A lot of people ask me what I eat for breakfast so I thought I would give everyone another glimpse into what our mornings look like with all the kids. If you ever thought that you didn’t have enough time to make breakfast- this article should set you straight! Enjoy and Happy Fathers Day to all the dads who wake up to make breakfast!

Breakfast On The Run- Healthy Eating With Kids

At 5:45 am Lucien, my 2 year old starts singing the theme song from Superman at the top of his lungs. I try to ignore him and pretend that I am still asleep in the hope that the universe will take pity on me and make him go back to sleep for another half hour- but no such luck. With no reaction, he starts belting out the theme from the Good The Bad And The Ugly- one of his favorites. Realizing that his Royal Highness had no intention of going back to bed, I get up and pluck him out of the crib. The kids are still asleep- thank goodness and my better (by far) half is still in dream world. After a night of ninjutsu classes- (I am the head instructor and Steph is one of my senior teachers) that go on until a little after midnight, we are both pretty beat. But today is my day to wake up and do the breakfast run, so I let her sleep a little longer.

Right now, my first order of business is dealing with Lucien’s diaper as a nighttime of use makes him feel about five pounds heavier when I lift him out of his crib. Thankfully, there are no unwanted surprises this morning and he is all too happy to have his pamper changed while humming the tune from the Spiderman cartoons (see a pattern here?). Pampers changed, Lucien runs off into the kids bedrooms screaming at the top of his lungs. For a second, I think of running after him so the other kids won’t be startled into consciousness by their little brother jumping on their chests and screaming their names in delight- but I think of the times that each one of them woke me up in just that fashion and leave him be. Payback! I am alone in the kitchen for a second before the cats get me. I’m their best friend first thing in the morning when they haven’t eaten in about 7 or 8 hours and are about to expire from lack of nourishment. It’s hard to walk with two cats rubbing against your shins competing for your attention but somehow I am able to feed them both without stepping on anyone.

My two year old Lucien

Cats fed, the morning routine begins and I start getting breakfast ready. I have a total of five hungry kids to feed none of whom possess simple tastes. That being said, it isn’t uncommon for me to cook 5 different meals for each of them, in addition to what Steph and I will eat as well. Many have wondered if my family eats the way I do and the answer is yes and no. Yes, we as whole, only eat healthy foods- but I don’t really think it would make sense for my five year old to eat the same things his 225lb father with 6% body fat would eat. The cats would love to – but that’s another story. Stephanie, my (very) significant other eats extremely healthy as well and in a way the system of diet and exercise that I branded as Naturally Intense isn’t simply a platform created for my personal training business. It is instead very much our way of life and I am certainly fortunate to have a life partner who eats as healthy and who is as supportive as Stephanie is. Sustaining the body that I have worked the better part of 23 years building isn’t easy and having someone by your side who understands and respects your need to eat clean at all times is truly a Godsend. Very often when one person eats a certain way and their partner doesn’t, it can create major tension. The key is to always respect the other person’s choices and to be very much aware that just because you decide to change your life and eat better it doesn’t mean that anyone else around you is obligated to change theirs.

Breakfast On The Run- The Kids Wake Up

I punch in my for my shift as a short order cook at 6:30 am and I can hear the tribe waking up one by one as Lucien welcomes them into the new day at the top of his not so small lungs. The younger ones  file into the kitchen one by one hugging my leg until I can’t walk very much anymore and again I am trying to not step on anyone. My 16 year old peeks into the kitchen bleary eyed and with the look of a man who hasn’t seen food since the 90’s and asks what’s for breakfast. The kids join in and I answer with my usual answer- which is ‘You’ll see’ and get the usual groans and complaints that I never say what I am cooking ahead of time. They file into the living room to watch Nick Jr. much to the chagrin of  the older kids, but Lucien rules pretty much most of the time when it comes to what they watch on TV and so they sit to watch Elmo cavorting on the screen while my 16 year old pops out his tablet and starts surfing the web.

My daughter Indi loves a big breakfast!

Everyone is having oatmeal today but along with it each of them have their individual orders to go with their main course. My 6 year old daughter, Indi, walks in to say good morning and hugs me so hard that I have to tap out! She always finds it strange that Daddy can’t breathe when she hugs my neck so hard that my eyes pop out! For breakfast, Indi will be having anywhere from 2 to 3 egg whites (often as much as 6 when she is in the mood!) so I put some eggs in some water to boil with Lucien helping me count them out.  I put in 3 or 4 for Stephanie as well as she eats them but you won’t find me eating eggs anytime soon. Seventeen years of eating anywhere from 6 to a dozen eggs every morning has permanently blunted my taste for anything egg related. One day, I decided I couldn’t take it any more and haven’t had any for years. They are still a great source of protein but the memory of all those eggs- some of them eaten raw when I was back home in Trinidad and salmonella was not an issue keeps them off my plate.
My step-son, Paolo is 7 and quite the performer and the intellectual. He has a standing order of a special omelet that I make so I fire up the pan with some olive oil while he stands in the vestibule while I quiz him on his multiplication tables and we discuss the hardness of diamonds. Reid is the muscle of the group. Six years old but about as big as his two older siblings, he has a penchant for running into you at full speed and bringing home all sorts of animals that don’t really belong indoors. Reid isn’t into eggs- perhaps something he inherited genetically from the millions I ate before he was born, but has a taste for tuna fish, not unlike some cats that are still lingering in the kitchen waiting for the much anticipated sound of the can opener. Reid is an eater- he asks what’s for lunch right after breakfast and will hug you hard and not let go if you cook him curry chicken, but not a big breakfast eater. He’ll have some tuna with his oatmeal and of course some fruit.
Lucien is for all intents and purposes the man of the house and doesn’t wait for such trivialities as breakfast time to eat so he saunters into the kitchen and demands to be fed. He

My step-son, Paolo

spots the watermelon I’ve already cut and put into plates and grabs as much as his hand can hold while scurrying off into the living room to see Elmo- whom he affectionately refers to as ‘La-La’. Kuvonn, my 16 year old come in to see what’s ready to go to the table. He’s on the track team which is code for the fact that he will eat just about anything that isn’t bolted down. I’m making him 4 scrambled eggs (with one yolk tossed in) just the way he likes it with black pepper some Ms. Dash, Angostura bitters (don’t ask) and some green seasoning that I make myself. Paolo doesn’t like anything spicy in his eggs so I have to cook them separately sometimes. Sigh. Along with the fruit and oatmeal Kuvonn is all set for his day.
Most of the food is ready so Kuvonn starts bringing out the plates while looking on in dismay at the piling dishes in the sink. He has permanent dish washing duties until the others are tall enough to reach the sink and he dreads the aftermath that comes with cooking for seven of New York’s hungriest. While he carts stuff out, I have more countertop space to start preparing lunch for the little kids. Kuvonn goes to a private school where the meals are outstanding but I don’t put much faith in the public school lunches so we try to make something for the little ones every day. They really appreciate a home cooked meal at school- unless it’s Friday which is pizza day and then all bets are off. Sigh.

Breakfast On The Run-Getting Lunch Ready For The Day

Reid isn't terribly fond of oatmeal but he eats it!

Today the horde will be feasting on rice, peas and beef- a universal favorite. The rice is on and I am sautéing some steak strips in olive oil and by now I must have lost at least five pounds from the beads of sweat that are pouring down my brow.  It’s a lot of work but it’s a small investment given the fact that all of our kids have learned to eat well and actually prefer home cooked meals to fast foods. You can’t really put a price on that! With the beef added to the rice and peas and the pot simmering nicely it’s time to make my breakfast. I make a huge batch of oatmeal which is prepared several different ways- I eat mine plain while Steph, Kuvonn and Lucien eat theirs with a hint of vanilla essence some strawberries, blueberries or whatever is in season and some raisins. Indi likes hers with the berries but no raisins. Paolo likes the raisins sometimes while Reid isn’t crazy about anything in his oatmeal except for the vanilla. All orders fixed, Kuvonn carries them in to the dining area (and he’ll make a great waiter one day I tell him) while I get the tuna fish.
I eat tongol tuna with no salt if I am not eating fresh fish of some sort as my protein for the morning. The cats get the tuna water and hopefully they will ignore me for the better part of the day. I will also have a grapefruit- although it is more like half a grapefruit these days as Lucien has taken a liking to them and insists on eating what is in my plate. Sigh. I always have some fruit for breakfast, (I try to eat them as they come into season as opposed to eating the same thing day in day out and today watermelon is in season so the kids will have a little treat. I’ll have 16 oz of water with all of my meals and I have a truly ugly cup that I use to get my water all in. It isn’t aesthetic as Steph has pointed out on occasion but it does do the job and is easier for me that having to drink two glasses of water. Besides there isn’t that much room on the table for another glass anyway!

The kids all drink water as well- thankfully- and we all sit down to eat. Lucien complains a bit when the TV goes off but we think it important for breakfast together to be an activity in

My 16 year old Kuvonn get to do the dishes!

itself. Not something we do while watching TV. With breakfast eaten and the table and dining area looking very much like an active warzone it’s time for teeth to be brushed, clothes to be put on, and lunches to be packed. It’s 8:10 and we have to be at school to drop them off at 8:40 am. Kuvonn catches a school bus, but it is quite a challenge getting the others all to school on time as Indi and Reid go to one school and Paolo attends another about 10 minutes drive away. We strap them into the car seats and we are off to school with the sounds of the Good The Bad & The Ugly blaring in the car- one of Lucien’s special requests and we start the next phase of just another day with the kids. Thankfully Stephanie has cooking duties tomorrow!

Kevin Richardson is an award winning health and fitness writer and one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here.

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Multi-vitamins And Vitamin Supplements Can Do More Harm Than Good

“Except for persons with special medical needs, there is no scientific basis for recommending the routine use of dietary supplements”- Food & Drug Administration

In a rather ironic twist, sales of vitamin supplements have surged as the economy has slowed. Once the mainstay of the health and fitness minded, vitamins are now seen by the general public as a quick, inexpensive and convenient way to improve their health and reduce their chances of getting sick. Thanks to savvy marketing on the part of the supplement industry vitamins now serve as an unofficial insurance policy for those who don’t have medical benefits and can’t afford to see a doctor. There is also the ever-growing number of people  who for one reason or another prefer to avoid Western medicine as much as possible. Vitamins are also popular among those who believe that taking a multivitamin will not only improve their health, give them more energy but also compensate for their poor dietary habits.[1] With over 15,000 dietary supplements on the market racking in over 17 billion dollars in sales each year[2] estimates are that anywhere from 25% to 50% of American adults have taken some form of vitamin supplement over the past year.[1,3] However as ubiquitous as these supplements have become there is still little credible and unbiased research to show that vitamin supplements have any effect in improving our health. On the contrary, many studies raise the issue that most supplemented vitamins are not  just ineffective but may be bad for your health.

Multi-vitamins & Vitamin Supplements Don’t Improve Your Health

“If a product says on the bottle that it isn’t meant to treat, diagnose or cure disease, what is it supposed to do?”

In 2009 researchers from the Women’s Health Institute concluded a 15 year study of methods to prevent heart disease and cancers in post menopausal women. The study was monumental in its scope, observing a total of 161,808 women using vitamin supplements for eight years and then checking in on them for several years afterwards. The conclusions were not very positive as researchers noted that there was ‘convincing evidence that multivitamin use has little or no influence on the risk of common cancers, CVD or total mortality.’[4] Another recent meta analysis of over 27 studies encompassing a total of 355,080 women had a similar finding- namely that multivitamin use had no effect on decreasing the risk of breast cancer.[5] A study on the intake of vitamins E and C by 15,000 male physicians over the course of ten years found absolutely no health benefits as well.[9] These results don’t come from small scale, industry-sponsored, single nutrient research but from credible and peer reviewed scientific study. Nevertheless these findings do little to dissuade the public from using them as the cacophony of self promoting misinformation disseminated by the supplement industry effectively drowns out any negative findings, regardless of how conclusive it may be. What is more cause for concern  are other studies have shown that vitamin supplements may actually increase your risk of certain diseases.

Using  Multi-vitamins & Vitamin Supplements May Increase Your Risk Of Disease

One of the initial warnings for not using vitamin supplements came in 2005 with a study finding that a high percentage of men who were white, well educated, and who had active and healthy lifestyles with prostate cancer had one thing in common. They regularly took vitamin supplements.[6] Following up on this was a trial of 295,344 men enrolled in the National Institutes of Health Diet & Health Study. The trial found that while vitamin supplements didn’t seem to increase the risk of localized prostate cancer, those who took them frequently had in some cases twice the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer. Frequent users were also were more likely to die from prostate cancer than those who never took vitamin supplements at all [7]- a sobering conclusion to say the least.  Positive cancer associations with excessive multivitamin use were strongest in men with a family history of prostate cancer or among those who took individual micronutrient supplements.  Including selenium, beta-carotene and zinc.

The use of individual vitamins as antioxidants has also raised concerns in the medical community after one of the most comprehensive reviews of randomized trials of 232,606 adults using beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin C (ascorbic acid), vitamin E and selenium. Researchers found that not only did participants not receive any health benefits from using vitamin supplements, but that supplemented intake of beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may actually increase mortality.[8] More studies were recommended to research the possible effects of vitamin C and selenium on mortality but in 2008 a study on the ability of vitamin E and selenium to lower the risk of prostate cancer was halted amidst fear of potential harm to participants. The study was stopped after it was found that supplemental vitamin C may do more harm than good as it may serve to protect cancer cells.[9]

It gets worse. A recent control study in the United Kingdom found that high circulating blood levels of Vitamin B(12) and (in cohort studies) folate were associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer [10] casting severe doubts on the use of vitamin B12 supplements and folic acid in men. Another study found that long term use of zinc from multivitamins or single nutrient  supplements was associated with a doubling in the risk of prostate cancer. Adding to the growing evidence for an unfavorable effect of zinc on prostate cancer carcinogenesis.[11]

It doesn’t end there; a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded that, ‘in patients with vascular disease or diabetes, long-term supplementation with 400 IU/day of vitamin E may increase the risk for heart failure.’[12] It isn’t all bad feedback on vitamins as there is compelling cause and effect data linking the use of folic acid with consistent and significant reductions in adverse pregnancy outcomes in women. But on the other side there are also studies demonstrating no beneficial effects of calcium and vitamin D supplements in improving bone strength and reducing fractures.[9] It’s a complex issue but not one where the use of supplemented vitamins seem to make sense, especially given the alternatives.

Vitamins and Anti-Oxidants May Inhibit The Benefits of Exercise

It should be noted that ‘effective’ doses of many vitamins and minerals can be toxic and that high levels of any single nutrient being ingested into our bodies is an unnatural occurrence. In nature it isn’t possible to consume just one nutrient as they always coexist with a host of other valuable compounds. Not surprisingly studies have found that high levels of single nutrients can interfere with the functions of other nutrients and the way our body works. Of concern to anyone engaged in an exercise program is the study which found that large amounts of antioxidants can actually reduce the benefits of exercise. A study published in 2009 evaluated the effects of a combination of vitamin C (1000 mg/day) and vitamin E (400 IU/day) on insulin sensitivity in exercising men and the results were eye opening to say the least. They found that supplementation with antioxidants inhibit the beneficial reduction in insulin sensitivity usually produced by exercise[13] and the conclusion was that anti-oxidants may preclude the health-promoting effects of exercise in humans.

Exercise appears to cause some degree of damage to cells in addition to increasing oxidative stress. While not conclusive, some studies have reported that supplementation with vitamin C and E, other antioxidants, or antioxidant mixtures can reduce symptoms or indicators of oxidative stress while having no beneficial effect on performance.[15] This reduction inhibits the otherwise positive benefits of exercise and researchers advise that until studies fully substantiate the long term safety and effects of antioxidants physically active individuals should avoid them and instead ingest a diet of foods rich in antioxidants.[14, 15.16]

Vitamins Can’t Make You Healthy- Eating Well & Exercising Makes You Healthy

Studies questioning the safety and effectiveness of vitamins are numerous- and yet there are hundreds if not thousands of studies that confirm that regular exercise can decrease your risk of everything from depression to cancer and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin supplements however don’t have very convincing records. What has also been proven time and time again is that diets high in natural foods which contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are associated with lower incidences of chronic disease. Taking vitamins in pill form doesn’t yield similar advantages. It sounds like a broken record but whenever we try to duplicate the health benefits of natural foods with an artificial substitutes it usually doesn’t work and or produces negative outcomes. The use of omega-3 fortified foods and the many dietary supplements on the market are glowing examples of how the supplement industry promotes the use of synthetically produced ‘nutraceuticals’- all of which have questionable effects on public health. While vitamin supplements have seemed to show some benefit among individuals with severe deficiencies, in the United States it is almost impossible to find such a case- even among poorer populations as improvements in food supply and varieties in diet eradicated such deficiencies earlier in the 20th Century.

Dispelling The Myths: Vitamins Replace Micronutrients Not Found in Modern Diets

“Deficiency symptoms have been induced only under experimental conditions and there is no convincing evidence that the ordinary diet requires supplementation with these nutrients.” Food & Drug Administration

While there is no arguing that the average American diet is one in need of improvement, even with a food intake high in sugars, refined foods, salt and fats micronutrient deficiency to the point of severity is almost non-existent. Our problems stem from the overabundance of food which can lead to obesity and the syndrome of metabolic related diseases but deficiencies are the least of our problems today in spite of what you may hear in the media and from studies funded by the special interest groups who want you to buy their products. A good example is a recent study that made headlines reporting that 90% of Americans are nutrient deficient. The ‘research’ found that nine out of ten Americans are deficient in 11 key nutrients including calcium, vitamin D and potassium. It sounds alarming but before you run to buy some vitamins you might want to consider two important facts;

1. The study wasn’t reviewed or recognized by any scientific authorities on nutrition and
2. The fact that the study was done by the Milk Processor Education Dairy Research Program and that the study came with a recommendation that drinking more milk would alleviate these deficiencies.

It’s a typical industry-centered public relations campaign which is designed to looks like a scientific study, but is really just another way to make you buy more products. (Read more on industry marketing practices in The Economics of Obesity)
Throughout history we humans have been able to meet our vitamin and mineral needs by consuming available plant and animal foods. With the exception of human breast milk no one food is better than another or absolutely necessary for optimal health, and by mixing and matching our foods we are naturally able to create healthy diets that not only meet our nutrient needs but also suit our tastes, cultural, religious and ethnic preferences.

Dispelling The Myths: Foods Grown Today Have Less Vitamins and Minerals Than Several Years Ago So You Need Vitamin Supplements To Replace Them

“Vitamins and minerals are supplied in abundant amounts by the foods we eat. The Food & Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommends that dietary needs be satisfied by foods.” – Food & Drug Administration

The depleted soil theory has been a popular selling point for manufacturers in the vitamin industry for years. The theory holds that soils today have been depleted due to intensive agriculture practices so fruits and vegetables today contain less nutrients than they did 50 years ago. Following that logic you need a vitamin supplement to get the missing nutrients. Sounds good but again it isn’t exactly true. Studies have found some reduction in nutrient content in vegetables grown today as opposed to 50 years ago, but his has nothing to do with soil quality which has remained the same. So what is the real story? Well, the marked increase in American food production over the past several decades occurred as farmers developed crops that grew faster and thus produced the greatest yields. The consequence of a faster growing plant is that it can’t acquire the same amount of nutrients from the soil or from synthesis as much as their slower growing counterparts. The differences vary between varieties of plants with declines found in six macronutrients and micronutrients- protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin and vitamin C. The reductions ranged from 6 % for protein, 20 % for vitamin C, 15 % for iron, and 38% for riboflavin.[17]

That being said the study’s author, Donald Davis a biochemist at the University of Texas, affirmed that it was wrong to stop eating vegetables on the grounds they lack nutrients or that vitamin supplementation is in any way necessary. What he did say, was that fruits and vegetables are still extremely high in vitamins, minerals and beneficial phytochemicals and remain our best sources of these nutrients. Valuable nutrients that are not present in vitamin supplements. His study also concluded that while there was a decline in the amount of certain nutrients it must be remembered that this came with the benefit of more available fruits and vegetables available for consumption which have gone a long way towards eliminating severe deficiencies.

More Vitamin Myths Dispelled

There are other arguments put forward by vitamin distributors, all answered by very basic science.

Does cooking reduce the amount of nutrients in our foods?

Absolutely, but not very much and most certainly not to the point where we develop vitamin deficiencies. If this were the case given the laws of natural selection humans would have either died out several hundred thousand years ago when we began using fire to cook out foods or stopped cooking. Either way cooking foods isn’t a valid reason for supplementation. Furthermore- if cooking does reduce vitamin content slightly, what do you think happens when those vitamins are processed and refined by machines and stamped into pill or powder form?

People feel better when they take vitamins.

This argument is equally flawed. Most of the ‘benefits’ of supplements can be explained by the placebo effect and the often ignored ability of the human body to heal itself. Studies showing that people taking vitamins are in better health also conveniently forget to say that statistics show that these people tend to be better educated and have higher incomes. Thus putting them in a subgroup of society that is healthier whether or not they take vitamin supplements.

Unfortunately selling vitamins is often a major source of income for many in the health and fitness fields and few are willing to jeopardize losing their commissions by speaking out against them. Vitamin distributors spend a lot of time convincing professionals in the field to sell their products- I get at least two or three requests a week. All from companies with vitamins purportedly made with ingredients that are more natural and of better quality of what you find on the market. They can be quite persuasive and the compensation is often substantial so it creates a legion of professionals who consumers really trust pushing the use of vitamins. A brilliant marketing ploy, but one that puts profits before public health. The magic pill ideology also takes away from the important and proven effective message of eating more fruits, vegetables and natural foods while incorporating exercise into your life. Taking a pill here and there isn’t going to make you any healthier and in many cases may do more harm than good.

If you enjoyed this article be sure to click here to download a copy of Kevin’s free weight loss ebook

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City, an award winning health and fitness writer and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York City area and need help losing weight or getting into shape give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420. Check out Kevin personal training services here.

References :
1. Blendon RJ, DesRoches CM, Benson JM, et al. Americans’ views on the use and regulation of dietary supplements. Archives of Internal Medicine 2001
2. The Nutrition Business Journal, 2001
3. Dietary supplement survey 2004- Insitute of Medicine
4. Neuhouser ML, Wassertheil-Smoller S, Thomson C, Aragaki A, Anderson GL, Manson JE, Patterson RE, Rohan TE, van Horn L, Shikany JM, Thomas A, LaCroix A, Prentice RL.Multivitamin use and risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease in the Women’s  Health Initiative cohorts. Arch Intern Med. 2009
5.Chan AL, Leung HW, Wang SF.Multivitamin supplement use and risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis.Ann Pharmacother. 2011
6. Wiygul JB, Evans BR, Peterson BL, Polascik TJ, Walther PJ, Robertson CN, Albala DM, Demark-Wahnefried W.Supplement use among men with prostate cancer.Urology 2005
7. Lawson KA, Wright ME, Subar A, Mouw T, Hollenbeck A, Schatzkin A, Leitzmann MF.Multivitamin use and risk of prostate cancer in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007
8. Bjelakovic G, Nikolova D, Gluud LL, Simonetti RG, Gluud C.Mortality in randomized trials of antioxidant supplements for primary and secondary prevention: systematic review and meta-analysis.JAMA. 2007
9.Soni MG, Thurmond TS, Miller ER 3rd, Spriggs T, Bendich A, Omaye ST.Safety of vitamins and minerals: controversies and perspective.Toxicol Sci. 2010
10. Collin SM, Metcalfe C, Refsum H, Lewis SJ, Zuccolo L, Smith GD, Chen L, Harris R, Davis M, Marsden G, Johnston C, Lane JA, Ebbing M, Bønaa KH, Nygård O, Ueland PM, Grau MV, Baron JA, Donovan JL, Neal DE, Hamdy FC, Smith AD, Martin RM. Circulating folate, vitamin B12, homocysteine, vitamin B12 transport proteins, and risk of prostate cancer: a case-control study, systematic review, and meta-analysis.Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010
11. Zhang Y, Coogan P, Palmer JR, Strom BL, Rosenberg L.Vitamin and mineral use and risk of prostate cancer: the case-control surveillance study.Cancer Causes Control. 2009
12. Lonn E, et al. Effects of long-term vitamin E supplementation on cardiovascular events and cancer: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2005;293:1338-1347.
13. Ristow M, Zarse K, Oberbach A, Klöting N, Birringer M, Kiehntopf M, Stumvoll M, Kahn CR, Blüher M. Antioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009
14.Clarkson PM, Thompson HS.Antioxidants: what role do they play in physical activity and health? Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Aug;72(2 Suppl):637S-46S.
15. Evans WJ. Vitamin E, vitamin C, and exercise. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000
16. Sacheck JM, Blumberg JB. Role of vitamin E and oxidative stress in exercise. Nutrition. 2001
17. Davis DR, Epp MD, Riordan HD.Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999. J Am Coll Nutr.

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Is There A Health Benefit To Adding Omega-3 Fats To Our Foods?

Over the past few years, Omega-3 fats have become all the rage in the health industry. More than half of supermarket shoppers polled reported that they believed that eating products high in omega-3 fats would improve their health. Almost unheard of before the 1990’s, the health benefits of omega-3 fats are staggering- so much so that it truly does stand out as a bit of a panacea: regular consumption of foods naturally high in omega-3 fats has been linked to a reduced likelihood of dying from heart attacks.[1,2,3] Omega-3 fats intake has been linked to reductions in blood pressure[4,5], prevention of cancers, especially prostate, breast and colorectal cancer,[7,8,9,10] improving immune system function and development[11] and even seems to have a role in reducing the incidence of depression, anxiety and the progression of mental illness in adolescence.[12,13,14,5,16,17,18,19] Given the impressive health qualities of omega-3’s, and the fact that most Americans don’t consume much of it in their diets as fish and seafood are hardly staples in this part of the world,  it’s not surprising that food manufacturers have rushed to create a slew of omega-3 fortified foods. Everything from eggs, cereals, milk, bread, peanut butter and spreads are now augmented with higher levels of omega-3 fats- making them, of course, far more expensive in the process. But the question remains, is there really a health benefit to adding omega-3 fats to our foods?  With most of the processed foods on the market, the answer is no. But consumers continue to pay extra for the omega-3 labels.

Understanding Omega-3 Fats And Essential Fats

Omega-3 fats and fatty acids in general aren’t as straightforward as food manufacturers might have you believe but the more you learn about omega-3’s and omega-6’s as well, the more likely you are to make better decisions regarding your food choices. Consumer knowledge has sadly become the modern food industry’s arch-enemy, and knowing more about essential fatty acids will most certainly stop you from spending extra money on a new generation of processed foods that will do little for your health. Understanding how omega-3 fats and other fatty acids react in our bodies can be a bit on the technical side, but the chemistry of it really isn’t that difficult to grasp. While most of us think of fish when we say ‘omega-3 fats’- they actually come from plant sources. Alpha linolenic acid (ALA) is the omega-3 fatty acid that you can find in all green plants and is the most common form of fat found in nature. Leaves in plants produce these omega-3 fats (which we call ‘essential fats’ as our bodies cannot produce them) as a part of photosynthesis, helping the leaves collect light while seeds contain another form of essential fats called omega-6 fatty acids- linolenic acid (LA) which serves as an energy storage mechanism.  Omega-3’s are found in high concentrations in our brain tissue, eye tissue and appear to play a role in the glucose metabolism and the reduction of inflammation. Omega-6’s help maintain the rigidity of cell walls in our body, helps with fat storage and the inflammation response.

To make matters a bit more complicated there are actually three types of omega-3 fatty acids that play key roles in the human diet: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) which as we saw comes from plant sources and is extremely abundant, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). All the studies on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids focus on the consumption of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic (EPA and DHA). These forms of fatty acids have what are called long chain forms of omega-3’s which can be easily used by our bodies, whereas the shorter chain omega-3’s such as alpha linolenic acid (ALA) are not as biologically available to us. Simply put, ALA is the pure omega-3 originating from plant sources and it is designed for plants- in order for other animals to be able to use it effectively it has to be first converted to EPA or DHA. Fish are high sources of omega-3’s that our bodies can use because algae is at the base of their diet and they do the work of converting ALA’s into long chain EPA and DHA for us.

When we consume plant sources of omega-3’s our body has to do the conversion and we aren’t that good at it. A study done by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found the conversion efficiency of ALA to DHA in young adult males to be of only a 4% efficiency while another study found the conversion level of ALA to EPA and DHA to be 12%.[20,21,22,23,24] Other studies have found conversion levels to be as low as less than 0.1%[25] and it appears that the conversion rate can vary from person to person and women appear to convert even less.[26,27] These studies were done using flaxseed and possibly soybean oil sources- which are both high sources of ALA.

Omega-3 Fats  Added To Foods May Not Improve Your Health

That being said, guess what form of omega-3’s are usually found in most commercial products labeled as high in omega-3’s? You guessed it- most foods use the far cheaper and less volatile ALA forms from flaxseed and soybeans to fortify their foods, not the long chain omega-3’s that are found in fishes. If you look at the ingredient listings, you’ll usually see flaxseed and soybean oils and that way you’ll know for sure that you aren’t going to be getting anything extra out of the omega-3’s in that particular food- so don’t pay extra for it. Unless the ingredients have some form of fish listed- it isn’t going to do you any good. Even then, it might not have any positive impact on your health. A report by the International Cod Liver Omega-3 Foundation found that foods fortified with omega-3 fats conferred no additional health benefits despite being more expensive. .

A study in the Netherlands looked at 4,800 patients with a history of heart attacks and found that the use of margarine injected with different sources of omega-3 fatty acids had no effect in preventing heart attacks.[28] The patients consumed, on average, 18.8 g of omega-3 enhanced margarine per day, which resulted in additional intakes of 226 mg of EPA, 150 mg of DHA, 1.9 g of ALA, or both, in the active-treatment groups. Follow-up on the patients found that the use of the omega-3 fortified margarine had no effect in reducing the occurrence of heart attacks, even though patients were receiving state-of-the-art antihypertensive, antithrombotic, and lipid-modifying therapy. [28] This should come as no surprise to anyone with a basic understanding of the history of food supplementation, as it is usually impossible to get the same benefits from artificially processed compounds as from natural sources.

The other problem with the addition of omega-3 fats to many refined food products is that it takes the focus away from the other unhealthy ingredients it might contain. Boxed cereals are among the most refined and inherently unhealthy foods on supermarket shelves, but by adding omega-3’s it can put a heart friendly stamp of approval on the box. It’s a brilliant marketing tactic, but one that consistently undermines the best interest of public health. Here is a short list of some omega-3 fortified foods that you should keep in mind are still refined carbohydrates that won’t do very much for your health or your waistline. The ever growing list of omega-3 fortified junk foods includes:

• Frozen Waffles
• Kids Dairy Drinks
• Refined Wheat Bread
• Pasta
• ‘Health Bars’
• Breakfast cereals and more

Where To Get Your Omega-3 Fats

It isn’t rocket science that the best sources of omega-3 fats come from the same sources used in the studies showing its positive effects- namely fish. Oily fishes such as fresh tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring and trout are the among the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids that our bodies can use and you don’t need that much fish to get the benefits. As little as 100 grams of sardines a week will give you 2,200mg of omega-3 fats which is a little less than what you would find in a standard can. 100 grams of salmon contains a little more at 2,300mg of omega-3 fats, the same amount of mackerel provides 2,000mg, fresh tuna gives you 1,600mg and rainbow trout provides 1,200mg- all within what the realm of what most experts recommend per week. Fish oil supplements always leave some room for questioning as there is no real regulation in terms of how it is made or what is actually inside but so far there have been no major reports of illness from using them. Nevertheless, why take a chance when you can also get the protein and other vital micro and macronutrients from fish and be sure that what you are eating is indeed safe?

How Omega-3 Fats Were Taken Out Of Our Diet

In a way you can think of the modern food production methods as a way of removing the fiber and omega-3 fats from foods.

It is interesting to note that very often our desire to change methods of food production can have unexpected consequences on our health. Some point to the marked reduction in omega-3 fats in our diet as an additional reason why instances of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, arthritis and depression have skyrocketed over the past several decades as our intake was far higher in years gone by. Chicken and meats are all naturally significant sources of omega-3 fats, including the useful EPA and DHA forms as their base diet is, like fishes, plant leaves. The advent of grain based farming changed this. Corn and soy as a base for livestock foods created a diet for them rich in omega-6 fats which we know comes predominantly from seeds and altered the amount of EPA and DHA omega-3 fats in our diets. Like fishes, these animals would do the job of converting ALA to EPA and DHA for us, so eating them gave us a higher ratio of useful omega-3 fats. Today’s government subsidized cheap grain programs see to it that a return to their natural diet won’t happen. Instead chickens are fed either fish oil (which, if you think about the idea of chickens eating fish is a little disgusting) or flaxseed oils to increase the omega-3 fat content in their eggs. The eggs are indeed a good source of long chain omega-3 fats, but I for one prefer chickens that eat grass. Cows are fed flaxseed rich diets as well these days to increase the omega-3’s in their milk and thus justify a hefty price increase. A worrisome state of affairs and ironically the fish seem to be next on this list of unnatural diets since corn and other grains are used extensively in fish farming- thus creating fish with lower levels of omega-3’s. Adding flaxseed to their diets helps to offset this some- but whatever happened to fish eating what they were made to eat?

From a standpoint of convenience, omega-3 fats are volatile oils and are prone to rapid oxidation. Refined white flour was created as an alternative to the healthier and omega-3 rich stone ground flour as the removal of the omega-3 fats made meant the flour wouldn’t spoil as quickly and could be transported over longer distances. It sounded like a great idea at the time, but history has shown that the removal of naturally occurring omega-3’s from bread products brought with it significant consequences. (Read my article- Can Bread Make You Gain Weight for a full history.) In recent years, the process of hydrogenating oils was actually another way of removing useful omega-3 fats and making oils more stable. Food manufacturers care about increasing the profit margins of their shareholders- not whether a vital nutrient is being taken out of the public’s diet and so in the 1970’s when trans fats were hailed as a heart healthy food it became a solid part of the American diet. Trans fats created from hydrogenation are cheaper to maintain, make the foods last longer and people liked the flavor. We know now that trans fats are among the most harmful ingredients to your health, but it’s still found in most processed foods. It’s ironic to see that corporations that profited by removing omega-3’s and creating trans fats oils are  profiting today by adding omega-3 fats back to their products.

Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after personal trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Get a copy of his free weight loss ebook here. If you live in the New York metropolitan area and need help losing weight or taking your body to the next level give Kevin and his team a call at 1-800-798-8420 or click here to get started with 50% off your trial personal training session.

References

1. Harris, William S. (1997). “n−3 fatty acids and serum lipoproteins: human studies”. Am J Clin Nutr

2. Sanders, T.A.B.; Oakley, F.R.; Miller, G.J.; Mitropoulos, K.A.; Crook, D.; Oliver, M.F. (1997). “Influence of n−6 versus n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in diets low in saturated fatty acids on plasma lipoproteins and hemostatic factors”. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology

3. Roche, H.M.; Gibney, M.J. (1996). “Postprandial triacylglycerolaemia: the effect of low-fat dietary treatment with and without fish oil supplementation”. Eur J Clin Nutr.

4. Davidson MH, Stein EA, Bays HE, Maki KC, Doyle RT, Shalwitz RA, Ballantyne CM, Ginsberg HN (2007). “Efficacy and tolerability of adding prescription omega-3 fatty acids 4 g/d to Simvastatin 40 mg/d in hypertriglyceridemic patients: An 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study”. Clin Ther.

5.Morris, Martha C.; Sacks, Frank; Rosner, Bernard (1993). “Does fish oil lower blood pressure? A meta-analysis of controlled trials”. Circulation

6. Mori, Trevor A.; Bao, Danny Q.; Burke, Valerie; Puddey, Ian B.; Beilin, Lawrence J. (1993). “Docosahexaenoic acid but not eicosapentaenoic acid lowers ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate in humans”. Hypertension

7. Augustsson, Katarina; et al. (2003). “A prospective study of intake of fish and marine fatty acids and prostate cancer”. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

8. De Deckere, E.A. (1999). “Possible beneficial effect of fish and fish n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in breast and colorectal cancer”. Eur J Cancer Prev

9. Caygill, C.P.; Hill, M.J. (1995). “Fish, n−3 fatty acids and human colorectal and breast cancer mortality”. Eur J Cancer Prev

10. Yong Q. Chen, et al. (2007). “Modulation of prostate cancer genetic risk by omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids”. J Clin Invest

11. Damsgaard, Camilla T.; Lauritzen, Lotte; Kjær, Tanja M.R.; Holm, Puk M.I.; Fruekilde, Maj-Britt; Michaelsen, Kim F.; Frøkiær, Hanne (2007). “Fish oil supplementation modulates immune function in healthy infants”. J Nutr

12. a b Su, Kuan-Pin; Huang, Shih-Yi; Chiub, Chih-Chiang; Shenc, Winston W. (2003). “Omega-3 fatty acids in major depressive disorder: A preliminary double-blind, placebo-controlled trial”. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol

13. Naliwaiko, K.; Araújo, R.L.; da Fonseca, R.V.; Castilho, J.C.; Andreatini, R.; Bellissimo, M.I.; Oliveira, B.H.; Martins, E.F.; Curi, R.; Fernandes, L.C.; Ferraz, A.C. (April 2004). “Effects of fish oil on the central nervous system: a new potential antidepressant?”. Nutritional Neuroscience (Maney).

14. Nemets, Boris; Stahl, Ziva; Belmaker, R.H. (2002). “Addition of omega-3 fatty acid to maintenance medication treatment for recurrent unipolar depressive disorder”. Am J Psychiatry

15. Green, Pnina; Hermesh, Haggai; Monselisec, Assaf; Maromb, Sofi; Presburgerb, Gadi; Weizman, Abraham (2006). “Red cell membrane omega-3 fatty acids are decreased in nondepressed patients with social anxiety disorder”. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol

16. Yehuda S., Rabinovitz S., Mostofsky D.I. (2005). “Mixture of essential fatty acids lowers test anxiety”. Nutritional Neuroscience

17. Caryn Rabin, Roni (October 26, 2009). “Regimens: Omega-3 Fats Fail to Lift Depression in Heart Patients”. The New York Times.

18. Carney, Robert; Freedland, Kenneth; Rubin, Eugene; Rich, Michael; Steinmeyer, Brian; Harris, William (2009). “Omega-3 Augmentation of Sertraline in Treatment of Depression in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease”.

19. Amminger GP, Schäfer M, Papageorgiou K, et al. “Long-Chain omega-3 Fatty Acids for Indicated Prevention of Psychotic Disorders: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.” Arch Gen Psychiatry.

20. Burdge, G.C., and Calder, P.C. Conversion of a-linolenic acid to longer-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human adults. Reprod. Nutr.

21. Burdge, G.C., and Wootton , S.A. Conversion of a-linolenic acid to eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in young women. Brit. J. Nutr.

22. Burdge, G.C., et al. Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids are the principle products of alpha-linolenic acid metabolism inyoung men. Brit. J. Nutr.

23. Chan. J.K., et al. Effects of dietary alpha-linolenic acid and its ratio to linoleic acid on platelet and plasma fatty acids and thrombogenesis. Lipids.

24. Emken, E.A., et al . Dietary linolenic acid influences desaturation and acylation of deuterium-labeled linoleic and linolenic acids in young adult males. Biochim. Biophys. Acta.

25. Pawlosky, R. J., et al . Physiological compartmental analysis of alpha-linolenic acid metabolism in adult humans. J. Lipid Res.

26.Gerster, H. Can adults adequately convert a-linolenic acid (18:3n-3) to eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3)? Int. J. Vit. Nutr. Res.

27.Hussein, N., et al. Long-chain conversion of [13C]linoleic acid and a-linolenic acid in response to marked changes in their dietary intake in men. J. Lipid. Res.

28.Kromhout D, Giltay EJ, Geleijnse JM. n-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular events after myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med. 2010

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Fasting Is Not An Effective Form Of Weight Loss

Fasting is one of the oldest methods for fast weight loss. You don’t need a degree in thermodynamics nor do you have to make any major changes in your lifestyle. You just stop eating, and maybe drink some water and juices, and voila! The numbers on the scale start going down. It sounds like a fantastic idea and there are a slew of New Age products on the market that claim to help you get the most out of your weight loss fast and support your efforts. Fasting is a simple and non-invasive method and is touted by some self-appointed experts as the cure to obesity, when used in conjunction with their products and services, of course. It could be a possible solution except for one small problem; it doesn’t really work. Yes, you do lose some weight temporarily, but most of the weight loss occurs simply as a result of the reduction in fluid retention that comes from not eating. A weight loss that is short-lived at best as it is will be inevitably regained within days of resuming your normal eating patterns. In the previous article we took a look at the questionable role of fasting in detoxifying your body, (see Fasting Does Not Detox Your Body) and in this article we will explore a bit more of what fasting actually does to our bodies and what role if any it may have in a healthy lifestyle.

Fasting & Weight Loss:  Understanding the Mechanisms Of Short Term Fasts

One of the key aspects to understanding what happens during a fast is to have a clear picture of exactly what occurs in your body when you stop or restrict your food intake. Sugars broken down and stored in the form of glucose is our body’s main source of fuel and is essential not only for our muscles to work efficiently but also for our brain. When food intake is restricted, even within the context of everyday life for more than 4 to 8 hours, the low blood sugar levels trigger a rise in the hormones glucagon and epinephrine. These hormones, among other things, stimulate the conversion of glycogen–a form of glucose stored in our liver and muscles–into a useable form of fuel by means of a process called glycogenolysis. Our liver and muscles have enough glycogen to last for two to three days, which is one of the reasons brief periods of fasting, be it forced by circumstances or for spiritual reasons, are usually harmless for healthy individuals.

Studies have also shown that when used moderately in conventional spiritual practices, intermittent fasting does not seem to increase risk factors for eating disorders even in young teenagers who are most at risk.[1] Fasting as a means of losing weight however has been long implicated as both a risk factor and symptom of eating disorders, especially in female adolescents. These disorders can have catastrophic effects on all the major organs of the body.[2,3] Most methods of fasting for weight loss last no longer than a day or two without some intake of food or juices which will supply much needed glucose to our bodies. That being said, there is no possible reduction in fat stores as the period of food restriction will not require our body to use fats as fuel. Any weight loss at this point will be due to the reduction in glycogen stores and water which will be quickly reversed when normal eating patterns return. Skipping a meal here or there thus, is not going to do anything to reduce the fat around your waist or anywhere else.

Spiritual fasting done in moderation does not appear to have any negative consequences.

Fasting And Weight Loss:  The Effects of Long Term Fasting

As we said, conventional weight loss fasting practices usually do not exceed a window of 24 to 48 hours without some intake of nutrients; however beyond this period our body will do its best to prevent the loss of skeletal muscle by using fats as a fuel. Fats from stored reserves in our body are broken down into glycerol and free fatty acids. Glycerol is used by the liver to help bring about gluconeogenesis (literally the new creation of glucose).[4] The free fatty acids are used by your body as an energy source, but not your brain–as fatty acids cannot be used to fuel brain tissue because their molecules are too large to cross the blood-brain barrier. To meet the brain’s large demand for glucose your liver will begin to synthesize compounds called ketones. Ketones, made famous by advocates of low carbohydrate diets, are shorter chain derivatives of fatty acids, which are small enough to cross the blood-brain barrier and be used by the brain as a fuel.

Our brains need fuel during periods of fasting and if extended for long periods of time our body will use proteins from muscle tissue as fuel.

The use of ketones as a fuel source for brain function is a stop gap mechanism by our body to reduce muscle breakdown during periods of food restriction. Given the historical reality of the countless famines and long periods without food endured by our ancestors for thousands of years, this mechanism makes sense as it allows us to have the energy to think clearly and be physically able to find food even in the face of long periods of starvation.[5] The use of ketones reduces the brain’s requirements for glucose but cannot completely satisfy it over time. For the remaining fuel your body turns to the protein in skeletal muscle. Without food for several days all cells in your body begin breaking down proteins. This releases amino acids into the bloodstream which are then converted into glucose by the liver (gluconeogenesis). It should be noted, given what we know of the fasting process, that the fear that many have in terms of muscle loss from missing a meal or two is in fact unfounded. Many bodybuilders in lesser developed countries are able to build and maintain muscle mass with often as little as one meal a day. I can attest to this personally having started bodybuilding in Trinidad, where from time to time I would have no more than one meal a day without any negative impact on my overall muscle mass. It might not feel that great, but the idea that muscle wasting begins within hours of not eating goes a long way to sell protein shakes and bars, but contradicts the facts of human biochemistry.

Muscle wasting is a last ditch effort by your body to stay alive in the face of prolonged fasting and food restriction and is evident in anyone who has not eaten or had inadequate nutrition for extended periods of time ( i.e. weeks or months). As fat stores get smaller, more protein will be used up as fuel by the body–which eventually results in organ failure and death. The heart and other essential organs such as the kidneys fail as a result of tissue degradation, and such organ damage can occur in those with prolonged and untreated histories of eating disorders as well. A cursory look at what happens to our bodies when we don’t eat for extended periods of time make it obvious, given the low food stores available to us for the greater part of our time on the planet, that we would not be designed to easily shed fat and muscle stores.

Fasting and Health

Fasting has yet to be proven as a means to increasing longevity in humans while proper diet and exercise has been proven several times over.

Many would argue that since fasting has been such an integral (forced) practice throughout the millennia that it could indeed be used as a method for weight loss. However there are no long term, peer-reviewed studies to support this claim and all studies on fasting and weight loss are small, short in duration and provide little evidence in terms of long term results. [6] Results which can be obtained by following a consistent regime of proper diet and exercise. Dieting for weight loss purposes also tends to distract people from the changes in lifestyle required for optimal health and weight management, but it may have some uses outside of the realm of weight loss.

Studies have found that intermittent fasting may reduce harmful cholesterol levels, [7] risk of chronic disease [8] and may even increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments.[9] Since the dawn of modern medicine, fasting has been studied as a means of increasing overall health and longevity. Hundreds of studies have been conducted since to document this ancient method of health regulation and while rodent studies have shown increases in lifespan by 30-50%[10,11], no such studies have yet been confirmed in humans. The theory of caloric restriction as a way of prolonging life has many advocates in the health fields, however again no long term studies exist to confirm this[12] and short term studies of caloric restrictions have reported ill effects such as loss of muscle mass, strength and bone mineral density.[13] Studies of Mormons who fast at least once a month show that they tend to have a better life expectancy than the rest of the general population, but a similar finding in Seventh-Day Adventists suggests that fasting may have little or nothing to do with it. Members of both groups tend to make better choices in terms of their diet, patterns of regular exercise and avoidance of cigarettes and alcohol which may be more of a factor than anything else.[14]

Interestingly enough, there are hundreds if not thousands of studies documenting the role of proper diet and exercise in decreasing health risks across the spectrum and thus increasing longer lifespans. At the end of the day, fasting can be a useful spiritual or health practice, but not one geared towards losing weight.

Kevin Richardson is one of New York City’s most sought after personal trainers and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training 10 Minute Workouts. Get a copy of Kevin’s award winning free weight loss ebook here and v Visit his official website at www.naturallyintense.net.

References
1. Erol A, Baylan G, Yazici F. Do Ramadan fasting restrictions alter eating behaviours? Eur Eat Disord 2008 Jul
2. Whitaker AH. An epidemiological study of anorectic and bulimic symptoms in adolescent girls: Implications for pediatricians. Pediatr Ann 1992
3. Stein DM. The prevalence of bulimia: A review of the empirical research. J Nutr Educ 1991
4. MacDonald IA, Webber J. Feeding, fasting and starvation: factors affecting fuel utilization. Proc Nutr Soc. 1995 Mar
5. Cahill, GF. Starvation in man. N Engl J Med.
6. Alternate-day fasting in nonobese subjects”. Ajcn.org.
7. Bhutani S, Klempel MC, Berger RA, Varady KA. Improvements in Coronary Heart Disease Risk Indicators by Alternate-Day Fasting Involve Adipose Tissue Modulations. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Mar
8. Varady KA, Hellerstein MK. Alternate-day fasting and chronic disease prevention: a review of human and animal trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jul
9. Johnson JB, John S, Laub DR. Pretreatment with alternate day modified fast will permit higher dose and frequency of cancer chemotherapy and better cure rates. Med Hypotheses. 2009
10. Wan, Ruiqian; Simonetta Camandola, Mark P. Mattson (June 2003). “Intermittent Food Deprivation Improves Cardiovascular and Neuroendocrine Responses to Stress in Rats”. The Journal of Nutrition (The American Society for Nutritional Sciences)
11. Johnson JB, Laub DR, John S. The effect on health of alternate-day calorie restriction: eating less and more than needed on alternate days prolongs life. Med Hypotheses. 2006
12. Spindler, Stephen R. (2010). Biological Effects of Calorie Restriction: Implications for Modification of Human Aging.
13. Morley, John E; Chahla, Elie; Alkaade, Saad (2010). “Antiaging, longevity and calorie restriction”. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
14. Enstrom JE. Health practices and cancer mortality among active California Mormons. J Natl Cancer Inst

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Fasting Does Not Detox Your Body- Eating Well Does

Fasting is defined as an abstinence of some sort with regard to food and water, and is done usually for either spiritual reasons or improving overall health and losing weight. Spiritual fasting is an integral practice in almost all world religions and can be profoundly meaningful in a spiritual context. However, the current trend of fasting as a way to detoxify your body or lose weight lacks much in terms of scientific credibility. In this first of two articles we will explore the myths regarding fasting and detoxifying your body. The next blog post will tackle the issue of weight loss and fasting. Aside from losing weight quickly, there are three main reasons people use to justify the use of fasting, most of them commonly accepted by the general population as being true. They are:

1. Fasting gives your digestive system and organs time to rest and recover from the strain of the processed foods that we eat today.

2. Fasting helps the body get rid of unwanted toxins.

3. Fasting helps you lose weight.

Myth 1: Fasting & Resting Your Organs

With regards to the first suggestion that your digestive system needs a rest, it seems like a very plausible idea, and most would agree that it sounds like a good idea. However, our own rather linear logic does not always translate into physiological reality nor does it have any grounding in the biology of how the human body actually works. Our bodies are designed to process food as an ongoing requirement. As such, they can’t be overworked from digesting the very nutrients we need to survive. Consider the parallel example of a car engine; by not putting any gas in the tank you don’t do anything to make it run better. Engines are designed to run on gas and it would be unthinkable to expect any benefits from driving your car with an empty tank. In the same vein, you shouldn’t expect your body to function optimally if you don’t give it the fuel it needs.

Now if you put contaminated or low quality fuel in your car, you can indeed do damage to the engine, but having the car run with no gas for periods after filling it with cheap gas isn’t going to make it any better. The same applies to junk food. If you eat a diet high in refined junk foods, one or two days of not eating anything will not magically undo the 363-364 days of bad food choices. It is an appealing idea that a couple of days fasting can somehow absolve you of frequent bad food choices, but this is called magical thinking and has no basis in reality whatsoever. If you want to be sure that your organs are not overwhelmed, then your focus should be on consistently wholesome food choices and avoiding foods that our bodies naturally were not designed to consume. Not quite the quick, feel-good fix that most are looking for, but it is the only way proven to maintain optimal health.

Instead of fasting to remove toxins, you'd be better served avoiding putting them in your body in the first place.

Myth 2: Fasting Eliminates Toxins

With regard to eliminating toxins, again it sounds like a solid theory, but only if you don’t have a background in biology. Our organs are here to do just that: to breakdown and remove toxins. They do a pretty darn good job of it. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that fasting will cleanse the body. This is what our lungs, liver, colon, kidneys, lymph glands and even our skin does and are built to do. In a sense, our organs are natural detoxification centers and by not eating for a period of time you do nothing to eliminate any excess toxins. The practice of drinking lots of water or juices while fasting is equally useless.

Water and juices cannot flush away toxins- they only dilute whatever compounds are already in the body.

Drinking more water whether you are fasting or not does nothing to increase the rate of toxin removal, if anything the dilution from an increased fluid intake may actually slow down the rate of excretion. The idea of water and juices washing away the bad chemicals inside our bodies is laughable, yet there are numerous New Age types who take advantage of the public’s lack of knowledge of human biochemistry. An internet search on fasting and detox will give you hundreds of websites selling products but none with any scientific credibility. This is an oversimplified view of how the human body works and has no grounds in human biology. It goes a long way in selling juicers and promoting the sales of bottled water but does nothing to eliminate toxins.

If you want to ensure that your liver or kidneys are not strained by harmful toxins then not smoking, staying away from alcohol, illegal drugs and highly processed foods is the answer. Again, not a simple fix, but if you don’t put anything harmful into your body you don’t have to worry about having to get rid of it in the first place. The practice of fasting in that sense only serves to distract from developing the healthy habits needed to learn to live a healthier lifestyle.

See Part 2 of our series here: Fasting Is Not An Effective Method of Weight Loss

Celebrity personal trainer NYC Kevin Richardson is one of the most sought after fitness trainers in New York City and the creator of Naturally Intense High Intensity Training™. Download a copy of Kevin’s free weight loss ebook here!

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