While America has given birth to the song "Young at Heart", and the phrase "you're as young as you feel!" can be heard from coast to coast by millions of people, demographic trend point firmly toward the other direction: aging. Currently, the 65+ population comprises slightly more than 12% (35 million) of the total US population. By 2030, this percentage is predicted to almost double to just below 20% (71 million). In other words, within a...more
America's focus on nutritious eating began to receive national attention in the 1940s when President Roosevelt introduced the RDA, or Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) model. This model, which took on the shape of a pyramid in the 1980s (and hence now goes by the term "food pyramid"), has gone through a number of iterations since its inception more than 60 years ago. This change and evolution of the RDA model is, in many respects, a positive...more
The importance of protein in diet has been clearly established by nutritional scientists, and widely accepted by athletes. Among other vital functions, protein is indispensable for creating muscle. Just as important is protein's essential ability to repair damaged muscles after training. While the value of protein in diet has been accepted and promoted within the athletic community, it has been less well disseminated within the very large sedentary population. Currently making up about 25% of Americans[ii] - or 1 in every 4 people - sedentary people are defined as those who undertake less than half an hour of moderate physical activity per day[iii]. A key problem to solve, therefore, is that the bulk of these sedentary Americans do not know that they are, or more likely are not, getting enough protein in their diet. This large group of sedentary people reflects the myth that protein-rich nutrition is important only for athletes and those who are physically active. The Reference Daily Intake[1] amount for protein is 50 grams, and most sedentary people are not coming close to meeting this standard. Next to water, protein is the body's most prevalent substance. Protein is the...more
Images of "protein powder" containers with accomplished bodybuilders on their labels help inform consumers that protein is a critical macronutrient in strength training success. Yet what is sometimes lost in this protein-bodybuilding link is that protein is an essential component for everyone, regardless of physical activity. Even those who live...more
An American culture that is marked by a chronic lack of time and the need to achieve is often in pursuit of the "best" something or other. These "best" lists tend to improve time efficiency they help people make quick decisions without a lot of research or "trial and error". However, as with most inventions, there is a potentially harmful...more
Americans are literally running out of time. Achieving a work-life balance, which is still a luxury for tens of millions of working parents, has been overtaken by an even greater demand: a work-life-nutrition balance. Unfortunately, this increasing demand for nutrition has not been accompanied by a useful strategy that enables people to reclaim time from their harried lives. The result of this dilemma has been an additional layer of stress applied on top of an already stressful life. This has further highlighted stress as America's top health problem something that was first brought to public attention in the early 1980s, and has since more obvious in the 2 decades since then. Once the link between time mismanagement and stress is made - and it is virtually axiomatic at this point that this link exists[ii] -- a range of adverse health and nutrition consequences often result. The vicious cycle that ensues is harrowing and known to most people through direct experience, or via painfully seeing it manifest in the life of a family member, friend, or colleague.Stress can -- and often does -- lead to unhealthy eating[iii], which in turn, leads to even more stress because the body is not...more
Efforts to expand the limits of human strength and endurance have kept the scientist and the athlete occupied for centuries. The quest for another pound of muscle, or to lift next couple of kilos has been relentlessly pursued in the gym and the...more
Protein must be a part of a healthy diet for a simple reason: it is essential for life. Every single cell in the human body -- including bones, blood, skin, chemicals, and enzymes -- depend on protein for effective operation.Yet while Americans are...more
Endurance Sports are like music concerts. They start at a low key, setting a steady rhythm and culminate into a crescendo that enthralls the spectator and the athlete. And not unlike an orchestra, endurance demands a flawless performance from every...more
The Human Body is in a constant flux with the environment. Matter and molecules flow in and out, casting themselves into its complexities. Although the body lends them structure, it is the intakethe dietthat decides its physique. To control what...more
Anyone who has spent a day fasting from food, or who has even skipped a meal, knows just how much time we save when we are not provisioning and consuming meals. Of course, efficiency is not our only concern when it comes to eating. If we were to...more
The cry of "I have no willpower!" often emerges from the consumers who jokingly surrender to their lack of will when it comes to eating something clearly unhealthy. However, scientific nutritional research has identified that something much more...more