Muscle tissue, on average, makes up the majority of our body weight, and it contains the majority of all body proteins. On a daily basis, muscle tissue breaks down and it also regenerates. There are many factors that can accelerate the rate at which muscle will breakdown, just as there are factors that support the regeneration and growth of our muscle tissue.
The rate of muscle atrophy (wasting) will increase with inactivity, lack of movement and lack of resistance of our muscles. Muscle breakdown accelerates with age. As we age, the nerves and fibers that move muscles start to shrink down and cannot function as optimally. Also, the aging process begins the decline of our hormones that help support Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS).
The Lifestyle factors that support MPS are to always stay active and exercise, and to support the muscle recovery with adequate amounts of protein and amino acids to rebuild, regenerate, and grow muscle tissue. Our menu plan choices should focus on less inflammatory signals. Foods like added sugars, alcohol, and overly processed choices will increase systemic inflammation and support muscle protein breakdown (MPB).
ROLE OF PROTEIN AND TRAINING
Protein ingestion and resistance exercise both stimulate the process of new MPS. Our health goal is to continue to have a healthy balance of MPS exceeding over MPB. As we age, the Standard American Diet tends to consume more carbohydrates and less proteins and can lead to a condition called Sarcopenia, which is age-related muscle wasting.
As mentioned earlier, muscle tissue contains protein, and therefor muscle tissue is made from protein and amino acids. When we look at the studies to prevent MPB, adequate protein intake (at least 1-1.2 g/kg body weight) is recommended, however, in some cases, even more protein has been shown to be beneficial for physically active athletes and exercisers.
BCAA AND THE MTOR PATHWAY
Protein, and in particular, Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) that are in protein, are essential to for MPS. The BCAAs comprise of leucine, isoleucine, and valine, which are essential amino acids. BCAAs, with a special focus on Leucine, has been shown to increase MPS and the production of lean body mass, as well as stimulate a pathway called MTOR (MTORc1). MTOR expression leads to protein synthesis, activates the Krebs Cycle and ATP production providing energy to our cells. More energy to our cells is more energy we have to perform and function better. The MTOR pathway also slows down the breakdown of muscle tissue (muscle atrophy).
In conclusion, adequate protein, staying physically active, and living a healthy lifestyle are the key factors to support more muscle tissue and have healthy function and healthy aging. If eating enough protein throughout the day is a challenge, an easy way to ensure you are getting in enough protein and our Essential Amino Acids like BCAA, is to use supplementation.
-REACH NUTRITION
]]>The body needs all three macronutrients (Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fats). We are our healthiest, strongest, and most efficient, when we intake the right balance, and the right kinds of these Macronutrients.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates supply the body with energy by breaking down into glucose, a form of sugar. Glucose is used by our bodies cells as a fuel source. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that is vitally important to maintain health, support GI Health, lower inflammation, and remove toxins from the body. It is important to note that our energy does not only come from carbohydrates, and if we intake too many of them, especially in the form of added sugars, it can have a negative impact on our health. Excess sugars can create inflammation, insulin resistance, and compromise our immune system.
Proteins
Proteins are responsible for growth of our muscles, and to build and repair tissues. Though we may be successful at consuming some proteins, typically, the difficult part is whether we are getting in enough to support our active lifestyle, and whether we are getting in a healthy balance of non-inflammatory to inflammatory proteins. It is not uncommon to have a higher ratio of more inflammatory proteins from sources like dairy or red meats. Less inflammatory proteins are more plant-based proteins, or from fish. All proteins are beneficial, however, creating a better balance is key to our health.
Fats
Fats are a great source of long-term, efficient energy, which allows us to perform at our peak. Healthy fats support a leaner body with less inflammation. Healthy fats also support cardiovascular health and stabilizing blood sugar and insulin levels.
For many, it can be challenging to get in enough healthy fats and low inflammatory proteins on a daily basis, and at the same time, controlling how much added sugars we intake.
Typically, carbohydrates and sugars come into our daily menu plan without much thought, and we can easily create an imbalance of our macros.
Our goal with REACH Bars is to eliminate the challenges in achieving optimal macros and make it easier and enjoyable for you to be successful with your personal goals in all aspects of life.
Chicory Root Fiber and Reduction of Visceral Fat
The Chicory Root plant is a great source of Inulin fiber. Inulin fiber is a prebiotic, meaning it supports the good bacteria in our gut, and the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA).
Butyrate
As Chicory Root fiber is broken down in our systems it increases our SCFAs, specifically butyrate. Butyrate has many health benefits. It is a fuel source for our cells to maintain GI health and integrity. Butyrate also lowers systemic inflammation, and works as an anti-oxidant.
Fat Storage
Studies have also shown that inulin, from chicory root plant, supports the reduction of Visceral Fat. Visceral fat is a type of fat that can be quite harmful to our health. There are three ways the body stores fat:
1: Essential fats- fats that are essential for life. Essential fats support vitamin absorption, proper hormone and brain function, bone health, immune function, temperature regulation, etc.
2: Subcutaneous Fats- This is the fat right underneath our skin and makes up the majority of our fat
3: Visceral Fats- This type of fat is the most dangerous. It is a deeper storage of fat that can surround our major organs like the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. There are many possible associated risks of elevated visceral fat in the body, for instance:
Visceral Fat
Visceral fat is not just stored excess fat, it actually works like a functioning organ. Visceral fat releases pro-inflammatory signals which increases our risk to chronic inflammatory conditions in the body, which is the root of most disease.
Our best solution to decreasing Visceral Fat is, and always will be, Lifestyle Medicine. We can start by eating healthier and fueling the body with low-inflammatory protein and health fats. Intake enough plants like chicory root which will act as a great source of fuel for our body, produce SCFA and support healthy bacteria.
]]>There are many ways we can support our Immune System, but there may be no better way to support Immune System resilience than our daily menu plan. The Immune response is actually an inflammatory response to attack any harmful pathogen, whether it be bacterial, viral, or toxins, that has entered our body. Our immune system becomes compromised when the inflammatory signals do not turn off and continues a feedback loop to create more inflammation. This is sometimes referred to as a cytokine storm, and this is dangerous to our health.
The foods we eat can be highly inflammatory food choices which will support a more elevated inflammatory immune response and a compromised immune system.
In contrary, the foods we eat can support a lower inflammatory response, and support immune function and resilience.
Healthy fats, like omega 3 fatty acids, support a less inflammatory reaction in our body. Our immune cells have free fatty acid receptors, and omega 3’s signal these receptors for less inflammation. Healthy fats also support proliferation of our T-cells, which are vitally important immune cells.
The role of proteins in the body is to build and repair body tissue, and also to fight off viruses and bad bacteria. Our immune cells rely on protein to function properly and do its job in protecting us from harm.
Carbohydrates, especially in the way of fruits and vegetables, supply the body with powerful antioxidants, which neutralize the oxidative stress that is created by an immune response. If we do not have enough antioxidants in our body, the oxidative stress will reinforce the continuous cycle of a high inflammation causing damage to our tissues.
Excess of added sugars in the diet leads to more inflammation, possibly a poor body composition, and conditions like obesity and Type II Diabetes. These conditions, and other inflammatory conditions are associated with a compromised immune system.
Our immune system is quite amazing, and protects us every day without us even realizing it. Make sure you support it with healthy nutrients, so it can do its job efficiently.
-Reach Nutrition
]]>The Standard American Diet (SAD) has many features, however, none of which are healthy. It’s a diet that is consistent with eating over 65% of total calories coming from carbohydrates, mostly in the form of added, refined sugars, and processed foods. The diet also eats more than a quarter of the daily calories coming from animal-based foods, and a very small percentage coming from plant-based foods.
The issue isn’t so much of plant-based foods over animal-based foods, but the SAD diet focuses on eating the unhealthy choices of animal-based foods, and the less healthy choices of even the plant-based foods. About half the plant-based foods tend to come from potatoes, mostly French fries, and the animal-based foods typically come from higher inflammatory red meats.
The SAD diet is the primary cause of obesity and Type II diabetes in this country. It is a diet that is also associated with high inflammation and an increase risk of many other chronic diseases. Somewhere along the way, we seemed to have lost interest in eating vegetables, and natural whole foods. The food industry boomed and brought us processed, refined, high sugar and Net Carbohydrate rich foods which lead us to eat a complete imbalance of our Macronutrients (Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats).
So what can we do? First, we can start by focusing on eating whole foods, and learning to fall in love with vegetables and the occasional fruit. Vegetables and fruits provide us with good carbohydrates. Healthy carbs are quite easy to come by, in fact, many of our healthy whole foods choices will supply us with adequate carbohydrates. The area where we tend to struggle at times is getting in healthy fats and healthy proteins. Even when we decide to eat healthy, it is easy to still be low in proteins and fats.
A good rule of thumb is to always be aware that you are having enough servings of healthy fats, and healthy protein in your daily routine, and carbs will come without thought. It is time to redefine the Standard American Diet from being a menu plan loaded with sugar, processed foods and high net carbs, to a NEW, healthy American Diet filled with whole foods, adequate protein and healthy fats, and lots of vegetables.
It is your choice to be healthy……
Reach Nutrition
]]>Inflammation is part of the body’s natural healing process.
During injury or infection, the body releases chemicals to help protect it and fight off any harmful organisms. This can cause redness, warmth and swelling.
Some foods, like sugar, can also cause inflammation in the body, which is normal.
However, eating too many inflammatory foods may cause chronic low-grade inflammation. This can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and allergies.
This article covers all you need to know about the role of sugar and inflammation in the body.
]]>