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24.01.2022 Here is a brief summary of some tips for those looking to build muscle It is important to tailor your surplus/deficit sizes based on your needs. If you trying to build muscle, too large of a surplus leads to excessive fat gain in relation to muscle gain.... The closer you get to your potential for muscle gain, the smaller your surplus typically should be. This is kind of logical, since the size of the surplus controls how much weight you gain. If you are not capable of growing muscle quickly, gaining weight quickly is not a good idea. From a protein perspective, a good guideline to aim for is 1.6-2.2g/kg/day, relatively evenly spread across the day. Under some circumstances, needs might be slightly higher/lower, but this is a good general guideline. If you focus on these key things consistently while training effectively, I guarantee your progress will be wayyyy better than what the average gym goer experiences

24.01.2022 I'm stoked to announce that the Ideal Nutrition team is expanding and Tyler Brooks (@lift_dietetics on Instagram) is now available for taking on clients Some of you might remember that I was looking for an intern a while ago, and although I haven't spoken about it much on here, Tyler has been in that role for about 4 months working quietly behind the scenes. Everything he has done so far has definitely exceeded expectations. He's also into powerlifting (he benches 167.5kg ...) and thinks similarly enough to me that I'm excited to have him helping out with content creation and also seeing clients, but differently enough that I learn stuff from him as well that I can use with my clients too. I've been pretty overbooked with my own clients for a couple of months now and it has made sense to hire another dietitian for a while, but if Tyler didn't accept this offer, I literally had no backup plan The gameplan was going to be to just stop taking on clients and wait until I found the right person, so I'm feeling pretty blessed that things have turned out this way If you have Instagram, it would be awesome and greatly appreciated if you could give him a follow

24.01.2022 Another comparison that could potentially be an eye opener 1x double choc magnum has a similar amount of calories as 5x paddle pops The way I'd view it is by deciding what option would give more satisfaction within the context of total calories and the daily/weekly intake and there really is no specific right or wrong answer ... Collab with @lensonnutrition on Instagram

22.01.2022 I certainly don't encourage consuming a lot of added sugar, but I want to highlight that you really shouldn't be overly focusing on it at the expense of other aspects of nutrition Using this post as an example, both foods come out similarly in terms of calories, even though the Noshu product has almost no sugar Part of this is because:... Carbs = 4kcal per gram Fat = 9kcal per gram Sugar is a carb, therefore it has 4kcal per gram The main reason added sugar is "bad" is because it adds a significant amount of calories without additional nutrients. It is easy to overconsume as well. In this case, the high saturated fat of the Noshu product presents the same problem though And since I know there will be people who want to highlight how a ~50g sugar difference per 100g is massive and shouldn't be dismissed so easily "just because the calories are the same" this below section is for you The first 3 ingredients in order of amounts used in the Noshu chocolate chips are vegetable fat, Maltitol and coconut fat One reason they are able to get sugar so low is because of the large usage of Maltitol which is a sugar alcohol that is technically not sugar/carbs. It is sweet, contains ~2kcal/g and the body treats it relatively similarly to sugar. But it's technically not sugar Maltitol also is a high FODMAP ingredient which could present challenges for certain people with IBS Overly focusing on sugar could lead to somebody going out of their way to pick a product like this even if they don't prefer the taste, while the difference in nutrition is not noticeable. In this case, it would make sense to choose based on preference p.s. although the image features dark choc chips, the milk choc chips come out similarly from a calorie perspective, so this point remains similar for that too Image via @roman.nutrition on IG

22.01.2022 "I think cutting out sugar has been the key for me" is something I hear a lot. But as somebody who likes adding context to things, I wanted to add that when you aim to limit your added sugar intake, typically you aren't just limiting sugar. Most of the time, you are avoiding foods that are also high in fat and potentially also high in non-sugar forms of carbohydrate. Fat has 9kcal/g... Carbs have 4kcal/g Sugar is a carb, so it also has 4kcal/g To put this in perspective I'll use an example: People think of donuts as high sugar One Krispy Kreme Donut contains 193kcal, 10g fat and 24g carbs, of which 12g is sugar. This therefore means that ~90kcal is coming from fat, ~96kcal is coming from carbs, and ~48kcal of those 96kcal coming from carbs are coming from sugar. So in that example, would simplifying it to the sugar aspect sum up what really happen? Not really in my opinion, since the sugar only accounted for ~25% of the calories in the donut. Meanwhile fat contributes ~50% of the calories. Extrapolating that example to when people talk about how cutting out sugar led to X, Y and Z results, it is probably worthwhile remembering that sugar was likely only one portion of the equation in terms the overall changes made Image via @drnadolsky

22.01.2022 I'm excited to announce that I will now be seeing clients out of Valhalla Strength - Brisbane going forward This has been something I have seen as the next logical step for quite a while now, so I'm super grateful for this opportunity. Obviously I will continue seeing clients online as well (and realistically that will still make up >70% of my business), but for a long time I have wanted to have my own space to see clients out of for those who would prefer to see me in pers...on. Valhalla ticks that box for me, and in my opinion, it is the best place for me since it fits my business, my brand, my interests and the things I want to do in the future. I also like the community there too which is a bonus

21.01.2022 As somebody who has been experiencing patellar tendinopathy for quite some time, the research on collagen supplementation and injury recovery has been pretty interesting for me. It is early days and there still isn't a massive amount of research, but what we do have mostly seems promising. At this stage, for those who are interested in trialling it, my typical recommendation looks like:... 15-25g collagen/gelatin and ~50mg vitamin C, 40-60 minutes before training/rehab. This article breaks down the current research and why this protocol might be beneficial, while also highlighting that this is just a best estimate for now and future research might change this recommendation. http://idealnutrition.com.au/collagen-supplementation-for-/

20.01.2022 Protein is typically the most expensive macronutrient If consuming sufficient protein is something that you are going to be doing because it helps you reach your goals, then you can save significantly on your food budget by choosing most cost effective sources of protein Obviously there can be pros and cons of these choices for a variety of reasons, but if the goal is to save $$ while still meeting your protein targets, then they definitely help accomplish that

20.01.2022 I'm super late to the party on this one, but I have finally written a review of The Game Changers documentary. If you are interested in my thoughts on it, I highly recommend checking it out https://idealnutrition.com.au/the-game-changers/

20.01.2022 For a protein source to be low calorie, it needs to be low in fat and carbs This is by definition, since calories are made up of macros Protein has 4kcal/g ... Carbs have 4kcal/g Fats has 9kcal/g Therefore 30g of protein, which is what the numbers in the picture are based off, has to have at least 120kcal, even if it is the lowest calorie protein source possible. Technically it's slightly different than that since the 4kcal/g is a rounded number + different amino acid profiles change things slightly too, but this is a good rule of thumb One of the biggest things I see people struggle with while on restricted calories, is meeting their protein needs. If you base a decent amount of your diet on protein sources that are lower in fat and carbs, it makes it significantly easier to fill out the rest of your diet. So hopefully this image helps a few people p.s. this is just 9 options. It's not a comprehensive list. There are a whole bunch of other options out there

20.01.2022 Some tips on nutrition for strength athletes such as powerlifters and strongman competitors 1) Your calorie total is important, whether you track it or not. If you nail everything else, but your calories are significantly different from where they should be, you probably aren't going to get the results you are looking for 2) A calorie deficit is necessary for dropping body fat in an efficient manner, but to gain muscle and strength, a calorie surplus is going to be the be...st option. Too small a surplus and you progress slower than you could, too large a surplus and you gain fat quicker than necessary without really gaining muscle much quicker 3) Sufficient protein intake is a massive priority. Spreading it out across the day can also help. Being super consistent with this is another priority that should be emphasised above most other areas of nutrition 4) Don't be afraid of carbs. You can still be a high-level strength athlete on low carbs, don't get me wrong. But the research seems pretty clear that carbs fuel power-based activities far better than fats do 5) Don't go extremely low fat either. That can have potentially negative implications such as reducing testosterone if taken to an extreme. Most people won't need to worry about that since it is a super low amount that you would need to drop to though 6) Hydration. Make sure you are adequately hydrated for all training sessions. This is legit the simplest thing you can do that immediately makes you perform better, but so many people still don't do it https://idealnutrition.com.au/strength-nutrition/

20.01.2022 Another piece of marketing that could be considered slightly misleading The Healthy Choice option that is promoted through being 97% fat free is literally only 0.7g lower in fat per 100g The protein, carbs, fibre and sodium are all similar too.... Here's a comparison of the ingredients as well: Healthy choice: Potato (97%), canola oil, dextrose (from maize). Vs Regular choice: Potato (96%), canola oil, dextrose (from maize). There really aren't any major differences apart from that tiny difference in fat intake. The main difference I'm seeing is that it is in a green package Food for thought, and yet another reason to read nutrition panels Image via The Savvy Dietitian

20.01.2022 The numbers in this comparison don't exactly stand out as much as some of my other comparisons, but I still think this is an interesting one when you look at the details. While almond spread is not necessarily a great source of protein, the Macro one has more than 2x as much protein, which contributes a little bit. Since almond spread is so high in calories, you would likely hit your calorie needs before protein if you were using this in larger amounts and had higher protein ...needs. But it still adds a little bit and is worth being aware of. While the total fat is higher for the Macro spread, it has half the saturated fat. To keep things simple, you could argue that this makes it a lot higher in "healthy" fats. The Macro one also only has 7g of carbs and 5.3g of sugar. The Bega one has 43g carbs and 19g sugar. When you see the ingredients below, I would argue that this could easy to misinterpret. Bega Almond Spread Ingredients: Vegetable Oil, maltodextrin, almonds (23%), Milk solids, sugar, salt, emulsifier (322) Maltodextrin is a high GI carbohydrate, which is not that different to sugar, and is not adding any micronutrients. Looking at the ingredients, you will realise that almost all of the carbs are coming from maltodextrin and sugar. Therefore, thinking of this product being similar to >40g sugar, per 100g, would not be unreasonable in my opinion For reference the ingredients for the Macro Almond Spread is literally just 100% almonds Both products are fine and there is no right or wrong. But from an overall nutrition perspective, I would lean slightly more towards the Macro one, even if it is slightly higher in total calories

19.01.2022 Here is a brief summary of some tips for those looking to get leaner When you are in a fat loss phase, it's always a good idea to be striving to minimise muscle loss. Being in an excessively large calorie deficit if a recipe for muscle loss, hunger (which can then lead to overeating anyway), poor micronutrient intake, poor training performance, reduced immunity and a whole bunch of other issues. Too small of a calorie deficit and you are just losing fat at a rate that is slo...wer than optimal. From a protein perspective, my typical recommendation is ~1.6-2.2g/kg per day, to help optimise muscle maintenance, or potentially muscle growth. For people who are already relatively lean to start off with, I would be looking more at > 2.2g/kg/day. I'm comfortable with large deficits of say a 1000 calorie deficit under specific circumstances, for example, people who are larger and have starting calories, or for those who are only going to be in a deficit for a short period of time. I'm also a fan of using diet breaks or multiple day refeeds as a strategy to help offset some of the negative aspects that typically occur when dieting

17.01.2022 Here is a quick comparison of some different plant-based milk options Obviously one of my priorities is always going to be protein. From that perspective, options like soy milk, Like Milk (based on pea protein) and Plant's Answer to Milk (combination of multiple protein sources) are great options From a calorie perspective, unsweetened almond milk has next to no calories. This is because it is mostly water, with a small percentage (often 1.5-3%) of the product actually... being made up of almonds. So for those looking to minimise calories added through things like milk in coffee, this can be a good option Rice milk is low protein, low fat and high carb. Per 100g it has 9.5g of carbs (5.8g of sugar). For those with higher carb needs, it can fit well. But it is not really contributing to your other macronutrient needs The other aspect I think is important is to make sure you are accounting for the calcium that is missed if you are not consuming dairy. The easiest way to do this is to choose calcium fortified dairy alternatives. This second image (from Plant Nutrition & Wellness) covers this aspect. It doesn't feature Plant's Answer to milk, but that product is also calcium fortified As always, there's no right or wrong option and it all depends on context and taste preferences, but hopefully seeing it laid out like this is helpful for some people

17.01.2022 These @simsonspantry high protein, low carb wraps are new to me so I thought some people might be interested in them. From a nutritional perspective, per wrap they come out as 113kcal, 7.5g protein, 3.9g fat and 8.9g carbs and 4.3g fibre. For comparison, the Helga's lower carb wraps (which is an option I have recommended to certain clients in the past) comes out as 150kcal 6.7g protein, 5.1g fat, 17.1g carbs and 4.4g fibre.... A regular wrap is typically closer to 25-30g carbs and 200kcal per wrap, for context. I'm not sure how I feel about the "low carb" tagline instead of "lower carb" since it is kind of on the borderline. That being said, to only have 9g of carbs in a wrap is pretty low for a wrap, and also low in comparison to similar lower carb options. For those who are looking to reduce their carbohydrate intake for a specific purpose, or maybe even just reduce their calorie intake a little bit, they could be a solid option. I personally haven't tried them yet and haven't recommended them to clients yet, so if you have tried them, please let me know your thoughts!

17.01.2022 "Cutting out sugar was the key for me when it came to losing weight" is something I hear a lot And if you've been following me for a while, you would know that energy balance is really what is in control of weight loss, not any individual factor like sugar You could have almost no sugar in your diet and still be eating too many calories ... You would also know that fitting a little bit of added sugar into an overall healthy diet is going to have zero impact on body composition, or even overall health in most cases for that matter That being said when people "cut out sugar" they aren't just cutting out sugar Sugar has 4kcal/g and fat has 9kcal/g. Therefore some high sugar foods chocolate and doughnuts often have MORE calories coming from fat than sugar Simplifying it down to "cutting out" sugar being the trick is missing the mark when you put it like that. Decreasing intake of easily consumable, calorie dense, nutrient-poor foods sounds less simple, but is definitely more accurate in most cases You definitely do not need to avoid sugar completely. That being said, added sugar comes with no major added micronutrients, therefore (among other reasons) it makes sense to not use too much of your calorie budget on it, and limit your intake to a certain degree

16.01.2022 Pink Himalayan salt is something that I have long dismissed as being no better/worse than regular table salt, but up until recently the content of pink salt actually had not actually been tested extensively to confirm/deny this Recently a group purchased 31 samples of pink salt across Australia to compare to a control of white table salt and an analysis was carried out on 25 nutritive and non-nutritive minerals The outcome was that while the levels of nutritive minerals i...n pink salt are variable, they are mostly so low that they are irrelevant in the context of your overall diet unless you are consuming a massive amount of sodium In addition to that though, they also had a variable amount of heavy metals with no nutritional value, that although are unlikely to be harmful unless consumed in large amounts, is still a little concerning. One of these 31 samples also happened to levels of lead that were above the range considered safe, which is pretty alarming It also appears that the samples that had higher levels of nutritive minerals were also the ones that had higher levels of non-nutritive minerals too The way I personally view this is that: 1) I'm not overly concerned about the non-nutritive minerals if you only consume salt in normal amounts 2) I would not view pink salt as superior to regular salt. The amount of the nutritive minerals are so low that it really is not adding any benefit 3) I would not recommend having pink salt in large amounts regularly due to a combination of caution regarding the heavy metals, as well as the thought process that it probably is not a good idea to have an excessively high intake of sodium under most circumstances anyway https://idealnutrition.com.au/pink-salt/

16.01.2022 Do you automatically assume low-carb = lower calorie? This comparison of the Grill'd Simon Says on a low carb bun and a traditional bun is an interesting example of how this might not always be the case. In this example, the low carb "superbun" actually doubles the fat content, which then leads to the total calorie amount being higher.... Since we know that when calories and protein are matched, for most situatuons it really doesn't matter whether carbs are higher or lower, it really just comes down to personal preference Because it comes down to personal preference, there is no right or wrong. It just depends on whichever one you would prefer. But if you are specifically choosing the low-carb bun in this situation because you think it will help with weight-loss, this is definitely something worth being aware of Image via @tom_dietitian on Instagram

15.01.2022 Do I recommend Apple Cider Vinegar to my clients? Nah, not often The only situation it is really useful is for blunting the effect of a meal on blood glucose levels. So in that case it could be mildly beneficial for somebody with pre-diabetes or diabetes Even in those cases though I don't go out of my way to recommend it unless the client brings it up. Plain ACV tastes pretty gross (imo), and if you have the willpower to consume it, there are probably a tonne of other... areas I would work on first For a more in depth look, check out my blog on topic below https://idealnutrition.com.au/apple-cider-vinegar-and-heal/

15.01.2022 These @rokebyfarms Breakfast Smoothies are legit. I reckon they taste awesome and they are pretty solid from a nutrition perspective Each serve comes out as 30g protein which is pretty convenient. It also has has a super high amount of calcium due to the way it is made They don't add any protein powder or anything while making it. The reason it is so high protein and calcium is due to their cold filtration method ... If you are specifically looking to limit carbs or sugar, then this wouldn't be an ideal choice and using protein powder yourself might be a better option. So that's worth being aware of. But for the average person, particularly athletes, the amount of sugar that is in this shouldn't be a concern unless you happen to have excessive sugar elsewhere in your diet. Particularly since the option featured in this comparison has no added sugar As a bonus they are also low-lactose. According to their website they contain only ~2.1g of lactose, which means that although some people who are super sensitive to lactose might get symptoms, the vast majority of people with lactose intolerance likely won't get symptoms from consuming them

14.01.2022 Some people would automatically assume that vege chips are healthier than regular chips because they are made of vegetables Firstly, as you can see from the calories and macros, there's not a major difference from that perspective Secondly, potato is a vegetable. It's often overlooked, but potato contains micronutrients as well. In fact it's particularly high in quite a few micronutrients, including potassium and vitamins C, B3 and B6. I'm not trying to build the arg...ument that potato chips are a health food. I'm just highlighting that they still contain micronutrients The vege crisps contain multiple forms of potato, as well as taro. And I always encourage diversity of plant based intake from both a gut-health perspective and also a micronutrient and antioxidant perspective. So yeah, there is that benefit. But in this specific context, it's not really a huge benefit in comparison My perspective is that it probably makes sense to choose whichever one you would prefer. Neither are really options you want to be having frequently or in large amounts. So if you are going to have them, it makes sense to me to go with whichever one you would prefer to eat

14.01.2022 One of the reasons why people are able to plug either eating small frequent meals OR intermittent fasting as methods of getting great results is because they both can work even though they are at opposite ends of the spectrum If you look at the research on meal frequency, you can get caught up in the outcomes of individual studies which make it seem like there is a certain frequency or distribution of calories across the day that is ideal for fat loss But when you l...ook at the entire body of literature you will notice that it is a pretty arbitrary thing to focus on, because there doesn't seem to be much difference overall From my perspective, it is probably a good idea to distribute your protein intake across the day to help optimise muscle protein synthesis. But this seems slightly more important when in a calorie surplus than in a deficit. Most intermittent fasting studies undertaken in a caloric deficit seem to get similar outcomes in regards to fat loss when total calories and macros are matched, which seems like a clear sign that total protein intake is still a large priority in comparison to timing I also think it is a smart idea to time your meals/nutrients in a way that makes you feel good during your training sessions as well. Disregarding meal timing completely, but then feeling poor during your training sessions due to that doesn't seem like a great idea to me. Obviously it is logical to use some common sense there Does meal timing matter? To a certain degree it does. I wouldn't disregard it entirely. But there clearly are a LOT of ways to get great results. Due to this, I think it makes sense to prioritise your total daily intake far more highly than the timing of that intake. And if you are nailing that, and still want to optimise things further, then it could be worth thinking about meal frequency/timing

13.01.2022 Ever been told that MSG is bad for you? This is something that I've heard a lot of people say, particularly in relation to Chinese food, but most who say it don't have a good explanation as to why it is bad There are some anecdotal reports of things like headaches, nausea and sweating, but this is an area that has been studied and there has been no link that has been found in the research ... The only exceptions to this that I'm aware of are when crazyyyyy high amounts are used in animal studies. And I'm talking amounts that are way beyond what humans would consume. This is not an uncommon issue in animal studies in general though In addition to this, it is in the classification of "generally recognised as safe" by the FDA If I was looking for downsides, the obvious one is that it makes food taste better, so could increase the amount people want to eat, which could lead to other unrelated issues The way I view it is that it isn't something you should worry about going out of your way to avoid. If you personally feel like you have experienced symptoms and are confident there is link, then you do you. There is no downside of avoiding it either. But outside of that scenario, the research clearly does not support the claim people make about it being "bad"

13.01.2022 Understanding this image and its relevance puts you pretty far ahead of the average Joe when it comes to nutrition Calories in and calories out is only one tiny portion of nutrition, and this image is only a portion of understanding the calories out aspect. But the majority of people don't have a grasp on how calories are expended and why knowing that matters And not having that understanding means that the majority of things related to weight management and body com...position don't make sense, which also leaves people open to being misled quite easily or focusing on the wrong things unfortunately To briefly summarise, we burn calories through our - Basal metabolic rate - basically the daily calories burned maintaining our bodies functions even if we do nothing. This makes up a large portion of our total energy expenditure. The thermic effect of food - calories burned through processing food for storage. This is a small example of how eating more literally means you are burning more calories, although obviously it is only small in comparison to the calories added Non-exercise activity thermogenesis - calories burned through incidental movement e.g. fidgeting Exercise activity thermogenesis - calories burned through exercise (which as you can see often isn't actually the largest contributor of calories burned unless you do a massive amount of exercise). To lose weight over time you need to eat below the amount of calories you burn each day through these variables. To gain weight over time you need to eat more than the amount of calories burned through these variables Having this understanding dramatically simplifies things. It also highlights that you probably shouldn't have a long term plan that involves consistently eating under your BMR too considering that is the amount of calories your body requires to maintain its normal functions if you are doing nothing This is relatively simple and could be considered boring, but it is honestly something that is beneficial for soooo many people to understand, so I'm super comfortable repeating it every now and then Image via @aussiesportsnutritionist on Instagram

13.01.2022 We all know that micronutrients are important and there are a lot of factors beyond just calories that matter when it comes to nutrition But when it comes to flexible dieting, which is something that I promote, I think it is worthwhile also factoring in the volume of food a bit into your thinking For people looking to lose weight, you need a calorie deficit. If you have a specific range of calories that would benefit from eating, but often find yourself hungry, consumi...ng a larger volume of food for the same amount of total calories can make sense Vice versa, if somebody was looking to gain size and >80% of their diet was coming from good quality nutrient dense foods, but they were struggling to meet their calorie needs, it would make sense to choose a higher calorie option that is easier to eat This isn't a right vs wrong scenario. Sometimes the person looking to lose weight just wants a Mars Bar If that fits into an appropriate range of calories and macros and the majority of the rest of the diet is on point, there really is no downside to this. It might even make it easier occasionally from a mental perspective Making adjustments based on a combination of what you want to do and what you think will make it easier to achieve your goals with this kind of knowledge can make it wayyyy easier to actually follow through and reach your get the results you want Collab with Lana Hirth - Dietitian

12.01.2022 Fun fact: there is a large-scale study from a fertility clinic that indicated that males who consumed protein powder regularly ended up with a median sperm concentration that was 2.6x lower than those who did not . That could be seen as potentially relevant for male fertility. . BUT this research came from outside of Australia, which is super important to know.... One potential reason that was hypothesized for this occurance is that there is also large scale research from the early 2000s indicating that ~15% of nutritional supplements contained undeclared anabolic androgenic steroids (mostly prohormones) This is what was hypothesised to have caused this discrepancy in sperm count, since there is no other theoretical explanation that I'm aware of This research included the US and the UK, but did NOT include Australia. Australia appears to have much better levels of control over this aspect and it doesn't appear to be an issue here This is just one of the many aspects of how sports supplements could impact fertility either positively or negatively that was discussed in my blog post collaboration with The Dietologist - Stefanie Valakas https://thedietologist.com.au/do-sports-supplements-affect/

12.01.2022 A more practical volume eating post A lot of my volume eating posts typically involve comparing something that is high fat and high sugar to something that is lower fat and lower sugar This one compares a croissaint with 1 slice of ham, 1 slice of cheese and thick spread of butter, to a sandwich with 2 slices of Helga's Seed Sensation Whole Grain, 1 slice of ham, 1 slice of cheddar cheese, lettuce and a thin spread of butter + a YoPro + 75g strawberries ... The croissant in this case comes out as 16g protein, 25g carbs and 27g fat. The sandwich + strawberries + YoPro have significantly less fat (10.2g), more protein and slightly more carbs (29g). This is a minor difference that comes out as more total food volume for the same calories. It is likely more filling due to the total amount being larger, in addition to also being slightly higher in protein and noticably higher in fibre (7g) It's not a big difference at an individual meal level, and neither option is "good" or bad." But consistently making small adjustments like this could make it easier to manage your appetite while sticking to an appropriate range of calories for your goals Collab with @lensonnutrition on Instagram

12.01.2022 Beetroot juice is far more commonly used by endurance athletes, but it still has potential benefits for those who lift. While it does have a lot of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, the main benefit comes from nitrates and how they promote improved blood flow. So at minimum, this means you are likely to get a better pump while you lift. But it also means that you are likely to get better performance in terms of achieving more reps on higher rep sets.... Does this translate to more muscle growth? That's debatable, but it is an interesting thought to consider. This improved blood flow due to vasodilation also could have minor potential to help improve injury recovery rates in some cases, but that is just speculation since there is no research on that topic with beetroot juice and I doubt there will be in the near future. It's pretty low on the list of priorities for a lifter, but if you have spare money and are interested in it, it is something worth considering https://idealnutrition.com.au/beetroot-juice-for-bodybuild/

11.01.2022 Beetroot juice is definitely a food/supplement that I believe most team sports or endurance athletes should be looking at if they are trying to optimise their performance. Check out this blog post for more info https://idealnutrition.com.au/beetroot-juice-endurance/

11.01.2022 Looking for nutrition accounts to follow on Instagram? I've just created a list that includes 20 accounts that I think would be worth a follow http://idealnutrition.com.au/nutrition-accounts-instagram/

11.01.2022 Refeeds or cheat meals have long been promoted as a method to speed up your metabolism, manage hunger hormones, improve training performance and also give a bit of a mental break from dieting. I believe that the first two of those points are related to overinterpreting data from short term studies. These show acute spikes in hormones such as leptin, which doesn't actually appear to translate into meaningful changes over the week/month. There MAY be some applications for using... them strategically for improving training performance. In most cases though, glycogen isn't the limiting factor, which is what a lot of people are claiming it will help with. And then it is also worth noting that if you are aiming for a specific rate of weight-loss, adding more calories on a refeed day therefore means you will need less throughout the rest of the week, which could also impact training performance. The big advantage I see of refeed day or cheat meal is that it can provide that break from the feeling associated with dieting and restriction. For a lot of people, the flexibility of having one day of the week where you have a larger calorie budget can help. Personally, I prefer the idea of a more flexible approach where you can include foods you like throughout the week, but I 100% can see how a refeed/cheat day could be something people like and feel makes the process easier. https://idealnutrition.com.au/refeeds-and-cheat-meals/

09.01.2022 YoPRO has a new high protein, low calorie ice-cream You can tell I've lost touch with the common man, because I just went out and spent $12 on a box so I could try it There's 4 in a box, so that is $3 per ice cream ... Anyway, from a macronutrient perspective, these are awesome. Low calories, 10g of protein and relatively low in fat and sugar One interesting thing is that a serve contains 5.7g of Xylitol Xylitol is a sugar alcohol which is technically not a carbohydrate, but it still contains calories. It's sweet like sugar, but has 40% fewer calories (2.4kcal/g, instead of 4) This isn't necessarily sneaky marketing, since they include it in the nutrition panel, but I thought it would be worth sharing for those who are unaware Xylitol could also have implications for those with IBS as well unfortunately From a taste perspective, I kind of liked them. They are on par with a lot of other low calorie ice creams imo. This choc mint one is sweetened using Stevia in the sugar free chocolate syrup It's not quite the same as the real deal, but could still be a great option for some people

09.01.2022 The link between carbohydrate consumption and insulin is commonly discussed, but I would argue that a lot of people misunderstand insulin in part because it is so often oversimplified One problem with this oversimplification is that people often leave out the extent to which protein raises insulin levels Using the example in the graphic, a meal with 75g protein and 75g carbs raises insulin to a similar level (or more in this case) than a meal with 121g carbs and 21g protei...n. If you used the simplified way of thinking, you would assume the higher carb meal would lead to a dramatically higher rise in insulin, which is not what happens. This has two major implications that I think are missed by a lot of people: 1) This is relevant for people with pre-diabetes and diabetes. A lot of people are taught that carbohydrates are the only thing that raises blood glucose levels and insulin, since that is a simple way to communicate the message. But protein also raises them to a similar extent. It's more confusing for some people though, since you don't want to be trying to lower protein intake in a way that has a negative impact on your body composition. That would be missing the forest for the trees. 2) It helps you see past some arguments people make for low-carb, high protein diets when they are discussing insulin as if it is the sole thing we need to focus on when it comes to fat loss/gain. If that was the case, pushing protein higher than necessary would be silly since that would lead to higher insulin. Obviously there are more factors. Insulin and its relationship to nutrition/health/physique is a relatively complex. Simplified messages are important, but I also think it's worth being aware that protein raises insulin significantly and it isn't just carbohydrates that do that Image via @coachjumairaki on Instagram

08.01.2022 Even amongst some of the higher level athletes I work with, I see quite a few people who are not consistently reaching their protein targets to optimise body composition A lot of people wouldn't think this would be a common occurrence, particularly among powerlifters (which is a group that makes up ~50% of my clients) considering protein is so heavily emphasised, but it happens One of the reasons it happens is because a lot of people emphasise protein in general, but d...on't really think of it in the context of their overall calories What I mean by that a lot of people don't think of protein sources in terms of calories per gram - which is how this image is laid out Or an easier way I prefer to think about it is in the context of macros (which make up total calories). If you have a high protein target in relation to your total calories, it therefore means that you can't be getting the majority of your protein from sources that are also high in fat/carbs This is particularly relevant if you are trying to get lean, since the ratio of protein to total calories gets skewed. To avoid either exceeding total calories or under-consuming protein for your needs, a large portion of your protein intake needs to come from sources that are lower in carbs/fats Understanding this concept in the context of your individual needs makes for an easy win for a lot of people. Implementing this on a consistent basis (e.g. hitting your protein targets every day) could be something that helps you achieve your goals noticably quicker Image via @j.kuhnnutrition on Instagram

08.01.2022 These Blue Ribbon Protein Bars are another ice cream option that is lower in calories and higher in protein They have a higher protein content due to the addition of milk protein powder. They have a lower fat content due to the use of skim milk instead of regular milk. They also have a little bit less added sugar than regular ice cream too There are no artificial sweeteners or stevia either for those concerned about that ... Pros: - Tastes good. Not as good as ice cream. But still good, in my opinion - Convenient way to get 10g of protein - Low calorie for a dessert style option Cons: - Relatively expensive. $10 per box, or $2.50 per bar - Still doesn't taste like ice cream You could view this from a few perspectives. For example, these bars could be seen as a convenient and appealing way to get another 10g of protein in. Or you might just want ice cream because you prefer it

07.01.2022 Back in the days where I spent a lot of time on bodybuilding forums, the gold standard advice was to aim for a 500kcal surplus. Higher if you didn't care about fat gain, lower if you wanted to stay lean. Over time though, my thinking has definitely shifted towards smaller calorie surpluses being more efficient. Larger calorie surpluses don't really lead to that much more muscle gain, but they typically do lead to a lot more fat gain. This article goes through roughly how lar...ge an ideal calorie surplus should be based on your goals and a variety of situations https://idealnutrition.com.au/calorie-surplus-size/

06.01.2022 There are 100% soooo many ways you can spend far less than the average person does on food. Particularly when you factor in how much the average person spends on eating out And healthy eating doesn't need to necessarily involve expensive supplements, organic foods or even more expensive varieties of fruits and vegetables. You can construct a super healthy diet on much cheaper options I'm never going to say that you can't make a less healthy diet that is cheaper than the c...heapest way you can construct a nearly optimal healthy diet. That would be delusional If it really boils down to having a minimal budget to spend on food, yes, there are times that sacrifices might need to be made. I'm super blessed to have never had to experience those times, but I do have empathy. I'm also aware of a lot of factors related to socioeconomic status, cooking skills, access to facilities etc and that they play a role in this too The key message that I want to encourage though is that you can construct a healthy diet for far cheaper than what the average person spends on food. And likely less than you currently spend. And I think it is super important to spread this message since a common thing I see is people equating healthy eating with being expensive, when it doesn't necessarily need to be that way Image via dietitianclare

06.01.2022 I don't really know how popular Cinnabon is. But I walked past a store today and saw their Classic Cinnabon product was pretty massive Massive enough to make me interested in looking at the nutrition info, and even still, I was a little bit surprised to see that they are 880kcal and 127g carbs I'm a huge promoter of flexible dieting concepts, but damn, even I can't really justify fitting that in as a single serve on a regular basis, no matter how you adjust your macros... Meanwhile, using common sense, something like their Minibon Roll could work better I'm not going to encourage it or recommend people go out of their way to eat it. But the key point I wanted to make is that if you are faced with the options of "screw it, it's not going to be a good choice regardless, I'll grab the full thing" or "if I choose the Minibon at least it won't really take me off track if the rest of my diet is mostly on point," then the latter option would be better It's literally a difference of over 500kcal and I'd wager you would feel almost as satisfied after it This concept also applies on a smaller scale to the majority of other dessert options that have larger or smaller serving sizes

04.01.2022 I've previously shared research highlighting that people getting inadequate sleep get dramatically worse results in terms of body composition (losing less fat and more muscle) while in a calorie deficit Protein is a no-brainer too. Sub-optimal protein intake means more muscle is likely to be lost in a calorie deficit as well There is also a tonne of research highlighting the role that stress plays in this as well, both in terms of directly impacting body composi...tion, as well as potentially impacting behaviours in a way that is not aligned with the goal And if you have an inadequate intake of a certain nutrient(s) or food group while eating enough (or more than enough calories), then reducing calories is going to make that even more difficult to address as well I saw somebody else write how you should "earn the right to be in a calorie deficit" and they include a few boxes to tick similarly to what I have included. While I don't 100% agree with that and think there are things you NEED to be doing before you can consider entering a calorie deficit, I do think it is an interesting idea to think about I see a lot of people trying to lose weight while not addressing many/any of these points, and I really do think working on these things consistently first will dramatically improve the likelihood of achieving the results you want to acheive and also maintaining the progress long term See more

04.01.2022 I use diet breaks with almost all of my long term clients who are looking to get leanner. As I've previously talked, metabolic adaptation in combination with other factors progressively reduce total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) the longer somebody is in a calorie deficit. Diet breaks are on way to combat this effect.... By spending 1-2 weeks at maintenance calories, it helps to return the body more to a baseline and naturally reduces the those factors that reduce TDEE. As I discussed yesterday, most people will also experience hunger while in a calorie deficit. A diet break offsets this to a certain degree by resetting some hormones back towards their baseline as well. One example of this is how a one day refeed or cheat meal/day is too short term to noticably effect chronic levels of Leptin (and the acute effects aren't enough to be matter to overall progress), but 1-2 weeks of eating at maintenance calories seems to get the job done. Diet breaks can also help mentally due to reducing feelings of restriction, helping to shift towards positive mindsets e.g. fuelling your training instead of feeling guilty for eating more calories, as well as allowing the opportunity to practice the skill of eating at maintenance. They can also potentially allow people to maintain more muscle mass while dieting too. There are so many positives of diet breaks. The only real downside is that they can extend the overall timeframe a little bit. It's worth considering the involved and the patience required, but under a lot of circumstances they are worthwhile implementing in some way http://idealnutrition.com.au/diet-breaks-for-long-term-wei/

04.01.2022 The nutritional difference between some brands of pesto is insane Pesto is always going to be high in fat and most of that fat comes from what would typically be viewed as "healthy fats" which is a positive But it can still add a significant amount of calories to a meal, which could be a pro or a con depending on which perspective you are looking at it from ... In this case though, choosing the option on the left reduces the calorie content to almost 1/3 of the option on the right Image via @crave_wellness

03.01.2022 A lot of the time, we compare ourselves to other people to judge whether what we are doing is "good" And a lot of people do this with nutrition too. But I really wanted to highlight that very few people consume enough fruits and vegetables Statistically, around 50% of Australian's average around the 2 serves of fruit recommended per day. So that's not too bad. But once you add vegetables into the mix, the numbers drop off dramatically ... This is also food for thought when people criticise government nutrition guidelines for "causing health problems." I'm not necessarily pro-guidelines, but let's be realistic, nobody is following the guidelines if only 5% of the population is doing the fruit and veg part. You can't just pick and choose and be like "people eat more carbs because the guidelines recommend wholegrain consumption" and then ignore the parts about limiting added sugar, limiting junk food in general and also eating a lot of fruits and vegetables Also food for thought - what percentage of Australian's follow predominantly plant based diets (whether vegetarian, pescatarian or vegan etc)? Since they also likely up a large portion of the people meeting these fruit and vegetable recommendations. Therefore comparing yourself to others consuming an omniverous diet might mean you are missing the mark even more I don't need to preach why fruits and vegetables are good. They are so strongly linked with positive health outcomes. I just wanted to 1) highlight the prevelance of how low vegetable intake is in comparison to what would be ideal 2) Balance out the fact that a lot of my content is based on healthy switches etc, and highlight that I'm still a massive proponent of focusing on eating more fruits and vegetables

03.01.2022 The other day I saw somebody post a comparison of chicken breast and chicken thigh, coming to the conclusion that the differences between them were so small that you might as well just choose thigh because it tastes better Personally I don't think it is that simple The total fat content is a bit higher in chicken thigh/drumsticks. It isn't "high" but it is "higher." This also means the total calorie content is a bit higher ... Therefore, you could choose the chicken breast and have less fat coming from there, which could reduce calories a bit. Or it could allow you to replace some of that fat with healthy fat sources e.g. avocado, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, salmon etc Or you could add more total food volume as shown in the image, for the same number of calories Or you could choose based on taste preference, and be totally fine with the slightly higher fat/calorie content. Especially since as I said, it is higher in fat, but not necessarily high in fat in comparison to other options There are so many options and there is not necessarily a right or wrong option. I just thought I would share this image to highlight the context of the difference between the two options Collab with @mediterranean.weightloss on Instagram

03.01.2022 Excited to announce that I'll be the new dietitian (from a distance) for Valhalla Strength - Townsville

02.01.2022 Sometimes small switches can make a massive difference Per 100g, you can see there is an massive difference between the Kewpie mayo on the left and the low fat mayo on the right If you have the same serving size, you can save a decent amount of calories ... And before somebody gets on me about the sugar content of the mayo of the right: 1) A small amount of added sugar in the diet is completely fine in the context of an overall healthy diet 2) When you factor in that this comparison is per 100g and you likely have way less than 100g, the total amount of sugar is pretty small 3) if you are prioritising the importance of that small amount of sugar to the point that you ignore a large difference in calories, you might be missing the forest for the trees Making a switch like this can make a decent sized difference that could be relevant. But as always, there is definitely a time and place for choosing an option solely because you like the taste of it Credit to @cleankweens on IG for the idea p.s. apparently Kewpie tastes awesome, so ignoring nutrition reason, it could be worth a try

01.01.2022 One of the most common questions I get is "can you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?" The answer is yes, although it becomes less likely the closer towards your potential you reach Typically when people are in a calorie deficit they are losing BOTH muscle and fat. But consuming a higher protein diet while optimising your training and recovery can help maximise muscle retention, or potentially even lead to muscle growth ... This particular study compared 2.4g/kg/day protein to 1.2g/kg/day while undergoing a 40% calorie deficit and undertaking 6 training days per week After 4 weeks, both groups lost the same total weight, due to the deficit being matched, but the higher protein group actually managed to gain muscle while losing ~5kg of fat This was a well designed study too since all food and drink was provided to the subjects, which minimises reporting error It's also worth noting that training studies typically involve training to failure which 1) means people will often work wayyyy harder than the average gym goer does 2) typically they can't sustain that level intensity for much longer than this 4 week block without issues In practice, aiming for a higher protein intake (1.6-2.2g/kg/day is my standard recommendation, before adjusting that to individual needs) can help improve the maintenance of muscle mass in a deficit, or help increase the likelihood of gaining muscle while losing fat Image via Nutrition Tactics

01.01.2022 The big benefits I see of these Mission Low Carb Wraps are that per 100g they have double the protein, half the sodium and almost triple the fibre The cons I see are: 1) The wraps are smaller at only 48g, in comparison to the 71g for their regular wraps. This makes the carb and calorie difference look much bigger than it is per 100g. Although this might not be a bad thing for people looking to reduce portions anyway ... 2) They are more expensive per 100g From my perspective, after factoring in the cons, if you are looking for a slightly higher protein option and a much higher fibre option, while also reducing carbs these can be a good option and from what I've heard they taste great too Image via @healthybodhealthymind on Instagram

01.01.2022 You should NOT be aiming to eat below you BMR (basal metabolic rate) for an extended period of time By definition, your BMR is the number of calories required to fuel your bodies metabolic functions at rest When worded like that, it seems pretty logical that you should want to stay above that mark the majority of the time ... If you want to lose weight, you DO need a calorie deficit. You need to be burning less calories than you expend across the day. You need to consume less calories than your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) While dropping to excessively low calories won't stop your weight-loss, there are downsides to it Your body will start reducing or shutting down some functions in order to conserve energy, out of necessity. This can have negative effects on factors such as bone health, energy levels, concentration, muscle maintenance, strength, performance, immunity, fertility and a whole bunch of other factors So basically for weight-loss, the goal typically is to be above that level, while being below your TDEE consistently. It's about balancing both aspects To listen to the full podcast, head to https://podcasts.apple.com//authentic-spoon-n/id1517347184