Comments on: Diet and Exercise (Part Two)

By: Al Kavadlo

Al Kavadlo — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:37:00 +0000

Thanks, Aatif! Cashews are one of the healthiest things you can eat. They are high in fat and calories, but your body needs fats and calories in order to function! Being high in fat or calories and being nutritious are two totally separate things.

Also, go to town on yams, but don’t overdo it on regular potatoes.

By: Al Kavadlo

Al Kavadlo — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 12:37:00 +0000

Also, go to town on yams, but don’t overdo it on regular potatoes.

By: Aatif Naziri

Aatif Naziri — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:58:00 +0000

Hi Al,

I have become a regular reader of your articles and your workout philosophy has helped me a lot, so thanks and keep up the good work. In group1 above you have listed roots as a food, which can be eaten in abundance, by roots do you mean root vegetables such as potatoes, yams etc? I thought these were on the high side of the glycemic index and should be avoided. Also for nuts I normally eat almonds, walnuts, pistachios and peanuts. I love cashews but have been avoiding them as I was told that they are high on fat and calories. Any thoughts.

By: Al Kavadlo

Al Kavadlo — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:08:00 +0000

There are pros and cons to oats. Overall I’d say there are a lot of better food choices, but there are certainly a lot of worse choices as well. Here’s a great article on the subject: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/are-oats-healthy/

By: AustinYAYOG

AustinYAYOG — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:13:00 +0000

What is your opinion of steel cut oats? They have really improved by cholesterol (total and HDL/LDL ratio) and triglycerides.

By: Al Kavadlo

Al Kavadlo — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Haha – that’s a nice quote! Poliquin knows what’s up! It’s also good to see fruit getting some good press.

In my opinion, protein consumption is very over-rated. The supplement industry has their best interests in mind – not yours.

As for staying lean, my body fat fluctuates a bit, but I always stay
pretty lean. My range is generally somewhere between 7-12%.

By: Rob White

Rob White — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:38:00 +0000

Al, i dont know how you manage to stay so lean when you dont count calories or watch portion sizes! Are you as lean as you are in your photos all year round?

From what i gather, you also dont eat as much protein as alot of other athletes either. Does it affect your exercise recovery not eating much protein?

I have played around with high fruit diets and TBH i did not get fat from eating alot of fruit. In fact, i felt pretty good on about 5-8 portions a day. A recent study showed people eating the highest fruit intake lost the most weight compared to low fruit consuming groups. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21621801

Funny you say about people not knowing how to control their portion sizes. I bought my mum a picture book showing what sensible food portion sizes looked like. She was shocked how small they were compared to the sizes she was eating. Once she started eating portion sizes like the book showed, the weight started coming off.
To paraphrase Poliquin “people need to learn the difference between a mouth and a vacuum”

By: Al Kavadlo

Al Kavadlo — Fri, 27 May 2011 13:07:00 +0000

It’s different for different people – I honesty don’t count calories or portion sizes. I just try to not indulge every single food craving I have, which is something most people seem to be incapable of.

By: Liesl

Liesl — Thu, 26 May 2011 20:33:00 +0000

When you say “eat in restraint” what do you mean? I am wondering how many portions a day or week do you suggest eating these foods? I am thinking a portion being 3 ounces of meat, 8 ounces of milk, etc.

By: Al Kavadlo

Al Kavadlo — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:17:00 +0000

Thanks for the kind words, Guy. It sounds like you’re on the right track – keep it up!