Low Carb Pasta and Noodles
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Matt has had a Japanese intern working in his office for the past 4 months. Satomi has been helping out with various tasks writing reports and administrative and assisting in putting together a new muscle building recipe book.
We’ve discussed the weight loss market in Japan and what Japanese people eat to lose weight. One product that she told us about was Shiritaki noodles or Konjak.
I wish I had a pound for every person who has told me that they could never give up rice or pasta in order to lose weight, here is the answer now they don’t have to.
What is special about these zero carb noodles is that they are made from glucomannan which is a soluble fibre that comes from the Konjac plant.
How to use zero carb pasta and noodles
Zero Carb Pasta Fat Loss
You can use these in any of your favorite pasta or noodle recipes. Spaghetti bolognaise could be on the menu any day of the week now, I like to cook a bit of extra broccoli when I have spag bol.
Stir fry noodles no problem, throw them into your tum yum soup.
Zero Carb Pasta for Health
There are lots of pasta type recipes that are best avoided if you want to maintain your weight. Typically those which have high levels of fat usually from a creamy sauce, e.g. pasta carbonora (bacon and cream).
A piece of sage advice that Matt Lovell gives is to avoid high fat and high carb meals as this is a recipe for FAT GAIN.
If you are going to have a high fat meal then it needs to be low in carbs and similarly a high carb meal needs to be low fat.
By using zero carb noodles and zero carb pasta you can now have a favorite creamy based pasta dish and not feel guilty about it.
At our last seminar the attendees tried these noodles out and thought they were great.
Check them out and let us know what you think?
What’s in the UK’s healthiest pancakes
By · CommentsPancakes are generally considered as not particularly healthy, refined white flour and maple syrup…. not great the traditional way.
We’ve put together a couple of fantastic pancake recipes that are incredibly healthy.
Check out what we put in our muscle building pancakes and our low carb pancakes for fat loss.
When is a problem not a problem? When it’s a solution! Creatine increasing an athlete’s water retention is a frequently cited problem for those undertaking supplementation. However, in this instance ingestion of creatine (Cr) and glycerol (Gly) was shown to be an effective method for supporting exercise in the heat.
By increasing water retention the rises in heart rate and core temperature were reduced during exercise.
Despite these positive effects, a substantial water retention could potentially impair endurance performance by increasing body mass…
This present study on 15 male endurance runners investigated the effects of combined Cr and Gly supplementation. Athletes ran for 30 min at 60% maximum in both hot and cool conditions before, and then after supplementation. 11.4 g of creatine and 1g per Kg of glycerol were administered twice daily to for a 7-day period.
Exercise trials were conducted pre- and post-supplementation at 10 and 35 degreesC and 70% relative humidity.
Supplementation increased water retention and therefore helped exercise in the heat; heart rate and core temperature were both reduced.
Although the supplementated group increased body-mass by a kilo due to increased water retention, the energy-cost of exercise, and perceived exertion were the same. Supplementation improved heat tolerance, so the added weight didn’t impair performance!
Weighing up the evidence on endurance really is aminefield. In addition, Glycerol used in this trial has now been banned by the World Anti Doping Agency due to it’s use as a masking agent; covering up steroid-use! To optimise you performance, particularly where supplements are concerned, seek professional advice!
http://www.yoursportsnutrition.com/health/consultations-2/consultations-matt-lovell.html
Lukas Y Beis, Thelma Polyviou, Dalia Malkova and Yannis P Pitsiladis (2011); The effects of creatine and glycerol hyperhydration on running economy in well trained endurance runners; Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition; 8:24
Carbohydrates (CHOs), branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) have all been shown to improve running performance. So… Why not combine them?!
This randomszed double-blind cross-over placebo-controlled trial looked at thirteen trained adult males consuming either the novel Sports Drink containing carbs (68.6 g), BCAAs (4 g), caffeine (75 mg) or placebo throughout exercise. The men completed two separate running tests, either consuming placebo or sports drink.
Firstly, athletes completed a 2 hr time trial, recording their total distance run. Next, subjects exercised for 2 h at 95% of their average speed, while blood sugar, blood lactate, perceived exertion, heart rate, and the volume of oxygen used during exercise were recorded before and after exercise. Additionally, neuromuscular function was determined by looking at the electrical activity around at the junction of the nerves and muscles. Peripheral fatigue (when the muscle is fully activated but is at its maximum capacity) and Central fatigue (where an individual is unable to fully activate their muscle) were recorded by analysing electrical activity.
Ingesting the sports drink improved running performance, maintained blood sugar, and reduced central fatigue as well as peripheral fatigue). Maximal strength and heart-rate did not differ between the two conditions.
This study shows that sports drinks are better than sweetened placebo… however, it doesn’t tell us a great deal! The placebo had nowhere near the calories of the sports drink, so we don’t know whether BCAAs and caffeine had any additional effect over simply giving athletes more carbs! What is certain though is that any endurance athlete should support their energy needs with a considered nutritional strategy.
If you want to optimise energy, improve performance and improve body composition, then take a look at our endurance E-book:
http://www.yoursportsnutrition.com/goals/endurance/endurance-nutrition.html
Peltier et al., (2011); Effects of carbohydrates-BCAAs-caffeine ingestion on performance and neuromuscular function during a 2-h treadmill run: a randomized, double-blind, cross-over placebo-controlled study; Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2011, 8:22
At the top of the Gherkin
By · Comments8 minute 13 seconds.
Heart rate was 182 all the way up…….
Thanks to everyone who sponsored me!
Fish-Protein Helps Mice Keep on Swimmin’!
By · CommentsIt’s been known for some time in nutritional circles that the quality of protein is often more important than the amount you consume. Most people will consume adequate protein to bulk-up, support endurance, or even just function in everyday life by eating a balance diet.
However, different types of protein may be more readily used by the body than others, and some specific proteins may even influence the activity of enzymes in order to effect performance, health and body-composition.
Protein from the Chinese Grass Carp, prized in Chinese Cuisine, has been previously shown to affect the production of antioxidant enzymes in the body. This study revelead that in mice models, this property can go on to improve endurance!!
Mice were fed the fish-protein once per day before swimming exercise for a 28 d training regime.
Exercise metabolism was monitored by looking at glycogen concentrations (carb stored in the muscles and used during exercise) blood sugar and lactic acid,and protein metabolism. In addition, antioxidant enzymes in the body were analysed (superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase, and catalase (CAT).
Compared with those mice on a normal diet, fish protein significantly prolonged exercise time; increasing the time mice could swim before exhaustion! The high-dosage was the most effective .
Liver glycogen was remarkably increased by seven times or more, showing that the fish protein actually helped carb storage to support endurance! Fish protein also sped up the removal of waste products such as lactic acid, and urea.
Antioxidant enzymes were unaffected by the fish-protein, but metabolic improvements seemed to allow supplementation to enhance performance.
Our own “bioactive protein” strategies have helped numerous athletes support a high training load and enhance performance. Bovine Colostrum may stimulate the body to produce anabolic hormones as well as immune-cells, to help you maintain a high training load:
http://www.yoursportsnutrition.com/proteins/colostrum.html
Ren J, Zhao M, Wang H, Cui C, You L. (2011) “Effects of supplementation with grass carp protein versus peptide on swimming endurance in mice”; Nutrition. Jul-Aug;27(7-8):789-95. Epub 2010 Dec
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