M. Snack

- Organic Peanut butter sandwich with whole wheat bread.

Post Work Out (I usually work out in the evening after work during the week, but if it's a weekend I usually do it in the morning or afternoon.)

- 1 scoop Chocolate Vegan Shakeology, 1 tbsp of peanut butter, 1 scoop of Vegan Sunwarrior Warrior Blend Raw Protein (the Sunwarrior protein tastes AWFUL by itself, so I have to mix it with Shakeology).

Dinner

Full blown vegan meal.

Late Night Snack

Strawberries, blue berries, mushrooms, chick peas.



So there it is. What are my week 1 impressions? Not going to lie, by going cold turkey with a vegan diet, I was in a bad mood for the first few days. The week 1 transition was a little rough with my body not used to getting some of the processed foods that I ate before. However, towards the end of the week I did start to feel a lot better, with more energy and even a little stronger. I'm interested to see if I have any significant strength gains during this second week of lifting heavy with Boby Beast. I'll keep posting updates of how the vegan experiment is going weekly.
 

Asylum 2 Review

Asylum 2 Review

 

 While Insanity: The Aslyum Volume 2 is another great work out series from Beachbody, I don't think it was as good or challenging as Volume 1. There were just no workouts as strong as Strength, Vertical Plyo, or Gameday in Vol. 1. However, Vol. 2 will still make you sweat, and it adds a mental component to it with its many agility moves that you have to practice in order to master and do effectively. I will say that many of the workouts fly by because you're constantly focused on getting the moves right and making sure your form is correct, which takes your focus off the time bar at the bottom of the screen. I'm also glad to say many of the work outs involve resistance moves, so weights and pull ups are used much more often in this series. Here's a more in depth review of each work out:

Agility Tutorial:

This isn't per say a work out, since you really only do it once at the beginning to learn some of the agility sequences, but it will still give you a decent work out and is a must to become familiar with the moves later seen in other work outs.

X Trainer

I thought this would be like Speed and Agility from Vol. 1, and while it had some similar qualities, it also added a ton of push ups and resistance moves. Get ready for a lot of ladder agility sequences and your brain to be spinning trying to keep the sequences straight. My coordination isn't the greatest, so this one really challenged my focus and concentration. This was probably my second favorite work out of the bunch.

4/5

Upper Elite

Definitely my favorite of Volume 2, Upper Elite most resembles Strength from Volume 1, but only focuses on the upper body. Is it tougher that Strength? I would say no, but if you up the weights every time you do it, it can get really tough. I also liked the focus on the chest in this work out, as you start every round with push ups, and then right into chest presses on the ground. You then do a bicep, shoulder, and tricep move (back is saved for a later work out). The best thing about this work out is it has 2 burnouts (basically 5 minutes of back to back to back moves without breaks) in the middle of the workout and the end. It kills you.

4.5/5

Power Legs

The sister of Vertical Plyo from Volume 1 (though it focuses only on the legs), I think Vertical Plyo wins out. Power Legs is a tough work out, but I never felt challenged and exausted like I did with Vertical. Shaun T does add some new cool kettle bell workouts which I've never seen in a Beachbody program before, and the last 5 minutes are crazy, so the program also has some positives. Overall a solid, but not great, work out.

3.5/5

Back and 6-Pack

This is similar to Back to Core from Vol. 1, though a little more intense and with more focus on your abs. It's the shortest of the main work outs at 37 minutes, but there are little breaks. You basically switch between back and ab moves, working your entire core. The back moves can be done either on a pull up bar or using dumbbells. A fun work out overall.

4/5

Ab Shredder

You don't start this workout until week 3, and I absolutely love it. It's a lot different from Ab Ripper X and your traditional ab workouts. You're never on your back doing crunches, the moves are unique and have you moving all over the place, making it not even feel like an ab workout. But trust me, you'll have a six pack in no time if you do this one. Definitely adding it to future hybrids.

4.5/5

Championship

I was disappointed with this one. This is supposed to be like Gameday from Volume 1, but in my opinion it just doesn't compare in difficulty. Gameday had me exhausted and shaking at the end of it, not wanting to move for hours. Championship just doesn't match its intensity, and I feel Shaun T spends too much time talking and explaining the moves, giving too much rest in between. For the work out considered the "end game" of Volume 2, I wouldn't even put it as the hardest work out (Upper Elite takes that award in my opinion).

2.5/5

There are two other work outs included; Off Day Stretch and Pure Contact. Stretch is your typical recovery day and Pure Contact is a nice supplemental work out involving agility and pike moves.


Insanity Asylum Volume 1 is still my favorite BB work out program, so Volume 2 had to do a lot to ovetake the #1 spot. While I like how its workouts focus more on specific muscle groups (most Vol. 1 workouts worked your entire body), it just didn't match the overall difficulty and intensity of the first. I am excited to try the 60 day hybrid that involves mixing both Volume 1 and 2, I think putting both work out programs together will create a fun and challenging work out program. I'll most likely do that to train for the tough mudder I plan on doing in June.

I will add that I thought Shaun T was at his best in this program...the dude is motivational and makes you want to do better. He was also pretty hilarious at times. He's getting up there with Tony Horton.

Oh, and if you're interested, here are the physical results from Asylum 2.

 

Nutrition

I've always found nutrition to be the hardest part of staying in shape. Not only is it tough to avoid all the bad temptations out there that can be a hazard to your health, but knowing what is actually good and bad can be hard also. This post will include a lot of random facts from several different resources about nutrition. These sources include the P90X2 Nutrition Guide, The Book of Beast, and Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs.

You've probably heard that your fitness is 20% exercise and 80% nutrition. The reason why nutrition is so important is because eating properly helps you recover properly from work outs and helps you lose weight and build muscle faster (P90X2). Everyone has different goals for getting in shape, whether it's to lose weight, gain muscle, or just feel good. I won't be able to list all the different types of diets, portion plans, or ratios that may be best for you. But below are just some tips to get the most out of your nutrition.

How often do I eat?

If you're serious about getting in shape, it's important to get on a regular eating schedule. You should aim to eat 5-6 "meals" a day, which includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with some snacks in between. Shoot for 2-3 hours in between meals. If you have a busy job which prevents you from eating that often, then at least shoot for 3 solid meals, but try to get those snacks in. Try to have your last snack or meal 3 hours before bed. Digestion can mess with your sleeping patterns, and sleep is just as important to your fitness as the actual exercise because your body needs ample sleep time to recover.

Agua

Drink as much water as you can during the day to stay hydrated. Being dehydrated prevents your body from functioning at maximum capacity and can make you feel tired. Aim for half your body weight in ounces (P90X2). Remember, if you're working out an hour every day, your body is going through a lot of fluids...you need to make sure you're replenishing your body.

Caffeine

I don't drink caffeine, never have, and never will, so I can't speak to how it has affected my body. From what I've seen and read, caffeine in moderation is not bad for you. It's when we add a bunch of bad things to it that it can cause real harm. Studies show that 2-3 cups of coffee can be good for you (increases metabolism, boost performance, increased mental acuity) (P90X2), although having more than two cups can cause loss of sleep  and increased cholesterol (DDH). But when people add the sugar, creamers, etc to their black coffee, that's when it goes down hill. However, in moderation, there seems to be more good than bad. Green tea is actually a better alternative if you really want to go the extra mile.

 And just avoid the Monster, Red Bull, and 5 Hour Energy.

Alcohol

I'm not going to sit here and say I don't drink alcohol, because I do. But these days I will only drink for occasions, whether it's out with friends, weddings, etc. Gone are the days of having a beer on the couch while watching football by myself.

However alcohol is not a terrible thing. Studies show that alcohol is actually good for your health in healthy amounts (one glass a day for women, one to two for men) (DDH). Moderate drinkers actually live on average more than people who don't drink at all and people who drink heavily. And I am not just talking about red wine, this includes beer and liquor.

Eating Less

Looking to lose some weight? There are some tricks I learned for Drop Dead Healthy that could help you.

1) Eat on smaller plates (use your kids' plates if you have kids)

2) Use a really small fork (smaller bites, eat more slowly). It takes 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain it's full. By eating slower, you'll consume less.

3) Put a mirror in front of yourself while eating (studies show you eat less if you watch yourself doing it)

4) Chew more. You can get more nutrition out of your food by doing so and it can make you thinner because it forces you to eat slower.

Here's some more healthy food tips that Jacobs received while writing his book:

1) Suck it up and eat veggies

2) Avoid the white stuff, including white bread, pasta, and tortillas. Avoid potatoes too.

3) Shop the perimeter of your grocery store...it'll help you avoid the junk food in the middle aisles.

4) Eat protein in the morning...it keeps you fuller longer and will help you avoid grazing in between breakfast and lunch.

Building Muscle

Lost your weight and now want to build some muscle? Get ready to eat a lot. If you start lifting heavy you'll need to continually refuel your body to build muscle. And you'll have to eat clean if you want to get the best results possible.

You'll also need the three key macronutrients to make it happen; protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Protein helps rebuild muscle and stabilize blood sugar, carbs supply your body energy for the workouts and help increase recovery, and you'll need fat so your body continues to function properly (BofB). Some think protein is the most important of the three, but all three are necessary to get the best results.

Your body is your temple

You only get one body...you need to treat it right. What you eat directly affects your body. Your body takes it in, breaks it down, and sends it back out to your brain, organs, hormones,  bones, and muscles...basically every single cell in your body. Proper nutrition improves your health and vitality,  prevents disease, and helps us reach our fitness goals (BofB).

If you want to get the best results possible from your workouts, you need to put as much work into your nutrition as your exercise. I'm not saying to cut out all the caffeine, alcohol, junk food, etc, but a significant amount will need to be. Think of the long term...if you put in the work now you'll be able to enjoy life a lot longer without the worries of disease, medical bills, and so on.