ESSENTIALS: NUTRITION

Eating for wellness relates to the quality of food. Eating for performance relies on a combination of food quality and quantity.

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.

A survey of economic data across 42 European countries found no relationship between heart disease risk and eating animal protein and animal fat.

Frederick Allen, Elliott Joslin, Louis “Harry” Newburgh, and Phil Marsh were pioneers in the treatment of diabetes before the discovery of insulin. This 2006 review of their methods and outcomes found that all four successfully treated diabetic patients with a diet that closely resembles modern high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets.

"Today, most doctors, dietitians, and even diabetes specialists consider type 2 diabetes to be a chronic and progressive disease — a life sentence with no possibility of parole. But the truth, as Dr. Fung reveals in this paradigm-shifting book, is that type 2 diabetes is reversible."

A 2011 article takes a historical look at the use of extremely low-calorie diets in diabetic patients prior to the discovery of insulin.

In this 2012 commentary, Robert Lustig and colleagues claim sugar is similar to tobacco and alcohol in that it is unavoidable, toxic, abuse-forming, and societally harmful. They argue anti-sugar measures are warranted.

A 2019 in vitro study found chronic fructose exposure increases insulin release by pancreatic β-cells, which may contribute to obesity and insulin resistance over time.

Many dieters believe a calorie is a calorie and operating at a calorie deficit is the key to weight loss. However, counting calories is an ineffective and often unhealthy diet method. The body processes calories from different sources in different ways, and assuming all calories are equal often leads to overconsumption of refined carbohydrates. Tyler Hass explains why eating high-quality foods and exercising with high intensity is the most effective way to drive favorable changes in body composition.

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.