SCIENCE!
I believe that knowing why you are doing something is important to the process. Learning the deeper meaning and reasoning behind choices can help make better decisions. And science and knowledge are just plain awesome. So with that in mind, here are some facts and figures and information to help you along.
Healthy vs Unhealthy Food
One of the key differences between eating healthy foods and unhealthy foods is the volume and density of the foods. It takes a lot more carrots or bananas to get to 2000 calories than it does bacon or big macs. Those healthy foods fill you up more, they keep you full longer, and they provide more nutrition. This video shows the difference dramatically.
These images show 200 calories of different kinds of foods.
These images show 200 calories of different kinds of foods.
Sugar Digestion
Fructose, glucose, galactose, lactose, maltose, and sucrose are all types of sugar molecules. Fructose, galactose and glucose are single sugars while lactose, maltose and sucrose are double sugars.
Fructose is the sugar found mainly in fruits. This sugar is broken down in a person's liver which turns it into glucose.
Glucose is the most common sugar molecule. It is the sugar that a body prefers to use for energy.
Galactose is a small single sugar made by the body.
Sucrose is the most common double sugar that people eat in common foods. It is found in fruits, potatoes, pasta, breads, cereals and other common foods. It is made up of glucose and fructose
Lactose is the second most common double sugar and is found in milk. It is a combination of glucose and galactose.
Maltose is the third most double common sugar. It is not found in the foods that we eat. Instead, the body makes it when a person eats foods that contain starches such as potatoes and bread. It is made from two glucose molecules.
There are two different types of sugar molecules. Single sugars, glucose, galactose and fructose, are called mono-saccharides. They all share the same molecular formula, differing only in the way those chemicals are structured. Double sugars, sucrose, lactose and maltose, are called di-saccharides because they are made up of two mono-saccharides linked together. For example, sucrose, common table sugar, is made up of glucose and fructose.
There are also even longer chain sugars, called starches. They are broken down by an enzyme called amylase. Amylase breaks down starches into maltose. This all happens within minutes of eating and takes little energy to digest. The maltose is then broken down into two glucose by maltase and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
When a double sugar is digested it is broken apart by three enzymes; Sucrose by sucrase, Maltose by maltase, and Lactose by lactase.
The simple sugars are absorbed directly through the small intestine into the blood stream using transport proteins. Once in the blood fructose is transformed by the liver into glucose. Glucose can be used directly by your body's cells. Glucose is transported inside of the cell where the mitochondria use it to produce energy for the cell through the ATP process.
Your body is a fine tuned machine, and it likes to operate within certain parameters. One of those is blood sugar levels. Once you eat sugars or starches the concentration of sugar in your blood goes up and up and up. If it goes too high it can kill you. To prevent this your body releases insulin. Insulin communicates to all the cells in your body to start using up the free roaming glucose. Once the cells have used all it can, the liver then starts converting glucose into glycogen. It is then stored in the liver and the muscles for when your body needs free glucose for energy. It is possible for your body to convert glycogen to fat (through triglycerides) however it is very inefficient. What usually happens though is that your body has excess glucose or glycogen available and uses that for energy. And whatever fat you have eaten in your diet is immediately stored. To make this even better, the insulin released when you ate too much sugar and starch, also communicates to all of your fat cells to start soaking up any available fat molecules.
Fructose is the sugar found mainly in fruits. This sugar is broken down in a person's liver which turns it into glucose.
Glucose is the most common sugar molecule. It is the sugar that a body prefers to use for energy.
Galactose is a small single sugar made by the body.
Sucrose is the most common double sugar that people eat in common foods. It is found in fruits, potatoes, pasta, breads, cereals and other common foods. It is made up of glucose and fructose
Lactose is the second most common double sugar and is found in milk. It is a combination of glucose and galactose.
Maltose is the third most double common sugar. It is not found in the foods that we eat. Instead, the body makes it when a person eats foods that contain starches such as potatoes and bread. It is made from two glucose molecules.
There are two different types of sugar molecules. Single sugars, glucose, galactose and fructose, are called mono-saccharides. They all share the same molecular formula, differing only in the way those chemicals are structured. Double sugars, sucrose, lactose and maltose, are called di-saccharides because they are made up of two mono-saccharides linked together. For example, sucrose, common table sugar, is made up of glucose and fructose.
There are also even longer chain sugars, called starches. They are broken down by an enzyme called amylase. Amylase breaks down starches into maltose. This all happens within minutes of eating and takes little energy to digest. The maltose is then broken down into two glucose by maltase and is absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
When a double sugar is digested it is broken apart by three enzymes; Sucrose by sucrase, Maltose by maltase, and Lactose by lactase.
The simple sugars are absorbed directly through the small intestine into the blood stream using transport proteins. Once in the blood fructose is transformed by the liver into glucose. Glucose can be used directly by your body's cells. Glucose is transported inside of the cell where the mitochondria use it to produce energy for the cell through the ATP process.
Your body is a fine tuned machine, and it likes to operate within certain parameters. One of those is blood sugar levels. Once you eat sugars or starches the concentration of sugar in your blood goes up and up and up. If it goes too high it can kill you. To prevent this your body releases insulin. Insulin communicates to all the cells in your body to start using up the free roaming glucose. Once the cells have used all it can, the liver then starts converting glucose into glycogen. It is then stored in the liver and the muscles for when your body needs free glucose for energy. It is possible for your body to convert glycogen to fat (through triglycerides) however it is very inefficient. What usually happens though is that your body has excess glucose or glycogen available and uses that for energy. And whatever fat you have eaten in your diet is immediately stored. To make this even better, the insulin released when you ate too much sugar and starch, also communicates to all of your fat cells to start soaking up any available fat molecules.
Fat digestion
Fat comes in many varieties, Saturated (with hydrogen), Unsaturated, and Polyunsaturated. Whereas sugar is a chain of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen arranged in a ring, fats are carbon hydrogen and oxygen arranged in a line. The backbone of this line is made of carbon, and carbon makes 4 bonds, two with its neighbor carbons and two with hydrogen. In unsaturated fats it is missing one of the hydrogen molecules and makes a double bond with a neighbor carbon. In poly unsaturated, it does this several times. You can also have short chain (or line) fatty acids, or you can have big long chain fats.
Once Fat enters the digestive track an enzyme called lipase is released that breaks the long chain fats into easily used fatty acids. Lipase is water soluble and fat is not. So to get the two to mix, your body releases bile salts to emulsify (or vigorously mix) the fat with all the other contents of your stomach (in case you were ever wondering this is why you have a gall bladder). From there it is absorbed for use by the body.
Some dietary fat is necessary to facilitate absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A D E and K. Fat also triggers the release of Ghrelin. This is the hormone that produces the Satiety response, or satisfaction from a meal. If your diet does not contain enough fat, not only will you have poor nutrition, you will also not feel satisfied and will seek additional food. Some research has shown that people who are unable to break down lipids properly are unable to produce enough ghrelin and therefore end up overeating.
See also the Keto Diet.
Once Fat enters the digestive track an enzyme called lipase is released that breaks the long chain fats into easily used fatty acids. Lipase is water soluble and fat is not. So to get the two to mix, your body releases bile salts to emulsify (or vigorously mix) the fat with all the other contents of your stomach (in case you were ever wondering this is why you have a gall bladder). From there it is absorbed for use by the body.
Some dietary fat is necessary to facilitate absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A D E and K. Fat also triggers the release of Ghrelin. This is the hormone that produces the Satiety response, or satisfaction from a meal. If your diet does not contain enough fat, not only will you have poor nutrition, you will also not feel satisfied and will seek additional food. Some research has shown that people who are unable to break down lipids properly are unable to produce enough ghrelin and therefore end up overeating.
See also the Keto Diet.
Protein Digestion
Proteins are broken down into amino acids and are then used by your body to grow and repair.
Since proteins are used by the body for repairing and building cells, understanding how protein digestion and absorption work is essential. Proteins are also used for creating enzymes and neurotransmitters, as well as the creation of DNA and RNA. Thus, the importance of this essential macronutrient cannot be contested. Protein digestion takes place in two different phases:
Digestion of Proteins in the Stomach Two of the substances secreted by the stomach, HCl (hydrochloric acid) and pepsinogen, interact to create pepsin, an enzyme that plays a very important role in protein digestion. The process that takes place when proteins are disintegrated by the enzymes is called hydrolysis.
The factors listed below determine the period of time required by the enzymes to breakdown the proteins:
Digestion of Proteins in the Small Intestine Trypsin and chymotrypsin are pancreatic protease enzymes secreted by the pancreas that are involved in protein and fat digestion. From the stomach, protein digestion carries on in the duodenum, which represents the first segment of the small intestine.
As well as pepsin, trypsin continues the disintegration of proteins into amino acids. Hydrolysis takes place in this case, too. In simpler words, hydrolysis involves the insertion of a water molecule between two amino acids, which forces the bond between them to break. Because amino acids have very small dimensions, they are able to penetrate the intestinal lining. From this point on, they enter the bloodstream through tiny veins, which are called capillaries. Once in the bloodstream, amino acids are transported by liquid blood plasma and red blood cells to various tissues, depending on where cell structures need to be created or repaired.
Absorption of Amino Acids One thing that needs to be taken into consideration is that the protein source greatly influences the amount of time required by individual amino acids to be absorbed. For instance, amino acids from soy and milk proteins are digested differently. In addition, there are differences between individual types of milk protein. The absorption of milk proteins is:
Since proteins are used by the body for repairing and building cells, understanding how protein digestion and absorption work is essential. Proteins are also used for creating enzymes and neurotransmitters, as well as the creation of DNA and RNA. Thus, the importance of this essential macronutrient cannot be contested. Protein digestion takes place in two different phases:
- In the stomach
- In the small intestine
Digestion of Proteins in the Stomach Two of the substances secreted by the stomach, HCl (hydrochloric acid) and pepsinogen, interact to create pepsin, an enzyme that plays a very important role in protein digestion. The process that takes place when proteins are disintegrated by the enzymes is called hydrolysis.
The factors listed below determine the period of time required by the enzymes to breakdown the proteins:
- Concentration of the enzyme
- Quantity of protein to be disintegrated
- Acidity of the stomach and food
- Temperature of the food
- Time of the day when the food is ingested
- Antacids or other substances that may inhibit digestion
Digestion of Proteins in the Small Intestine Trypsin and chymotrypsin are pancreatic protease enzymes secreted by the pancreas that are involved in protein and fat digestion. From the stomach, protein digestion carries on in the duodenum, which represents the first segment of the small intestine.
As well as pepsin, trypsin continues the disintegration of proteins into amino acids. Hydrolysis takes place in this case, too. In simpler words, hydrolysis involves the insertion of a water molecule between two amino acids, which forces the bond between them to break. Because amino acids have very small dimensions, they are able to penetrate the intestinal lining. From this point on, they enter the bloodstream through tiny veins, which are called capillaries. Once in the bloodstream, amino acids are transported by liquid blood plasma and red blood cells to various tissues, depending on where cell structures need to be created or repaired.
Absorption of Amino Acids One thing that needs to be taken into consideration is that the protein source greatly influences the amount of time required by individual amino acids to be absorbed. For instance, amino acids from soy and milk proteins are digested differently. In addition, there are differences between individual types of milk protein. The absorption of milk proteins is:
- 50 percent of the digested protein between the stomach and the jejunum (middle section of the small intestine)
- 90 percent when the digested food gets in the ileum (final segment of the small intestine)
Fiber
Fiber is everything you can't digest. So if you can't digest it, why is it so important? Usually found in plants, fiber can slow the rate of digestion of sugars and fats, reducing the spikes in insulin and increasing the feeling of fullness.
Fiber comes in two varieties: Soluble and Insoluble. Soluble fiber absorbs water and with it cholesterol. It can help reduce your blood cholesterol level, which improves health. Insoluble fiber is great at improving digestive health.
So it fills you up, cleans you out and makes you healthier. I think it is an integral part of a healthy diet, especially if you are losing weight.
Fiber comes in two varieties: Soluble and Insoluble. Soluble fiber absorbs water and with it cholesterol. It can help reduce your blood cholesterol level, which improves health. Insoluble fiber is great at improving digestive health.
So it fills you up, cleans you out and makes you healthier. I think it is an integral part of a healthy diet, especially if you are losing weight.
Sleep
I really shouldn't bury this here... Its so damn important. Also sleep is awesome and great, I shouldn't even have to argue for it or give reasons, just do it. Also naps are great too.
Sleep is what allows your body to rest, relax and repair. You may think that if you sleep more you will gain more weight, but the opposite is true. One of the longest running studies of people who have lost more than 30 pounds and kept it off for more than a year has found that almost everyone gets 7+ hours of sleep a night. Sleep deprivation leads to slow groggy days, which your body translates to needing energy which means you will eat more.
Sleep is what allows your body to rest, relax and repair. You may think that if you sleep more you will gain more weight, but the opposite is true. One of the longest running studies of people who have lost more than 30 pounds and kept it off for more than a year has found that almost everyone gets 7+ hours of sleep a night. Sleep deprivation leads to slow groggy days, which your body translates to needing energy which means you will eat more.
Creatine
Creatine is a chemical used by your body in the production of energy. Creatine is also stored in your muscles and makes them look bigger. So it releases energy and is natural and cheap and makes you feel better with no known side effects and makes you look good to boot. Its pretty cool.
Hypertrophy
This picture explains the two kinds of hypertrophy.
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (common in bodybuilding) involves the growth of the sarcoplasm (fluid like substance) and non-contractile proteins that do not directly contribute to muscular force production. Filament area density decreases while cross-sectional area increases, without a significant increase in strength. Myofibrillar hypertrophy occurs due to an increase in myosin-acting filaments. Contractile proteins are synthesized and filament density increases (Zatsiorsky 1995). This type of hypertrophy leads to increased strength production. Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy Muscle fibers adapt to high volume training by increasing the number of mitochondria (organelles in the cell that are involved in ATP production) in the cell. This type of training also leads to the elevation of enzymes that are involved in glycolytic and oxidative pathways. The volume of sarcoplasmic fluid inside the cell and between the cells is increased with high volume training. This type of training contributes little to maximal strength while it does increase strength endurance due to mitochondria hypertrophy. Growth of connective tissue is also present with sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.
Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (common in bodybuilding) involves the growth of the sarcoplasm (fluid like substance) and non-contractile proteins that do not directly contribute to muscular force production. Filament area density decreases while cross-sectional area increases, without a significant increase in strength. Myofibrillar hypertrophy occurs due to an increase in myosin-acting filaments. Contractile proteins are synthesized and filament density increases (Zatsiorsky 1995). This type of hypertrophy leads to increased strength production. Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy Muscle fibers adapt to high volume training by increasing the number of mitochondria (organelles in the cell that are involved in ATP production) in the cell. This type of training also leads to the elevation of enzymes that are involved in glycolytic and oxidative pathways. The volume of sarcoplasmic fluid inside the cell and between the cells is increased with high volume training. This type of training contributes little to maximal strength while it does increase strength endurance due to mitochondria hypertrophy. Growth of connective tissue is also present with sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.