N u t r i t i o n

As a teenager I had become quite overweight. I came by it naturally--just going to a family reunion at my paternal grandmothers was proof. But it was accentuated by my lack of exercise and total lack of respect for my diet.

I began working at the school cafeteria and combined with what my mother had taught me the lessons of good nutrition finally began sinking in. Yes, I learned valuable information about nutrition working in a school cafeteria!

In the United States currently 1 in 3 persons is actually obese! In Canada we're sadly growing too though the number still is at 1 in 6. Both are shocking figures. The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar enterprise which generates mass income largely from misinformation to sell products, some of which are of no value whatsoever.

I am a certified sports nutrition specialist and can am happy to answer your questions. Ranging from those looking for a complete diet overhaul to someone with a question about how to tweak their nutritional intake to help reach a se goal, I'll work with your specific needs.

My focus is on overall health and giving you the best information to specifically match your personal goals. You want to maximize your body potential? Let's talk about nutrition.

About Protein
There are about 100 different amino acids. 22 of them are used by the human body to make proteins. These 22 are divided into 'essential' and 'nonessential' amino acids.
Eight are 'essential' because the body cannot produce them so it is essential to ingest them. They are: Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, and Valine.
The remaining 14 are nonessential because the human body can manufacture them, so eating them isn't vital. They are: Alanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Carnitine, Cysteine, Glutamic Acid, Glutamine, Glutathione, Glycine, Histidine, Proline, Serine, Taurine, and Tyrosine.

How much protein do you need? What foods will give you the essential amino acids? What foods are the best sources for protein? Let's talk!

About Water
Water is the most miraculous substance a person can ingest. It affects your system in unbelievable ways. Here are just a few:
- Water helps metabolize fat. The liver is the major fat-burning organ in the body and helps regulate fat metabolism with some reliance on the kidneys which will reroute some of their work to the liver if they're not getting enough water. If the liver is busy assisting the kidneys it can't go full-boar at metabolizing fat which means more becomes stockpiled in your body's tissues.
- Water burns calories. Just like anything else, in order to move though your system water requires energy (read calories!)
- Water lubricates. Water is the primary ingredient in the fluids that lubricate your joints, protect tendons, and help absorb shock of movement.
- Water regulates temperature. During muscle contractions muscle cells expend energy, most of which gets converted to heat and he body ejects the excess heat through the skin stimulating the sweat glands. These glands act as a natural cooling system to keep the body at its desired temperature. But if the body is short on water its ability to regulate core body temperature becomes impaired, and sweating without enough water can actually affect blood volume.
- Water gives you energy. The body's food--a combination of proteins, carbohydrates, and fat--are the energy source to drive the body. The blood transports these needed tools throughout the body to where they are needed. But if you're not getting enough water there is a reduction in blood volume to do the job; the kidneys are on reduced function meaning waste is not being processed as quickly as it should thus making the system automatically adjust downward to produce less.
- Water promotes anabolism. When the body is low on fluids prior to exercise studies have shown there is an increased adrenal stress response. The body actually produces more cortisol (a catabolic substance) when dehydrated. Also, dehydration has a bigger impact on weakening muscles, particularly the smaller muscle groups.
- Water is a superb diet aid. The more water you consume, the less room there is in your stomach for anything else. Filling your stomach with water can actually suppress hunger urges.