Your nutrition questions answered: is the ALF diet right for you?

Nutrition Questions Answered Part 2 by Nic Bronkall BS, CSCS

Last week I posted on our facebook wall asking what your top nutrition questions were. Well here are your questions answered to the best of my professional ability. These recommendations are not medical guidelines but are for educational purposes only. You must consult your physician if you have any medical condition or injury that contraindicates physical activity and certian dietary guidelines. Now do not take my responses as the end all be all. Question everything, use what is useful and get ride of what is useless!

What is the best way for me to study up on and understand macro (maybe micro) nutrients?

Either use google, buy a biochemistry book or purchase Knowledge and Nonsense by Jamie Hale http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?m=PD&cid=136&pid=2543This book has a lot from basic nutrition to the sicience behind popular diets to kinesiology and biomechanics.

How do you beat the belly bulge?

I’m assuming the belly bulge is lower abdominal adipose tissue. This is usually the hardest to place to get rid of fat. You can workout as much as you want but you can’t out lift a fork. Meaning if your diet isn’t on point (lots of junk processed food along with alcohol) you will never beat the bulge.

I really like this milk, I don't eat red meat and not eating fish often. I first bought it because I saw it had the B12 and Folic acid in it. I think it has some good fats in it, am I looking at the right? I am however drinking the vanilla, which has rice syrup in it, but that is the one I like. Also a little afraid I will test positive in a drug test, but I still like it. What do you think of the nutritional value in this milk?

First issue here is that you don’t eat red meat and fish. That needs to be fixed in your diet now. But your question was on hemp milk. I’ve never had it. There are a lot of vitamins and minerals in it. Also, it doesn’t contain high levels of enzyme inhibitors or oligosaccharides. There really isn’t a lot of fat in hempmilk per serving. According to the link you provided me there is 6g per serving 4.5g coming from polyunsaturated. I’d rather see somebody have more grassfed beef and salmon in their diet to get their healthy fats. I wouldn’t be afraid of testing positive in a drug test. It’s a good replacement for milk but I wouldn’t use it as your main source of fat and other nutrients.

When looking to put on size and strength what numbers should you follow for macros (carb, protein and fats). I see all of the diets like carbnite, carb backloading but never took the bait. The goal would be to lose fat if possible while trying to maximize muscle gain?

There are a lot of variabilities in such a broad questions as this. How long have you been lifting? How many days a week do you train? How long do you train? What’s your current body weight? What is your current body fat percentage? Are you trying to be a bodybuilder or are you trying to be as strong as possible? Just eat healthy and train hard. Lots of eggs, red meat, fish and healthy carbs. The goal is to be consistent and eat healthy.

Are Omega 3 gel capsules good for men over 45 to take?

I was unable to find any studies or research to say it was bad for men over 45 to take. Just make sure the Omega 3 gel capsules you take have a purity of at least 50%. To calculate the purity of fish oil, divide the amount of combined EPA and DHA by the total amount of fat in a serving size.

Example

Brand A has .18 grams of EPA and .12 grams of DHA per 1 gram capsule.

.18 + .12 = .3 grams (300 mg)

.3/1g (amount of fat per serving/capsule)=.3 or 30%

Brand B has .65 grams of EPA + .45 grams of DHA per 1 gram capsule

.65+.45=1.1 grams (1100mg)

1.1g/2g = .55 or 55%

Also make sure you are eating meats that are high in omega 3’s

Is my cannibalistic lifestyle harmful or helpful?

Depends. Harmful or helpful to who?

Would you recommend Alf's alternative diet that consists primarily of cats? If so, are there any specific breeds? i.e. - calico, siamese, or (my favorite) ragamuffin?

Yes I am a big fan of Alf’s alternative diet that consists primarily of cats. It leads to unbelievable muscle gains and keeps the fat off. Science isn’t caught up to it yet but cat in copious amounts is recommended. I am a big fan of the ragamuffin.

 

This is obviously a joke. If you don’t know who Alf is youtube him.

Well there are the questions you asked and I answered! Remember these are my opinions and thoughts based on my experience and studies. Question everything I said. If you have any other questions on training, nutrition or how you can just be more awesome please do not hesitate to ask!