The entire film was devoted to the supposed evils of animal based proteins. That’s right, all animal protein is bad. They didn’t distinguish between fish, red meat, packaged meats, turkey breast, free-range eggs, low fat dairy or any other type of animal protein. Instead, they lumped them into one large category of food you should avoid at all costs while adopting a plant-based diet. Go Vegan or Go Home!

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m in favor of a diet loaded with fruits and vegetables but I’m first and foremost realistic and research-based. In the words of my friend and amazing colleague Sally Hara, I can work within almost anyone’s food religion unless it is absurd and harmful to them. But, I will move clients in the right direction based their lifestyle, goals, medical history and training program.

That being said here are the gaping holes I found in this documentary:

China study – this study and others like it cannot prove cause and effect. Being longitudinal studies, they cannot answer the question “ does eating meat cause disease.” The film also failed to talk about any confounding variables. Were any other factors tied to disease – such as, obesity?

All animal proteins are bad. There are so many things wrong with this statement that I’m not sure where to begin. But, first and foremost, since I’m a fan of people being functional into old age, preventing osteoporosis and sarcopenia (the gradual loss of muscle mass with age), I know the power of protein and high quality protein – the kind that is easy to digest and gives muscle tissue the amino acids it needs. Which proteins are on the top the list? Dairy, whey, casein (both are dairy proteins), eggs and soy. In fact, if you are an athlete, mix and match these and you may get even better results according to ground-breaking research presented last month (pick up the June 2012 copy of Physique 3D for my article on this study).

Protein also keeps you satiated so you eat less – add protein to every meal and you may find over time that weight management is easier. Sure, they talked about stretch receptors in your stomach, but there’s more to satiety than just how full your stomach is (ask anyone on a fruit and vegetable fast, because the people who have done this tell me they are hungry all the time!). You will stay full for a longer period if you add a good quantity of protein to that veggie rich meal. And I’m not talking a measly 12 grams. Aim for 30 grams at each main meal (unless you are on a protein restricted diet for some reason).

What about colon cancer and meat? Valid point. But, it’s red meat, and possibly just the way you cook it that is the issue.

You Can Build a Strong Body on a Vegetarian Diet

In an attempt to tell us you can build a healthy, strong body on a vegan diet, the filmmakers gave us two examples, one was the firefighter son of one of the featured physicians. The other, UFC fighter Mac Danzig. I’ve worked with vegetarian athletes, including one who is at the top of his sport but he includes BCAA supplements, whey and eggs in his diet and I’m willing to bet that Mac adds BCAAs at a minimum. Can you perform well and get all the nutrients you need on a vegan diet? Possibly but, it depends on your sport, your body and your training. Check out Tony Gonzalez’s trial of veganism here.

Last I’ll leave you with the reaction of one of my friends after seeing this movie “those two physicians look emaciated. Do you think if they actually consumed some animal protein they may look healthier and have more muscle on their bodies?” Yep, I sure do.

In summary, I’m all in favor of adding fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Most of us do not get enough of these every day. I also think a vegetarian diet can be healthy if done correctly. However, this movie left glossed over the science (but, pay attention to what Connie Diekman says in it) and left many some very important points.

If you’ve watched Forks Over Knives, I’d love to hear your impression of this documentary!

Tofu Veggie Stir fry

Makes 3 servings

• 1 green bell pepper
• bunch asparagus (cut into 2-3 inch pieces)
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 large sweet onion chopped
• 6 oz firm tofu
• 2-3 Tbsp sesame seed oil
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce chopped into small squares the size of 1-2 dice

Add 2 Tbsp sesame seed oil to a large skillet (depending on the size of your skillet you may need to do this in two separate batches) over low heat. Place all ingredients in the pan and heat for 10 minutes or until cooked to preference and tofu is brown. You may want to add additional soy sauce to taste. Serve over brown or white rice.

1) Lift Weights or engage in some other type of resistance training, regularly. Muscle tissue doesn’t burn many more calories than fat (despite what people say) – about 4 calories more per day per pound. But, those calories add up over time and more importantly, adults start a gradual slow progression of losing muscle around age 40 (sarcopenia). Less muscle means you can’t exercise as hard which means you won’t burn as many calories while working out (and those activities of daily living like washing your car or lifting groceries will seem tough at some point).

2) Calories Matter. I hate to burst anyone’s bubble who thinks you can eat as much as you want as long as you slash so called “bad calories,” but calories count. If you don’t believe me, check out how nutrition professor Mark Haub lost 27 lbs and significantly improved his blood lipids on a 10-week diet of Twinkies, Doritos, sugary cereals and Hostess cupcakes. Want more evidence published in research journals? Okay, check out the POUNDS LOST trial which found that how much you eat matters more than the proportion of fat, carbohydrate and protein. And, that adherence to a diet determines success (and sticking with extreme diets that cut out food groups sucks so many people don’t last long on them).

3) Calories Matter but Protein is Crucial. Protein preserves muscle during weight loss and the lower your diet is in calories, the more you need protein. How important is protein for preserving muscle? Well, I love the overfeeding study published in JAMA earlier this year in which the study authors overfed participants by 40% more calories than they needed to maintain their weight. The participants were randomized to receive either 5%, 15% or 25% of their calories from protein. Now, 5% may seem low but because of their total daily caloric intake that 5% meant 47 grams per day – that’s 1 gram more than the protein RDA set by our government for women! All groups gained a similar amount of fat and the 15% and 25% group also gained muscle (and therefore more total weight) but, the group consuming 1 gram of protein more than the RDA set for women LOST 0.70 kg lean body mass! Take home points: over consume calories and you’ll gain fat. Make protein a greater proportion of the calories you over consume and you’ll also gain muscle. Follow the RDA and you may lose lean body mass.

4) Change your Environment for Success. Eat off smaller plates and bowls, choose smaller packages, get the food you don’t want to eat out of your house (if it is there, you will eat it at some point). Put healthy food within your line of vision. Avoid constant refills (chip basket at restaurants, bread basket, that never ending tub of beer bottles). And, surround yourself with people who encourage your success vs. those who will get in the way.

5) Keep your stress levels down. For more information on how stress impacts weight, click here.

6) Figure out WHY you are eating. You can have all the nutrition knowledge in the world and weight loss strategies but if you don’t delve into what is making you eat vs. using other coping mechanisms, long term success will elude you.

Now, you are probably wondering “well what about Forks Over Knives, the documentary that covered the supposed evils of animal protein?” I promise I’ll give my uncensored opinion (slashing) of that documentary in my next post in addition to more about protein

For a hilarious and insightful overview of this conference, check out fitness and nutrition expert Alan Aragon’s post. And, here’s a post from another one of my favorite writers, renowned fitness expert Brad Schoenfeld.

You may have heard that stress interrupts our sleep patterns, which is true. In addition to needing sleep so we feel refreshed and can think clearly, we need 7-9 hours of sound sleep a night to maintain a healthy weight. How? Sleep influences our body’s production of hormones, which influence our appetite (leptin and ghrelin).

Ghrelin is produced in the GI tract and stimulates appetite whereas leptin is produced in fat cells and tells our brain we’ve had enough to eat. Sleep less and leptin levels go down so we keep eating and eating but don’t feel satiated (full). And, like a double edged wammy, ghrelin levels rise so your appetite really kicks into full gear.  And at least one study found that men who slept less than 8 hours a night had lower levels of leptin and higher levels of ghrelin and higher body fat than those men who slept 8 hours or more per night. And, the men who slept the least weighed the most.

Aside from it’s affects on sleep, chronic stress hurts our waistline in other ways as well:

• Triggers the constant release of cortisol, which keeps our blood sugar levels high so we have fuel to fight against stress.
• Stimulates appetite
• Stimulates the production of fat
• Stimulates the enzyme lipoprotein lipase which inhibits the breakdown of fat in our body
• Contributes to apathy, anxiety and depression. And, when we are more apathetic we don’t care what we eat. Call it soothing the soul, comfort foods or just increasing your levels of the feel good hormone serotonin through a high carb diet, this type of eating can pack on the pounds.

So, how can you de-stress? Find the root cause of your stress first and see what you can do about it. Meditate, try yoga or Tai chi. And, whatever you do, find something else to do to calm your nerves besides eating.

Crustless Vegetable Quiche
Ingredients 

• 1 & 1/3 cup broccoli fresh florets
• 1 Tbsp light soft spread (butter substitute)
• 1 medium size yellow onion chopped
• 1 cup Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 1 medium size red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 9 or 10″ pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Chop broccoli and place in steamer and steam over medium to low heat for 6 minutes or until crisp tender.
3. Melt the soft spread in a skillet and saute onion for 5-10 minutes over low heat, until soft.
4. In medium bowl, whisk eggs and egg whites, milk, mustard, salt and pepper until blended.
5. Place vegetables in crust, layer with cheese, top with egg mixture. Stir if necessary to even out the ingredients.
6. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 degrees F and bake 30 minutes or until top is lightly browned and toothpick comes out clean. Adjust oven times as necessary depending on your particular oven.

I received free samples from Cabot Creamery of the cheese. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Cabot Creamery Cooperative and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

So, onto the trends.

1) The 4 C’s represent Flavor, Form and Function

Coconut, Cacao were by far the hot flavors. From coconut flakes to coconut in bars, coconut desserts and coconut yogurt I loved everything I tried. Liberte yogurt was just one of the many delicious brands I tried. Cacao was also huge and in a number of places you would expect it including bars, nut mixes and beverages.

Chips – better for you versions of chips were everywhere! From Corazonas formulated with plant sterols to Popcorn Indiana’s chip’ins, there are many options on the market place. Speaking of popcorn, that was another huge trend!

Chia – chia seeds are the hot new ingredient that comes as a stand alone product so you can sprinkle it on your food at home or include it in baked goods and chia is formulated into many products as well. I spent a little time talking to the people from Health Warrior because I knew Ray Rice was a huge fan.

2) Bars make a Comeback and Beverages Race Forward

Functional beverages are still hot, especially energy shots and kids drinks (though lacking in new product introductions in the past year). And bars, a lagging category in years past are stepping up their game with new gluten free introductions and kids bars. I especially loved KIND, PureFit, ProBar and Clif.

3) Gluten Free and Non-GMO

And finally, gluten free is hot and growing as is the Non-GMO debate. Both were prevalent on the show floor and in discussions among the 60,000 + attendees. I personally look forward to trying this pasta I picked up from Jovial Foods. I don’t care for American pasta but like authentic Italian pasta so this should be a good taste test – especially since it is gluten free.

What else do I love so much about this industry? The marriage between sound scientific research, subsequent science-based food & beverage product development, communication of  nutrition science in a consumer-friendly manner and of course trends in consumer demand. Thank you NewHope360 for yet another outstanding year!

To read more about impressions from Expo West, check out blogs from a few of my colleagues:

Rachel Begun, the Gluten Free RD 

Corrine Dobas, Eat Better, Feel Better, Live Better 

Vegan Cuts, for everything Vegan

Susan B. Dopart, MS, RD, CDE

Images from Food Expo West via Food Product Design

What will they come up next? A few months ago, AeroShot was released in the US(NY and Boston markets) from Breathable Foods. This product is an inhalable form of energy. It looks like a small bullet casing, silver and yellow- this powerful little shot packs a punch. It contains 100 mg caffeine, B vitamins and a slew of other flavorings and sweeteners. Manufactured in France, AeroShot is the brainchild of Harvard professor David Edwards. His company, Breathable Foods launched this product in Europe last year and this is not the first ingestible product they have developed. Le Whif, a breathable chocolate product.

AeroShot is marketed to athletes, students or tired professionals, age 12+ of course. The website touts ‘no calories, no liquid, no limit’.  Born from David Edwards’s idea that rather than ingesting nutrients, you could inhale them. On technicality, the website does not necessarily advise ‘inhaling’, but to ‘draw the powder gently into your mouth’.

So, we all know the benefits of caffeine when moderately consumed. It can pull you through an afternoon lull at work, it can jumpstart your cycle session at the gym or ‘the best part of waking up’- your morning joe. We also know the effects of overdoing it- feeling jittery, headaches and an elevated heart rate. So, naturally this product raises eyebrows- FDA namely…

• Is inhaling caffeine safe?
• Will abusing this product be harmful?
• If unintended for youth- why does the marketing and advertising lean towards this population?

AeroShot refutes these concerns with several ‘scientific explanations’ on their website. Allegedly, AeroShot particle size is too large to enter lungs, rather it reaches your mouth and is swallowed and ingested into the blood stream. They go on to solidify the efficacy of their product by unsubstantiated clinical studies that ‘have shown that AeroShot delivers caffeine into the bloodstream at the same rate of drinking caffeine’. The convenience factor is the portability and quickness of ‘pulling it out of your pocket’”

Although this product is NOT currently banned, the FDA wants to warn consumers. The effects of inhaling caffeine have not been researched and therefore they want to raise a red flag to use this product with caution. They also want AeroShot to reconsider their marketing, as a recent report from the NY Daily News reports, “The Food and Drug Administration reviewed your website at www.aeroshots.com in February 2012 and has determined that the product AeroShot is misbranded,” … “We also have safety questions about the product.” In the past week alone, this story has been buzzing across all mediums- weighing in on the safety of this product. Creator and founder, David Edwards is quoted in Medical Daily online, “Even with coffee — if you look at the reaction in Europe to coffee when it first appeared — there was quite a bit of hysteria,” the Harvard University professor and AeroShot inventor David Edwards had told AP in February. “So anything new, there’s always some knee-jerk reaction that makes us believe ‘Well, maybe it’s not safe.”

Although this product is legal, interesting and yet another innovative tool to get you through your long, tiring days or hard workout- is this safe? Sure, in moderation everything is okay. But, the potential for abuse seems high. I’m curious to see how this controversy affects the life of AeroShot. In theory, it’s great. But, we all know that not everything theoretical is smart for the average consumer.

The Brees family has teamed up with So Delicious, a company that makes incredibly tasty dairy free beverages and desserts (my favorites are everything coconut flavored in their line!).  For those who need dairy free products or even those who don’t, So Delicious is definitely worth a try. And for those suffering from other food allergies, rest assured, companies like the ones who exhibited at Expo West are rapidly coming out with “free from” products that do not include the major foods people are allergic too including eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.

• One of the fatty acids in chocolate, stearic acid, does not raise cholesterol levels
• Cocoa and chocolate are loaded with antioxidants
• Chocolate and cocoa may be beneficial for cardiovascular health thanks to their effects on lowering blood pressure, anti-inflammation, anti-platelet and beneficial effects on cholesterol
• Ongoing research on the potential beneficial effect of cocoa flavanols on exercise recovery

Despite the fact that chocolate may actually be good for us, not all chocolate is created equally. Chocolate candy, for instance, oftentimes has added sugar and fat (and sometimes that horrific manmade trans fat in the form of partially hydrogenated oil).

So, if you want to get the most out of your cocoa or chocolate, choose non alkalized or lightly alkalized cocoa (alkalized is also called “dutched”) or dark chocolate (not milk chocolate – milk binds to chocolate’s antioxidants making them unavailable).

For more information about the health benefits of chocolate, click here. For information about how the process of alkalization affects the antioxidants in chocolate, click here.

I added peanut flour to this recipe for a little more protein. If you want an additional chocolate boost – add chocolate chips or chunks! I always recommend tasting something as you cook or bake it so use pasteurized egg substitute in any recipe you want to taste before it goes in the oven!

Chocolate Muffins

• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup peanut flour
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened non alkalized cocoa
• 1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line muffin pan with muffin cups or spray.
2. Whisk together the butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract.
3. In another bowl whisk together both types of flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Very gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fill muffin tins ½ – 2/3 full.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let cool on wire rack immediately after the muffins come out of the oven.

February is National Heart Month. With heart disease as the leading cause of death in the US and the leading killer of women, an increased awareness of this disease is important. The American Heart Association encourages awareness through their GO RED campaign and promotes a heart healthy lifestyle, including physical activity and smart eating habits. In fact, this past Friday, February 3^rd marked “National Wear Red Day”, which promotes awareness and advocacy for the prevention of heart disease.

Although most Performance Nutrition readers are active, there are several important issues to consider when it comes to risk factors related to heart disease.

High cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity and tobacco use are all factors that can normally be controlled without medication(some exceptions apply to certain people). In general, minor adjustments to your eating habits can have significant benefits to lowering your risk for developing heart disease.

These adjustments include:

• Keep your blood pressure low by watching your sodium intake- high levels will increase BP.
• High cholesterol levels will increase your chances of developing atherosclerosis. When your arteries are hardened- your heart works harder to function, if it works at all. This directly leads to heart attacks.
• Lower your saturated and trans fat intake, as these types of fats             have been determined to increase ‘bad’ cholesterol levels in your blood.
• Eat foods with more fiber- whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Increased dietary fiber is linked to decreased risk of high cholesterol levels, controlled blood sugar and weight loss. Obesity makes your heart work harder, and counters every benefit just listed above from fiber.
• Sugar control- natural, unprocessed sugar found in fruits and vegetables is great! However, baked goods and sodas should be moderately consumed and not a staple in your diet.
• Smoking is bad for you. Do I need to explain any further?

This message may be old news to you or maybe you forgot all the repercussions that a poor diet can have on your health. Regardless, take this short message to heart and remember that without a healthy, beating muscle in your chest- you will not be able to run, jump, swim, bike, shoot hoops or do anything. Heart health is essential, especially to athletes with added stress to our bodies.

Have a great day and don’t forget to wear red not just on Friday, February 3^rd to support the GO RED initiative but throughout heart health month!