Tag: nutrition

The Latest is Always The Greatest?

Posted on by Damien Sutanto

We always prefer the best for ourselves and our loved ones.  The best money can buy!  Think about the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy.  Or perhaps the latest car, TV, or sneakers.  Surely the latest, with the best advances in technology, will always be the better option for us.  But what about nutrition and exercise?

Latest in Supplements and Nutrition

Here’s something interesting.  If something has been available and consumed for generations, then you cannot patent it.  So in the field of Nutrition, just like in any other business, you need to create a “barrier of entry” to prevent others from eating your market share.  The easiest way to create a barrier of entry is simply to incorporate a patented new compound in the product and claim this new compound will help you become leaner, stronger or more muscular.

Why You Should Not Get The Latest

The human body is incredibly complicated.  What might show up as something positive in the near term could be negative in the long term.  Think of steroids and how it was commonly used throughout the 1960’s through 1970’s legally by professional athletes.  The drug makes you leaner, stronger and more muscular.  However, google search on the fate of the top 10 bodybuilders in that era and you will find that over 50% of them later developed coronary heart diseases.  We only know of steroid’s side effect on artery plaque build up many years after it became popular.

The same can be said about soybean oil, once hailed as a wonderful healthy oil over three decades ago, only to recently been discovered as being incredibly bad for your waistline.  Beta-Alanine first came out over a decade ago and is still being marketed to this day as bodybuilding supplement, despite the fact that its a proven Taurine inhibitor, another supplement we commonly see in energy drinks.  Hence consuming a new compound that has not been available on the market over the past 3 decades simply means being part of the said compound’s test experiment.

The Best Type of Supplements

The difference between supplements and medicine is that supplements are not used to heal any disease.  Another thing is that supplements are meant to be taken continually over a long period of time, unlike medicine that is only taken over very a short period.  People take supplements to become better version of themselves.  Unless you are a professional athlete that must be better than the competition to earn an income, it is simply best to use supplements that has been proven to have no harmful side effects over long term consumption.  This is why Magnus Whey only uses ingredients that have been proven to be beneficial at the proven dosage.

Is Plant Protein Better than Animal Protein?

Posted on by Damien Sutanto

Many people avoid animal products for a variety of reasons including religion, empathy towards animals, or desire to be more environmental friendly. And it is perfectly acceptable for everyone to exercise their own personal conviction in this issue. What is unacceptable using false pretenses and fake science to push a certain agenda.

As an avid reader of Popular Science, I was quite intrigued when they recently publish an article stating that plant protein is healthier than animal protein. After all, any highschool biology student should know that there are 9 essential amino acids that the human body cannot produce. Amino Acids is the building blocks of protein used to build our muscles, joints and internal organ repair. All animal sourced protein contains all 9 essential amino acids while excluding soy, all plant derived protein do not have all 9 essential amino acids. Latest research indicated that children on a soy protein diet will develop abnormal secondary sexual organs. Another fact is that in comparative study between casein, soy and whey protein, soy simply came dead last in terms of efficiency in building muscle and strength. So what is the argument that plant protein is better than animal protein? Let us dwell deeper:

1. Plant Protein Has More Nutrients and Fiber

This is the first argument put forth by Popular Science. Interesting as the article writer agreed that plant based protein sources lacks Vitamin B complex, Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Thiamine, and Niacin. Last time I checked, these are all considered nutrients. And if you order a grass fed rib eye meal set, it usually comes with a salad bowl appetizer and some more veggies on the side of the steak. Hence I consider this point to be invalid.

2. People Who Eat Plant Protein in Part Have Healthier Habits

No actual study was cited for this. It is simply a meta-study that does not factor in geography, demography or even smoking habits, all which are significant contributing factor. Let me explain why. In West Java, Indonesia, majority of the locals are vegans. Compared to Okinawa, Japan, majority of the locals consume seafood regularly. If we simply compare these two the meat eater will simply comes ahead. We can also compare the Dalit population in new Delhi, India, poorest of the poor, living in one of the most polluted city in the world and majority vegan with the Amish in Pennsylvania, USA, majority omnivore. Both population have no access to modern medicine. And the Amish population are far healthier. This is why controlling factors are very important. There was even a study that correlates being vegetarian with increased risk of getting colon cancer.

3. Meat Has More Saturated Fats

What kind of meat? What kind of saturated fats? And why is it necessarily bad? After all, many people believed that extra virgin coconut oil is healthy regardless the fact that its mostly made of saturated fat. I recently had a meal with a vegetarian friend that insisted we ate in a vegetarian restaurant. Most of the food were rich in refined carbohydrate or deep fried. Unlike saturated fats in which there is still ongoing debate how some of the naturally sourced saturated fat are healthy, all dietitians now agreed that refined carbohydrate and deep fried food are bad for you. What is statistically proven in USA is that animal fat consumption is not correlated with heart attack.

4. Processed Red Meat is Carcinogenic

So what about non-processed red meat, i.e. medium rare, grass fed rib eye steak? The WHO classified processed meat as being carcinogenic due to increased risk of getting cancer in their study. What is most often not mentioned is the actual percentage of risk increase of eating processed red meat and what it all meant. And the answer is 0.0072% if you belong to the high risk population bracket. The risk of getting hit by a lightning is 0.0083%, which means you have higher chance of getting hit by a lightning.

Conclusion

When it comes to the diet and nutrition world, always maintain a healthy skepticism. When it said “research shows”, always try to find the source research, how it was done, who done it, and how it was funded. Fact is, nutrition industry is just like the cosmetic industry, mostly using “in house research” that was never proven objectively. And if you are a meat eater, just have a balanced diet to stay healthy!

Why Magnus Whey?

Posted on by Damien Sutanto

Currently there’s so many protein supplement product on the market. Do they actually do anything? Are they all the same?

Of course every brand will claim that their “patented mix” of protein is the best available on the market. But do they have independent research to prove that is actually the case?

5 Reasons To Choose Magnus Whey

  1. Helps Protects The Heart

Research done by University of Reading UK, showed that whey protein consumption lowers your risk of heart disease.

  1. Can Be Used for Fat Loss and Maintenance

Increased protein consumption has been proven to help people in achieving their ideal body weight and maintaining them via different mechanisms, all scientifically proven by different leading universities.

  1. Better Than Leading Vegan Proteins

Consumer Research recently did a study on over 150 leading protein brands globally and found that that using whey protein actually contains the lowest amount of heavy metal contaminants while those from vegetable sources had the highest heavy metal contamination.

  1. Free from Artificial Sweeteners

Browse the whey protein rows on your favorite supplement store and look at the ingredients label. You will find exotic names like Sucralose, Ace-K, Aspartame etc that are all artificial sweeteners and have been linked to Obesity, Type-2 Diabetes, even Stroke and Dementia. The latest research shedding these horrendous side effects being done by Boston University. This is why Magnus Whey is free of artificial sweeteners.

  1. Best To Grow Strength

If it’s one thing both young men and seniors both want, it is more strength, especially for seniors where loss of strength leads to less mobility and hence quality of life.  Northern Illinois University has proven that Whey protein is the best supplement to enhance strength and lean muscle mass.

Hence why you should choose Magnus Whey to help you achieve your healthy ideal body.

Why Choose Magnus Breakfast Mix

Posted on by Damien Sutanto

Waking up late in the morning, you need to rush out the door to head to work.

So what do you eat for breakfast?  Perhaps a quick stop somewhere that consists of bread rich in preservatives and softeners, combined with ham abundant in nitrates, gelling agents, fillers and preservatives.  Or how about those liquid meal replacements on the market?

Not much of a breakfast for champions, but better than none right?

Now there’s a better option for you on the move.  Magnus Breakfast Mix is convenient, natural and has everything the body needs to give you a breakfast for champions.

Below are the reasons why Magnus Breakfast Mix is the ideal breakfast replacement for you:

Rich in Fiber and Whole Grains

Not all fibers are created equal simply because their basic chemical make up is called cellulose. Our digestive tracts are simply not designed to digest wood chips.  However, fiber and whole grains contain a unique blend of bioactive components including resistant starches, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants. All of these components are essential in fighting obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.  Different fibers also have different functions. This is why our breakfast mix contains whole grain rolled oats, chia seeds and coconut to ensure adequate consumption of fibers and while grains.

High in Protein

Whey protein is undeniably one of the most crucial anti-aging ingredient. It is essential for fat loss, best for muscle and strength growth, and is even good for your heart. The breakfast mix contains up to 18 grams of protein, more than half are from whey, which is guaranteed to help powers up your day with quality meal

Low in Calories

The reason why you feel hungry so soon after you had your McBreakfast is due to the amount of refined carbohydrate in the meal. Bad for your waistline as they are still high in calorie and cause you to crave for a snack and bad for your pancreas as the unstable level of blood sugar from the meal can cause diabetes. The our breakfast mix will fill you up with only 320 calories per serving, one fifth of the recommended daily calorie intake according to British National Institute of Health. Hence the perfect meal for those that are on a calorie deficit diet.

Easy to Prepare

Simply pour one sachet to a water bottle, add 300 ml of warm water, shake well, before putting it to the fridge the night before. In the morning, grab your healthy breakfast mix and enjoy it either on the way, or at the office.

Makes You Chew

Magnus Breakfast Mix is not just any kind of meal replacement. It is designed to be in a porridge form such that during consumption, the user will still need to chew before swallowing.  This might sound trivial, but the human digestion system was designed with chewing as the first step.  According to research done by researchers of University of Leeds and University of California (Davis), when we chew, the jaws send signals to the brain and the stomach that will reduce your feeling of hunger and food intake.

Choose Magnus Breakfast Mix and start enjoying the benefit of a healthy, balanced nutritional breakfast today!

Which Is Better? Soy, Whey or Casein?

Posted on by Damien Sutanto

If you walk around the nutrition aisle of your favorite supplement store, you are bound to find the three most common protein supplements, which are soy, whey and casein protein.  Each would undoubtedly claim to be the best.  Any vegan would tell you that the world’s strongest man is a vegan, even though the man they meant was Bill Pearl, former champion bodybuilder and powerlifter, who consumed milk and eggs in his prime.  Some manufacturers decided to simply make a blend of all three with their patented mix and claim it to be the best on the market.  However, which is actually the best for you?

The Study

Researchers from Northern Illinois University decided to settle this debate once and for all with a double blind study on a group of young weightlifting athletes.  Multiple different groups were given three different supplements at different times related to their exercise schedule.  Each group would be given enough protein to reach 1.2 – 2 grams of protein consumption per Kg in body weight every day.  Hence there would be no debate after this study that protein A got better results than protein B.

As the study was done for over 2 months, there would also be no debate that protein C got worse results because it takes 1 month of continuous consumption before protein C shows any results.

The Results

Naturally, young people who train with weights consistently over extended periods will get results.  And the results show that all three supplements promote muscle hypertrophy and lean muscle mass when consumed both pre-and post training.  However, for strength improvement specifically, only whey protein supplements show significant increase compared to baseline results.  Both milk derived casein and whey protein were far superior to Soy protein in terms of promoting lean muscle mass growth.

As for timing, casein and soy protein are best consumed pre-training while whey can be consumed on both pre and post-training.  For post workout consumption, the most ideal mix is whey protein with glucose (sugar) for optimum leucine absorption in the body.  This is why we recommend Magnus Whey that has the optimum balance.

Which one should you be consuming? If you are a vegan due to religion or belief that by doing so, it will be better for the environment, then the choice is either soy or pea protein.  However, if your main focus is health and performance, then the scientific evidence in the study points to whey as the clear winner.

Myths about Fat and Health Articles

Posted on by Damien Sutanto

If you read my previous article about juicing, you might have guessed that I’m not a big fan of Paleo diet. And that is correct. But recently it seems to be popular to bash Paleo diet such that even international business times and the telegraph all published an article about how bad Paleo diet is based on a single study which I personally believe doesn’t really answer a lot of question.  Well, unfortunately your writer here is a science based contrarian and this article will instead be dedicated on giving some reason why I still love my bacon and butter:

1. What the research actually said

mouse

First of all, the “latest research” done in Australia (don’t you just love the land from down under that came up with the multifidus story) only involved mice, not humans. Second of all, the mice in the study was force fed 81% fat diet while the control group were only fed 10% fat. Mind you that even if you ate a diet consisting 100% from sausage mcmuffin, you would only be eating 39% fat, less than 1/2 of the rat study and rats don’t normally eat so much fat anyway. So this is definitely something very unnatural. Least we forget that there has been numerous study on Paleo diet on diabetic people, paleo diet on people with certain heart disease, and Paleo diet on healthy individuals. All which gave positive result by the way.

The point I want to take is, never take a conclusion based on a single research, and always have a trusted source (which apparently is hard to find) to translate this research for you. Even the human trials have very limited sample size in very limited setting, hence depending on your genetic make up, Paleo diet might or might not be good for you. In fact, based on a research done in Israel last year, depending on your gene, tomatoes might spike your blood sugar level more than pasta.

2. Why You shouldn’t jump head first into Paleo instead

masai

Wait, so if this latest trend of paleo bashing is not correct, does that mean its ok to go all paleo?

Well, not so fast. As the latest research from University of Chicago has proven, our ancestors actually do eat carbs, including all the way back from 10,000 years ago! And these starches are important for the growth of our brain!

An underlying premise of the Paleo diet is that our human genome has stopped evolving over the past 10,000 years and we are most optimized to function with the diet at the time. These “researchers” then observe the Maasai tribe in Africa and other nomadic tribes around the world before concluding that if you want to be healthy (even if your ancestors are rice eating asian), you should eat like the Massai.

Except that humans do still evolve even to recent times. One study on Eurasians from 6500 to 300 BC with Caucasian farmers has shown multiple genetic mutation for better adaptation to the Caucasian shift to agricultural society. Another study has shown how even our saliva has evolved. Yet another showed another evolution to improve our immune system. Mind you these are just a few of the studies over the past decade that simply debunked the Paleo underlying premise.

3. What I would recommend

Tumpeng-Jawa

As recent article on national geographic based on Professor Stephen Le’s research elegantly put it, you should eat what your ancestor’s ate 500 years ago. Or as the popular saying goes, don’t eat something your grandma would not recognize as “food”.

So, if you have moved to a different country with different climate, have a mixed racial background, or want to be bigger/taller from the previous generation, does that mean you are stuck? Well, I for one always believe that you should experiment, mix and match, and see which works for you. My mentor is 100% British background and he was diagnosed with celiac disease a decade before the gluten free craze, so he eats rice instead. Use caution, see which works for you, and have a trusted expert help you translate the latest craze. I for one love alcohol but having alcohol will quickly bury my 6pack and eating a tonne of rice would not affect my body fat composition. Most of the established science regarding sports medicine diet are correct and well, both Hafthor Bjornsson and Brian Shaw, No. 1 and 2 strongman champion ate a balance source of carbs, fat, protein and fiber.

Why Juicing is Bad For You

Posted on by Damien Sutanto

Juicing here as in people doing the juice diet. I’m not talking about “juicing” as in using roids, HGH, insulin etc., although I don’t recommend most people doing it either. I’m talking about the practice of drinking the juice from every fruit and vegetable and just throwing away the most nutritious and healthy bit out of it. Based on IBIS world research, juice market globally has grown to 3 billion USD in 2019 and expected to grow further. In 2015 I went to a health fair and one of the juice cleanse peddler complemented my shape before remarking “you must have done regular cleanse yourself and can recommend us to your friends!” Eumh… how about no? And let me tell you all why its actually bad:

1. Its actually bad for you

A doctor friend would forbid me from drinking coke, but she herself likes to drink orange juice. Because orange juice and all these other juices are healthy right? Except that these juices are high in fructose. Your body doesn’t care if the fructose comes from corn syrup or from freshly squeezed organic orange. And fructose has been linked to obesity and metabolic syndrome. These juices is actually blocking your way towards your ideal body. People that eat lots of fruit and vegetables don’t get the same problem.  The fibers in the fruit and vegetables will help slows down the fructose absorption rate not experienced from simply drinking the juice.

2. Your body already has an amazing cleansing organ

Yes, you don’t need to do a yo-yo diet to clean your body. The body comes pre-equipped with its own cleansing organ called the liver. The liver is so powerful in fact that if only 25% of itself is left, it can still regenerate to its full size.

3. Juicing throws out all the good parts from the fruit and vegetable

the pulp you throw away when you juice contains all the healthy fiber, minerals and fat your body needs. And those fats are essential for certain type of vitamin absorption. i.e. Juicing might lead to nutrient deficiency even though you are drinking the vitamins in excess. Most of those minerals are also not located in the juice, they are in the pulp!

4. Cooking actually helps your body absorb more nutrients

Yes, in the advent of the Paleo movement, everything raw became trendy again. So why did all dominant civilizations across the globe somehow develop cooking indigenously? Because cooking helps your body absorb more nutrients. It even change the phytochemical compounds in the vegetables and term it into a more biologically ready form. Something you don’t get from chugging it raw.

5. It is also bad for the environment

Remember about those wasted pulp in point 3? Well, when you just throw them out and ended up in landfills, it will rot and release methane, 71 to 100 times worse than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere. More people juicing simply means more of the good stuff heading to the landfill. If you think going vegetarian will help the planet, well, juicing is like going the opposite direction, with a rocket.

So there you have it folks, next time, think before you buy that juice and you know, maybe you should just eat the fruits and vegetables instead, better for you and the planet.

Cheers!