Dietary Tips and Rationale

by Jennifer · Published July 17, 2018 · Updated July 16, 2018

Explanation of Dietary Guidelines

Eat 3-6 meals daily (Rationale)

See Possible Strategies

Increasing meal frequency does not appear to favorably change body composition in sedentary populations.
If protein levels are adequate, increasing meal frequency during periods of hypoenergetic dieting may preserve lean body mass in athletic populations.
Increased meal frequency appears to have a positive effect on various blood markers of health, particularly LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and insulin.
Increased meal frequency does not appear to significantly enhance diet induced thermogenesis, total energy expenditure or resting metabolic rate.
Increasing meal frequency appears to help decrease hunger and improve appetite control.

La Bounty PM, Campbell BI, Wilson J, Galvan E, Berardi J, Kleiner SM, Kreider RB, Stout JR, Ziegenfuss T, Spano M, Smith A, Antonio J (2011). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: meal frequency. J Int Soc Sports Nutr.16, 8:4.

Eat higher carbohydrate meal (with protein) very soon after exercise

Rationale

See Guidelines

Improves post workout recovery (Niles 2001)
- Faster rate of muscle glycogen re-synthesis
  - 50% more glycogen can be stored (Friedman 1991)
- Improved performance in subsequent exercise
- Less muscle damage
Increased protein synthesis
- Nearly 3 fold increase (Levenhagen 2001)
- Decreases post exercise cortisol levels
Increase lean muscle mass (Esmarck 2001, Holm 2004)
Decreases risk of injury (Flakoll 2004)

Counter Argument

Ingestion of sugar (glucose) has shown to acutely depress testosterone by 25% (Iranmanesh 2012, Caronia 2013).

Caronia LM, Dwyer AA, Hayden D, Amati F, Pitteloud N, Hayes FJ (2013). Abrupt decrease in serum testosterone levels after an oral glucose load in men: implications for screening for hypogonadism. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 78(2), 291-6

Iranmanesh A, Lawson D, Veldhuis JD (2012). Glucose ingestion acutely lowers pulsatile LH and basal testosterone secretion in men. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 302(6):E724-30.

Eat fruits or vegetables

Source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients
- See Vegetable and Fruit Color Codes
- See benefits of cruciferous vegetables
May spare calcium and glutamine
- See balancing dietary pH

Eat high fiber foods

Possible Strategies

Less tendency to eat calorie dense foods
- By filling up on vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains
Fiber can decrease the absorption of dietary fat
- Fiber acts a barrier in the intestines
May help stabilize blood sugar levels
- See fiber’s effect on insulin studies
Helps prevent constipation by adding mass to stool
Also see fiber’s other health benefits

Moderate dietary fat

Rationale

Possible Strategies

Too much saturated fat or hydrogenated fat may increase risk of heart disease and certain cancers
Lower fat foods are less calorie dense
- 4 Calories per gram of carbohydrates and protein
- 7 Calories per gram of alcohol
- 9 Calories per gram of fat
Dietary fat is more likely to convert to body fat than carbohydrates or protein
- It takes 20% more energy for the body to convert carbohydrates or protein to body fat than it does to convert dietary fat to body fat
Less tendency to overeat
- Particularly if previous meal or snack is small or skipped
- Fat is more palatable
- Also see: Dietary Fat and Appetite Control

Counter Arguments

Read Macronutrient Ratio Studies.
Dietary fat offers satiety
In men, decrease in dietary fat content and an increase in the degree of unsaturation of fatty acids reduces the serum concentrations of androstenedione, testosterone and free testosterone (Hämäläinen 1984).
Read Lipid Hypothesis counter argument.

Hämäläinen E, Adlercreutz H, Puska P, Pietinen P (1984). Diet and serum sex hormones in healthy men. J Steroid Biochem. 20(1):459-64.