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How food can cause stress

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In this video we discuss how food can cause stress. Here are the main ways that food can cause stress in the body. Proteins-Gluten and Casein -There are certain proteins present in foods like gluten (in wheat, barley, and rye) and casein in dairy that can lead to chronic and systemic inflammation. Carbs-Excess, FODMAPS, Sugar -Excess carbohydrates, the norm today, leads to chronic blood sugar imbalances and potentially dysbiosis in the gut. -FODMAPs, are fermentable carbohydrates present in foods like wheat, legumes, apples, and artichokes, among others that can lead to digestive upset -Sugar in excess, which is the norm today, has no positive health benefits and leads to blood sugar imbalances, cravings, and dysbiosis. Fats-Omega 6 vs. Omega 3 -As a rule most people don't get enough Omega-3 fats, which are generally anti-inflammatory. -Generally, most people get way too many Omega-6 fats, which are generally pro-inflammatory from industrial seed oils, grains, and processed foods. Micronutrient-Deficiencies -If you are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals that is a stress on the body that can lead to stress on the body that leads to cravings Food Additives-Colorings, Preservatives, Artificial Sweetners -These are linked to ADD, hyperactivity, and excess cravings. Food Habits-Reward/Punishment -Using food as reward or punishment or as an emotional comfort is a big source of stress. What's the upshot of all this? Eat as much whole, unprocessed foods in favor of real whole food will tend to help with overall stress levels.
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How to Plan Your Meals

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In this video we talk about how to plan your meals. There are four main questions we discuss in this video How do you plan your meals for the week? -All in advance? -Wing it for each meal? -Or somewhere in between? How do you cook your meals? -Everything on a Sunday for the week? -Cook each meal individually at that moment? -Or somewhere in between? How often do you shop for food? -Once a week for everything need for the week? -Go daily to pick things up? -Or somewhere in between? How much variety do you have in your food? -Are all meals the same? -Are all meals different? -Or somewhere in between? We discuss the pros and cons of each option, and then for each specific question I discuss what I do in particular. There's no right or wrong answers to these questions, just what works best for you. But that being said we all have to accept the following fundamental truths. 1. Every possible solution comes with benefits and drawbacks. 2. We are all subject to the same constraints. For example, if you want to eat a healthy diet you're either going to have to cook your own food or have someone else do it for you. Until robots come along to cook things for us those are the two, and only two options.
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CFSB Nutrition Class-Coming Soon!

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In this video we give you a brief overview of our upcoming CFSB Nutrition class led by our very own Coach Megan. The class will be launching January 2020 here at CrossFIT South Bend We're super excited for this class for a number of reasons: -First of all, coach Megan is an awesome teacher and coach! -The class will allow you to connect with other like minded individuals in a friendly and supportive atmosphere -It will allow you to share your healthy eating experience with people who have similar goals and journeys -It's a way to connect person to person in our increasingly digital world -You'll the science behind why you should eat healthy, but also important practical tips that allow you to fit it into your life -Even if you're not ready for one-on-one nutrition coaching just yet or CrossFit this can be a great way to start with your healthjour ney. We hope you join us January for this exciting new class! Stay tuned as we get closer to January for more details.
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Guide to Nutritional Off-Roading

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With the holidays coming up soon people sometimes wonder how they can balance eating healthy with having off-plan foods.
 
In this video we present a guide to nutritional off-roading that will help you through the holidays and the rest of the year.
 
Whether you should have off-plan food or not is entirely up to you, but we help you make that decision easier, by looking at the following 5 factors.
 
-What type of food are you eating? Artisanal pizza in Italy or Pizza Hut?
 
-What type of occasion is it? Your birthday or Arbor Day?
 
-How frequently is it happening? Monthly or Daily?
 
-What's your mindset? Joy/Meaning or Shame/Guilt?
 
-What happens after? Go back to healthy food immediately or keep eating off-plan food for weeks and months on end?
 
Here are a some concrete examples:
 
Better: Your absolute favorite pizza in the world, on your birthday, it's the only off-plan food that month, it brings joy and meaning to your life, and you get right back to healthy eating the next day.
 
Not so great: You scarf down candy from your drawer alone at your desk on a daily basis because you're stressed from work and you "deserve a reward", and this goes on continuosly for weeks and months.
 
Do you see the difference?
 
We hope this helps you navigate off-plan foods during the holiday season.
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What kind of fat should you eat?

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In this video we discuss the types of fat you should eat. There are three main categories here of healthy fats: healthy oils, healthy "dry" fats, and the fats contained in your quality protein sources Healthy Oils -Butter or Ghee (clarified butter) -Olive Oil -Avocado Oil -Coconut Oil Healthy "Dry" Fats -Avocados -Coconut -Nuts and Seeds -Olives Quality Protein -Beef -Pork -Poultry -Fish and Seafood
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Are all carbs created equal? Glucose vs. Fructose

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Are all carbs created equal when it comes to health? Definitely not. It's a very common mistake to think that carbs and sugar are the same, but they're not. Sugar is a type of carbohydrate, but there are other carbohydrates that are not sugar. Glucose based carbs like rice, white potatoes, corn, oats, etc.: -Are filling, and are less likely to produce cravings -should form the foundation of your carb intake -can be utilized by any tissue in the body (brain, muscles, etc.) -Can be had in quantities up to 300-400g a day depending on someone's carb tolerance. -We suggest somewhere around 100-200g a day for most people Fructose and sucrose based carbs like fruits, sugar, etc. -Are more likely to produce cravings -should NOT form the foundation of your carb intake -are primarily metabolized by the liver -Should ideally not be more than 50g a day from a health perspective. It's entirely possible to eat plenty of healthy carbs from glucose based sources while minimizing sugar intake. So, while fruits and infrequent sugar consumption can be an added layer on top of an already healthy diet they should definitely not form the foundation when it comes to carb intake.
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Fry Wall + Halloween Dogs

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In this video we talk about one of my favorite kitchen gadgets, the fry wall. It's a great way to keep your stove top from getting grease splatter on it, and it's a great way to keep leafy greens from falling out of the pan. But, in reality, that's really all a pretext to show your our dog's halloween costumes :) We've got Remi (yellow), Rocket (black), and Jäger (brown) all dressed as ghostbusters for Halloween, with Lila (silver lab puppy) as the ghost/skeleton for Halloween.
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CFSB Nutrition-Tyler’s Story

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In this video we talk with Tyler about his experience with our one-on-one coaching. During our program Tyler was finishing up his MBA program at Grand Valley State, while working in the field of sustainability at Inovateus Solar. Needless, Tyler was and is a busy man. Yet, he still found time to dedicate to improving his health because he fundamentally believes that when body, mind and spirit are all healthy and in line everything else in life falls into place. During Tyler's program -he had better energy -less stress -he gained more control over his food choices -he had fewer cravings -he dedicated himself to truly improving his overall We're super proud of you Tyler and all your accomplishments!
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How much fat should you eat?

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Is "healthy fat" a contradiction? Far from it. Fat is crucially important for so many different aspects of your health. But from a macros perspective one of the most important things to consider when it comes to fat is that it should be your body's main fuel source for pretty much every daily activity under 70-80% exertion. The most a human can store in glucose (carbs) is a few thousand calories, meanwhile the leanest human body on Earth has hundreds of thousands of calories in fat in storage. The range of fat we can consume ranges from the super low 10-15%, for a super high carb low fat diet like a bodybuilder diet, all the way to the other end of the spectrum with 70-80% of cals coming from fat in a ketogenic diet. Both can work, it just depends what the goal is (weight loss, performance, health, etc.) For most people just looking for general health and wellness somewhere between 40-60% of calories is a good place to start, which amounts to about 100-200g of fat a day for an average adult. Remember that fat has roughly 9 calories per gram unlike protein and carbs which have only 4 calories per gram. Assuming 3 or so meals a day this amounts to 1-4 tablespoons of fat per meal. Remember that there's roughly 14g of fat per tbsp, and that your fat will be coming from the protein you're consuming (e.g., ground beef) but also the oils you use to cook with (e.g., olive oil).
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Skinny Fat: A Tale of Two InBody Scans

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What are you made of?
 
Lots of fat and little muscle, or lots of muscle and little fat.
 
That's the question the InBody scan answers.
 
In this video we talk about two adult women who are the exact same weight, and yet person #2 is way healthier and more fit than person #1 because she was way more muscle and way less fat.
 
Put simply, person #1 is skinny fat. Meaning, they seem skinny because their weight is normal but most of that weight is fat, not muscle.
 
They both weigh 125lbs.
 
Interestingly, person 2 is 4 inches shorter than person #1 and yet she's still healthier and more fit at 125lbs.
 
According to the InBody scan
-Person 1 has lots of fat and little muscle.
-In fact person 1 according to the InBody scan needs to lose 15lbs of fat and gain 11lbs of muscle even though her BMI is excellent according to the height and weight charts.
-If it wasn't clear already BMI is a very problematic measurement because it doesn't take account of the balance of muscle and fat.
 
Meanwhile person 2
-Has lots of muscle and minimal fat.
-Her InBody is nearly a perfect "0/0" where she has 0lbs of muscle to gain and -3.3lbs of fat to lose.
-Again, you would think because this person is 4 inches shorter weighing 125lbs would be worse for her than person 1, but that's not the case.
 
What's the moral of the story? Weight, BMI, and height and weight charts have lots of problems. For overall health and fitness what matters is the overall balance of muscle to fat, which a scale can't tell you but an Inbody scanner can.
 
Interested in seeing what you're made of? You can come on out to CFSB to get an InBody scan to find out your balance of muscle to fat.