human performance and nutrition consulting

Lately, I've come across this claim more and more...

"You would have to eat 40 servings of today's spinach in order to get the same nutrients as you would from one serving of spinach 50 years ago."

Often times the numbers (i.e. servings, how many years ago) and vegetables referenced change...but the message is the same.

So is there any truth to this claim?

Well, there is limited research in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and this research does show that there has been depletion of nutrients within selected produce over the last 25-50 years.

A broad range of vitamins and minerals have been found to be lower in our fruits and vegetables, including vitamins A and C, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper.

However, our fruits and veggies are still loaded with those all-important nutrients. And any claims suggesting that our veggies are worthless - or are 50x less potent - are often disingenuous.

In fact, with spinach in particular, vitamins C and A as well as calcium, potassium, and magnesium are lower by 45%, 17%, 6%, 18%, and 10% respectively. This means that, if anything, we’d need to eat 2x the amount of spinach to get the same amount of vitamin C vs. 50 years ago. And as far as the other nutrients, anywhere from 1.6x-1.18x the amount.

So it isn’t as bad as some are saying.

Yet our soil is getting depleted and this is becoming a problem. The real discussion that has to take place is in reference to the solution. Organic growing makes a difference so in terms of infrastructure, some things have to change.

However, on a more personal note the solution is simple.

First, eat more fruits and veggies (I recommend 10-15 servings/day). This will help ensure that even if the produce you’re choosing is lower in per serving vitamin and mineral content, you’re making up for this in an increase in total servings.

Second, if you’re not getting your 10-15 fruits and veggies, supplement with a green food product and/or a multi-vitamin. Even JAMA (The Journal of The American Medical Association) recommended the multi-vitamin thing.

Yet keep in mind, your best solution is to go with the fruits and veggies. No matter how sexy certain supplement formulas may be, they're no substitute for fruits and veggies.

Here's another heads up for you to check out the premier episode of www.bigbuttradio.com. Not only was yours truly a guest but so was THE Jack Nicholson (and the interview with Jack is hilarious).

And as I'm not one to miss a promotional opportunity - while I've got your attention, here's a quick note about my upcoming seminar at Eric Cressey's facility (Excel Sport and Fitness Training) in Boston, Mass. This is one you won't want to miss!

It's taking place on Saturday and Sunday May 5th and 6th and is all about how you can use G-Flux - the relationship between energy intake and expenditure - to build the body you're after.

My last G-Flux seminar was such a huge hit that I received dozens of rock-solid testimonials and T-nation even did a review of the event. Here's the review

And here are a few quotes from attendees:

I would like to personally thank Dr. Berardi and Jonathan Labelle for putting together a great seminar this past weekend. Both days were packed with loads of information and I sure took lots of notes! The group that attended the seminar was great and a lot of very interesting questions were answered masterfully by JB.
-Dan

Like a child, counting down the days till Christmas I was counting down the days till this event. Believe me, it was worth it.
-Ruslan

Definitely an amazing time in Ottawa! Thanks to the man himself, JB.
-Josh

Another Frenchie here to say a big thank you to John, Jonathan, Coach Mike and Amanda. It was a great seminar!
-Frederic

The G-Flux seminar was my best investment in 2006. Worth every penny.
-Zen Warrior (from T-nation)

So book aside the dates and, if you can possibly make it out, I guarantee it'll be worth your while! Click here for all the details including seminar outline, pricing, location, and more. (Adobe PDF)

PS...Once you've viewed the PDF above, if you'd like to inquire further about this event, contact Jon Sullivan at 781-890-0009.

The lower back is one of the most common areas of injury and pain for athletes, recreational exercisers, and non-exercisers alike. Chances are if you haven't dealt with back pain at some point in your life, you will.

So how can you injury-proof your back?

Well, one way is to master your posterior chain muscles (hamstrings, glutes, etc). And one of the best ways to master these muscles is to regularly deadlift.

However deadlifting can be tricky. Do it right and the back improves tremendously. Do it wrong and it gets worse - perhaps much worse.

Here to set you straight is Eric Cressey, world-renowned exercise specialist. In this great interview, Cressey shares his most important tips on doing this exercise the right way.

And speaking of Cressey, I'll be giving a 2-day presentation on 'The Power of G-Flux' in Boston Massachusettes on May 5th and 6th. This seminar will take place at Cressy's facility - Excel Sport and Fitness. Click here (Adobe PDF file) to find out more - this is one you won't want to miss!

Much ado is being made about the…uhh…“health” properties of chocolate. It’s everywhere:

“Study Hails Chocolate’s Benefits”

“Boosting Brain Power – With Chocolate”

“Chocolate is Good for Health”

“New Research Endorses Chocolate”

Now, come on, can all this “news” really be true? Can chocolate, the ultimate “guilty pleasure” actually be good for us? Is all this media attention on chocolate and its benefits justified?

Or is this simply a case of chocoholic justification?

Well, let’s ask Cornell researcher Chang Lee, chairman of the Department of Food Science and Technology. Comparing the antioxidant content and activity of green tea, red wine, and cocoa, Lee and his team found that cocoa has nearly 2x the antioxidants of red wine and up to 3x the antioxidants of green tea!

"If I had made a prediction before conducting the tests, I would have picked green tea as having the most antioxidant activity." said Lee. "When we compared one serving of each beverage, the cocoa turned out to be the highest in antioxidant activity, and that was surprising to me."

You see, it appears that cocoa contains powerful antioxidants called polyphenols – yep, the good stuff found in grapes, berries, and wine. Further, cocoa contains a healthy dose of catechins and epicatechins – that’s right the good stuff found in green tea.

But hold on a second…before you rip open that Snickers bar, it’s important to note that we’re talking about COCOA here, not milk chocolate. You see, there’s a big difference!

Milk chocolate typically contains sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa liquor, milk or milk powder, and vanilla as the base ingredients. And something like Snickers contains much more including lactose, soy lecithin, artificial flavor, corn syrup, milk fat, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, egg whites, and more.

All this means that you’re getting very little real cocoa per bite! So I pretty much avoid milk chocolate like the plague as it’s 100% junk food, plain and simple.

Real chocolate – the high % cocoa healthy stuff – is another story. Real chocolate is a very simple product. It contains cocoa. And it contains cocoa butter. That’s it. And as a result of this simplicity, real chocolate has virtually no sugar, is high in fiber, and is loaded with maximal doses of polyphenols and catechins!

Check out the nutritional profile of a 50g bar of healthy, 100% cocoa chocolate:

100% cocoa, 50g
250kcal
7g protein
13g carbs (0.5g sugar, 8g fiber)
24g fat (16g sat fat)

Now, moving down the scale of “healthiness”, let’s look at some other options:

85% cocoa, 50g
260kcal
5g protein
10g carbs (6.25g sugar, 3.75g fiber)
22.5g fat (14g sat fat)

70% cocoa, 50g
275kcal
3.75g protein
16.25g carbs (13.75 sugar, 2.5g fiber)
21.25g fat (12.5g sat fat)

Snickers Bar, 50g
282kcal
4g protein
35g carbs (30g sugar, 1g fiber)
14g fat (5g sat fat)

Notice that the farther we move from the high cocoa chocolate, the following happens:

1) We get more calories

2) We get more sugar

3) We get less protein

4) We get less fiber

It’s also important to note that as the % cocoa goes down, we usually get fewer and fewer antioxidants while adding more and more artificial ingredients.

My conclusion:
If you’re going to eat chocolate at all, go 100% or go home.

Just make sure you do so in moderation as, unlike Green Tea, all chocolate contains a fair amount of calories and this needs to be considered as you try to work it into your Precision Nutrition Approved eating plan.

My preference:
Domori’s 100% varieties. These guys do some of the best chocolate in the entire world. Check them out at www.domori.com

Note:
Interestingly sports supplement companies have now begun selling a cocoa extract called chocamine that is meant to provide the stimulation and health benefits of chocolate without any calories, sugars, or fats.

According to David Tolson of 1fast400.com:

"Chocamine contains numerous constituents, including methylxanthines (theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline), biogenic amines (phenylethylamine, tyramine, and according to one source, synephrine), amino acids (phenylalanine, tryptophan, tyrosine, others), minerals (with a high content of magnesium), numerous beneficial antioxidants, and possibly some non-psychoactive cannabanoid-related compounds.

The combination of these multiple ingredients produces a unique effect. Promotional literature makes many positive claims about chocamine, including increased energy, appetite suppression, increased lipolysis (fat burning), improved mood, improved concentration, increased alertness, improved physical performance, aphrodisiac properties, and health benefits."

For more on chocamine, check out this link

During the last 6 weeks, myself, Coach Carter Schoffer, and the rest of the Precision Nutrition Team pushed figure superstar Valerie Waugaman like she'd never been pushed before.

Working, eating, training, supplementing, posing, sleeping, and doing it all over again the next day, all this hard work was leading up to one thing...

The Arnold Classic Figure International Contest

And as this was to be our first Arnold Classic together, we were gunning for the top, hoping to bring home the coveted Figure International title and show the figure world that Val Waugaman is one of the best in the sport.

Well, with anxious anticipation, the moment of truth finally arrived.

This past Friday, March 3rd, Val stepped onto the Arnold Classic Stage with style, beauty, and poise. And, after duking it out with the best of the best, the top 15 figure athletes in the world, Val brought home the 5th place award. Always positive and grateful, Val was very pleased with her success as she brought the very best Val Waugaman to the competitive stage.

Of course, winning the title would have been nice. And, according to many, including Flex Magazine, Val should have won the title.

Case in point: Valerie Waugaman, who finished fifth despite what probably was the strongest total package onstage. However, until a steady and repeatable criteria emerges, it'll be hard to decipher the results of figure competitions."

Yet, for Val, a motivator, businesswoman, and role model, her involvement in figure competition isn't just about winning. It's also about health, personal pride, personal growth, and inspiring others.

So congrats to Val for her great work and awesome showing at the Arnold Classic.

PS...If you're wondering what Val did to achieve such great results, look no further than the Precision Nutrition program. Precision Nutrition forms the baseline of Val's eating plan and the Individualization Guide helps her dial it in for shows.

PPS...For more about Val's progress and her transformation, visit our Precision Nutrition Forums (membership required).

I just got this note from my buddy JP at JPFitness.com and wanted to pass it along...it looks like it’s shaping up as a great industry event! I attended 2 years ago and had a blast!

Attention Fitness Enthusiasts and Professionals!!!

Mark your calendar and prepare to attend one of the best fitness seminars of 2007!

The 5th annual JP Fitness Summit will be held on April 13th & 14th in Little Rock, Arkansas, and will feature eight of the top names from the fitness industry. Alwyn Cosgrove, Chad Waterbury, Charles Staley and Bill Hartman are just a few of the speakers who will share their expertise over the course of this two day event.

The full list of speakers, and their presentation topics, is provided below. As you can see, this Summit will offer the best of the best from the training, physical therapy and nutrition sectors of the fitness industry. You just can’t miss this one!

Click here to find out more!