ESSENTIALS: NUTRITION

A low-carbohydrate, low-calorie diet significantly improved HbA1c in diabetics over 12 weeks.

What we eat (quality), how much we eat (quantity), and when we eat (chrononutrition) all affect our health and performance. However, compared to the other two factors, chrononutrition is arguably the weakest of the three. In this installment of his series on meal timing, Tyler Hass explains why clever timing schemes are not a silver bullet and should be understood as a means to squeeze that last 5-10% of optimization out of a good diet and exercise program.

“Nutrition plays a critical role in your fitness. Proper nutrition can amplify or diminish the effect of your training efforts. Effective nutrition is moderate in protein, carbohydrate, and fat.”

Is breakfast the most important meal of the day? Do late-night snacks lead to weight gain? Tyler Hass examines common myths about meal timing and explains which are supported by the scientific literature and which have been debunked. He also describes the relationship between circadian rhythm and metabolism.

Twelve weeks on a higher-quality diet led to significant improvements in measures of major depression in this small randomized controlled trial.

This article, the second installment in a four-part series on meal timing, discusses the physiological effects of various time-restricted eating patterns. Series author Tyler Hass reviews the scientific literature on the subject and calls for more studies on a wider variety of populations using different intermittent fasting strategies, better quality food, and more effective exercise protocols.

On March 12, 2010, Coach Greg Glassman visited Dr. Scott Connelly with the intent was to tap into Dr. Connelly's vast knowledge of metabolism, particularly as it relates to long-term fitness and health. The result was over 90 minutes of education about the relationships among glucose, insulin, ATP, protein, body weight and health.

On March 12, 2010, Coach Greg Glassman visited Dr. Scott Connelly with the intent was to tap into Dr. Connelly's vast knowledge of metabolism, particularly as it relates to long-term fitness and health. The result was over 90 minutes of education about the relationships among glucose, insulin, ATP, protein, body weight and health.

On March 12, 2010, Coach Greg Glassman visited Dr. Scott Connelly with the intent was to tap into Dr. Connelly's vast knowledge of metabolism, particularly as it relates to long-term fitness and health. The result was over 90 minutes of education about the relationships among glucose, insulin, ATP, protein, body weight and health.

This 2020 human trial found 30 days of intermittent fasting shifted a variety of proteins in ways that are protective against cancer, inflammatory and immune disease, obesity, diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, and various pathological forms of cognitive dysfunction.

A small pilot trial found a ketogenic diet can improve serum testosterone and other relevant hormone levels in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome.

This installment in Michael and Mary Dan Eades' multipart series on omega-3s and omega-6s discusses a 2019 study that hypothesized the increased n6/n3 ratio common in the modern Western diet causes deposition of fat in the liver. The study tests whether decreasing the fatty acid ratio to the lower levels that were common decades ago might promote the shedding of liver fat.

Three small experiments found elevated blood ketone levels — whether achieved through an overnight fast, ketogenic diet, or use of exogenous ketones — improved functional connectivity throughout the brain, further supporting the link between metabolic and mental health.

Georgia Ede challenges seven half-truths promoted in the popular film The Game Changers and reveals what the real dietary game changer is.

CrossFit Seminar Staff member Leah Polaski explains the importance of nutrition at a CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course in San Diego, California, on Aug. 30, 2018.

Why the fights against the obesity and diabetes epidemics have failed and what people need to do to reverse obesity.

This installment in Michael and Mary Dan Eades' multipart series on omega-3s and omega-6s discusses a study examining whether a shift in the types of fats we eat has contributed to the rise of modern diseases.

Zoë Harcombe, Ph.D., concedes The Game Changers tells "a good story," but that's as far as the 2019 documentary's accolades should go, she suggests. In this presentation from Dec. 15, 2019, Harcombe offers an incisive — and often humorous — critique of the arguments the film makes in favor of a plant-based diet.

The human brain is nearly 60% fat by total weight and needs to be provided with certain types of fats — both saturated and unsaturated — throughout life to provide a balance of structural integrity and fluidity to its cells. Mary Dan Eades, MD, outlines the stakes of limiting dietary fat intake at various stages in life and lists the various food sources one should seek or avoid to keep the brain functioning optimally.

This 2020 mouse study indicates a diet rich in soybean oil, compared to a diet containing a similar amount of saturated fat, leads to changes in the expression of genes associated with inflammation, neuroendocrine function, and neurological signaling. These shifts suggest mechanisms by which soybean oil may have contributed to the rise in obesity and diabetes, given the dramatic increase in the oil’s consumption in the 20th century.