Carb wars: sorting the good foods from the bad in the new battle of the bulge GI style
RICE CAKES, BAD. BEANS, great. Watermelon is bad. Chocolate’s all right–if it’s dark chocolate. What kind of food thinking is this? It’s all based on the glycemic index, which veteran bodybuilders know as the key to fast-burning and slow-burning carbs.
For quick replacement of muscle glycogen after a heavy workout, the fast, high-GI carbs are best. For longer-lasting energy and satiety, the slow-burning, low-GI foods are recommended. Of course, the GI numbers change when different foods are combined into a meal. Now, several new books make the GI approach easier to understand. The New Glucose Revolution by Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD, and colleagues (Marlow & Co., 2003) provides understandable explanations and updated GI numbers. Companion books, such as 100 Low GI Foods, give additional details.
The GI Diet by Rick Gallop (Green Light Foods, 2003), just printed in the United States by Workman Publishing, simplifies the high- and low-glycemic foods into red-light, yellow-light and green-light foods for weight loss. Gallop, who headed the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Canada, began dieting after he gained some 20 pounds during inactivity while healing from an injury. He was able to lose the weight on a Zone-type diet, but when he had 50 friends go on the same nutritional regimen, only two of them stuck with it. The other 48 felt too hungry and too deprived and/or that the food plan was too complicated. So Gallop set out to design a diet that eliminated both concerns. The GI Diet, he says, helps keep blood-sugar levels stable so the body can shift into fat-burning mode instead of fat-storage mode.
The diet is simple. You avoid the red-light foods, eat yellow-light foods only occasionally and eat lots of the green-light foods. (See www.gidiet.com for more information.) You still need to exercise restraint, because no matter how full you are with green-light foods, the red-light foods can still tempt you.
Like many diets, you can have all the veggies you want (most fibrous foods are “free” foods, so chomp away), and the protein requirements should sound familiar: Eat lean protein six times a day. That’s the tuna, fat-free cottage cheese, very lean beef and egg whites that bodybuilders know so well. The difference is in the carbs. They should be about 55% of your calories, same as a traditional diet, but most are low-GI carbs from vegetables, beans, selected grains, some starchy vegetables and certain fruits.
So this approach goes a giant step further than a simple low-calorie diet, although you’ll likely end up eating fewer calories with a low-fat, low-GI eating plan. The special benefit is that it keeps blood-sugar levels more stable, and therefore your body’s insulin production doesn’t hit peaks and valleys, either. Insulin, a muscle-building hormone in some circumstances, can also promote fat storage, so you want to control it. Blood-sugar highs lead to blood-sugar lows, which make you feel hungry. Eating low-GI foods helps you avoid those highs and lows, so you feel satiated longer, Gallop notes.
WEIGHT LOSS VS. PEAK PERFORMANCE
The Brand-Miller books are more encyclopedic regarding the body’s response to carbohydrate. The main book, The New Glucose Revolution (a major update from The Glucose Revolution of 1999), has sections on weight control, peak performance for athletes, heart health and insulin resistance, lots of questions and answers and a comprehensive listing of foods and their glycemic indexes and glycemic loads. The glycemic load is a new concept that takes into account serving sizes; the GI is based generally on 50-gram servings, which aren’t typical for many foods.
In modern times, as people ate more saturated fat, less fiber and more refined grains, their blood glucose and insulin response got higher, which some experts link to the development of heart disease and diabetes. Low-GI foods can aid fat loss because they provide longer-lasting satiety, notes the book. On the flip side, high-GI foods can leave you hungrier as blood-glucose levels fall after their rapid rise, and stress hormones released in response to high-GI foods may stimulate appetite.
The Brand-Miller book doesn’t neglect the athlete. It devotes considerable space to performance nutrition, including the need for pre- and postworkout carbohydrates: lower-GI foods before, high-GI foods during and after.
No need to get bored on a low-GI diet; both the Brand-Miller and Gallop books offer recipes. For even more cooking and recipe information, Gallop and Emily Richards have written a companion book, Living the GI Diet (Random House Canada, 2003). You also don’t need to memorize all the GI numbers. The New Glucose Revolution offers several pocket guides, such as The Complete Guide to Glycemic Index Values.
Surrounded by the low-carb-diet frenzy, it’s good to have guidelines for tailoring carb intake to your needs. The two basic books will make you more aware of sustained-energy foods and the importance of serving sizes. You can still have your fruit, milk, bread, pasta and potatoes, as long as they’re the right kinds in the right amounts, eaten at the right times.
Lighting the Way
Red-Light Foods With High GI Green-Light Foods With Low GI
AVOID THESE IF DIETING* EAT THESE; NOTE PORTION LIMITS
Instant rice Basmatl rice (2/a cup cooked**)
Mashed potatoes New potatoes, boiled (2-3 small**)
Cornflakes Old-fashioned oatmeal
(from 1/2 cup dry**)
White bread Stone-ground whole-wheat bread
(1 slice**)
Watermelon Apple
* But suitable after a hard workout.
** Recommended green-light portion sizes listed. Based on Rick Gallop's
The GI Diet.
Credits:
- COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
- COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
Are High Protein Diets Safe? Dispelling The Myths – Layne Norton
Ever since the day I first touched a weight, I’ve heard them, the myths surrounding weightlifting and bodybuilding. I’m sure you’ve heard some of them at one time or another as well. Everything from “weightlifting stunts your growth” to “lifting weights shrinks your penis” to “you know creatine is a steroid, right?”
While many myths are easy to write off as being ridiculous, the myths surrounding protein intake are more widespread. Many people have the impression that high protein diets are unhealthy. Kidney damage, liver damage, heart disease, osteoporosis and others have all been blamed, to some degree, on high protein intakes.
Even the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Nutrition Committee stated in 2001 “Individuals who follow these (high protein) diets are at risk for… potential cardiac, renal, bone, and liver abnormalities.” Unfortunately for the AHA, there is very little scientific validity to their claim, and much scientific evidence to the contrary.
Myth One – Kidneys
The kidneys are involved in nitrogen excretion, and thus it has been theorized by some that a high nitrogen intake (protein) may cause stress to the kidneys. Additionally, low protein diets have typically been recommended to people who suffer from renal disorders. To conclude that a high protein intake damages the kidney is very tenuous however.
A study examining bodybuilders with protein intakes of 2.8g/kg vs. well trained athletes with moderate protein intakes revealed no significant differences in kidney function between the groups.1 Additionally, a review of the scientific literature on protein intake and renal function concluded that “there is no reason to restrict protein in healthy individuals.”
Furthermore, the review concluded that not only does a low protein intake not prevent the decline in renal function with age, it may actually be the major cause of the decline!2
This conclusion is supported by the fact that the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), did not reveal a low protein diet to be beneficial to blunting the progression of chronic renal failure.3
Myth Two – Liver
There is absolutely no evidence to support the notion that a high protein intake is detrimental to the liver. Protein is needed to repair liver tissue and provide methionine for the conversion of fats to lipoproteins so that they may be removed from the liver.4
Amino acids are also the main fuel source for the liver. Additionally, in alcoholic liver disease a high protein diet has been shown to improve liver function and reduce mortality and branch chain amino acids are also being investigated as a treatment for liver disease.5,6
In the case of any tissue that is damaged, protein will be required to repair the damaged tissue. Therefore, a higher than normal intake of protein is needed to provide the amino acids necessary for repair and recovery of the organ.
Myth Three – Bone
Another major knock on high protein diets is that they cause increased calcium excretion. Thus a hypothesis stands that over a long period of time, a high protein diet may contribute to the onset of osteoporosis.
However, the real world data is somewhat mixed. Low subject numbers, improper methodology, and several other errors flawed many of the early studies that demonstrated calcium loss due to increased protein intake.7
There is some recent evidence suggesting that an increase in dietary protein may not cause an increase in calcium excretion at all and an increase in dietary protein may potentially improve bone mass in the elderly.8
Moreover, several epidemiological studies actually found a positive association between protein intake and bone mineral density.9,10 Furthermore, low protein diets may actually have a detrimental effect on bone.
Although low protein intakes cause less calcium to be excreted, they also cause a reduction in calcium absorption through the intestine.11 The net effect is a decrease in calcium balance due to a reduction in protein intake.
Myth Four – Heart Disease
Not only does the scientific literature not support the statement that a high protein diet may have a negative impact on the heart, it actually supports a high protein diet for the prevention of heart disease. Recent findings suggest that replacing dietary carbohydrates with protein may decrease the risk of ischaemic heart disease.12
This is supported by the fact that replacing dietary carbohydrates with protein improves blood lipid profiles by decreasing triglyceride levels and increasing HDL (good) cholesterol levels.13
Furthermore, metabolism of carbohydrates and/or fats increases the production of free radical levels to a much greater degree than the metabolism of protein.14 High levels of free radicals are thought to accelerate the formation of atherosclerosis, the major cause of heart disease.15
Diabetes & Weight Loss
A high protein diet may also hold the key to combating obesity and diabetes. Recent research indicates that a diet consisting of 30:40:30 (protein:carbs:fats) was superior to the food guide period diet of 15:55:30 in maintaining glucose homeostasis, increasing insulin sensitivity, and improving glucose control in normal people and those suffering from type II diabetes.13,16,17
This same high protein diet has also been shown to be superior to the food guide pyramid diet for weight loss. Furthermore, subjects consuming the high protein diet maintained more lean muscle tissue and lost a greater proportion of fat than those subjects consuming the high carb diet.17]
Several investigators have also reported increased satiety with the high-protein diet compared to a control high carb diet.18,19 In summary, a high protein, lowered carbohydrate diet is superior to a high carb (i.e. food guide pyramid) diet in promoting fat loss, muscle maintenance, and appetite suppression.
Conclusion – You Can Have Your High Protein Cake & Eat It Too!
Much of this evidence I have presented not only contradicts the statement that high protein diets are unsafe, but supports high protein diets in the prevention/treatment of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Those are three of the world’s biggest killers, and a high protein diet may be the key to reducing the incidence of all of them!
Perhaps the American Heart Association and the rest of the high protein naysayers would be best served to get the facts first, rather than making statements with little to no scientific support. So next time someone tells you that a high protein diet is bad for you, slide this article on over to them, then sit back and enjoy your next high protein meal.
References
1. Poortmans JR, Dellalieux O. Do regular high-protein diets have potential health risks on kidney function in athletes? Int J Sports Nutr 2000;10:28-38.
2. Walser M. Effects of protein intake on renal function and on the development of renal disease. In: The Role of Protein and Amino Acids in Sustaining and Enhancing Performance. Committee on Military Nutrition Research, Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 1999, pp. 137-154.
3. Klahr S, Levey AS, Beck GJ et al. The effects of dietary protein restriction and blood-pressure control on the progression of chronic renal failure. N Engl J Med 1994;330:877-884.
4. Navder KP, Lieber CS. Nutrition and alcoholism. In: Bronner, F. ed. Nutritional Aspects and Clinical Management of ChronicDisorders and Diseases. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2003, pp. 307-320.
5. Mendellhall C, Moritz T, Roselle GA et al. A study of oral nutrition support with oxadrolone in malnourished patients with alcoholic hepatitis: results of a Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study. Hepatology 1993;17:564-576.
6. Suzuki K, Kato A, Iwai M. Branched-chain amino acid treatment in patients with liver cirrhosis. Hepatol Res. 2004 Dec;30S:25-29.
7. Ginty F. Dietary protein and bone health. Proc Nutr Soc 2003;62:867-76.
8. Dawson-Hughes B, Harris SS, Rasmussen H et al. Effect of dietary protein supplements on calcium excretion in healthy older men and women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004;89:1169-73.
9. Geinoz G, Rapin CH, Rizzoli R et al. Relationship between bone mineral density and dietary intakes in the elderly. Osteoporos Int 1993;3:242-8.
10. Cooper C, Atkinson EJ, Hensrud DD et al. Dietary protein intake and bone mass in women. Calcif Tissue Int 1996;58:320-325.
11. Kerstetter JE, Svastislee C, Caseria D et al. A threshold for low-protein-diet-induced elevations in parathyroid hormone. Am J Clin Nutr 2000;72:168-173.
12. Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JA et al. Dietary protein and risk of ischemic heart disease in women. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70:221-227.
13. Layman DK, Boileau RA, Erickson DJ, Painter JE, Shiue H, Sather C, Christou DD. A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles during weight loss in adult women. J Nutr. 2003 Feb;133(2):411-7.
14. Mohanty P, Ghanim H, Hamouda W et al. Both lipid and protein intake stimulates increased generation of reactive oxygen species by polymorphonuclear leukocytes and mononuclear cells. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;75:767-772.
15. Paolisso G, Esposito R, D’Alessio MA, Barbieri M. Primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerosis: is there a role for antioxidants? Diabetes Metab. 1999 Sep;25(4):298-306.
16. Layman DK, Baum JI. Dietary protein impact on glycemic control during weight loss. J Nutr. 2004 Apr;134(4):968S-73S.
17. Layman DK. Protein Quantity and Quality at Levels above the RDA Improves Adult Weight Loss. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Dec;23(6 Suppl):631S-6S.
18. Hill AJ, Blundell JE. Composition of the action of macronutrients on the expression of appetite in lean and obese human subjects. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1990;580:529-31
19. Stubbs RJ, van Wyk MC, Johnstone AM, Barbron CG. Breakfasts high in protein, fat or carbohydrate: effect on within-day appetite and energy balance. Eur J Clin Nutr 1996;50:409-17
My sincerest apologies to Anssi Manninen for not including his peer review article “HIGH-PROTEIN WEIGHT LOSS DIETS AND PURPORTED ADVERSE EFFECTS: WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE?” In my original reference list.
Much information from my article was gleaned from this wonderful peer review and it was also helpful in tracking down other references. Mr. Mannien’s article was published in Sports Nutrition Review Journal. 1(1):45-51, 2004. (www.sportsnutritionsociety.org)
Author Bio: Layne Norton is a pro natural bodybuilder with the IFPA and NGA. He is a PhD Candidate in Nutritional Sciences with his thesis emphasis in muscle protein metabolism. He is also an accomplished powerlifter holding the AAPF Squat and Deadlift American Records in the 220 lb class at 568 & 700 lbs respectively. He owns BioLayne LLC which offers nutrition and training consultations for bodybuilders, powerlifters, and weightlifting enthusiasts. To learn more about Layne and the services he offers visit his website at http://www.biolayne.com
How To Survive… And Thrive On a Diet!
There is an inherent problem with all calorie-deficit diets. They are catabolic. Thats right, take as many anti-catabolic supplements as you like but if you are in calorie deficit… you are in a catabolic state.
Tricking The Body
However, there are many little ways to trick the body so that most of the catabolism is confined to fat tissue and muscle tissue is preserved. In this article, I will give tips how to stay out of muscle catabolism (breakdown) and in fat catabolism.
First off, let’s talk about what kind of diet you should be on. There have been many diet fads in the past few years, with ketogenic diets becoming more and more popular among bodybuilders… and for good reason, they work very well for fat loss.
However, if you have an extended period of time to lose fat and would like to preserve as much muscle as possible I suggest another alternative. To start off this discussion, let’s use, for example, a person who weighs 170 lbs and who’s daily calorie maintenance level is 2500.
To lose one pound of fat per week (a rough estimate of optimal fat loss) they should be eating 2000 calories per day (-500 calories below maintenance).
The Hardcore Bodybuilders
Now, if this person is a hard-training bodybuilder (which I assume is most of my audience) they will probably want around 1.3g protein per pound bodyweight since they will be in calorie deficit and in need of more protein to preserve muscle mass.
That would put their protein count at 220 grams per day (880 kcals from protein). Now we’ll move on to fat intake. The basal fat level for any kind of diet should consist of 20% of calories from fat as a minimum to ensure proper hormonal function among other things (skin tone, nails, etc).
That means they’ll need about 45g of fat (roughly 400 kcals) from fat. Now here is where I differ from people who advocate keto diets for bodybuilders. Having established the basal level for protein and fat we now have appox. 720 kcals left to work with.
People who are advocates of keto diets would suggest that you make most of these 720 kcals come from fats, so that your carbohydrates are kept low enough to allow you to go into ketogenesis. However, I suggest taking these extra calories and adding them towards the carbohydrate count, in this particular person’s case this amounts to about 180g of carbs per day.
Why Carbs?
Why carbs instead of fat? Well there are a couple of reasons… the main reason being that carbs are more protein-sparing than fats. Indeed, glycolysis (breakdown of glucose to manufacture ATP) is much more efficient than fat oxidation. Now I’m sure your asking what I mean by protein sparing.
When the body is in calorie deficit it may actually oxidize amino acids from protein you eat to make ATP, it may even oxidize the muscle tissue itself for energy.
Since carbs are more protein sparing than fats it only makes sense that if our goal is muscle preservation during dieting that we should not neglect carbohydrates. Now before I continue lets take another look at this individual…
- Weight 170 lbs
- Maintenance daily caloric intake 2500 kcals
- Diet calorie intake 2000 kcals
- Protein 220g
- Carbs 180g
- Fat 45g
*Keys to maintaining muscle while on a lowered calorie diet*
Timing Of Carbohydrate Intake
The times when carbohydrates should be consumed are the times at which the body is under the greatest stress and is in the most danger of muscle catabolism. These times are in the morning after awakening, workouts, and cardio sessions.
The optimum way work this diet would be to do your lifting session about an hour after breakfast. If you can in fact do this then here is how I would ration your carbohydrate intake: 40% of daily carbs pre-workout, 45% of daily carbs with post workout meal, 10% with 3rd meal and the other 5% should come from vegetables sources the rest of the day such as salads, broccoli, etc. Rationing your carbohydrates this way does several things.
- Repletes your glycogen stores, thus giving you more energy for your workout.
- Causes insulin to be released (from breakfast meal) during training which will blunt the release of other catabolic hormones. The post workout carbs will help replete glycogen stores and jump start your recovery by releasing more insulin.
- The carbs will be very protein sparing, thus helping prevent muscle catabolism while your body is under stress.
During these high carb meals, you should try to keep your fat intake as low as possible as it will interfere with the release of insulin and will add unneeded calories to these meals. The bulk of your fat intake should be spread evenly over your low carbohydrate meals.
Protein
Protein intake should be even throughout the day although there would probably be a slight advantage to consuming a bit more protein post workout and before your retire for the night.
Now let’s discuss the type of carbs you will want to consume. Pre-workout focus on consuming medium to slow digesting carbohydrates such as oatmeal and bran cereal. Try to stay away from fructose at all times. Your post workout meal should actually be 2 meals, 1 meal immediately after your workout (a liquid meal preferably) and another meal 45 minutes later.
For the individual in question, their first meal post workout a shake containing a blend of proteins (egg, whey, and casein) along with about 20g dextrose and 25g maltodextrin would be an optimal mix. These carbs are absorbed quickly and will cause a quick and large rise in insulin. 45 minutes later, however, this insulin spike will begin to actually crash.
This is where they will want to consume another 35g of slow digesting carbs in order to stabilize their insulin levels and give their body slow digesting carbs to continue to aid in the recovery process. Once again, oatmeal, oat bran, bran cereal are all good choices. I would also suggest a small protein source such as a small (3.5 oz) chicken breast.
Author Bio: Layne Norton is a pro natural bodybuilder with the IFPA and NGA. He is a PhD Candidate in Nutritional Sciences with his thesis emphasis in muscle protein metabolism. He is also an accomplished powerlifter holding the AAPF Squat and Deadlift American Records in the 220 lb class at 568 & 700 lbs respectively. He owns BioLayne LLC which offers nutrition and training consultations for bodybuilders, powerlifters, and weightlifting enthusiasts. To learn more about Layne and the services he offers visit his website at http://www.biolayne.com
How many meals should I eat each day?
We all know that having the right diet is essential to reach our fitness goals and that muscle is made in the kitchen and not in the gym. However it’s all good knowing what to eat but what about when to eat?
Many people think it’s best to eat three big meals a day – Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Those people are totally wrong as eating just three big meals a day makes your body go into a catabolic state which means it stores fat and gets its energy from your muscle tissue meaning your precious gains are wasting a way as you read!
How many meals should you eat then? Having something to eat every three – four hours is the best thing to do as it speeds up your metabolism so you can burn that fat but keep the muscle you have gained, your also less likely to snack if you are eating every three – four hours.
Remember however that if you are eating junk food every three – four hours then you will just get fat and see no progress so make sure all of your meals contain a mixture of protein, carbohydrates and good fats.
