IOL Strength and Conditioning

Trans fat, what is that? Most of us don’t really know; heck, we don’t even know how to spell it, we just know it’s bad. And now we know it’s to be banned in Manhattan restaurants. Well, why? And how are the chefs going to replace it? Let’s take a look.

Most of us don’t know what trans fats are because we tune out the instant we see the description. For some reason, reporters can’t tell the story without adding molecular blah blah blah. See what I mean? Tune out!

Here, I’ll tell you what trans fatty acids are: Think Crisco. There you have it, trans fat, a big white glob of it, and obviously bad for you. Easy!

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We took a look under the hood of the new DietFinder to determine the best diet with which to ring in the New Year, and now we need to figure out how to keep track of all the goodies soon to slide down the gullet.

In this diet analysis software and calorie logging suggestions thread, I opened with the pros of FitDay (both the free and the much faster $29 personal computer version), and some of my buds backed me up, while others offered more diet journal suggestions.

What I wanted to point out today is a new food journal site called The Daily Plate. A bit different than FitDay, the Daily Plate really drills down, presenting a plethora of fast food and restaurant items documented to help you pick out your Friday lunch spot.

Huh! Would you look at that? Dave’s favorite protein-style burger from In ‘N’ Out: Double/Double, lettuce wrapped, no bun, 520 calories. 351 of ‘em fat. Ouch.

What’s outstanding about this new site is what comes next: other choices from the same restaurant having less cholesterol, more protein, fewer calories, what happens when you add fries, what other diners have to say about the meal.

If you live or work in the city and don’t feel like brown-bagging it, an hour at this site will narrow your focus, making it easier to choose what you’ll be having for lunch the rest of the week. Forewarned is forearmed, so it’s said, and I believe it.

By the way, if you want to log your workouts, a free online solution is Gym Journal, very popular. Sticking with offline logging, here’s a $12 workout log that’ll last you a couple of years, tucks nicely in your gym bag end pocket.

Want a little peer pressure? Well, I’m sure you don’t actually *want* it, but since you know accountability works, here’s the spot in our forum that welcomes your new online training log.

You’re not exactly planning a complete dietary failure this month (or maybe you are), but chances are good you’ll scarf up a Christmas cookie, which may lead to a dive into that most-tempting box of Gram’s homemade Christmas candy. Creamy, luscious caramels, that’s how I remember it.

Only… ugh! The aftereffects!

The best thing about carb overload is how rotten you feel about an hour later, or, especially this time of year, that whole week between Christmas and New Year’s.

The upside of feeling so rotten? Desperation for a clean diet just in time for resolutions. Perfect!

How’d you like a trick way to choose the right diet? Here’s the hottest new thing you haven’t seen on CNN: DietFinder, an archive site of the top 50 diet plans… with a big twist: The reader uses a set of sliders to choose what’s personally important. From diet goals to food choices, each of the twelve slider settings instantly changes the diet list to upgrade the match. Pretty Darn Slick.

Once the top choice is selected, the diet synopsis is remarkable. Let’s take a look at the Zone diet as an example of the information available for a relatively mainstream, healthy diet.

• Description summary, leading to a full eight book-like pages of how-to details. Available for printing or to email.
• A nutritionist weighs in with a summary, followed by five more pages of thoughtful remarks. We can get an instant pop-up bio of the writer if we ask for it.
• Submitted reader ratings (more popular diets = more reviews, and vice versa), including top reasons to love or hate the diet
• Links to the diet’s main website, news reports and dieters’ blogs — submissions are thin because this new DietFinder site is only a month old, however as we know from sites like Epinion, Amazon and Wikipedia, people like to make suggestions to other readers. This section will flesh out nicely, although perhaps that’s a bad way to describe the upside of a diet website.

Why don’t you use this opportunity to scope out a nutrition program that’s right for your lifestyle? Planning January’s menu now might keep your hands out of a cookie jar in December.

A couple of weeks ago we took a look at Dave’s current menu, geared to weight gain, or at least holding weight, and compared it with his menu from a few years ago. Let’s add one more thing to the mix: food supplements.

Here again, Dave had listed his supplement intake in the prior report, so we’re able to consider what changes he may or may not have made during the passing years from age 57 to today, about six months ahead of the official Medicare marker, 65.

To recap from 2001:

Morning supplements:
Super Spectrim aminos, Super Spectrim vitamin/minerals, Vitamin C, Anabol Naturals creatine, Body Ammo Joint Connection (MSM, glucosamine), EFA oil

Pre-workout:
Bomber Blend Protein drink, Ageless Growth Formula

Evening supplements:
Super Spectrim aminos, Super Spectrim vitamin/minerals, Vitamin C, Anabol Naturals creatine, MSM, glucosamine, tablespoon Metamucil fiber, EFA oil

Now let’s see what’s happened in the intervening years. Oops, would ya look at that! Almost nothing.

And you know what? I’m totally serious. Here’s a link to the “What Dave Uses” page of the online store, where we find the items above, less Metamucil, which you can get at most grocery stores, and EFA oil, which you’ll want to get refrigerated from your local health food store.

The additions: COQ10, Omega 3 Fish oil capsules and Vitamin E. These are primarily for heart health and joint health, and were added after we learned of their value these past few years.

The subtractions: None. And this has been going on for decades, I kid you not. Would that the rest of us should be so consistent!

The key to such consistency is to set up the vitamins at a standard time each day. Dave, for instance, sets out the follow day’s supplements every night while he’s drinking is final protein shake or downing a last can of tuna. Never misses.

Today, a few years after Dave’s daily menu was posted, a quick review shows change does happen, yet that boring Bomber diet remains… boring. His meat selection was swapped, and he must have gotten sick of red potatoes, but in nearly every other element, he and his diet are unwavering.

Let’s take a closer look.

In 2001 at age 60, 225 pounds with a desire to hold weight, training hard two hours, five times a week, he wrote:

Fact is, I enjoy the order and rigidness of my diet—brings me peace. No regimen, I feel sloppy and careless, guessing and out of control.

Total consumption for an average day:
4,520 calories, 426 g protein, 434 g carbs, 119 g fat

Approximate average daily nutrient percentages:
38% protein, 38% carbs, 24% fat.

I’m going to list the foods he eats on an average day in 2006, at 64, 218 pounds, still training as hard as possible, but a little lighter and a little less at four days a week for about 90 minutes. When I’m done, I’ll run it through fitday and we’ll make a comparison.

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According to a recent study by the UCLA School of Public Health that was published Journal of the American Dietetic Association (JADA), eating just one salad a day provides even greater health benefits than previously thought.

The study of 17,000 adults revealed what musclebuilders have known all along; a diet with plenty of salad and raw vegetables does a body good. These foods provide nutrients that promote immunity and reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, obesity, and heart disease.

Here’s a new salad fresh from Stella’s Kitchen for you to try, and updated tips on keeping your salad fresh.

Insalata Caprese
2 Servings

This salad will remind you of a similar Italian antipasti dish but you’ll get to eat more of it because this version is much lower in calories.

Ingredients

4 oz mozzarella cheese (made from skim), cut into small chunks
4 roma tomatoes, sliced (or 1 medium tomato, diced)
1 large head red leaf or romaine lettuce, washed & torn
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Modifications: If you want to make this into a full meal, add a serving of sliced grilled chicken to the top of each salad.

Directions: Mix olive oil and balsamic vinegar together in small bowl and set aside. Arrange tomato slices across a bed of lettuce. Sprinkle basil and mozzarella over the top of the tomatoes. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

In Stella’s Kitchen
Cooking with Fresh Herbs: Did you know fresh herbs release their flavors when they are cut? When using fresh herbs, try adding them to a dish just before serving time or even adding a little extra on top as garnish for a sauce or soup.

Whether cooking fanatics, food worshipers or the lazy who simply know they must eat well, recipes and cooking tips from our gal Stella hook more readers than any other pages in the site.

That is, until the reader becomes the eater, at which time he or she clicks over to Chris McClinch’s Guide to Getting Cut, followed by Dave’s columns for the motivation to steer clear of the kitchen and back towards the gym.

Well. We do need to be balanced around here, and it’s our lucky break that Stella Juarez, author of the under-revision Stella’s Kitchen, popped up with time to concoct new material for us. Look for her forthcoming links to new recipes and kitchen tips in the From Stella’s Kitchen category in the right sidebar, where these days you’ll find How to Keep Lettuce Fresh, Healthy Substitutions and Replacements, Low-Carb Egg-White Pancakes, Stella’s Protein Bars, and her quick and healthy chicken recipes.

Direct shot: Here’s Stella’s blog, and the main page of stellaskitchen.com. Her book is presently out of print, awaiting expansion; meanwhile, here’s the book’s page, which includes a free sampler ebook pdf.

I’ve been more interested in my nutritional needs and wants than most, but unless the FDA or whoever does this, makes it plainer or easier to decipher than they do now, the nutrition disclosures on foods are not going to help educate the public enough to make a dent in their bad choice habits. And unless some concrete standard is established and widely circulated people will still have difficulty making more informed decisions. It can be done, but only if people will take time to look closely at the nutritional disclosures and understand the same. Sounds hopeless, eh?

Take a look at this MedPage article and see what you think.