Hypertension – the medial term for high blood pressure – affects 70 million American adults (per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). That’s 1 in 3 adults in the United States currently suffering from high blood pressure. In Canada (per Hypertension Canada) 7.5 million Canadian adults (1 in 5) suffer from this ‘silent killer’. In Australia (per the Heart Foundation), 4.6 million Australian adults (1 …
Omega-3’s: Why you need them & What to eat
There are a handful of dietary strategies I implement on daily basis for building a stronger and healthier body which have become so engrained in my habits that sometimes I forget to talk about why they are so important. One of these is ensuring I consume enough omega-3 fatty acids – daily in food form and sometimes in supplement form as …
Can Medium-Chain Triglycerides Improve Performance?
As a dedicated marathon runner always chasing down a new PB / PR, I’m all over ergogenic aids and using food strategically to enhance my performance. For example, using caffeine and beet juice have turned out to be quite advantageous to my race results. So when I began my latest round of fat-loading (also a strategy that’s benefited my performance in the past), where I …
Fat-Loading for Race Performance (part 2)
Last year I began to explore the topic of fat-loading, a method used to enhance ones running performance in endurance events lasting longer than 2 hours. The purpose of fat-loading is to teach the body to burn its own fatty acids as fuel (to a greater extent than it already does), thereby conserving glycogen stores. Conserving glycogen stores as much as possible will …
Recipe: Bonk Proof Coffee (the runners take on Bulletproof Coffee)
While acute amounts of cortisol from complimentary stress can be beneficial, elevated or chronically high cortisol is not a runners friend. For support in finding lasting energy, that’s low stress on the body, and entirely plant based, try this recipe for our “Bonk Proof” coffee… This recipe was inspired by my desire to reduce my total caffeine intake, and nourish my …
Fats & Oils to Run From
There are foods we want to eat… And stuff we really need to run away from (good thing we’re good at running, ha). Last week I loaded you up with all the wonderful fats we should be partaking from and the week before that I dished up benefits of coconut oil. This week, to wrap up my 3-part fats & …
Fats & Oils: Fat as Running Fuel
Last week, in part 1 of this 3-part Fats & Oils series, I wrote on why we absolutely need fat in our diets and specifically honed in on the benefits of coconut oil. However coconut oil is certainly not the “only” or “best” fat we should be eating. In fact, while it continues to gain popularity, it is still a processed product …
Fats & Oils: Coconut Oil
There is no doubt that we must eat fat. We need fat in order to absorb certain micro-nutrients (for example, the vitamin A in carrots is only absorbed if eaten with a fat source, such as hummus). Fats supply building blocks for hormones. We need fat for healthy skin, hair and nails. Fat is a vital component of our cell …