Ever had a minor medical issue with no obvious cause? Something like low energy levels, or a string of low-grade illnesses (like colds), or a drippy nose? If you have, and you know people “into” nutrition, then chances are you’ve been suggested to “try and see” how a dietary intervention works. The try-and-see approach is extremely common […]
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How to Do a Vegan or Vegetarian Diet Right (as an Athlete)
Perhaps it’s the earth consciousness of the prototypical climber, but vegan and vegetarian diets seem to be more popular than normal in climbing circles. There are a number of famous vegetarian and vegan climbers, such as Steph Davis and Alex Honnold, and their public commitment to these animal-friendly diets only increases such diets’ popularity further. […]
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Dietary Collagen Is Worthless
Awhile back when I was in Taiwan visiting a friend, his then girlfriend (now wife) took us to a little restaurant and ordered a small feast. One after another, the dishes arrived at our table, and were mostly fabulous. A less fabulous dish, however, was the pile of gelatinous, cooked fish skin adorned with colorful roe “sprinkles”. While it […]
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Fructose
Fructose may be the single most well-known—and most despised—food sugar. Since it entered our public spotlight, numerous wellness gurus and associated types have cast aspersions on its safety and linked it to any number of disease states. So much has fructose been derided that even among those who don’t vilify sugar, it is often mistrusted. Given a choice […]
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Reader Questions #4
Time for more Reader Questions! In this installment, I answer questions regarding: The Role of Carbohydrates During Climbing (Energy Systems) Big Picture Protein Intake Creatine Cessation and Strength/Power Question #1: The Role of Carbohydrates During Climbing (Energy Systems) I recently come across one of your articles about the effects of anxiety on climbing performance and […]
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Stay Cool for Summer Performance
It’s that time of year, at least here in the northern hemisphere, when climbers start shrinking from the heat. This past weekend at Rocky Mountain National Park, at an elevation of almost 10,000 feet (about 3,000 meters), the temperature was over 75° Fahrenheit (24° Celsius)—and it was actually a “cool” day, at least down in valley […]
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The Sports Nutrition Pyramid
Occasionally, I come across articles that try to simplify sports nutrition by dispensing with most common “good practices” as unnecessary (like nutrient timing, macro goals, etc.). Usually, their core message is that you should just follow your instincts—eat what you want, when you want, and not worry about the specifics. I get why they’ve adopted this approach—it’s hard and […]
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Is Kombucha Actually Healthy?
I want to preface this post with a disclaimer: I enjoy kombucha. I like its acidity, its light carbonation, and its flavor. As such, this article is not meant to convince you that it’s not worth it to drink kombucha if you enjoy it—it’s just meant to ground your pleasure in reality. The reality I’m […]
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Why You Need More Oxygen to Burn Fat than Carbohydrates (and How This Affects Your Climbing)
I’ve written before about how carbohydrates are more oxygen-efficient than fat, which is a boon for climbing of all types; what I haven’t really addressed is why. Far from being a dry, biochemical fact of interest only to physiology enthusiasts, knowing exactly how carbohydrates derive their advantage can inform everyone about their diets, as well as […]
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Weight Loss Timing
If your goal is to “get lean” and you have only a small-to-moderate amount of weight to lose (less than 5-10% of your total weight), then you shouldn’t approach weight loss as a year-round endeavor. Rather, you should approach it as a single phase in your yearly training cycle so as to not interfere with […]
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