What's up and welcome back to Talking Nutrition. Today is part two of our second step-timer call. Like I said last time last week on Thursday, I was like you know, we had so many good questions I don't want to overwhelm you with like a full hour of Q&A. So again, today is another 30 minute. I was going to say call but replay 30 minute episode Part two of our second call. It was nutrition based, right? So the first week we did movement. Second call was a Q&A about all things nutrition and we had a whole bunch of different topics and you hopefully already checked out last week, right? Anyway, we will be back again next Thursday with our third and last step-timer call. We'll see. It's likely gonna be again broken up into two, but either way, I like the bonus episodes anyway, you know. So let's get into it and then I'll talk to you soon.

Margaret says if you consume too much in quotes protein for your body to use at one time, what happens to the extra protein? I've heard conflicting things about it. I don't like to speak in absolutes, but we cannot really eat too much protein. Our body can store fat as body fat. The body can also store carbohydrate as glycogen, which is basically the storage version of carbs in either your liver or in your muscle tissue. So basically, your muscles are like your fuel tank. The more muscle you have, the more carbohydrate, right Sugar, we can store, and the brain actually uses sugar as well. We need that. That's our fuel. Right Now, protein doesn't really get stored. Like we don't have a storage place for protein. Instead, your body is always using protein, breaking it up, breaking it down, right For muscle, et cetera, and it's really that balance of like building up proteins and breaking them down and that even also plays into like muscle gain and stuff and muscle maintenance. Now there have been protein overfeeding studies where they fed people up to like I think it was four times their body weight in grams, so I'm speaking like four grams per kilo of body weight. So that would be for some people, like 350, 400, you know grams of protein, which is crazy, by the way, and I'm not saying like no one on this call needs to be eating that much protein like no means right. But just to show you, these were protein overfeeding studies where these people were in a category surplus and they did not gain body fat, which is crazy. Like it's kind of weird to think about it. But they did not gain body fat, they just got very hot. That was like one common like feedback of the participants, like they got super warm. Well, what happens? Right, food is thermogenic, meaning like we burn calories. Right, we talked about the thermic effect. Protein 20 to 30% gets burned off already through digestion. Likely has to do with that. Right, people got very hot because they're eating so much protein that I have to kind of like burn it off, or at least the digestion is burning the extra calories right Now, not all of it.

It's not that you're burning all of them, just speaking of kind of like the digestive process, where does your protein? Kind of like you know, like what does it do? It kind of just hangs around for like a, for better term, like it gets broken down into amino acids and then your body is just gonna use it. This even plays into the age old myth of you cannot eat more than 30 grams of protein per meal. Like no, you can't absolutely, cause there's these claims that you cannot digest it, but you can absolutely do that. So you're gonna have 60, 80, 100 grams of protein in one meal and you're gonna break it down, you're gonna digest that and absorb it. However, I will say this if we're looking at what's optimal from a muscle protein synthesis AKA like muscle building, right Standpoint is probably best to just have your protein spread evenly across the day. So if your protein target is 160 grams and you have four meals, it's four meals, 40 grams of protein. Well, there you go. But yeah, we don't have to worry about having too much, and I also know Margaret's macros currently and you're not having too much, so it's okay. So, and if anything last point here I always tell people, like, if you overshoot any macros, like let it be protein, like that's the one that really doesn't hurt, you know.

Next question so Tony says when we're working to build muscle, what's the optimal window of time after working out to consume your post-workout protein? Really good question, love that you brought this up. He said also and does the type of protein matter? To your last point of the question no, not, really Doesn't really matter. Have whatever you like.

What I will say, though it's likely nice to have a meal after your workout. That's a little bit easier to digest. I always tell people like, hey, the 80, 20, the 20%, like post-workout is a really good window for that Type of protein does matter. What you could do if you want to get nitpicky, you could keep fiber and fats low because it's going to slow down digestion and we actually want to absorb that stuff. So when I have protein and carbohydrates it's your main, like, your priority there. And the optimal window Also comes from a myth right where you had the anabolic window where you have to eat right away or get a shake like right away after your workout. You're good. Anywhere within two hours you're fine, even like up to three and slightly less optimal. But I mean to be honest with you as long as you eat at some point, you're good. But let's say two hours, like within two hours. If you want to, you know, optimize stuff. There you go. Prioritize carbs and protein A little bit, lower fat and lower carbs. Sorry, lower fat and lower fiber, higher carbs, like I said, because fiber and fats slow down digestion.

Hilda says I like intermittent fasting. Can it be combined with building more muscle? It's not great, it's a big, it depends one. It can be a tool when people are dealing with specific conditions that digestive issues. It's okay, it's not bad and there's definitely a time and place for it. However, if we think right, does it make sense to be fasting if we want to build muscle? Like, actually no. My question is always to people like hey, why do we want to fast, since you're a female? Here's the thing Intermittent fasting actually can be a very, very big stressor to the body, even more so for women. This is not me generalizing whatever like that's actual research to point that out, right. But generally speaking, it's not a great idea For a lot of people, a lot, a lot of people.

Now for muscle gain, well, if we think, okay, what's anabolic, right, what's basically supports, you know, building up tissue, building muscle, that will be eating, right, eating. We're giving the body the fuel that, the raw materials that it needs to actually build the muscle. And I think that's a little bit more catabolic where it's more related to kind of like breaking it down, right. So, logically speaking, actually no, it doesn't add up. Is it bad per se? No, but I would love to continue the conversation as to why we are currently intermittent fasting, because I've seen with most people who are doing it on their own and it's not supervised and it's not done for the right reasons, it usually backfires and it just kind of makes things worse than anything. But again, there's there's a lot of questions to this, and we will follow up about this Because there's no general answer there. Generally speaking, though, intermittent fasting is not great for muscle gain Not saying that you can't combine it, though.

Just want to have some more context. And what do you think of one vegetarian diet a week? Health benefits no, it's cool, it's great. Has a variety. It's not healthier in any way. Right, that's, that's the marketing shit these days.

This is coming by the way, guys like this is coming from someone who was plan based for very long time, right me. So with those camps, right, with those camps, it's very or any diet camp for that matter it's very, very bias, and they literally they cherry pick whatever research they can find that might support their right point of view. We see this in documentaries, we see this in so many things, and it's is legit. Like lying about shit to convince people. Right, like, I'm not against it by any means. I think it's a great thing to do, and I think what matters most is why people do it. If people do it for the environment, well, let's not get into that discussion like that's also actually bullshit. But, okay, that's fair. Okay, if that's your reasoning, great, go for it. If your reasoning is for the animals, great, awesome, totally great. Nothing wrong with that. I fully support you, and I know that she's not a vegetarian. But just speaking generally here, right, I have had many vegetarian, vegan clients and we get still great results. It's just a conversation that we need to have. Is it objectively healthier? No, it is not. I know some vegans who have the worst ever diet possible because, hey, coca Cola and Oreos are also being right. I know a lot of those. Here's the thing, guys, is not healthier per se.

This kind of goes back to certain diet camps, really kind of like pushing their diet and then kind of like getting on a high horse and like acting like they're their diet superior. It's the same with the keto shit. It's the same with the fucking carnivore stuff. It's like all of those extreme camps is with, hey, intermittent fasting. There's a lot of people there, also in that crowd, right that say that is like the next best thing. It's not really any benefits for muscle gain or fat loss there either. Right, as and this is, guys, like with anything nutrition.

The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, not even the middle, like. It's probably like that 8020, right? Let's think about this. Okay, can we look at different diets and take different things from it and guess what? Because we like, we can look at like one study here, one study there, but if we look at everything, all of the research is very clear that a diet that includes meat and fish and fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds and those kind of things is likely best, and then mostly minimally processed, right, and then have to be on either end of the extreme. Is there a time and place for certain? You know diets as tools. Yes, keto, for example, was created for patients with seizures, for example, and I think the 80s or 70s. And I see that Danny actually raises hands. So let me know what's up. Danny, I'll unmute you first one sec. Are you on mute?

There you go. Now I'm on mute On this, on this thing you're just saying about the vegetarian diet or the carnivorous diet, whatever. Which proteins are actually better taken in by the body Compared to each other? Do you know what I mean?

Dairy is number one, so I think way is number one, that is eggs and then meat and fish. I think very close like behind that. So those would be the like objectively speaking. If we look at the amino acid profile, the digestion and absorption rates, basically those will be the best ones. So dairy eggs, meat and fish, yeah, and then.

Just going on to that. So actually, egg white proteins from well animals are better taken in by the body than plant based proteins. Yeah, Okay, cool, yeah, that's all I want to know.

Yeah, that's a great question and that's the thing that's just kind of like. That's objectively how the body works and this is removed from any, you know, like bias or opinions, whatever. We just need to understand, hey, how does the body work, like, how can we include different foods, and then we can still be totally fine I think I forgot what it's called just like a certain scale where basically eggs are like 100 and then things kind of like a protein quality scale, basically, and then they had egg whites as 100 or eggs, and then dairy actually ended up to be even better and then the rest of behind that. I'll look that up if I can see you can find that, and then we'll post it in the group. That's a great point. So next question I'll try to run down this list because we sort of a bunch. I'll do my best to finish this in 10 minutes. So so long story short girl, go for it. Totally great to have vegetarian, you know, day once a week, totally fine. It's not healthier per se, though.

Annalisa says, if you should rate carbs, fats and protein in, which is the most and least important to reach in one day, how would this look like, and why protein. Number one. Protein is involved in uncountable process in the body. It's what builds us. It's what is going to help you build a muscle, maintain your muscle. It keeps you full, which is just kind of like a bonus, right, but protein is the number one. It's that's. That's the number one by far, far more important than the rest. It's essential, meaning that we need it to survive. For that reason, I'm going to put fats at number two, because fats are essential. However, the amount of fats that you need, right for it to be like essential, like to survive, basically is is really fucking simple. It's like we're smaller females, maybe like 40, 40 grams, for most men, at least 50 to 60,. 50 to 60, maybe sometimes we can go a little bit lower, really, kind of depending on where we're at in the fat loss phase. But generally speaking, fats.

A second and that's going to be your secondary fuel source is going to cover your hormones. It's super important. Cholesterol, for example. It's the building block for your sex hormones or your steroid hormones. What was the next one? Carbohydrate, or something we see. So fats are also important for nervous system and more that's. That's a big one for health. And then we have carbohydrate is your primary primary fuel source. However, here's the thing it is not essential and this is like a big right reason, right? The keto crowd is like you know, you don't need carbs. Like the fact that we can survive without carbohydrate doesn't mean it's not important. It means that our body is really fucking good at surviving and it can switch onto a backup system, which is ketones Now also overhyped, but anyway. So it would be protein, it would be fats and then carbs.

However, for most people, most of my clients, I'm almost gonna say in their case carbs a second, because we typically go with a higher carb approach better performance, better muscle gain, better results in the fat loss phase, generally speaking, and that's not for fat loss, but it's for the muscle maintenance and the fact that we can include more filling foods Really good question, by the way. And the fat carb ratio is going to depend on how active someone is. So, for example, on Elisa she's very, very active, a lot of steps, a lot of workouts. Okay, carbs are gonna be super key for her. Someone who doesn't really work out as much might just be totally great with almost like a moderate carb to fat ratio, where it's almost identical in terms of the amount of calories. So also, they're personalized, right. That is says, after some heavy cardio exercises like running, my body seems to scream for extra intake or for whatever food I can get my hands on.

Since I've had a gastric bypass back in 2019, I can't take in too much food in one setting, which is a good thing, but still, especially in the evening, it's hard to deal with it. Do I listen to my body and give it the extra nutrients it asks for, or do I ignore it? What's a hard one to say? I also, so I don't have any experience with clients with a gastric bypass for transparency, so what I'm thinking here will be making sure that before you go on that run, you wanna have a good amount of fuel in first of all before anything. Right, I think that would be a big one. I think, if you can also remembering that your stomach is smaller, I would think okay, it's a big run, right? You're right, sometimes after cardio, right, we do get extra hungry. It's almost like the body wants to be like. You know, let's overcompensate almost. It's obviously a sign that it needs right Energy.

It's hard to say if I don't necessarily know what the rest of the day looks like like if we have like a food log that we can look at or those kinds of things. With these kinds of things I'm always like I'm curious what the rest of the day looks like, seeing if we can have like a good pre-workout meal, maybe like two hours before the actual run, maybe have a little extra fuel, like almost like right before, maybe 30 minutes, something very light, and then even during you could have something like those you know, the sports drinks or something like that, to almost like avoid that from happening, not completely, but getting the extra fuel. And then I do think if it's a long run, like it's good to still get a good amount in, it's going to be more difficult. So, maybe having something that's a little bit more less or a little bit less filling maybe Again, it's a tricky one. I do think that is going to be a good idea to, after a long run, like make sure that you get enough calories in and, if anything, maybe that's a good tip. I would mostly then look at the calories and try to figure that out, making sure that we get enough in there. But we can talk more about this if you want to follow up.

Islam says is it true that low-processed foods can be better for your gut health. So you know, minimally processed foods, I guess. Right now I eat so much light, low-fat, zero food products. I'm starting to think this can be the cause of my bloating. I want to eat minimally processed foods, but I also want to keep my calories low, so I'm a bit confused. I'm actually confused by this question too, because minimally processed foods are typically lower in calories, maybe. So the zero food products, right, if that means that it's a lot of artificial sweeteners? I have seen a lot of artificial sweetness cause digestive issues with people. I don't think it's going to be the lower fat options per se. So here's my checklist for you for bloating Always start with fiber and hydration.

Those are the biggest ones. Start there. Are you getting just about 14 grams of fiber per thousand calories that you are taking in Consistently? Right? Start there. And then hydration do you drink? I mean basically when you're thirsty, but for you it's likely going to be two liters a day, maybe, right, start there.

Next step sleep and stress Two really big ones that can cause bloat as well. And then maybe even things like hormone or birth control or other medications Like, generally speaking, if you want to keep your calories lower and you're having low, minimally processed foods. That should improve it. However, if fiber is maybe too low or too high, it could cause issues. If we're not drinking enough water, if we are very stressed, it could be a big one. If sleep is not in a great spot. I would start there and if you have further questions, feel free to DM me. Of course, you've been a client as well, right, so I'm happy to help. Kim says.

My question is regarding fiber. Am I sorry I'm having a hard time reaching that goal? Would supplements help, or should I just try harder and reach my goal through food? So yeah, kim, we just started, basically two weeks ago with Kim, but I will say is let's continue to try first. I actually never have anyone take a fiber supplement. The guidelines I gave earlier the one to three servings of fruits, two to four for your veggies, minimally processed foods, right, whole grains, whole grain products, those type of things Maybe having something like raspberries very high in fiber, chia seeds, flax seeds, super high in fiber Having those foods and looking at real food first is always gonna be best. That is it for fiber, like we're gonna be working on this, but start there, nick says.

As for my weekly question, basically moved all my intake of water to bottled sparkling water one and a half to three liters a day. Does the carbon dioxide in the bottles have any effect, either good or bad, on the body, or is it just the same as regular water, mostly the same? However, carbonated drinks can actually help you in a fat loss phase because it's almost a little bit more filling. So I do like that and, yeah, it's totally great. If you like that, awesome, go for it. I've seen that really work well for people in a fat loss phase and, that being said, maybe unrelated, but diet sodas guys, great tool to have something sweet in your cut. It's totally great, right? The carbonation is actually something that's gonna fill you up more. All right.

Marla says so I have developed a serious love for our air fryer. Yes, 100%, I'm with you there. However, I find it hard to eat the homemade french fries without ketchup. Do you have any better options to accompany those precious potato sticks? I have to fucking catch up, that's my answer. Maybe it depends on how much what you could do, by the way, because we have one here. There's like a lower sugar option. There's one that has like let me say this right, I think there's one that's like a natural or whatever, which is really boring. It kind of sucks. And then there's one which has no sugar. Maybe it's like artificial sweetener, I don't know, but like there is kind of like a lower calorie version. It's actually really good. So if you're looking for something like that, honestly I would go with that one. But hey, you know, like I would just have to catch up. Like it's fine. You know what I mean. It's actually cool. Here's the thing too, because you're using the air fryer, you're already like saving. You know you're not spending a lot of kind of calories right On fats and those kinds of things. So you're already having like a better option there, which I love. And if you like ketchup, to be honest with you. Like have some right 80, 20, like it's not like we have a leader of ketchup or at least I hope so, you know but like that's something you can actually include in meat dog. Fine, carrie says, all right, odd nutrition question. And we're actually, we're getting there, so we have a few more guys and then we're good. All right, odd nutrition question. But I know you just went through this. Covid is on the rise again.

Yeah, I was down for like two and a half weeks, right Fever, like my throat is still a little bit of a mess. But when down and out, what do you? What did you do or recommend for your nutrition intake? Did you stay moving or rest? I kept moving by walking, just low intensity stuff. That's a given. I want to keep moving. By the way, I'm also someone who, when I'm sick, like other than maybe one day a year, like I tend to not care and I'll just move on. But I'll still go on my walks. And here's one thing that I did because I was at that moment I was in a mini cut. I was in a fat loss phase, which was supposed to be six weeks. I stopped after three weeks I got sick and right away. I went out of the category deficit two maintenance boom 600 categories extra. My weight, by the way, guys, was the exact same on average, so you're fine.

But we need to make sure that we get enough energy, because the immune system is already being taxed. So we need to get enough calories in. We need to get our sorry macronutrients in, our micronutrients. Lots of water, rests, but like hydrate, rest and sleep well, and that's really what you want to do. It's very common for people and this is a chat I have, I mean, recently it's been weekly, but it's very easy for us to be like oh, I'm sick, right, I don't have appetite, those kind of things. Okay, well, what happens? People tend to either just eat crappy food or barely at all. But think about it like your body's already struggling. Give it like the stuff that it needs. You know what I mean. So I would double down on nutritious foods, healthy foods, and if you don't have that much of an appetite, at least eat good, like healthy, minimally processed foods, for the most part, when you do drink lots of water. Rest.

Linda says how does stress impact our dietary habits and what are some nutrient-rich foods that can help mitigate the effects of stress on our bodies? Really good question. So, first of all, how does stress impact our dietary habits? It depends. Some people get cravings and they eat their feelings away. So a lot of people tend to overeat when they're stressed, and then there's a lot of people who tend to under eat and just keep eating altogether. So it's a big it depends. It's a very personal one, so it could go either way. It could go either way. Stress does really impact digestion, though. That's a big one. So if we're continuously stressed it's gonna play into impact there. It's not gonna be great. Then what are some nutrient-rich foods that can help? I mean, generally speaking, eating that mostly minimally processed diet right will lower inflammation, like that's one way, is not necessarily directly related to stress, but that's a big one.

And here's the thing, another reason why I like to push for the meant to higher carbohydrate diet. When you eat carbohydrate, you spike insulin, which is always like this demonized thing, but it's normal. It's a normal response If you're not diabetic, you're good Now, because insulin basically blunts cortisol. It's almost like an off switch, like a valve right. It's like an off switch for cortisol, which is that stress hormone. So it can actually help you manage stress in a way it's not gonna do, like it's all for you, like you still wanna like actively manage stress, those kinds of things. But when you eat carbohydrate you can spike insulin which can drop cortisol. That is maybe one tool in the toolkits.

Turet says how does age affect a good diet and exercise? It's becoming with the years. It becomes more important to stay active. Muscle building gets more difficult. The body is gonna need more protein to do the same amount of work. So, eating enough protein, moving, getting to the gym, lifting weights and building muscle, those are the biggest long-term investments we can make for our own health, which, right Like I said, like it becomes more difficult but also more important. You always hear, hey, it's our age that slows metabolism, but that's not the case. Between the ages of 20 to 60, it actually remains stable when corrected for fat mass, lean mass, et cetera. What it is is people stop moving, people stop lifting weights, so they're losing muscle and they also don't eat enough protein. So, long story short, we're gonna eat high protein diets and it becomes more important with the years. We're gonna keep lifting weights because building muscle is super important for our health. Plus, it becomes more difficult to build and maintain. So we're gonna really have to make those investments in ourselves and we have to keep moving.

Last two questions, guys, thanks for sticking with me for so long. Sabrina says with not so much time to eat, is it okay to make a smoothie out of the usual breakfast and have it on the road? Yes, absolutely. She says is there a difference between fruit, oats, et cetera, as it is or in liquid form? And the only change there is that you've basically pre-processed the food, kind of like, before going into your stomach. So, if anything, it's maybe gonna be a little bit less filling, but no, I think that's a very, very good option. And then our last question for today Leswell, at least Ibn, says when struggling with sleep and night shifts, is there any food you would recommend not eating besides the obvious sugar, caffeine? I'm thinking long term.

We did a full, we did a full podcast, actually two episodes related to shift work, caffeine, those kind of things. One was a little bit more like testosterone, deep dive, but like both are related. When you do night shifts, it's a like having Danny's not going to like this one, but like, like working night shifts. It is one of the biggest forms of stress right we can actually put on our bodies. It's like having that disrupted circadian rhythm. It's a big one. It's not good for us. However, here's the thing there's people who need to do important work, like Danny, for example, is currently at his work. Like, people need to do these jobs, obviously right, so we're not going to be like well, just quit your job, like no, that's bullshit.

What we need to do when you have shift work is we need to put extra emphasis on those healthy foods. On our rest, maybe we want to include naps. We want to do whatever it takes to at least optimize and play the cards that were dealt. That makes sense. Is there any foods that I would not recommend eating? No, but there are foods that I would recommend eating, and that's your whole foods. Just have a healthy meal, something that's going to keep you full. That includes your protein, carb, fat and color Caffeine hey, like it's cool to have. You probably need it, right, just don't overdo it, but have it. But don't go for the quick options. Make that extra effort of really getting those quality foods in, because the night shift by itself is already messing with your health. So let's at least look at all the other things that we can do to optimize it right.

That was our last question for today. Now a few people left us in the meantime, which is totally cool. Like I said, we definitely went over, but no worries, thank you guys. Thanks, danny, I'm Marla, I'm Marnia for sticking around. Have a great evening. Thanks for hearing me ramble for more than an hour, but I will talk to you guys very soon. Have a great rest of your week and then we will catch up again next week.