Nutrition

IIFYM 101 | Should I do IIFYM? | Macros: A Visual Guide | Macro Calculator For decades, the number of calories you ate in a day was the end of the story. Stay in a deficit, and you’d supposedly lose weight. Slip into—or dive into—caloric excess, and you’d gain weight. That approach worked for some people, but for plenty

One of the main concerns for anyone chasing fitness goals on a vegetarian, vegan, or other plant-based diet is getting enough essential amino acids. They might phrase that concern as “getting enough protein,” but it’s actually all about aminos. Here’s why: Not all proteins are the same! Animal proteins are a common source of “complete

Depending on the hemisphere you live in, you may be entering either winter or summer. Many pathogens become more prevalent in winter, with the cold and flu being common examples. Sickness can occur at any time, however, and people with a suppressed immune system, such as the elderly, the highly stressed, and even those who

Summertime. Sunshine. Beaches. Barbecues. Ice cream. For some reason COVID-19 didn’t make the above list, though it has certainly changed the way we’re living and traveling this summer. According to reports, road trips make up 97 percent of summer travel plans currently, and demands for RVs are surging as people are trying to get away

Discover supplements that benefit your specific needs with Supplement Advisor The supplement industry sometimes seems like the wild wild west, where you’re left feeling like there are more questions than answers: Should I take fish oil? Isn’t it good for reducing inflammation and heart health? What’s better? Pill form or liquid? Or: I have recently

Plant-based eating is becoming increasingly popular, with more people ditching burgers and chicken for vegetarian alternatives every day. Cutting back on your meat consumption offers wide-ranging potential benefits, from losing weight to feeling more energetic, but a common concern is whether a plant-based diet can provide all the nutrients you need, especially if you lift

Rebound weight gain—the rapid regaining of weight that had been lost—is a common occurrence with many popular diets. It’s also frequently experienced by athletes of both sexes who compete in fitness or bodybuilding. Frequently overhead from competitors are comments such as: “Now that the show is finished, I don’t have to be so strict with

Bodybuilders are known for their strict approach to nutrition, which is more than a mere diet plan. Serious competitors track and measure everything religiously, from foods eaten and calories counted to portion size and meal frequency. A bodybuilding diet is focused on clean eating, and it incorporates the entire food preparation process as well as

Estrogen is a steroid hormone that can be imbalanced in both men and women, either through overproduction, increased exposure, or reduced detoxification and elimination. Increased exposure and reduced detoxification are responsible for the vast majority of estrogen imbalances. Apart from menstrual irregularities in women, typical symptoms of estrogen dominance include the following: Weight gain, usually

When you hear that someone is following a ketogenic diet, rarely do you hear they’re also trying to build muscle while doing so. The keto diet has a wide range of associations these days—fat loss, mental clarity, health and biohacking—but getting huge isn’t usually one of them. But there’s merit, and research, to support running

This is not an article about intermittent fasting. It’s the opposite. It’s about intermittent eating—IE, for short. Specifically, it’s about how to eat to optimize recovery and maximize muscle growth. In fact, the need for intermittent feeding, meaning eating, is one of the reasons that intermittent fasting fails to produce sufficient muscle gains and should

Do you want to lose weight? Don’t be embarrassed! Living a healthier lifestyle is possible for everyone at any age. Losing weight takes patience, strength, and commitment. Some people will find it easier than others to shed the extra pounds. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Whatever happens, just keep going! Everyone’s weight-loss journey is

It’s easy to fall into a rut in your lifting routine, and the same is true for your protein shakes. If you’ve been using the same tired boosters in your shake and not seeing results, there’s a good reason for it. Protein powders are formulated to deliver the ideal ratio of macronutrients after a workout,

Carbohydrates are the primary fuel source for your brain, body, and overall athletic performance, but not all carbs are created equal. Clean carbohydrate sources, aka complex carbohydrates, provide the long-lasting, sustained energy you need for prolonged workouts, such as running, cycling, and high-intensity functional training. They also help you build more muscle and optimize workout

Intermittent fasting is not a diet; it’s a pattern of eating. You eat during a certain period of time every day and don’t eat during the rest of the time. It’s simple and straightforward. The most popular fasting pattern is the 16/8 method, in which you eat during a designated 8-hour period only. People often

Protein shakes and smoothies are as much a part of the fit life as a closet bursting with spandex. For many of us, shakes are a non-negotiable daily ritual. Getting enough protein is critical for building muscle, burning fat, and boosting recovery after strenuous workouts, and a powder that delivers 20-plus grams in one shot,

You may think that if you’re training less, doing less cardio, or even being inactive altogether, you don’t need as much protein in your diet as when you’re going full bore in the gym. Totally wrong! Granted, those who train and stay active have great protein demands, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore your

When it comes to unlocking muscle growth and repair, protein is the master macronutrient. It’s the skeleton key to building serious size and retaining quality mass on a cut. You can train like a person possessed, tinker obsessively with your fats and carbs, and rest like it’s your job, but the door to significant muscle

If you’re trying to gain size, you can spend two hours in the weight room, hammering out set after set, but it won’t mean much if you aren’t eating a muscle-focused diet.Size gains come from two foundational actions: tearing the muscle down with training, and building it back up with nutrition. And nutrition means protein.

Food has a social component that is integral to every culture and society on our planet. However, food can be foe as well as friend, food intolerances can negatively impact our quality of life and in the case of food allergies they can even be lethal. If we ask Google, from headaches to acne nearly

Egg shopping used to be simple—white eggs or brown eggs. End of story. (To which the answer was a no-brainer for yolk-lovers. We always flock to brown eggs because their yolks just always seem a bit richer, don’t they?) Fun fact in case you missed it—the only difference between brown and white eggs are that

Easy and economical, this simple soup is a quick and flavorful way to feed your family. Inspired by the ethnic origins of peanut soup, this soup utilizes another common staple of African cuisine, the yam, or its similar relative, the sweet potato, and combines these key components with Thai curry paste and lentils. Thai cuisine

Earthy and vibrant, this creamy soup gets its texture from pureéing the softened chestnuts and vegetables together. This technique results in a perfectly thick spoonable delight that’s teaming with a rounded assortment of nutrients perfect for athletes. In this roundup of nutrition, beets are a superstar for athletes. Compounds found in beets increase the body’s

Flexible dieting is not a new approach, but it’s still one that receives pushback. Old-school competitors and hardcore meal preppers turn their noses up at flexible dieters because this “if it fits your macros” (IIFYM) approach allows, even encourages, eating unhealthy foods as part of a cutting phase. To detractors, this concept of fitting cheat

Every year I watch the masses embrace their new diets and workout plans in January only to frustratingly witness their failure long before summer. If asked, I do my best to interject experience and point people to the only sustainable approach I’ve ever seen work over any significant period of time. My attempts, more often

Once upon a time, when I was smaller than I am now but looking to get as big as possible, I lived off of tuna and potatoes almost exclusively for a period of years. That, plus a scoop of protein powder in my morning cereal, was my muscle-building master plan. Did it work? Sure, to

Ace holds up the cupcake ceremoniously. He takes his first bite which, in his little two-year-old mouth, is mostly just blue frosting. His eyes light up and he starts dancing from side-to-side. The table of adoring family erupts in laughter. He continues to rapidly devour the treat, dancing and laughing all the while. With all

Home to the world’s tallest building, Dubai is a city built upon the concept of bigger being better. On the surface, everything is shiny, cutting edge, and meant to show that Dubai is progressive. At the same time, the culture is very much steeped in tradition. When it comes to food, the marriage of this

In a wave of evangelical fervor, the 18th amendment outlawed alcohol in the United States, thus initiating a disastrous 14-year experiment known as prohibition. Organized crime grew rampant, laws were blurred by inconsistent enforcement, and, despite an initial drop, alcohol use and abuse increased sharply, particularly amongst women and children. The intent was good. Following

Have you been watching every calorie, denying yourself all the things you love to eat the most—and are still not seeing any results? If you’ve been dieting and following your plan to the letter but haven’t seen that scale budge, it’s time to take a closer look at your approach. Sometimes little issues that pop