Put down the steak and back away slowly.

That’s right, meat, cheese, and eggs are bad for you.

In fact, they’re so bad, you may as well just start smoking!

At least, that’s what a new study has just suggested.

Oh really?

If you are anything like me, you just rolled your eyes, shrugged your shoulders, and went about your day thinking it was just another media hype attempt to get more eyes on the page.

Well, let’s take a look at how bad smoking is, what the study says, and what my issues are with the study.

Just how bad is smoking?

We’ll start with the main parts of a cigarette: nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar.

Nicotine is a highly addictive (that’s why smokers keep on smoking) and fast acting drug. In high concentrations, it also acts as an insecticide. Exposure to sufficient amounts can lead to vomiting, seizures, and growth retardation.

Carbon Monoxide is a poisonous gas that is odourless and tasteless. Your body can’t tell the difference between CO and oxygen, which means your body will absorb CO into the bloodstream just as easily as oxygen. CO can decrease muscle function and heart function, and can cause dizziness and fatigue.

Tar (the stuff you seal your driveway with) contains carcinogens. Approximately 70% of the tar remains in your lungs when you smoke.

There are over 70 different carcinogens in cigarette smoke. When you smoke, you are 200-300 times more likely to get cancer; about 90% of lung cancer patients are smokers. Smoking has been determined to cause cancer.

What does this high protein diet study say?

The study involved 6381 people, aged 50 and over (the average age was around 65), over a period of about 20 years.

This high protein diet study found that those who consumed higher amounts of animal protein (20% or more of daily caloric intake) had a 74% increase in mortality rate compared to those who consumed less protein. Those who ate more protein were also found to have higher mortality rates due to diabetes.

The study also found that those who ate high amounts of vegetable proteins had lower mortality rates than their animal protein eating counterparts.

Another part of this high protein diet study showed that the mortality rates of the higher animal protein consumers lowered after 66 years of age.

What’s significant about those aged 66 and over?

The theory is that protein, which controls the growth hormone IGF-I and in turn helps our bodies grow, has also been linked to cancer susceptibility. Levels of IGF-I drop off dramatically after age 65.

My issues with the high protein diet study

It is important to note that a correlation between high protein intake and mortality rates is not not a causative link.

A correlation between high protein intake and mortality rates is not not a causative link.
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In my opinion, there is not enough evidence to say that a high protein diet is bad for you.

The questions I still have include:

• What type of meats were being eaten?
• Were they lean cuts?
• Were they organic?
• Were they hormone-free?
• How were they prepared/cooked?
• Were they marinated?
• Were there any sauces included with the meats?
• What were the portion sizes?
• Were small portions being consumed throughout the day or all at once?
• What were the participants’ activity level?
• What was the quality of the participants’ digestive systems?

Currently, there are too many unanswered questions, and the study wasn’t exhaustive. I believe more research needs to be done to learn more about high protein diets.

In the end, I think we should take this particular high protein diet study with a grain of salt.

While I was researching this, I found an article that I thought you might like by Dr. Gunter Kuhnle who also digs into this study.

What do you think about the study? Are you going to reduce your protein intake?

Let me know. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The post High Protein Diet – Is it as Bad As Smoking? appeared first on CrossFit Toronto.

You mean eating right can help with STRESS?!

The long commute to work, your co-workers leaving all the work for you, deadlines moving up, driving in rush hour traffic, picking up the kids, making dinner, driving to swim class, your other child has a cold and just wiped his noise on your shirt… and on, and on , and on, which leads to STRESS!

Stress is a part of life. As a matter of fact stress can be good for you. Stress helps you to stay alert, motivated and able to respond to danger.

Too much stress, however, can not only affect your health but can also cause poor eating choices.

Think about it. How many times do you crave fatty, salty or sugary foods when stressed? How many times do you want your “comfort food”? Have you ever sat down after a really hard day and ate ice cream or chocolate or a bag of chips or a glass of wine because it was a hard day and “I deserve it!”?

The effects of stress can not only be disastrous to you emotionally but also physically.

During times of stress your adrenal glands produce adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones increase your blood sugar (gives you a burst of energy), heart rate, and blood pressure. After the crisis has past, your heart rate and blood pressure go back to normal but your blood sugar drops (sugar carvings anyone?) so you reach for something sugary, get that burst of energy then the crash and cycle starts all over again.

Some other common problems with stress are indigestion, bloating, weight gain, low immunity to diseases and can even cause anxiety and depression.

Nutrition Tips

Proper nutrition can help combat stress by preventing your blood sugar from crashing, helping your immune system and helping your digestive system.

• Eat your meals – Skipping meals while stressed is one of the worst things you can do (you are setting yourself up for the CRASH). If you don’t have time for a meal at that moment then make it a snack (grab a piece of fruit or a protein shake) and have a proper meal later on (Do not go longer than 2 hrs). 
• Chew your food – Eating a whole chicken breast in one bit only adds more stress to your body, especially your digestive system. Chewing your food properly helps your body digest and absorb the nutrients it needs.
• Water, Water, Water – It is so easy to forget to drink water but if you are dehydrated you might be craving salty foods. If you think coffee will help you get through your stressful day, then I regret to tell you this but caffeine raises stress hormones as well as potentially leading to dehydration.
• Healthy Snacks – Having healthy snacks throughout the day will help to prevent reaching for that bag of chips. Carrots, celery, cucumbers, hard boiled eggs, jerky (I like beef jerky but chicken or turkey jerky works well too), nuts and seeds and some fruit have very little prep time and will help you get through the day.

Bonus Tips

Stress can’t be overcome by nutrition alone; here are some extra tips to help

• Exercise - That’s right get your ass to the CFTO gym! Exercise helps to reduce stress. If you can’t make it to the gym then take a walk on your lunch break, play with the dog, play with the kids get moving!
• Laugh – Okay this isn’t nutrition based but I still think it is important. Laughter helps to alleviate stress have you ever seen anyone who is laughing and stressed? Talk to friends, listen to the radio, watch a youtube video, think of something funny (if you have kids this should be easy to do)

Stress is a natural part of life, we all have it and we all have to deal with it. Do you have any tips or ticks to help with stress? Share with us in the comments below.

The post Stress & Nutrition appeared first on CrossFit Toronto.

Judging from the massive number of sites dedicated to it (as well as some vocal cries from its detractors) it’s safe to say that the Paleo Diet has arrived.

And from all accounts, it works.

If you haven’t already bookmarked them, here are the essential Paleo sites you must visit.

thepaleodiet.com

This is where it all started. A great resource for Paleo enthusiasts, complete with free whitepaper and mailing list. Don’t forget to check out the book: The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat.

robbwolf.com

If you know anything about the Paleo world, you know the name Robb Wolf. Robb worked directly with Dr. Loren Cordain (founder of the Paleo movement) and has a wealth of free knowledge to share in addition to a best selling book, The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet. Plus he’s a pretty swell guy.

balancedbites.com

The home of Diane Sanfilippo, author of Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle, Balanced Bites is a one-stop resource for Paleo nutrition.

There’s a ton of free stuff, from books, to videos, potcasts, blog posts, recipes, and more.

nomnompaleo.com

This is the home of Michelle Tam, a Paleo fanatic with her own cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans, and a pile of free recipes.

evolvify.com

As this site self-describes, its focus is: The Paleo Diet Meets Paleo Psychology. Exploring topics such as health and relationships, Evolvify, while not for everyone, is certainly an interesting read.

fastpaleo.com

Fast Paleo is a recipe sharing hub. Anyone can share a recipe and everyone gets to benefit. These folks are all about the recipes and the Paleo community.

marksdailyapple.com

A list of essential Paleo Diet sites wouldn’t be complete without MDA. There, Mark Sisson takes a slightly different approach to Paleo, giving us his Primal Blueprint. Mark also has a book that gets into the details: The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy.

So, that’s the list. Essential, yes. Complete, no.

Let me know what your essential Paleo sites are in the comments below.

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Learn more about the Paleo Diet.

The post The Paleolithic Diet Explained appeared first on CrossFit Toronto.

Hot off the grill! What’s your grill thrill?

The transition from spring to summer is my favourite time of year in Toronto. If you can get over the havoic that weather does for allergies and migraines, there is a lot to enjoy in the city.

My all-time favourite thing to do around this time of year is sit in my backyard, have the grill going and enjoy some sun.

I wanted to share with you a few of my must-have things to make the perfect Paleo Grilling BBQ.

Getting started with Paleo Grilling

Tis the season for farmer’s markets! The St. Lawrence Market is Paleo shopping central. I love supporting the local vendors, knowing what farm my protein and produce comes from, and I enjoy creating meals with seasonal ingredients.

I highly recommend visiting a farmer’s market close to you. I guarantee that you will taste the difference.

For the grill

Nothing is better than homemade burgers. Whether you are a ground beef, turkey or more exotic meat eater, they are super easy to make.

All you need is some ground meat (I like to mix beef and pork), add some of your favourite seasonings (I recommend garlic, mushroom pieces and chili pepper) and pack together like a snowball. Flatten your ball so it is about an inch thick and to your ideal width.

Put in them in the fridge to harden before placing on the grill.

My forte is not working the grill, but the gist of it is, pre-heat your grill for 15 minutes at high heat, lower to medium heat, put whatever meat you have on the grill and depending on the type of meat cook for 10 minutes on each side.

Ditch the bun

For your burgers, use portabella mushroom caps as a bun. Just wrap the mushroom caps in tinfoil and place on the grill for the last ten minutes. Unwrap and enjoy!

Or you can keep it simple; make a bun out of a few pieces of lettuce. Crunchy and one last topping you have to worry about putting on top of your bun.

Great toppings

Leave the bottled condiments in the fridge. Dress up your meat with fresh ingredients; heirloom tomatoes, dill pickles, fried egg, avocado, sautéed onions, roasted peppers, and arugula are just a few that we’ve tried out.

Happy Endings

No BBQ is complete without satisfying your sweet tooth. Some fresh fruit is always a great way to end a meal but if you are looking for something a little crazier try a natural popsicle.

The best natural and pretty-much homemade popsicles are Augie’s Pops. You can pick them up from some natural food stores and also Whole Foods. If you get creative, you can even make your own at home.

Beverages

Something light and summery goes well with any meal. My new addiction is infused water. Try mixing some fresh fruit or rosemary in ice water for 10 minutes before drinking. Your pitcher will look lovely and your tastebuds will love you.

** Note – I feel that no afternoon on the Patio is complete with a cool beer, so don’t hold it against me that I enjoy a local brew.

What’s your Paleo Grilling must-grill thrill?

Let us know in the comments below!

The post Paleo Grilling appeared first on CrossFit Toronto.

Editors note: This is a guest post from Rosa Park, a member of CrossFit Toronto.

For the last year or so, I’ve been experimenting with my diet that would augment my training.

I’ve dabbled with other diets before, but none of them ever really stuck or resonated with my training regimen until I started learning about the Paleo diet.

While I’m not going to write about the benefits of Paleo, I will, however, share with you a recipe I’ve come up with myself while embracing the diet.

For those who love their carbs, and aren’t willing to give up bread, this may be up your alley.

This is the first time I tried baking this Paleo bread. I was very happy with the results (and the taste of course).

Prep time: 10 min

Bake time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour (I bought some from the bulk barn but it was very expensive, so I ground up slivered almonds I got from Costco; see pix below)
• 2 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1/4 cup golden flax seed
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 5 eggs
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon apple cider or white vinegar (I did some research as to why you need vinegar and it is supposed to act like yeast)

According to calorie counters, the approx total calories of this loaf is 2194!

Almond flour is what brought the calories up so high, but it is also high in protein.

Instructions

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together and pulse/grind in a food processor.*Check out the bag of sliced almonds I ground up instead of using expensive almond flour. This 1.2 kg bag was only about $11 at Costco, so i think it’s much more cost effective.
2. 

   Mix all the wet ingredients: melt the coconut oil (I just microwaved it for about 25 seconds); add the vinegar and eggs, whisk together, and pour into the food processor, then pulse/grind.

3. Pour the batter into a mold. I sprinkled some sliced almonds on the top for presentation. It looks more delicious, I think!(Left pic is the batter that was pulsed in a processor, and the right pic is the batter i just hand mixed. If you don’t have a food processor don’t think you can’t make this recipe. You can mix it by hand and you’ll get a gritty texture.)
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.
5. Cool on a rack and serve with butter or honey.

Taste review

The bread is moist inside and dense.

The texture and look is similar to banana bread or corn bread.

It also has a rich nutty taste to it with a hint of coconut flavour.

I’m not sure if would be good for sandwiches although some may try if they are desperate, but it could go really well with stews and soups.

It comes out with a nice crispy crust all over and it’s pretty amazing knowing that Paleo dieters can also have bread that tastes good!

I have tried some gluten-free bread in the past and I was not impressed, but I was very happy with this Paleo bread recipe.

It’s a very simple, easy recipe. I think it’s also a good base recipe to add other ingredients in the future.

The post Easy Paleo Bread Recipe appeared first on CrossFit Toronto.

The Primal Life Kit

30 Popular Products for $39 (a $485 Value!)

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These educational & potentially life-changing Primal & Paleo products are being sold at more than 90% off their original retail value for one week only — April 2 through April 9! Included in this awesome bundle is a meal plan made by Primal Blueprint, a recipe e-book from Bill & Hayley over at PrimalPalate.com, a fitness program by Sarah Fragoso of Everyday Paleo & a subscription to Paleo Magazine, among many other awesome products. All the e-books are in pdf format, so you can read them on your computer or the e-reader of your choice.

What’s The Primal Life Kit?

The people at PaleoPlan.com have put together a really exciting opportunity for you!

When you purchase the $39 Primal Life Kit, you get $485 worth of the most popular & life-changing Primal & Paleo products:

• 22 e-books
• 2 meal plans
• 3 magazine subscriptions
• 2 fitness programs
• 1 short audio book
• and 8 discount codes

These educational & potentially life-changing Primal & Paleo products are being sold at more than 90% off their original retail value for one week only – April 2 through April 9!

Included in this awesome bundle is a meal plan made by Primal Blueprint, a recipe e-book from Bill & Hayley over at PrimalPalate.com, a fitness program by Sarah Fragoso of Everyday Paleo & a subscription to Paleo Magazine, among many other awesome products. All the e-books are in pdf format, so you can read them on your computer or the e-reader of your choice.

See the full list of what you’ll get when you purchase this bundle below.

This $39 kit will give you all the tools you need to eat, cook, work out, and live Primally.

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Get all of this (retail value $485) for just $39. Seriously.

That’s normally the price of just one or two of these products! After you purchase the kit, you’ll be sent an email with a link to all of the downloadable products, as well as the coupon codes for all of the discounted products.

NOTE: Due to the short duration of this sale, there will be no refunds. These products are downloadable e-books, online magazine subscriptions & discount codes. You will not be shipped any physical goods with your purchase of the Primal Life Kit.  Please contact [email protected] with any questions about the Primal Life Kit.

The post Primal Life Kit: 30 Products & 8 Discounts for $39 appeared first on CrossFit Toronto.

Refined sugar has been linked to a number of health issues including diabetes, obesity, hypertension and high blood pressure. The following infographic really puts your sweet tooth into perspective.

Enjoy!

Thanks to OnlineNursingPrograms.com for the great infographic!

The post Nursing Your Sweet Tooth appeared first on CrossFit Toronto.

image: www.freeimages.co.uk

If nutrition isn’t the first thing you’re dealing with, you’re not a serious athlete.”

– Brian Mackenzie, CrossFit Endurance

Speaking of nutrition, Robb Wolf from CrossFit NorCal has a great article that is definitely worth a read:

“You might have noticed that the nutrition approach we recommend at CrossFit NorCal is a bit…oh, shall I say, contrarian? Where the USDA, AMA and the rest of the Government sponsored entities recommend grains and legumes as the base of the diet, we recommend lean meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

That’s crazy, right? aren’t we going to die from heart disease and cancer if we eat meat?”

Read the rest here.

The post Nutrition appeared first on CrossFit Toronto.