Kelly Frankson DOT COM

Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day, saying…”I will try agai

Here is part 3 of the exerts from the Toxic Fat Book Review.  For the complete reveiw check out the members forum on Fit4YouNutrition.com

All eicosanoids are ultimately derived from dietary fat, in particular the polyunsaturated essential fatty acids that must be supplied by the diet.  There are only three such essential fatty acids that can be made into eicosanoids:  dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA), arachidonic acid (AA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

DGLA and AA are omega-6 fatty acids, and EPA is an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil.  The really good epicosanoids that accelerate cellular rejuvenation come from DGLA, the really bad eicosanoids that accelerate cellular destruction from AA, and the eicosanoids that come from EPA don’t do much.  However, EPA does help maintain a dynamic balance between DGLA and AA as well as dilute out any excess AA in the cell.  So in essence, your diet is the primary factor in keeping these three fatty acids constantly in balanced.  The better you do it, the less toxic fat you have, he more silent inflammation is reduced, and the faster you move back toward wellness. 

Trans fats also knock out the production of good eicosanoids because they decrease the production of dhomogamma-linoleneic acid (DGLA).  This is why there is a correlation between trans fats and heart disease.

In simple terms, the balance of AA and DGLA will depend on your ability to control the balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrate that you eat.  As AA levels increase, silent inflammation rises, and you age faster.  On the other hand, if DGLA levels increases, you get more cellular rejuvenation, and you age more slowly.  The ideal situation is to decrease AA levels while simultaneously increasing DGLA levels.  If you do that, you essentially have the molecular definition of anti-aging, the lifelong maintenance of wellness.

The balance of AA and DGLA depends primarily on fat intake and, in particular, a precise balance of omega-6 and Omega 3 fatty acids as well as the dietary balance of protein to carbohydrate to control the hormone insulin.  The more omega-6 fatty acids in our diet, the more AA our bodies can ultimately produce.  Although both DGLA and AA are omega-6 fatty acids, the hormone insulin is what accelerates he conversion of DGLA into AA.  One way to increase insulin is to consume too many carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates.  The second way is to eat too many calories.  Americans have done both for the past 25 years due to the Perfect Nutritional Storm.  

You may have heard the expression, “negative calories.” This refers to certain foods, such as asparagus or lettuce, which have a high thermic effect and a low calorie density. It’s almost impossible for these foods to be stored as fat because most of their calories are burned off just to digest them!

When fat loss is your goal, your diet should be heavy in foods with a high thermic effect, including fibrous vegetables and lean proteins. You’ll never get fat eating lean proteins and green vegetables/salads –it’s virtually impossible. Lean protein foods like chicken breast, fish and egg whites have the highest thermic effect of all and that’s why weight loss programs should be centered on protein, with carbohydrates built around the protein. Lean protein is a “metabolic stimulator.” The magnitude of the thermic effect can vary from 3% to 30%. Protein foods elicit a thermic effect of up to 30% of the meal’s total calories. Natural starchy and fibrous carbohydrates are a close second at around 20%. Fats and refined carbohydrates have a very low thermic effect (fats only elicit a 3% thermic effect).

For more information check out the members resource section of Http://www.fit4younutrition.com

Tbear has asked me to come back and help launch the Paleo Challenge.  I will be holding 2 nutrition seminars (Thursday November 5th from 7-9:30pm and Saturday November 7th from 12-2:30pm) open to EVERYONE regardless if you are doing the paleo challenge or even a member of crossfit Vancouver or not and have agreed to offer them at a discounted rate to make them more accessible.  The cost is $50 and includes a newly revised Macro-Nutrient guide (more explanations, tips, recipes and bonus sections) and selected articles on tweaking the zone, Vitamin D & Fishoil as well as other supplements and eating out.

At the seminar we will be discussing:

• The main do’s and don’ts and the reasons WHY
• The distinction between eating for a longer leaner life, fat loss and performance.
• When going organic is important
• Problems associated with Dairy, Grains and Artificial Sweeteners
• The importance of EFAs
• Supplements-what to take and how much?

You must register in advance.  To reserve your spot go here:  http://www.fit4younutrition.com/store.html and click on the seminar special.

For those of you who are unable to attend but would like to purchase the resource materials, you can do so at: http://www.fit4younutrition.com/store.html for $25

People often ask what my training looks like.  It varrys from week to week as I cycle my way through different programs preparing to peak for various competitions.  To give you an idea, this was my program last week (week 8 of a strength cycle):

Monday-51kg hang snatch*2*4, 72kg Jerk*2*4, 72kg clean pull off risers*4*5, 104kg backsquat*4 then 104kg*3*3 then 108kg*2*2, 3 sets of 10 35kg good mornings.

Tuesday-64kg hangclean*2*4, 64kg clean high pull*3*5, 54kg snatch balance*3*2 then 56kg*2*2, 58kg push press*3*4, 3 sets 10 back extensions and abwheel

Wednesday-37kgmuscle snatch*3*2 then 40kg muscle snatch *2*2, 70kg clean and jerk *2*2 then 74kg clean and jerk *1*3, 78kg snatch dead lift*4*5, 98kg front squat*3*4, 10 35kg good mornings*3

Thursday-54kg snatch*2*2 then 57kg snatch*1*3, 56kg snatch pull from riser*5*5, 61kg snatch pushpress *4*3 then *2*2, 74kg RDL*5*5, 10 back extensions*3

Saturday-snatches:  57kg, 59kg, 61kg, 61kg, 59kg, 57kg, Clean and Jerks72kg, 75kg, 79kg, 79kg, 75kg, 72kg, 105kg clean shrugs*5*5, 104kg back squat*4*5