Nutrition is tricky as hell, man. At a 30,000 foot view it’s about as simple as can be. Eat lots of vegetables, lean protein, and don’t make yourself hate life.
But as you start zooming in a bit and trying to really nail down your diet, shit becomes confusing as hell, and quick. You can debate how many meals you should be eating, how those meals should be broken down, whether or not certain ingredients are killing you, and so on.
So with that in mind, here are 3 of the most common nutrition questions I get answered for you.
Which is better: white or brown rice?
Deciding whether or not to buy white or brown rice has long been a source of confusion for many a lifter, and most of the argument for lifters centers around one thing: the glycemic index.
For those who weren’t aware, the glycemic index is basically a measure of determining how quickly carbs are converted to glucose in the body. Not too long ago people were convinced that eating high GI foods (a food that converted into glucose quickly) was a surefire way to pack on more fat and ruin your health.
Thus white rice and it’s high GI became the devil, and brown rice became king. And that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as brown rice tends to be higher in fiber and some micronutrients, but not by much.
But it’s rarely that simple. White rice still has a host of health benefits, not to mention the fact that immediately following a hard training session using high GI carbs can be a good way to increase protein synthesis and recovery.
So which is better? The answer is it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Choose whichever one you enjoy more. But if you’re looking for quick digesting carbs following a workout, then white rice is probably superior.
Should you go low carb or low fat?
Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s going low fat became popular as hell, only to be recently replaced by going low carb. Much like fashion, diets trends tend to be cyclical, so it’s no wonder that low fat diets are starting to gain more popularity again in some bodybuilding circles.
But which one should you do? The answer is, as it is most of the time, it depends.
If you’re a sedentary individual who doesn’t get much activity in, then going low carb is probably going to be a better option for you.
However if you’re an active individual and you train hard, then low fat is probably going to be best, as you need those carbs to fuel your training.
The big thing here is don’t overcomplicate shit. If you lift 3x or more a week, then eat some damn carbs. If you don’t, then quit eating so much damn bread and pasta. And as always, the most important thing is going to be keeping your calories in check.
Are artificial sweeteners really killing you?
Oh boy. This one seems to get people all sorts of riled up. For some reason people get their pitchforks and torches ready when it comes time to discuss artificial sweeteners, either getting pissed off at those who claim they’re okay, or the other way around.
The truth is that we don’t know for sure yet, but from all the given evidence it sure as hell seems like they’re perfectly fine for us.
There is some conflicting evidence out there showing they may harm our gut bacteria, cause us to crave sweeter foods, etc. but most of these studies are done on lab rats. In case you weren’t aware, there are a number of differences between us and lab rats.
Hopefully you got your learn on bros. If you’ve got any questions or there’s anything at all I can do for you, then please don’t hesitate to let me know.