Author: Nutrition 4 Fighters

Welcome back to the super tasty and affordable recipe series! Today’s little gem is another grain and sugar free sweet treat.

I do have to add that to avoid hidden calories, as well as to ensure some of the micro nutrient quantities, please do spend the little extra and get proper cocoa powder rather than the sugary cheaper alternatives.

Ingredients:

– 2/3’s a cup of peanut butter

– 1 medium banana

– 1 & 1/2 tbsps of coconut cream

– 2 heaped tbsps of cocoa powder

– 1 large egg

– 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

Method:

– Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees

– Combine all ingredients in the blender, blending on low setting until an even consistency

– Fill cup cake tray to between half and two thirds for each cake

– Place in oven for between 12-15 minutes

– Allow to stand for 5 minutes and 👌

Everyone loves a little cheat meal here and there, straying away from the optimum healthy choices to indulge the taste buds. Today’s post though gives you a healthy version of the cheat day special – chips, (aka fries for our American cousins!).

These super tasty chips are not just a carb heavy cheat meal special, they’re also ideal for fuelling or refuelling for heavy training sessions that require an anaerobic (all out) sustained effort.

Try pairing with recipe for the perfect steak from Ben Greenfield; https://nutrition4fighters.wordpress.com/2018/11/24/ben-greenfields-recipe-for-cooking-the-perfect-steak/

Ingredients:

– 1 large Desiree potato (it does make a difference)

– Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

– 1 1/2 tsp of paprika

– Salt & pepper

Method:

– Peal potatoes & half

– Place in boiling water and blanch for 3/4 mins

– Remove and slice potatoes into thick fingers

– Place in greased pan. Add extra virgin olive oil & paprika. Mix and coat the chips evenly.

– Place in pr-heated oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes, removing and stirring the chips at around 10 minutes.

– Remove and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving

👌

Today’s post is looking at a dietary strategy which is especially good for athletes and also a positive method to support longevity in general. Protein pacing as a strategy was introduced to me via the great mind of Prof Paul Arciero, courtesy of the equally great ‘We Do Science’ podcast, (episode 102).

Protein pacing is a dietary concept that allows for maximal protein synthesis, (MPS), throughout the day. MPS is essentially the turnover and production, or recovery and growth, of everything in your body from eyeballs, brain neurones to of course, muscle mass.

In summary, it’s about making sure that each meal, or ‘feeding’, consists of a high quality source of leucine containing protein. Leucine, an essential amino acid, is one of the primary drivers MPS. This is primarily found in animal and dairy but can also be found within plant based sources.

Ensure all feedings are centred around hitting the sweet spot of 20/40g of protein. This is not to take away from ensuring your other macro and micro nutrients are neglected, but just be mindful of how many calories you’re having within each meal.

Although a balanced diet is required to meet all the body’s needs, protein is the most satisfying and satiating of the macronutrients, another great reason it’s important for athletes and others who have weight loss goals in mind.

Try the below strategy;

– Ensure you have your first feeding of protein within 1 hour of waking up

– Ensure you’re having a feeding every 3 hours

– Last feeding of protein should be within 2 hours of bedtime

– Each feeding to be around 20/40g portion of protein, or roughly 0.25g protein per kg of body weight.

– Look at protein sources that contain leucine such as chicken, beef, pork, fish (tuna), tofu, canned beans, milk, cheese, squash seeds, and eggs

– Use a protein supplement to ensure compliance and ease of ensuring you’re meeting the protein threshold each feeding

– Any supplements need to be a high quality protein, preferably containing all the 9 essential amino acids – whey protein is ideal and cost effective

There you have it. Fairly basic but simple to put in place and achieve. Any questions, drop me a message or comment.

Today’s post is a review of one of my fave UK supplement companies, Brainzyme. In view of full transparency, I am an affiliate of Brainzyme but none the less I will give you an honest assessment of their product as a nootropic. Just to clarify exactly what I mean by nootropic, which is used interchangeably with names such as smart drugs, cognitive enhancers or, my personal favourites; ‘brain pills’. It’s essentially anything that can improve focus, memory and productivity. This can include coffee for example up to the more powerful pharmaceutical nootropics such as Modafinil.

Now, there are some great nootropics out on the market, so when I first came into contact with Brainzyme, I desperately wanted it to be good. After all, it’s a UK based company so wanted to show the love!

So my first experience was with Brainzyme’s regular product; Brainzyme Original. I was hugely impressed by the all natural ingredient list but the results were not mind blowing, or at least not enough to move me away from previously tried products. I give a full review here which also details the ingredient list further; http://whatsuppblogblog.com/2017/10/22/nootropics-what-they-are-what-to-look-for-and-the-brainzyme-review/

I think it’s important at this point to also note the importance of managing expectations. Nootropics can be really powerful in terms of their potential for positive impact on productivity and output. For me, this can be seen when I look up to see a 30 minute stretch has gone by without any clock watching, which subsequently happens time and again that day. I like to think of it as  a day you’re really firing on all cylinders, with motivation, clarity and razor like precision. If your expecting a huge change in perception or altered state of consciousness, you’ll likely be a tad disappointed, (sorry).

Anyways, back to the task at hand. So my initial take on Brainzyme was a little luke warm. That was until my first pack of Brainzyme Elite hit the table. Panax ginseng and Ginko leaf extract were of particular interest. Both can act as powerful antioxidants and as such could protect the brain against damage caused by free radicals. Ginseng is thought to improve brain functions like memory, behaviour and mood. Ginko leaf extract has also being linked with similar neuro improvements.

So the Elite did hit the spot. Think finding ‘the zone’. I found I would be processing and accessing information in my brain far more effectively when using it without getting the jitters that over consuming coffee does!

I’ve found Elite to be impressive in a range of different contexts. This is from my daily employment , evening study classes I take, and, somewhat unexpectedly, my martial arts training. I particularly like using the it for Brazilian Jujitsu or Muay Thai training sessions as it helps me take in technical information. I also like actually stacking them with other supplements such as Beta Alanine and Creatine, or, a pre workout cup of coffee!

So overall, it’s a hugely impressive product and definitely worth using outside of the usual realms of study and productivity. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.