Rest Day Reading: Jill's Nutrition Article (06.16.2009)

Rest Day (06.16.2009) The image to the left is of Don PePe... need I say more?

CrossFit Endurance WOD (06.12.2009)
12:00 Time Trial for Swim, Bike, Run, or Row (C2)
Cover as much distance as possible in 12:00 for your choice of sports. Terrain, Incline, Damper, etc are your choice.

Post distances to comments.

Jill's Article on the CrossFit Nutrition Cert's Lessons:
Jill is one of our craziest fire-breathers here in the Stable, the article below is her synopsis/critical fact breakdown of the Nutrition Cert by Robb Wolf. It's and excellent read and will definitely open a few minds to some new concepts in the realm of performance nutrition.
Thank you to Jill for taking the time to put this together.

"Zzzzzz.....
So we all know we need to get a full night's sleep. The health benefits are countless, and range from keeping our immune system strong to just plain fighting off that nod-n-heavy-eyelid thing that happens when we're exhausted. At the CrossFit Nutrition Certification Robb Wolf shared that there's a real reason you feel terrible the next day. If you are running on empty as far as sleep is concerned, (By the way, Robb states you get enough sleep when you wake up without the alarm clock. Unfortunately this is not likely for the majority of people.), you need to reset your Insulin¹ levels. And guess what happens if you don't. Your body will actually mimic Type II Diabetes. The following will hopefully help in your understanding of this conundrum. Type II Diabetes: Insulin is needed to move glucose (blood sugar) into cells, where we use it for energy. If it doesn’t get into the cells, too much glucose stays in the blood, which causes the symptoms of diabetes. Because sugar isn’t absorbed into body tissue at this point, abnormally high levels of sugar build up in the blood. This is called Hyperinsulinemia, which can lead to Hyperglycemia. Many people with insulin resistance² have Hyperglycemia and high blood insulin levels. People who are overweight have a higher risk of insulin resistance, because fat interferes with the body's ability to use insulin. Furthermore, studies show that people who get less sleep have a higher Insulin level. The body generates and regulates hormones during sleep. When this process is cut short, you start off the day unbalanced.

¹Insulin (INS) is the master hormone. Insulin is released mainly by carbs, and a little by protein. Insulin puts in, Glucagon takes out.
²Insulin resistance means that fat, liver and muscle cells do not respond normally to insulin. As a result they do not store sugar for energy. Since the tissues do not respond well to insulin, the pancreas produces more and more insulin. –American Diabetes Association

What! Dairy’s bad? So is the Food Pyramid?
Haven’t we been hit over the head with the slogan “Got Milk”? Or that we have to eat boatloads of breads and grains because the Food Pyramid tells us we have to. Well what would you say if I told you that dairy can cause acne and spikes our Insulin levels? Robb Wolf opened a gateway to an alter universe on Saturday where suddenly my favorite Greek yogurt and pita bread with peanut butter seemed as useless as eating foam. It does make sense. In nature, who drinks milk? When Mike and I got home from the cert, we were talking with Frank and Mike asked him if he drinks milk. Frank retorted, “No, I’m not a baby.” He’s right. Dairy contains lectins (sugar-binding proteins) from grain fed animals. The actual word lectin comes from the Latin word legere or “to select”. Gluten that is found in grains leads to the damage of the nutrient absorbent villi and microvilli in our intestines. You may have heard of the autoimmune disorder called Celiac Sprue. In this disorder, the microvilli of the intestines are destroyed. This condition causes the inability to absorb fats, minerals, and many vitamins. I’m certainly not saying, nor is Robb Wolf, that if you eat grains you will get Celiac Sprue. What is true however is that there is irritation with almost all grain consumption. This is commonly referred to as “leaky gut syndrome”. Gross. According to Robb Wolf, the theory is that once the gut lining is damaged, large food particles are able to make their way into the blood stream. The immune system then tries to attack the foreign particles. The problem is that the body creates antibodies that attack the its own tissue.

What’s the skinny on fats?
Very briefly, fats are important to incorporate into our diet. Mono-unsaturated fats (avocados, almonds, olive oil, etc.) improve Insulin sensitivity and glucagon release. Poly-unsaturated fats give us our Omega 3 (N-3) and Omega 6 (N-6) fatty acids. According to Genova Diagnostics, new studies are showing that fatty acids may be some of the most important nutrients in the human diet. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) control how cell membranes function. In addition, supplementation of EFAs may reduce the occurrence of complications of pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and post-partum depression. One of the things that blew my mind that Robb mentioned was that studies are showing that women who suffer from post-partum depression are missing N-3 fatty acids."

--Article written by Jill Silano