Nutrition – Page 5 – Beary Strong

How To Quickstart A Successful Fat Loss Journey

A simple guide to fat loss.

Congratulations! You have made the choice to invest in your health: not only does losing fat make you look good naked but has also sustainable health benefits, as we already told you here, or for the science nerds here. Nevertheless, you may be overhelmed about the information available: What diet should I follow? Is it bad to eat carbs in the evening? Do I have to do cardio? Or go daily to the gym? To be honest, it is much easier than you think. Create a calorie deficit. How? We help you with some tips.

Cholesterol: Fact Or Fiction?

Physiology, regulation and health concerns.

This one is a really hot topic: is too much cholesterol bad or not? Make your own opinion by reading my short post and some of the references (linked) if you are particularly interested in the topic.

How To Make Your Bread Healthy

Your first steps into sourdough baking.

I love a nice loaf of bread, and I bet you do too. And my client Viola, who asked me for this recipe surely does so. But bread got a bad rep over the last decade, and sadly it is true that bread isn’t especially beneficial for your health. First of all it is easy to overconsume: good bread is really tasty, not very satieting and very calorie dense. But that’s not a problem if you are diligent with your tracking. Even worse are the effects of several anti-nutrients found in high dosage in bread. But there is a way to make your bread healthier: good, old sourdough!

Caffeine: Tea Or Coffee For You?

Caffeine: the delicious drug.

Let’s talk about the non-scientific stuff first. I love both, tea and coffee. I have a cup of tea (caffeine-free roiboos) every day in the morning followed by a cold brew done with 100% Robusta coffee bean Sumatra Ascogo roasted at one of Vienna’s best coffee roasters (Kafferösterei Alt Wien). Once a week we have also our Forza Napoli with a high percentage of Robusta at Nicholas Franze’s cafe. Matcha scores also high on our favorites (check out Cha No Ma for gorgeous matcha, if you are in Vienna). But is caffeine ok in a healthy lifestyle? And, most important, how much?

Protein: Surf’n’Turf Anyone?

Basic biochemistry and functions.

Everyone needs protein. Period. It is not just the big muscular gym guy, also you sitting in the chair diligently doing your job or you, running a half-marathon or you, playing football. Why? Because proteins are the brickstones of our body, they are the catalysators (= enzymes) of our metabolism and are also fuel. To say it in numbers: after water (70%), proteins (18%) are the second main component of human cells. That’s why it may be worth considering adding more protein to your daily food, especially if you are getting serious about living a more active and healthy lifestyle.

What Drives Obesity

Know the Whys to make better decisions.

Gaining fat is really simple: your energy intake is greater than your energy expenditure. You just eat too damn much! Gaining so much fat, that you are actually classified as overweight or even obese, however is a task that takes a lot of consistency and time (and avoiding to look into the mirror). As many drastic changes, this doesn’t happen overnight. But why do you do this to your body?

Fats: Because Nutbutter Is Happyness

Basic biochemistry and functions.

But wait, fat makes me fat, right?! Now you should already know the answer: it’s all about the calorie deficit at the end of the day and like carbs, fats are neither good nor bad. Nevertheless, fat is really energy dense: 10 gramms of fat (approx. a tea spoon) have huge 90 kcals. This means that, you should not indulge in those tasty “healthy” low-carb-paleo-keto-raw-gluten free-vegan nut bars if you are trying to lose body fat ;). So what’s the deal with fats, now? Let’s have a closer look through the biochemist’s goggles.

Carbohydrates: Candies, Noodles And All That Good Stuff

Is a carb really just a carb?

…or are they evil? Currently, it is a real hot topic, especially since many countries have introduced a sugary drink tax and low-carb and keto diet are becoming very popular among the broad public. Is it the right way to go in order to lose fat? Yes. And no.

The Fate of Macronutrients

A very simplified version of metabolism

Did you already read my first post about macros? If not, please do! In this post I will give you a very simplified insight what happens to the macronutrients in the body. I think this is necessary because there is still a lot of quackery around, demonizing macronutrients (like carbs) for some reason. Having some tools to understand what is behind metabolism may help get immune to it. If you do not want to read the whole article, here the spoiler: no matter if you are eating low carb, low fat or whatsoever, if you are in a calorie surplus, the body will start to store fat. If you want to know the why, read further.

Macronutrients

The major building blocks of food

The three major components of food are called macronutrients (“macros” for the pros) and they are: carbohydrates, fats and protein. What lies behind those terms? What are they exactly and where do we get them from? I will introduce them to you and later dedicate a separate blog post to each one of them. Now dear macros, the stage is yours!