While the greatest attention is given to milk and milk products, such as whey and casein proteins, cheese offers a few benefits that are separate from that of milk. Indeed, cheese can be consumed on diets that eliminate milk and most other dairy products because of the lack of … [Read more...]
Is Weight-Cycling or Yo-Yo Dieting a Direct Route to Obesity and Bad Health? by Jerry Brainum 7/21
A common practice in bodybuilding and other sports is often called "Bulking up." This involves gaining weight during periods of non-competition, then losing weight prior to a competition. The ostensible reason for bulking up in bodybuilding is to gain muscular size and … [Read more...]
Are Your Supplements Contaminated? by Jerry Brainum 5/21
More than two-thirds of Americans ingest some kind of food supplement. Surveys of supplement users have found that 84% of them are confident that the supplements they ingest into their bodies are safe and free of toxic impurities. Indeed, the Dietary Supplement and … [Read more...]
Fake Meat: How Healthy Is It? by Jerry Brainum 1/21
"Here try this burger, Jerry." I was at an outdoor barbecue on July 4, with all in attendance maintaining the social distancing required in this age of Covid-19. I peered at my friend with eyes above my suitably placed face mask. "No thanks, Bob. I stopped eating beef over two … [Read more...]
When Cheating is Good, and Go Ahead and Eat That Pizza! by Jerry Brainum 11/20
When I competed in bodybuilding contests over 40 years ago, the favored diet to achieve the low body fat status known as "ripped," was a low carbohydrate diet. The low carb diet was defined as containing no more than 100 grams of carbohydrate a day. But this varied among … [Read more...]
Protein Meal Distribution: Does It Make A Difference? by Jerry Brainum 7/20
You often hear talk or read about the importance of breakfast. The ostensible reason for this emphasis on consuming breakfast is that you wake up with partially depleted energy stores, such as liver and muscle glycogen, and consuming a meal when you wake up serves to restore … [Read more...]
How to Improve the Protein Status of Vegetarians by Jerry Brainum 2/20
The recent documentary film, The Game Changers, makes a case for vegan nutrition. It joins other documentary films that treaded that same pathway, such as Knives Over Forks, What the Health and others that purport to show evidence that much of the often stated critiques … [Read more...]
The Best Weight-Loss Diet: What Does the Science Show? by Jerry Brainum 11/19
Those who seek to lose excessive body fat are faced with a plethora of diet choices. Each diet has its advocates who proclaim that their diet is the most effective at promoting body fat loss. And there is rarely a time when another new fad diet surfaces, often promising to be the … [Read more...]
Feeling Your Oats by Jerry Brainum July, 2019
Although whole grains have taken a beating in the media lately, oats seem to be the exception to the rule. In truth, most of the criticisms directed at consuming whole grains in such books as Wheat belly are simply not true or exaggerations of established facts. There is … [Read more...]
Is Intermittent Dieting the Best Fat-loss Diet for Athletes and Bodybuilders? by Jerry Brainum
We are constantly besieged with new diets that all claim to be the ultimate cure for excessive body fat levels. And increased body fat is a major health problem. Americans have been getting fatter each year since the 1970s. Much of this increased rate of obesity is … [Read more...]