Bodycomp News & Views Issue#6 August 2010

In this issue:

  1. The Importance of Protein
  2. Beans!
Beans!:

When talking to my clients I hear at least one person per week say "beans are a great source of protein". It's true that they do contain protein - up to 20% of the calories found in black beans and kidney beans is derrived from protein. However, these little buggers pack many calories per gram and they are almost fat free. That means that they are 67% carbohydrate, and an even higher percentage when consumed with another starchy item like rice or a wheat wrap.

My point is that it's very important to look at the total macro-nutrient content of a food rather than focusing on one aspect. Porterhouse steak is a great source of protein, but due to the fat content, you will take in two calories from fat for every calorie from protein due to the composition.

Vitamin D:

The "Sunshine Vitamin" has recently been garnering increased attention as an easy taget to improve health of Canadians. This is because recent research has shown significant benefits associated with taking more than the 400IU per day that is recommended by the Canada Food Guide. D is involved in the regulation of calcium and phosphate in the bloodstream, but it also has many more roles within the body.

There is solid evidence of increased immune funtion, reduced cancer risk and better muscular development with higher levels of Vitamin D than our typical food or multi-vitamin will provide. Most Canadians that enjoy sunshine exposure in the summer months will produce adequate Vitamin D levels from UV exposure, but this is not true from September to June. During these less sunny months, Bodycomp recommends taking 2000 - 5000 IU per day.

Vitamin D is very cost effective - when purchased in bulk, each 1000 IU pill costs about 1 cent. The most dificult part of taking it is simply the remembering. It is also a fat soluable compound. Taking it with a little bit of fat such as with yogurt or a hard boiled egg will allow for maximal absorption.

Additional reading via Mark's Daily Apple

Disease prevention vs. Vit D serum levels (PDF)