Health and Nutrition FAQs

Health and Nutrition FAQ's

Top Nutrition FAQ's

Q. Does coffee, tea, soda or juice contribute to my daily water intake?
Q. How many calories a day should I eat if I want to lose weight?
Q. How much fat should I be eating if I want to lose weight?
Q. What combination of proteins/carbs/fats should I be eating for optimum fat loss?
Q. Even though sugar is "fat free", does it contribute to weight gain?
Q. I get really tired in the afternoon after lunch. How can I stop this?
Q. Is it necessary to take vitamin/mineral supplements or can I get all the nutrients I need from food alone?
Q. Does the traditional food pyramid work for weight loss?
Q. Are artificial sweeteners of any kind acceptable to use in place of sugar?
Q. Is a high protein diet bad for your kidneys?
Q. Can I eat too much protein?
Q. How can a high-protein diet (e.g. Atkins diet) lower cholesterol but still be a diet that is unhealthy?
Q. Do I have to avoid sodium?
Q. Do genetics play a significant part in weight/fat loss?
Q. I'm vegetarian and I don't eat eggs. Do you have any special advice for vegetarians?

1. Does coffee, tea, soda or juice contribute to my daily water intake?

No. In fact they count negatively toward your daily water intake. Why? These liquids are all dehydrators. The exceptions are decaffeinated coffee and decaffeinated tea, particularly herbal tea - these do count towards your daily intake of water, if they are made with pure water. However keep in mind that decaf coffee still has tannic acid in it which you should not ingest large amounts of. Anything containing caffeine, which includes most soda, coffee and tea, dehydrates you. Sodas and juices also contain high quantities of sugar, which is also a dehydrator. When sugar is being digested, it draws water from your tissues to dilute it so it can be absorbed into your blood stream, leaving your tissues dehydrated. Sugar, and anything with sugar in it, also causes your blood sugar to spike, leading to excessive release of insulin powerful hormone that makes you fat, tired, and sluggish. Sugar, in all forms, should be avoided. Note also, that your daily intake of water, should be "pure" water, meaning distilled, filtered, spring, or bottled water. Tap water should be used as a last resort only, given its toxic levels of chlorine, herbicide and pesticide. Drink a minimum of 8-10, 8-ounce glasses of pure water per day.

2. How many calories a day should I eat if I want to lose weight?

Calorie counting, height and weight, and the concept of "weight loss and the scales" are outdated and misleading paradigms that encourage one of the most destructive human behaviors - dieting.

When you go on a typical diet and cut your calories, you are effectively starving your body. Your body responds to this diet as a threat and a series of very powerful survival responses quickly go into action, which in effect cause your body to store as much fat as possible. First, your metabolism slows to a crawl. Your body then releases cortisol, a very powerful survival hormone which facilitates the burning of your lean muscle mass, (depleting your body's calorie burning engine), and the storage of fat. When you come off your diet, your body quickly stores fat and you not only gain back all the fat you have lost, your body becomes more resistant to your next diet. Even though you may have lost weight, you may actually be fatter, because your body fat percentage - the relationship between the amount of fat to the amount of lean body mass (muscle) - may increase.
The key to permanent fat loss is not to count and restrict calories. Rather, the key is keeping your blood sugar stable, so you eliminate cravings and hunger, which in reality will result in less caloric intake, simply because you don't eat as much.

3. How much fat should I be eating if I want to lose weight?

The question should be not just "how much," but also "what type" of fat should you be eating if you want to lose "fat." Despite what you may have been led to believe, not all fat is bad. There is some fat that is absolutely essential for your health, and for fat loss. That type of fat contains the essential fatty acids, omega 3 and omega 6. These fats are essential, because your body cannot produce them, so they must come from the foods you eat. Sources of EFA's are raw (meaning uncooked, unprocessed, unheated) seeds and oils coming from plants, and from cold-water fish like salmon and tuna.

The best sources are (starting with the best) oil and seeds from flax seed, sunflower seed, sesame seed, and pumpkin seed; extra virgin olive oil, avocado, and raw nuts including almonds, cashews etc. The best is a raw oil blend like EnergyFirst OmegaEnergy Oil Blend.

These fats are still high in calories, but will not make you fat. In fact, they are essential for enhancing your metabolism, for optimum brain function, and optimum energy. How much of the essential fats do you need? The optimum amount of raw fats/oils is one tablespoon of raw oil or 1/4 cup of raw seeds/nuts per meal. Good fats can also be eaten alone without disrupting your blood sugar level. A hand full of raw almonds or nuts of any kind is a great snack. And an omega raw oil blend mixed with balsamic vinegar makes a great salad dressing. Raw oil/seed blends are also the perfect source of good fats to add to your EnergyFirst Protein Shakes.

On the other hand, if you want to be lean, high energy and healthy, you want to limit the amount of bad fats (that is saturated, processed, hydrogenated, and fried fats including red meats, whole dairy, butter, margarine and store-bought vegetable oils, except extra virgin olive oil). These fats will make you fat, disrupt your hormonal balance, and increase your risk of disease (by increasing inflammation and decreasing blood flow).

4. What combination of proteins/carbs/fats should I be eating for optimum fat loss?

You need a balance of the 3 macronutrients that suit your body. For a starting point, when you are planning a meal, think "a fist, a fist, and a thumb."

Build your meals with: at least a fist-sized portion of LEAN protein (a large chicken breast, white meat, 1/2 pound of turkey, 4-6 oz filet of white fish or salmon, 2 scoops of whey protein, 1 cup cottage cheese), no more than a fist-size portion of foods-as-grown, unprocessed carbohydrates (2-3 cups non-starchy vegetables or 1 cup fresh fruit or 1 cup whole grains or legumes); and at least a thumb-sized portion of raw oils/seed (1-2 tablespoons of EnergyFirst raw oil/seed blend, extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup raw nuts or raw seeds, 1/2 avocado).

This balance is a good starting point, which, depending on what your body tells you it needs, you may need to fine-tune. The key is to get the right balance of the three macronutrients, for your body. Listen to your body after each meal. How does it feel? If you are sluggish, lacking concentration, hungry, or craving sugar (within 1-2 hours after a meal), you are most likely "over-carbing," meaning having too many carbohydrates for your body. In this case, you need to increase the portion of lean protein you eat in each meal, add some raw fats/oils, and decrease the amount or change the type (to higher fiber) of carbohydrates. Also, generally speaking, the more muscular you are, the larger you are, the more physically active you are, the more stressed you are, the more protein you need.

5. Even though sugar is "fat free", does it contribute to weight gain?

Absolutely. Over the last few years, we have been led to believe that it's just fat that makes you fat, and therefore that high carbohydrate, low fat diets are the best way to lose fat. It has been proven that these diets are not effective in reducing body fat and do not reduce the risk of heart disease.

High carb/low fat diets fail to take into the account the critical importance of stable blood sugar to fat loss and health. All carbohydrates are sugar any carbohydrate eventually breaks down into glucose (or blood sugar) in your system. The only difference is the speed at which they break down. White sugar, and any food containing sugar breaks down the quickest technically speaking, they have a high glycemic index while whole, raw, unprocessed foods-as-grown carbohydrates such as whole grains, raw vegetables and some fruits, which contain a high fiber content, break down more slowly (they have a lower glycemic index). Your brain can only burn glucose, so it is essential that your brain gets sufficient supplies of it. However, if it gets too much glucose, too quickly, like when you eat a meal high in unprocessed carbohydrates or simply too many carbohydrates for your body, sugar rushes in to your blood causing a blood sugar spike. In order to reduce the level of blood sugar, your brain sends signals to your pancreas to release insulin. Insulin lowers your blood sugar level, but when your blood sugar levels are very high, too much insulin is usually released. This results in a low blood sugar state which causes you to feel sluggish, crave sugary foods and leads you into a degenerative spiral. Excess insulin also converts the excess glucose into fat and stores it in your fat cells. Any excess carbohydrates you eat end up being converted into fat and stored in your fat cells. If you want to reduce body fat avoid sugar and processed carbohydrates.

6. I get really tired in the afternoon after lunch. How can I stop this?

Your body is trying to tell you something. Consider what you ate for lunch that caused you to feel tired. Was your lunch high in carbohydrates: bread, pasta, rice, fruit, rice cakes, sweets, cake, or other processed carbohydrates? Was your lunch high in saturated animal fats (like red meat, butter or whole dairy foods like cheese and milk), processed fats (fats found in margarine and most processed foods like cakes and cookies), or fried fats? Did you have any lean protein, like lean chicken or turkey, salmon, shellfish, or non-fat dairy products?

The cause of your mid-afternoon slump is most likely over-carbing or eating too much saturated fat. A meal high in carbohydrates, particularly processed carbohydrates (like sugar, and anything white) breaks down very quickly into glucose in your system, causing your blood sugar to spike, which will give you an initial rush of energy. However, because your brain cannot handle such a big hit of sugar, it sends a signal to your pancreas to quickly release a powerful hormone called insulin which brings your blood sugar back down. When your blood sugar level is high, too much of this hormone is released causing your blood sugar level to plummet way below the levels your brain needs to function. This is called a hypoglycemic or low blood sugar state. This is the cause of your sluggishness. Bad fats interfere with the amount of oxygen that gets to your brain, also causing sluggishness and fatigue.

The solution: simply change what you eat for lunch, and all meals. You first need to eliminate all bad fats, and processed carbohydrates, and never eat carbohydrates of any kind alone. Emphasize at least a fist-sized portion of lean protein (e.g., lean chicken, turkey, fish, or whey protein), at least a thumb sized serving of raw fat/oils (raw oils and seeds from plants containing omega 3 and omega 6 essential fatty acids - e.g. raw oil/seed blend, extra virgin olive oil, avocado, raw almonds, and any raw nut or seed) and not more than 1 serving of unprocessed carbohydrates (2 cups non-starchy vegetables, or 1 cup of fruit, or 1 cup of whole grains). Then monitor your body's response.

7. Is it necessary to take vitamin/mineral supplements or can I get all the nutrients I need from food alone?

It is a common misconception that if you eat a well-balanced diet there is no need for supplements. This may have been true 10,000 years ago when the water supply was pure, the air was crystal clear, the soil was unspoiled by toxic fertilizers, and the foods were organic, and unprocessed. But, today our food supply is seriously degraded by use of fertilizers on depleted soils, mass-production methods of ripening, storing, drying, cooking, freezing, blanching, pasteurization, hydrogenation and multiple other practices of modern food processing. Even our so-called "health food" is lacking in essential nutrients. The result: it is scientifically impossible to get all the nutrients your body needs from food alone. A daily supplementation program is essential. At a minimum, your body needs every day a high quality, broad-spectrum multi-vitamin/mineral (containing broad spectrum B-vitamins), and extra anti-oxidants: beta carotine; vitamin C; and gamma E tochopherol.

8. Does the traditional food pyramid work for weight loss?

No. The food pyramid is an outdated and misleading paradigm, which just like "weight loss and the scale" have led us to an epidemic of obesity and disease.

The so-called "Eating Right Pyramid" published by the USDA dictates that breads, cereals, rice and pasta should form the largest part of your diet (30-40%), vegetables should make up around 15-25% of your diet, fruits should make up the next 10-15%, meats, fish, dairy, nuts and beans should attribute to less than 10% of the pyramid, and fats, oils and sweets are to account for less than 5%.
In essence, what we are being told to do is load up on sugar (fruits are high in sugar), processed carbohydrates (which are biologically speaking, equivalent to sugar), and minimize any kind of protein source, and any kind of fat, whether good or bad.
It says nothing of the quality of each of the food sources within it. This is the recipe for disaster, and will make you fatter than ever. Recent research confirms that this eating model does not reduce the risk of heart disease, and does not encourage fat loss. Sugar (and therefore carbohydrates, particularly processed, refined carbs) make you fat. Despite sugar's "fat free" nature, excess sugar quickly gets converted into fat in your blood and stored in your fat cells. Biologically speaking, sugar = fat.

To lose weight, or more appropriately "fat," you need to eliminate from your diet sugar and all processed carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, white pasta). You also need to eliminate saturated (animal fats like butter, red meat, whole dairy), processed fats (the kind found in margarine, store-bought vegetable oils, and most processed foods), and anything fried, especially deep-fried. These fats are "bad fats" - they make you tired, fat, mentally sluggish.

For ultimate fat loss, each meal, focus on at least a fist-sized portion (4-6 oz) of lean protein (e.g., chicken breast, turkey, wild game, shellfish, salmon, white fish, whey protein, cottage cheese), at least a thumb-sized portion (1-2 tablespoons) of raw fats and oils (e.g., EnergyFirst OmegaEnergy Oil or seed blend, raw nuts, raw seeds, and avocado) and no more than one serving of unprocessed carbohydrates (e.g., 2-3 cups of non-starchy vegetables, or 1 cup of whole grains/legumes or 1 cup of fruit).

We recommend that you start every day with an EnergyFirst Shake which is a balanced blend of the highest quality of the three macronutrients. This will get you on the fast track to maximum fat loss, high energy and great health.

9. Are artificial sweeteners of any kind acceptable to use in place of sugar?

No. Artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame, are believed to be neurotoxins, meaning they accelerate brain aging. All sweeteners, including artificial sweeteners, promote the release of insulin from the pancreas, encouraging fat storage.

Some artificial sweeteners are worse than others. Aspartame and saccharin are the worst and have received significant negative press as being carcinogenic substances.
Ace-sulphame-K is the newest one on the market and has also received negative press, as has sucralose. Although these new sweeteners are touted as natural, because they are manufactured from the sugar molecule, they have been chemically produced, and are no longer natural, and therefore have side effects in our bodies.
Sucralose, the most popular "natural" sweetener on the market has the same chemical profile as a pesticide, and is causing immune system issues because of its effect on suppressing thymus function, as well as causing calcification of kidneys, and suppressing liver function. High fructose corn syrup used commonly in place of sucrose in processed foods can block the absorption of iron and copper in your body, causing severe nutrient deficiencies with excess usage.
Maltodextrin, maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, and glycerin are sugar alcohols used commonly in protein bars. They have less of an impact on blood sugar compared with sucrose and other simple sugars, and are a better option than artificial sweeteners (in small amounts), but excess use of them is not recommended.

The best sweeteners, those that have little impact on blood sugar include the natural herbal sweetener called Stevia (100-300 times sweeter than table sugar without the toxic effects), agave, and lo han.

10. Is a high protein diet bad for your kidneys?

A typical high protein diet, which is usually very high in saturated fats as well, causes you to lose weight by forcing your body into ketosis. When your body is in this state you lose a lot of water (causing dehydration) and you lose lean body mass (it breaks down your muscles, bones and organs). This is a highly toxic state that is very bad for your kidneys and overall health. The main problem when it comes to kidney-related disorders is dehydration. A diet high in protein and saturated fats is very dehydrating, and may eventually lead to disease.

However, where you have a healthy balance of lean high quality protein, unprocessed carbohydrates and raw fats/oils, and drink plenty of pure water, as with the EnergyFirst Program, your kidney function will be enhanced. Recent research has also proven that with increased intake of high quality lean protein (low in saturated fat), your kidneys adjust very quickly. The EnergyFirst Program recommends a healthy balance of lean protein, raw fats/oils and unprocessed carbohydrates each meal, which has only positive effects on your health.

11. Can I eat too much protein?

Most Americans today are deficient in lean protein. It is very difficult to eat too much lean protein. Many people think they are getting sufficient protein from dairy, eggs, and red meat. However, these sources of protein are not high quality because they contain a lot of saturated fat as well. Some of the healthiest and fittest people in the world are natural body builders, because they are some of the leanest people in the world. And to give you an idea, they eat on average somewhere between 300 and 500 grams of pure lean protein every day - in the form of whey protein, chicken, white fish, tuna, salmon, egg whites, cottage cheese, etc. That is equivalent to approximately 20 chicken breasts per day. That is pretty difficult to ingest in a day for the average person. Even eating this amount of lean protein, along with sufficient water to avoid dehydration, there are no known cases of kidney dysfunction in natural body builders who eat a balanced diet with sufficient hydration. Also, research has shown that traditional Eskimos eat a diet of 95% meat and raw fats, and there are very few reported cases of kidney disease, heart disease, or osteoporosis.

12. How can the Atkin's diet lower cholesterol but still be a diet that is unhealthy?

Some of the healthiest and fittest people in the world are natural body builders, because they are some of the leanest people in the world. And to give you an idea, they eat on average somewhere between 300 and 500 grams of pure lean protein every day - in the form of whey protein, chicken, white fish, tuna, salmon, egg whites, cottage cheese, etc. That is equivalent to approximately 20 chicken breasts per day. That is pretty difficult to ingest in a day for the average person. Even eating this amount of lean protein, along with sufficient water to avoid dehydration, there are no known cases of kidney dysfunction in natural body builders who eat a balanced diet with sufficient hydration.

13. Do I have to avoid sodium?

Your body needs approximately 3-5 times more potassium than sodium. However, most Americans ingest approximately 3-5 times more sodium than potassium because of the typical diet of highly processed, high-sodium, fast foods. Sodium causes retention of fluids in the body and increases blood pressure. There is no need to add sodium to any food there is more than enough occurring naturally in food. You should avoid adding salt to food, and eliminate all processed foods.

14. Do genetics play a significant part in weight/fat loss?

Genetics play a part in a person's metabolic rate and thyroid function which both impact on the body's ability to burn fat efficiently. However, having overweight parents does not mean you are destined to a lifetime of obesity and disease. This just means you have a little bit more work to do to train your body to burn fat more effectively. This means you can't get away with cheat meals and skipping exercise as much as others can. It means you have to be more disciplined to get results. At the end of the day, it comes down to making a conscious decision to adopt a health enhancing lifestyle, and you will soon enjoy the benefits.

15. I'm vegetarian and I don't eat eggs. Do you have any special advice for vegetarians?

The best source of lean protein is 100% whey protein isolate, which comprises the purest, most biological available form of protein on the planet. It is extracted from milk proteins, using a cold processing system, leaving behind little to no lactose. You can use whey protein isolate before every meal or as a meal in itself to get your protein intake.