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<![CDATA[ - Blog]]>Thu, 30 Apr 2026 02:24:47 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Why You May Want To Add More Fat To Your Diet]]>Thu, 25 Feb 2016 16:56:28 GMThttp://www.imadgennutrition.com/blog/why-you-may-want-to-add-more-fat-to-your-diet

Low fat diets became quite popular years ago when science found what they thought to be a link between dietary fat intake and body fat accumulation. It seemed intuitive at the time. We’ve come a long way since then, and like everything, the more we explored the topic the more we realized how complex the topic really is. Today there are a few things we think we have figured out:

Trans fatty acids are artificially produced unsaturated fatty acids that raise LDL (bad cholesterol) and lower HDL (good cholesterol)
Saturated fatty acids (usually animal fats) used to be thought of as bad for our health because they raise LDL. However, saturated fats are being seen in a more positive light as of late. Research is showing that saturated fats cannot be viewed as a whole, as their effects on cholesterol vary from one acid to another. For example, stearic acid (beef fat) lowers both LDL and HDL. Coconut oil (approximately 85% saturated fat) has a high combination of lauric acid and myristic acid, which seem to raise both LDL and HDL.
Monounsaturated fatty acids (Omega-9) such as oleic acid (olive oil, canola oil) lower LDL.
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as Linolenic acid (Flax), EPA and DHA (fish oil) have been found to raise HDL. Omega-3 fatty acids also have an anti-inflammatory effect.
Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic acid (sunflower oil, corn oil) seem to have a pro-inflammatory effect dependent on its ratio to omega-3 fatty acids.

I’ll summarize this for you:

Try to avoid trans fatty acids and limit omega-6 fatty acids
Look to include omega-9 and omega-3 fatty acids
Saturated fats are more or less neutral, but don’t let intake get out of control

Now that you know which are the healthier fats I’m referring to, we should get back to the point, why you may want to add more fat to your diet. Now keep in mind, this doesn't mean add more fat to an already high fat diet. I'm simply spreaking to those who try to avoid fats at all costs. Fat does a few things psychologically that can have some positive impacts on our eating. First, fat usually tastes good in meals. Second, fat digests slowly, thus keeping us feeling full for longer.

Metabolically, chronically increased fat intake will lead to some changes. After a few weeks, your body will be much more efficient at utilizing fat as an energy source throughout the day and during exercise. This has two benefits:

For those wanting to lose some body fat, a higher fat diet combined with slightly decreased calorie intake might make the transition to the utilization of body fat as an energy source much smoother. It limits the fluctuations in blood sugar and changes in hunger that accompany most weight-loss diets.
During exercise, increased fat oxidation has a glycogen sparing effect. Consequently, your conditioning may improve (assuming you are still providing adequate carbohydrate at the right time). If combined with a subsequent, well-timed carbohydrate load, you may position yourself for the performance of your life.

I believe the myth that all dietary fats are bad for our health should be scrutinized. Whether you are an athlete, wanting to lose weight, or just live a bit healthier, the dated belief that all fats are bad is false. Not only are there greater evils in the nutrition world, a little dietary fat will more than likely improve your health.

]]><![CDATA[Things I Hate About The Book Wheat Belly (Part 2 of 2)]]>Wed, 24 Feb 2016 22:47:19 GMThttp://www.imadgennutrition.com/blog/things-i-hate-about-the-book-wheat-belly-part-2-of-2

Last week I asked the question, what is the difference between wheat and other high glycemic starches such as potatoes or rice? Well the answer is gluten. Gluten happens to be a very hot topic right now, and like I said last week, about 6% of Americans are apparently suffering from gluten sensitivity. Dr. Davis claims that gluten is a toxin for our body; however, research concerning non-celiac individuals has yet to find gluten as a trigger for any health problems (see here, here and here).

Davis goes on to say that gluten is like a drug to our body, and removing it from our diet will result in withdrawl effects such as fatigue, depression, etc. The problem with this is that the effects Davis outlines sound very similar to the first few days of a low carbohydrate diet. In reality, the reason why you will feel fatigued or depressed is because removing gluten also means removing a huge source of carbohydrate (wheat) from your diet. Your metabolism does not instantly become efficient at using body fat as a source of energy, and until it does, your reserve glycogen stores will be running low and you will undoubtedly be tired.
To summarize, do I think gluten is good for you?
Probably not.
Do I think gluten is the reason for the majority of North America’s health problems?
Absolutely Not.
The obesity epidemic in North America is easier explained by the over consumption of carbohydrate in general by inactive individuals. Those that are sensitive to gluten should avoid it, just as those intolerant to lactose should avoid lactose; but what’s more important than removing gluten is replacing excess high glycemic carbohydrate with nutrient dense foods such as vegetables.

]]><![CDATA[Common Mistakes People Make When Creating an Athletic Diet Plan]]>Wed, 24 Feb 2016 22:18:24 GMThttp://www.imadgennutrition.com/blog/common-mistakes-people-make-when-creating-an-athletic-diet-plan

Whether it is strictly adhering to a gym regimen or training for the Olympics, athletes must have a diet plan that caters to their demanding physical lifestyle. Cutting processed sugars and boosting protein are usually the first ideas that come to mind, but in reality, building an athlete diet plan takes a comprehensive approach. There are huge mistakes athletes tend to make when it comes to their nutrition and if you consider yourself an athlete, it is best to get to know these mistakes so you can avoid them in your own athletic eating plan.

Mistake #1: Not enough proteinWhy? It is easy to assume that an occasional steak, lean cuts of chicken, and plenty of fish will give you the protein boost you need, but the fact of the matter is protein is in high demand by your body when you are an athlete, and eating these foods can be difficult at certain times of the day when it is critical to consume some protein (e.g. in the locker room).

Fix: Supplement your athlete diet plan with a pure protein source like Whey Protein Powder. Whey protein actually is proven to boost muscle hypertrophy and speed the protein synthesis process, which helps your body recover quickly from stress after working out or playing hard.
Mistake #2: Treating food as a reward and not a requirement.Why? Too many athletes choose to look at the food that they intake while they are in training as something they can have if they do X-number of miles or spend so many minutes in the gym. Food, when you are training, should never be something that you reward yourself with. This train of thinking is often known as the "Run to Eat" mentality. Instead, you should be treating food like your fuel, which would mean you "Eat to Run."

Fix: When you are paying close attention to your nutritional intake and have created a comprehensive diet plan, eating before you work out is actually just fueling your performance. Your body needs the fuel provided by food for endurance and stamina. Eating only after you workout can actually compromise your efforts when you are trying to build lean muscle. Make sure you fuel your body well in advance of major training sessions or even the big game.

Mistake #3: Trying to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet as much as possible.Why? When you are in the process of endurance training, carbohydrates are not your enemy. Many athletes mistakenly make a connection between carbs and fat and assume that all carbs should get kicked to the curb. However, carbs serve a vital purpose and deserve a rightful place in any athletic diet plan. In fact, they actually have little to do with fat. In the body, carbs are utilized at high intensity training when body fat cannot be utilized. This will keep you energized during training, both physically and mentally.

Fix: Instead of avoiding carbs like they are a bad thing, embrace them, but be careful to embrace carbs in the right form and amount. A few examples of good carbs include:

Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and lentils.
Whole grains, like whole wheat bran or steel-cut oatmeal.
Fiber-rich fruits, such as bananas and oranges.

]]><![CDATA[Things I Hate About The Book Wheat Belly (Part 1 of 2)]]>Wed, 17 Feb 2016 01:03:17 GMThttp://www.imadgennutrition.com/blog/things-i-hate-about-the-book-wheat-belly-part-1-of-2

I recently read the book Wheat Belly. The author of this book, William Davis M.D. is a real doctor, which is generally a good thing. The reason why I say this is because the last book I read before this was the pH Miracle, written by Robert Young, who claims to be a doctor, but is really just an idiot. For my post on Robert Young and his book, see here.

Now being a cardiologist likely does not make someone an expert on nutrition, however that is not one of the things I hated about this book. It was actually refreshing that the author had actually earned the credentials he claims to have. Moving on from that point (book cover), I became increasingly disappointed with this book.

My very first blog I ever wrote was on the problems with the holistic nutrition industry (see here). One of my main points was that the industry uses clinical studies out of context to “prove” their nutritional claims. If I had read this book at the time of that post, I would have references this book as a perfect example of this. Dr. Davis consistently references Celiac Disease studies (and incorrectly at times I might add) as proof that removing wheat/gluten will improve the health of EVERYONE. Furthermore, Dr. Davis sights research on Schizophrenia, ADHD, and other diseases as well. These are all very complex diseases that the extreme majority of the population is not dealing with. For example, the occurrence of Celiac Disease is less than 1% of Americans. Also, approximately only 6% of Americans are actually gluten sensitive. (Celiac Centre)

Dr. Davis does a very poor job of actually proving a causational effect between wheat consumption and poor health. He no doubt makes a case that there is a correlation between the average American’s health and his/her wheat consumption, however other aspects of our diet may explain this. Rather than wheat specifically being the culprit, I say it is more likely that the excess weight gain occurring with many people comes from too much carbohydrate in general. Davis even admits that when removing wheat from the diet, you cannot replace it with other starchy grains if you want to lose weight. In fact, Davis explains the mechanisms behind weight gain after consuming large amounts of high glycemic carbohydrate, but then very un-academically blames wheat and only wheat for the weight gain.

So what is the difference between wheat and other high glycemic starches such as potatoes or rice? That is what I am going to talk about in Part 2 of Things I hate about the book Wheat Belly.

]]><![CDATA[4 Reasons You Should Switch to Whey Protein Powder ]]>Fri, 12 Feb 2016 02:02:29 GMThttp://www.imadgennutrition.com/blog/4-reasons-you-should-switch-to-whey-protein-powder

As an athlete you want to take the best care of your body as possible. It’s imperative that you eat right, lift weights, train in your chosen sport, and take care of yourself by living a healthy lifestyle. That also includes taking the right kind of supplements. You don’t want ones that contain too many ingredients. Whey protein powder is an excellent supplement to take for a variety of factors. iMadgen Nutrition offers the supplement as part of their total wellness package. Here are four reasons you should switch to Whey Protein Powder right away if you want the best for your body.

Amino AcidsThe fact that Whey Protein has a great profile of amino acids can help your body immensely. It’s a complete protein source that contains ALL of the essential amino acids required by the body. Not only has it been proven to strengthen your immune system, but it can also improve muscle recovery after strenuous exercise. After you workout it will improve muscle hypertrophy, which builds strong muscles that can take you further in your workouts. That’s why many bodybuilders, and athletes turn to Whey Protein Powder to help fuel their training.
Decreases Body FatAnother beneficial effect of Whey Protein Powder is that it may help decrease body fat. It is a great source of protein but with a minimal number of calories, which can help you stay lean.
Promotes Muscle GrowthIt’s been proven that significant muscle mass increases have been made in people taking this supplement as opposed to those that aren’t. Body builders love the safety of this primary supplement that is just pure, absolute protein based. Elite athletes can use our Whey Protein Powder as well because we are certified by Informed-Choice and test for banned-substances in each batch.

]]><![CDATA[Post-Training Nutrition For Swimmers]]>Wed, 10 Feb 2016 01:45:26 GMThttp://www.imadgennutrition.com/blog/post-training-nutrition-for-swimmers

I recently wrote an article for Swimming Science on the topic of post-training nutrition for elite swimmers. The original article is here. If you are a swimmer you should definitely have a read and consider these suggestions. You should also consider getting my ebook specifically designed for Elite Swimmers. You can find it here:

Sports Nutrition For Elite Swimmers
If you are not a swimmer, but are an elite athlete in a different sport, most of this article can still apply to you. Pay attention to the parts where I touch on the individualized needs of different athletes.
Here it is:
Swimmers are notorious for doing a huge volume of training. Because of this, on top of the huge caloric requirement of most swimmers, post-training nutrition should be a massive component of a competitive swimmers routine.
There are generally 3 components to post-training recovery that swimmers need to focus on. They are:

Protein – Post-training protein intake is probably the most vital and time-sensitive aspect. Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) is generally maximized in adults with about 20 – 30g of a high-quality, fast-absorbing protein (e.g. whey protein powder). Younger/smaller athletes may need less protein to max out MPS, but it is still just as important. MPS is essentially your muscles responding to a stimulus, so if you want to get stronger and faster, maximizing MPS is the way to go.
Carbohydrate – carbohydrate is the body’s main source of fuel. Internal carbohydrate stores are called glycogen, and following training they will be depleted. If you want to have the energy for your next training session, you need to replace lost glycogen with an exogenous carbohydrate (e.g. dextrose). Dextrose is the simplest of carbohydrate (i.e. glucose), being essentially a single unit of glycogen. Now it gets a bit tricky; carbohydrate requirements are not as consistent as protein requirements. Some need huge amounts to satisfy their huge metabolism and work capacity, while others simply gain body fat on large amounts of carbohydrate. My recommendations are to start with 30g of dextrose, and slowly experiment with larger amounts, up to 60g, and even 90g during training. Trust your body, go with what feels the best, and what you are performing the best with on a regular basis.
Water – I know you have been in a pool full of cold water, but trust me; you’ve been sweating the entire time. If you really want to find out how much you are sweating, you can weigh yourself immediately before and after practice. Then you need to replace the weight you lost in training with 1.5 x the volume of liquid. So for every pound you lose, you should be consuming about 24 oz of liquid. You need to do this because you will not retain all of the liquid you put back into you. BUT, who wants to weigh themselves before and after practice everyday? It’s a pretty safe bet to simply consume your post-training carb/protein mixture in a 32 oz. bottle of water, followed with another 32 oz. of water over the next several hours.

Depending on who you ask, you’ll hear you have anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours following training to take advantage of an “anabolic window”. But in reality the window doesn’t shut as soon as you hit 21 minutes, it’s a gradual switch, so you don’t need to be too anxious about the timing. You should however, bring something with you to practice to consume immediately after you are done training.
Think about it this way, when was the last time you ate something substantial?
Maybe 2 hours before your 2-hour practice? I’m not good at math, but it seems like about 4 hours since the last time you nourished yourself. Don’t make it 6 hours by waiting until after you go home and prepare a meal.
Which brings me to my next point, including post-training nutrition into your routine should not replace an entire meal! It supplements your diet. The focus on immediate intake of protein and carbohydrate is because they have a timing-dependent effect on your recovery. Essentially, all else can wait for a period of time, but not forever. The first meal following training still needs to include all the components of a balanced diet: carbohydrate, protein, fat, fibre, vitamins, minerals, electrolytes etc. This is nutrition 101.
Post-training nutrition is a great supplement to a healthy diet of a competitive swimmer. Keep it in perspective, you won’t see any benefit if your protein-shake is replacing your dinner. But if you do it right, know that this little difference everyday can make all the difference in the end.

]]><![CDATA[Nutritional Coaching: How to Do It Right]]>Fri, 05 Feb 2016 21:45:05 GMThttp://www.imadgennutrition.com/blog/nutritional-coaching-how-to-do-it-right

If you have always been fascinated by food and fitness, then a career as a nutritional coach might be the right choice for you. This career is not only interesting, but you will be guiding people towards a much healthier lifestyle. Wouldn’t that be a fulfilling way to live your best life? So this is a valuable choice to pursue if you can see being happy with that as your future.

Plus, with all the options in education for nutrition it couldn’t be easier to obtain knowledge about this subject. Nutritional coaches usually major in a variety of subjects, such as exercise physiology, coaching, or strength and conditioning can relate to nutritional coaching. Here are some of the steps you can take to pursue this lifestyle opportunity to help people make the absolute best choices nutritionally for their bodies.

Get a Nutrition Degree
Having a degree can help you get ahead in any industry. This is also true in nutritional coaching. You want to be as knowledgeable and well-rounded in this career path as possible, so getting a four-year degree is vital to get a job. You’ll learn a variety of subjects that relate to this field, including physiology, psychology, chemistry, biology, food science, etc.. Learning about what the right foods and supplements, such as whey protein, can do for the body will help you succeed in this sought after job situation.

Pursue an Accreditation
After you get your education on the road to becoming a nutrition expert, you should then go even further and get accredited. Many jobs require you to be a Registered Dietitian. Check your national/provincial/state registration process to learn the steps involved. Other certifications in holistic nutrition or sports nutrition are also available that may help you become more well rounded.

Where You Can Get a Job
Other than starting your own nutritional coaching company, you can also look to a variety of places to get employment. Hospitals, weight loss centers, spas, and full service gyms often employ nutritional or wellness coaches. Or you can even work with athletes the way that iMadgen Nutrition does. So your options for employment are vast and exciting. People are always going to need guidance in this ever-changing world. Guide your clients towards a better tomorrow by getting on the right track to becoming a nutritional coach today.

]]><![CDATA[Here is the problem with holistic nutrition]]>Wed, 03 Feb 2016 21:32:38 GMThttp://www.imadgennutrition.com/blog/here-is-the-problem-with-holistic-nutrition

I am primarily a sports nutritionist, BUT I am a big supporter of the idea of holistic nutrition. Unfortunately the industry often appears as a joke when compared to research proven sports nutrition. Through this blog I hope to separate the garbage from truth and set the record straight when it comes to holistic nutrition.

For those of you who aren’t aware of what holistic nutrition is; according to Holistichealthandme.com, holistic nutrition is “looking at a person as a whole – attempting to bring balance to all areas of the person’s life by observing dietary intake, supplements and lifestyle”.
The first problem with the holistic industry is that many of the leading experts and researchers in the industry have no more than a BA and some letters following their name. However, almost every university-employed head of research in a sports nutrition department has their PhD.
For example, at the Institute of Holistic Nutrition there are 10 research documents listed, 9 by an author with a BA and one without any degree listed. In contrast, the International Society of Sports Nutrition has a journal with about 300 open access peer-reviewed papers. Their editorial staff consists of 9 editors all with PhD’s.
This leads me to the second problem with the industry. Holistic nutrition has relatively little research backing up their claims. The peer-reviewed research that does involve holistic nutrition’s focus has come about from medical/clinical research, which the holistic nutrition industry has adopted. Again, the sports nutrition industry has countless peer-reviewed papers investigating the direct link between nutrition and performance.
My third point is, that the research done by the clinical nutrition industry has been used out of context by the holistic industry because of the lack of their own effective research that directly addresses their issues. Because of their lack of research, the industry can, and has, made claims about our health without properly proving it. Therefore, both valid and invalid claims exist within this industry, with little way for the public to tell between the two.
Like I said at the start, I am a supporter of the holistic concept, but the industry has a long way to go.

]]><![CDATA[Success Bias – How much credit should we give to those who made it to the top?]]>Tue, 02 Feb 2016 23:11:07 GMThttp://www.imadgennutrition.com/blog/success-bias-how-much-credit-should-we-give-to-those-who-made-it-to-the-top

Lets say we had a coin-flipping contest; we flip a coin 100 times, whoever correctly calls their flips the most number of times wins. Simple math tells us that this contest is comprised purely of chance, with everyone having a 50% chance of getting it right on each flip.

Frankly, winning and losing is completely out of our control. However, we will all have a strategy of how we will go about making these calls. Some of us may believe that our strategy makes a difference, maybe due to superstition or a lack of statistical understanding, while others would have a strategy merely for entertainment or to pass the time (i.e. you have to pick something). Regardless, at the end of it all there would be a winner, in that someone guessed the most flips correctly.
If you asked this winner what his/her strategy was, he/she could tell you about their journey to becoming champion…but did their strategy really make a difference?
No, because we know that it was never really under their control. But somebody had to win, right? Focusing on this winner is known as Success Bias, which is defined as the logical error of concentrating on the people or things that "succeeded" some process while overlooking those that did not because of their lack of visibility.
The point is that so much of sports, and life, comes down to chance. In sport we like to hear what champions did to get there; and yes much of their success was earned through their hard work, but chance plays a factor too. The winners aren’t the only ones who worked hard; they are just the ones we hear about. Genetics plays a factor as well. Ask Yao Ming what he did all his life before he stood at a height of 7ft.6in., and he could tell you all about it, but did it really make a difference in his height?
Athletes come to metaphorical forks in the road all too often, where they must make a decision based purely on chance. Some athletes will choose correctly, some will not. Does it mean that those who chose correctly knew something the rest of them did not? Absolutely not, but none-the-less that athlete made it. So is that athlete’s lucky strategy any better? Again, absolutely not! But for some reason we choose to blindly follow their advice anyways. As if because the coin-flip was heads this time, it’s more likely to be tails next time.
Anecdotes can be dangerous information. Being an elite athlete (or at an elite level of anything) alone does not make an expert of a field of study. It makes an expert in how this one specific person got there, and that may help others get there, or it may not. This one person’s path might not be the right path for others. Understanding the strength and conditioning literature is what makes a strength and condition expert. Understanding nutrition literature is what makes a nutrition expert. This applies to any field. So instead of blindly following those who made it to the top before us, carefully focus on what you can actually control, training and nutrition (not genetics or luck), by listening to those who are truly educated on the subject.

]]><![CDATA[Step-by-step guide to creating an athlete diet plan]]>Fri, 29 Jan 2016 00:09:10 GMThttp://www.imadgennutrition.com/blog/step-by-step-guide-to-creating-an-athlete-diet-plan

There's no doubt that what you eat plays a large role in how you perform. Because of this reality, it's crucial that you have a customized diet based on the demands of your sport and your individual needs. Creating a customized meal plan to maximize your athletic performance may seem

like a daunting task, but it's actually easier than you might think. By following a these simple steps, you can create an effective diet plan that gets results no matter what sport you compete in.
Step 1: Determine Your Resting Energy ExpenditureYou probably already know your height and weight in inches and pounds, but you'll need to convert those measurements to centimeters and kilograms to determine your resting energy expenditure (REE). Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your kilogram weight and multiply your height in inches by 2.54 to get your centimeter height. From here, you can plug these numbers into the following formulas, one for women and one for men, to find your REE calories.

Female: 655 + (9.6 x kg) + (1.85 x cm) - (4.7 x age)
Male: 66 + (13.7 x kg) + (5.0 x cm) - (6.8 x age)

So, for example, a 23-year-old female weighing 135 pounds who is 5' 8" feet tall would insert those numbers and come up with the following total:
655 + (9.6 x 61.4) + (1.85 x 172.7) - (4.7 x 23) = 1,672 REE calories
Step 2: Determine Amount of Calories You Need Each DayNow that you know the amount of calories you need at rest, the next step is finding out the low and high range of calories you need each day. To get these limits, multiply your REE calories by anywhere from 1.0 and 2.5. This will give you a range of energy intake that you can use to guide food intake depending on how active and demanding your life is.
Step 3: Calculate How Much Fat, Carbs, and Protein You NeedFor an athlete in training, I suggest starting by breaking up your caloric intake into 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat. By multiplying these percentages by your upper and lower limits, you can find out how much of your total calories should be made up of each type. From there, divide your carb calories by 4, your protein calories by 4, and your fat calories by 9 to determine how many grams of each you need. For the example above, this would come out to 523 grams of carbs, 314 grams of protein, and 93 grams of fat at the upper calorie limit. Many athletes turn to whey protein to meet their protein requirements while not overdoing it on carbs and fat. If you do this, make sure that the whey protein powder you choose has no fillers, preservatives, or other unhealthy ingredients.
Other ConsiderationsWhen creating your ideal athlete diet plan, how much and how intensely you work out will determine whether your caloric intake should be at the upper or lower limit, or somewhere in between. For more ways to customize your diet plan, sign up for our mailing list and get access to our free web tools. Our custom formula calculator factors in your age, weight, height, gender, as well as the number of hours you exercise, the type of exercise, and your weight-management goals.

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