Carbohydrates are deceptively complex. While their place in the diet is relatively easy to understand because their main function is provide energy, many people don’t realize some finer points about carbohydrates and as a result wind up with skewed or illogical beliefs. Since carbohydrates will play a central role in many of the articles on this […]
Read the full article...Author Archives: Brian Rigby, MS, CISSN
Make Your Own Chewy Granola Bars
I’m going on a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park for some bouldering this weekend, and I needed some easy-to-pack, easy-to-eat food. Space may be limited since I’ll be with a group (can’t bring my own cooler), and the short nature of the trip means that my biggest concern is getting enough energy to send. Thus, […]
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The Best Sources of Protein
Protein is ubiquitous. Unless you’re poor and in a developing country where the staple crop is extremely low in protein, there’s no doubt that you’re getting enough to survive on a daily basis. But despite the low bar for sufficiency, not all proteins are equal drivers of muscle protein synthesis. To reach this higher bar, […]
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Some Problems with Anecdotal Evidence
One of the major pitfalls of nutrition is that anecdotes are often given equal footing with scientific evidence. Stories of how you can use diet to rid yourself of acne, gain more energy, or stop that persistent runny nose proliferate in the uncritical halls of the web where they can almost always find an eager audience. Unfortunately, […]
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How Do Nutrition Needs Differ Between Types of Climbing?
The term “climbing” encompasses a diverse array of sports. Just as “running” includes everything in the spectrum from 100 meter sprints to 100+ kilometer ultramarathons, “climbing” could mean bouldering, sport climbing, big wall ascents, or mountaineering (with other disciplines like ice climbing in the mix, too). Despite many similarities, each discipline differs in important ways. Not only do […]
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Don’t Spray Diet Beta
You’ve heard that you shouldn’t spray beta, right? The basic idea is that you shouldn’t presume to know whether someone wants your advice, so don’t just shout it out even if you see an obvious problem. Instead, you should do the polite thing and ask them if they’d like some beta first—that way you don’t just insert yourself […]
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Sodium Bicarbonate Supplement Guide
Facts at a Glance Sodium Bicarbonate Summary Sodium bicarbonate increases buffering capacity, which improves power endurance. While cheap and easily available, its effects last only a short time and it must be taken in large amounts, so it is ideal mostly for competitions and final days on projects and less so for daily use. Best […]
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Is There Such a Thing as a “Good Fat” or “Bad Fat”?
It’s been a good year for fat. In March, the US revised its guidelines on dietary cholesterol to allow unlimited consumption, and just earlier this month the FDA formally ruled that trans fat is not safe to put in food. Now, there’s even news that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are going to remove the “recommended […]
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Are Nightshade Vegetables Inflammatory?
Nightshades are sometimes accused of being inflammatory and contributing to the development or exacerbation of inflammatory diseases like arthritis or autoimmune diseases. Is this really the truth, though, or just bad science?
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FDA Bans Trans Fat
The FDA has ruled that trans fats are not GRAS, or “generally recognized as safe”. Within three years, food manufacturers will need to remove all partially hydrogenated oils from their products. In many ways, this is not a surprising move. We’ve known for a long time that artificial trans fats are terrible for the body, and for almost a […]
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