I also think if i do this too much i'm definitely going to run out of things to say!
Supplementation
On the Keto diet there are may nutrients that i will miss out on due to the reduce intake of veg.
So supplementation is key to ensure i don't become deficient in many of the nutrients vital to a healthy, responsive, and efficient body.
Fibre
Due to the general lack of fibrous foods i have begun supplementing with Psyllium Husks (i use the whole powder form - however you can buy it it capsule form for ease of use). This product helps me to maintain a healthy regular gut - and it will be especially important as i get further into CKD.
This product can also be used for those with IBS and other troublesome gut problems
This product can also be used for those with IBS and other troublesome gut problems
Calcium
In my case i need this supplement more than others may, as i have a very mild intolerance to lactose - meaning that i cannot drink or eat any dairy based products.
Lactose is found in near enough all dairy products, all the way from Milk and Cheese, through to Protein Shakes (which i will come to in a bit). For me, drinking milk, eating cheese etc sets off less than desirable effects - mostly stomach discomfort and a rather uncomfortable couple of days.
I am using Coral Calcium Plus, which is a form of calcium taken from...yes you guessed it...coral. There are many benefits to taking this supplement; other than the obvious - promoting of strong bones and teeth, it can also help with muscle contraction, lowering of blood pressure, aids in maintaining normal pH levels as well as many other things - all of which will help me to achieve my goal.
Protein
Now, protein powders are made from milk/cheese - in fact they are often the product left over once cheese has been made...many of us know this as whey. Now in my case i need a protein powder with a low lactose level, and this for me means i have to spend a little more than is desirable. Most people will buy the standard Whey Concentrates, which come in at about 80% protein content. i use Isolates which are 90%+, specifically i use an isolate from BulkPowders.co.uk simply named Whey 97%. Due to the high percentage of this protein powder (something along the lines of 29.2g per 30g serving) there is an extremely low level of lactose and almost no carb and no fat. Personally i always go for the unflavoured option as it is both cheaper and not full of any additives that can some what degrade the quality or the content per serving.
A side note and something to make you think about dairy, a little something i picked up a while back when reading about milk (ps - don't quote me on this, to the best of my knowledge this is correct - however i cannot remember the source)
If you look through the animal kingdom, we homosapiens are the only animal to drink the milk of another animal not only as a infant, but into our adult years too. Milk is produced for the offspring of the animal - ensuring that it is getting all of the vital nutrients at the start of its life so that it grows and becomes strong; most animals, once reaching an age where suckling is no longer necessary develop an intolerance to lactose (apparently) - so why do we keep drinking it? This opens up many arguments - none of which i have the knowledge to either defend nor attack - i just thought i mention this. Make of it what you wish.
Omega 3
I have been using omega 3 capsules for a couple of years now. I take 5 1000mg capsules every morning. Some people may say this is too much, i would disagree. I have seen evidence that taking up to 10,000mg a day can be beneficial to ones health. The only reason i don't take so many is because i also eat a fair bit of fatty fish and it is also not cost effective for me to take that many yet.
There is much research on omega 3 oils. None of which i have read comes up negative. Being on the CKD getting the omega 3s in will help aid in keeping my hormone levels good and should help my joints healthy and will aid in the improving neural health - basically meaning i should have a better mind muscle connection, and there are many other benefits too.
Vitamin D3
This is another supplement i have been using for a while. I first heard about it from reading some of Charles Poliquin's work. Through some of his research it states that improvement can been seen in individuals who take 2000IUs of Vitamin D every day. However it is shown that taking a large "bolus" dosage of Vit D can have better effects than the daily dosing. Studies showed that taking 50,000 IUs once every 2 weeks kept individuals between 40 and 60 ng/ml of Vitamin D in the body with out causing any toxicity.
I personally take 5000IUs daily at this moment in time (two 2500IU capsules). However - after reading through Poliquins articles again, i may begin using a higher dosage once every 2 weeks.
As a general rule, i'd say anyone in the British Isles needs to take vitamin D as we don't really get much sun.
(it also helps with the absorption of Calcium in the body).
http://www.charlespoliquin.com/Blog/tabid/130/EntryId/1186/Tip-340-Get-Enough-Vitamin-D-to-Lose-Fat-for-Summer.aspx
MulitVitamin A-Z
I use this simply because of the variety of missing vitamins in my diet due to the restrictive nature of CKD. Simple as that.
Kre-Alkalyn/Creatine
This is something i have used on and off over the years. Creatine has had absolutely fucktonnes of research done on it, so there is information everywhere. There are many unfounded claims that it is a carcinogenic once it enters the body and that this causes cancer....from what i have read, this is bollocks.
Creatine can be found, in small amounts, in red meats. To get the amounts taken via supplement from the meat itself we'd have to eat a lot of beef. So using one of the many forms of creatine is a much cheaper alternative.
Creatine helps with the endurance and power of a muscle by helping to restore ATP levels in the muscle itself. When we train using weights, our bodies use up energy in the form of Adenosine Triphosphate, we lose 1 phosphate when ATP is used, turning it into Adenosine Disphosphate. Your body begins to restore the ADP into ATP by process of the Krebs Cycle.
During this Creatine Phosphate is present, CP is the "re-charger". The extra Phosphate molecule on CP attaches itself to the ADP, once again creating ATP (aka - more energy). By supplementing with Creatine we can increase the body's ability to recharge the ADP to ATP meaning we can go for longer, create more power and get a better muscular "pump" when training.
The most common side effects for some people using creatine are stomach discomfort and bloating. in which case it is not that desirable to use, however there are products like Kre-Alkalyn which claim to not have the bloating effect of normal creatine monohydrate.
In my case using creatine is going to help me keep pushing through each workout during the week whilst i'm calorie restricted..
Branched Chain Amino Acid (BCAA)
This for me is a stalwart, especially during a leaning out diet. I use BCAA pre, peri and post workout. The idea is that it helps prevent muscle breakdown during training, giving my body more chance of holding on to my hard earned muscle and using up that unsightly bodyfat instead.
BCAA are made up of Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine - three of the nine essential amino acids for humans.
Since i started using BCAAs i have maintained a leaner, more muscular physique year round, which i can't complain about. They can be a little on the pricey side, but for me it's generally a price worth paying.
Dosage wise, i use around about 25-30g throughout a workout, and in a few weeks i will begin using them in the morning and before bed to aid in recovery and growth even in this fat burning state my body is in.
For more detailed information on BCAAs check this link http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/791/The_Benefits_of_BCAAs.aspx
And that is pretty much it. There are a few other supplements i use like glutamine to aid in recovery, and i am starting to use maltodextrin next week as my post workout carb to help spike insulin to begin my carb loading 36 hours.
Hope that this blog has been insightful for you all. Any questions or queries please leave a message and i'll reply as soon as i can.
Next blog, i think i'll do something on my training, training aids and what i do to help keep me focused. Stay tuned guys and gals.
Trav.
Protein
Now, protein powders are made from milk/cheese - in fact they are often the product left over once cheese has been made...many of us know this as whey. Now in my case i need a protein powder with a low lactose level, and this for me means i have to spend a little more than is desirable. Most people will buy the standard Whey Concentrates, which come in at about 80% protein content. i use Isolates which are 90%+, specifically i use an isolate from BulkPowders.co.uk simply named Whey 97%. Due to the high percentage of this protein powder (something along the lines of 29.2g per 30g serving) there is an extremely low level of lactose and almost no carb and no fat. Personally i always go for the unflavoured option as it is both cheaper and not full of any additives that can some what degrade the quality or the content per serving.
A side note and something to make you think about dairy, a little something i picked up a while back when reading about milk (ps - don't quote me on this, to the best of my knowledge this is correct - however i cannot remember the source)
If you look through the animal kingdom, we homosapiens are the only animal to drink the milk of another animal not only as a infant, but into our adult years too. Milk is produced for the offspring of the animal - ensuring that it is getting all of the vital nutrients at the start of its life so that it grows and becomes strong; most animals, once reaching an age where suckling is no longer necessary develop an intolerance to lactose (apparently) - so why do we keep drinking it? This opens up many arguments - none of which i have the knowledge to either defend nor attack - i just thought i mention this. Make of it what you wish.
Omega 3
I have been using omega 3 capsules for a couple of years now. I take 5 1000mg capsules every morning. Some people may say this is too much, i would disagree. I have seen evidence that taking up to 10,000mg a day can be beneficial to ones health. The only reason i don't take so many is because i also eat a fair bit of fatty fish and it is also not cost effective for me to take that many yet.
There is much research on omega 3 oils. None of which i have read comes up negative. Being on the CKD getting the omega 3s in will help aid in keeping my hormone levels good and should help my joints healthy and will aid in the improving neural health - basically meaning i should have a better mind muscle connection, and there are many other benefits too.
Vitamin D3
This is another supplement i have been using for a while. I first heard about it from reading some of Charles Poliquin's work. Through some of his research it states that improvement can been seen in individuals who take 2000IUs of Vitamin D every day. However it is shown that taking a large "bolus" dosage of Vit D can have better effects than the daily dosing. Studies showed that taking 50,000 IUs once every 2 weeks kept individuals between 40 and 60 ng/ml of Vitamin D in the body with out causing any toxicity.
I personally take 5000IUs daily at this moment in time (two 2500IU capsules). However - after reading through Poliquins articles again, i may begin using a higher dosage once every 2 weeks.
As a general rule, i'd say anyone in the British Isles needs to take vitamin D as we don't really get much sun.
(it also helps with the absorption of Calcium in the body).
http://www.charlespoliquin.com/Blog/tabid/130/EntryId/1186/Tip-340-Get-Enough-Vitamin-D-to-Lose-Fat-for-Summer.aspx
MulitVitamin A-Z
I use this simply because of the variety of missing vitamins in my diet due to the restrictive nature of CKD. Simple as that.
Kre-Alkalyn/Creatine
This is something i have used on and off over the years. Creatine has had absolutely fucktonnes of research done on it, so there is information everywhere. There are many unfounded claims that it is a carcinogenic once it enters the body and that this causes cancer....from what i have read, this is bollocks.
Creatine can be found, in small amounts, in red meats. To get the amounts taken via supplement from the meat itself we'd have to eat a lot of beef. So using one of the many forms of creatine is a much cheaper alternative.
Creatine helps with the endurance and power of a muscle by helping to restore ATP levels in the muscle itself. When we train using weights, our bodies use up energy in the form of Adenosine Triphosphate, we lose 1 phosphate when ATP is used, turning it into Adenosine Disphosphate. Your body begins to restore the ADP into ATP by process of the Krebs Cycle.
During this Creatine Phosphate is present, CP is the "re-charger". The extra Phosphate molecule on CP attaches itself to the ADP, once again creating ATP (aka - more energy). By supplementing with Creatine we can increase the body's ability to recharge the ADP to ATP meaning we can go for longer, create more power and get a better muscular "pump" when training.
The most common side effects for some people using creatine are stomach discomfort and bloating. in which case it is not that desirable to use, however there are products like Kre-Alkalyn which claim to not have the bloating effect of normal creatine monohydrate.
In my case using creatine is going to help me keep pushing through each workout during the week whilst i'm calorie restricted..
Branched Chain Amino Acid (BCAA)
This for me is a stalwart, especially during a leaning out diet. I use BCAA pre, peri and post workout. The idea is that it helps prevent muscle breakdown during training, giving my body more chance of holding on to my hard earned muscle and using up that unsightly bodyfat instead.
BCAA are made up of Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine - three of the nine essential amino acids for humans.
Since i started using BCAAs i have maintained a leaner, more muscular physique year round, which i can't complain about. They can be a little on the pricey side, but for me it's generally a price worth paying.
Dosage wise, i use around about 25-30g throughout a workout, and in a few weeks i will begin using them in the morning and before bed to aid in recovery and growth even in this fat burning state my body is in.
For more detailed information on BCAAs check this link http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/791/The_Benefits_of_BCAAs.aspx
And that is pretty much it. There are a few other supplements i use like glutamine to aid in recovery, and i am starting to use maltodextrin next week as my post workout carb to help spike insulin to begin my carb loading 36 hours.
Hope that this blog has been insightful for you all. Any questions or queries please leave a message and i'll reply as soon as i can.
Next blog, i think i'll do something on my training, training aids and what i do to help keep me focused. Stay tuned guys and gals.
Trav.
Hiya Trav, Like your blog! Keep it coming and good luck!
ReplyDelete