Episode #195: Can Coffee Really Make You Live Longer?

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode. Aug 8, 2012 free podcast: Why Fiber Is Bad. Also: electrolyte intake and your sweat, how to heal an ankle injury quickly, changing the consistency of your stool, ways to exercise in an airport, how often should you eat, are Lion Heart Supplements good, healthy ways to flavour drinking water, why certain oils are dangerous, and learning to feel hungry during a race. Have a podcast question for Ben? Call toll free to 1-877-209-9439, Skype to “pacificfit” or scroll down on this post to access the free “Ask Ben” form. If you have trouble listening, downloading, or transferring to your mp3 player just e-mail ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com. Also, please don't forget to leave the podcast a ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute of your time and it helps grow our healthy community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: To get these and other interesting news flashes every week, follow Ben on Twitter and Google+. Interesting that in last month's "Lo Fat vs. Lo Carb" diet debate, nobody mentioned Lo Carb had nearly 0 fruits/veggies-all fiber fed from "Metamucil". Weird. Ketogenic diet doesn't affect your strength… if you're doing really short stuff. Alcohol decreases post-workout recovery? Sure, if you have 4-6 drinks. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Need blood testing to find out your health or performance biomarkers? - Ben recommends WellnessFX Ben is now using an Omni Blender - (50-400% less expensive than a Vitamix!) and Jessa and Ben recently shot two videos: How To Make Gluten Free Waffles and How To Make A Mexican Mocha. You only live once! - Come with Brock and Ben to Thailand and get this Asia Pacific 70.3 Training Plan for free! The BenGreenfieldFitness Inner Circle - is now $10! Join now at www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/innercircle ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled and read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Audio Question from Paul: He just raced Vineman. He knows that you, Ben,  have been racing without electrolytes. Do you think that when you are not taking in electrolytes during the race that you will not be secreting salt like everyone else? Audio Question from Alberto: 8 weeks ago he sprained his ankle badly. Has a tear, bone concussion and some strained ligaments. Started swimming and riding last week but still can't run and… he is doing Kona! He needs to recover fast! ~ In my response to Alberto, I recommend: Phenocane, Capraflex, and Aqua Jogging. Also take a look at the injury recovery section of Everything I Have Ever Recommended. Audio Question from Ben: Digestion and elimination. He is a martial artist and a weight lifter. Was a high carb paleo isn't anymore. Has incorporated grains, sprouts, etc… His morning bowel movements are explosive (it isn't diarrhea but the urge to go comes on quickly and there is a feeling of he'd be in trouble if he weren't at home) and make a pile vs. a log. He usually poops one more time in the afternoon around 3-4pm. Has heard logs are better than piles. Wants to know how to firm up his stool. He has no problems like stomach aches, gas, loud stomach, etc. He feels fine all the time! He thinks he does all the so-called "right things" and yet still is having poorly formed poo! PS: He has never eaten breakfast. He eats lunch and dinner so he gets all his calories in two meals (about 3000 calories daily). ~ In my response, I mention this Bristol stool scale, eliminating FODMAPS as much as possible, and also the book: "Fiber Menace". Brock mentions Scientific American's Fiber Boosts Bowel Beneficial Bacteria. Horacio writes: Hi Ben, odd question coming: I happen to travel on planes very frequently so I spend a lot of hours in airports and there are no gyms there (perhaps a biz opportunity?). What good workouts can be done when I have a good 2-3 hours of waiting for my next flight? (while avoiding being deported for public disorder). ~ In my response to Horatio, I recommend www.airportgyms.com and the MostFit Suspension Strap. I also mention any of my 10 minute workouts and PEAR. Anderson asks: I was listening to some old episodes and I remember that you said in one of them that we have to eat every 1.5 - 3 hours to have the "thermogenic effect" of food. But on the Fat Loss Secrets Seminar you said we don't need to have a lot of snacks, elevate the blood sugar all the time, there's no evidence of benefits of this practice. So, how many meals should I eat? I don't know if that changes something but I have skinny genetics and want to gain muscle. Of course I know I need to lift some weights. ~ In  my response, I mention the article Snacking Will NOT “Boost Your Metabolism”. Giles says: I have found an online health supplement company here in the UK, Lion Heart Supplements, and wanted to get your take on the "super smoothie mix" the guy is touting. The reviews for it are great and plenty of, pardon the terminology, tree hugger types seem to rave about it. Could I ask your opinion of whether this could be a good product to include in my diet. Bert asks: Your comments on diet soda have me motivated to drop my litre to two litre a day habit... don't think I can go straight to water. I have seen a few of these new "water additives" like Mio. Let me add this variable: I need the solution to be easy. If it isn't easy, I most likely won't make the lifestyle transition; which sounds odd as I used to weight 310 lbs and could not walk to the end of the street but am now a 3:20 marathon runner. The key for me was that I made one "easy" change at a time. Cameron asks: You answered a question a while ago about other fats that would be good to include in her diet by discussing the smoke point, saturation level and propensity for oxidation during cooking and/or for colder uses. One thing struck me though. You said to avoid fats that are "completely unsaturated" and "don't have any of the hydrogens" like canola, corn and sunflower oil. My understanding is that these fatty acids have omega 3's, 6's, 9's but no more than three double bonds per fatty acid. That means that all of the rest of the hydrogens (26 out of 30) are still there. Considering that, when I look at the composition of fatty acids in canola, safflower and sunflower the composition of specific monounsaturated fatty acids are different but not substantially. Is it possible that for cold applications each of these oils are perfectly fine? ~ In my response I mention these videos:  How canola oil is made:   How butter is made   Emily asks:I was wondering if you were familiar with "healing touch". I have heard there has been some research but I'm not sure how legitimate the studies are. Also, I struggle with eating enough during long runs, marathons or longer. I typically don't eat gels during training and try to supplement during races. They don't upset my stomach I just don't like eating while running. Have any recommendations on liquids or mental techniques to push myself to eat enough. I've noticed that I do sometimes get irritable towards the end of long runs, which I've heard you mention can be a sign of low blood sugar. Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]====================================== See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 Aug 20121h 34min

If you're like me, you might wake up in the morning and drink a glass of water, take a shower, eat food that has been cooked in water, perhaps go for a swim later in the day, and then drink more water. Or maybe you wake up, have a glass of water, exercise at the [...] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 Aug 201244min

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode. Aug 2, 2012 free podcast: Which Is Better: High Protein, Low Carb or High Fat, Low Carb? Also: what is hip dysplasia, how to deal with a baker's cyst, how carbs are listed on packaged food, trouble sleeping after evening workouts, what type of milk is best, HUUB websuits, should you use over the counter testosterone creams, how does Muscle Activation Technique work, and what is the ENG3? Have a podcast question for Ben? Call toll free to 1-877-209-9439, Skype to “pacificfit” or scroll down on this post to access the free “Ask Ben” form. If you have trouble listening, downloading, or transferring to your mp3 player just e-mail ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com. Also, please don't forget to leave the podcast a ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute of your time and it helps grow our healthy community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: To get these and other interesting news flashes every week, follow Ben on Twitter and Google+. Wow! 4 weeks of echinacea supplementation worked wonders in runners. Attn dudes: sugary drinks at the bar, or any other "pre-sex" time is going to affect performance. And not from the alcohol per se. Quit sitting around at the gym. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Go to www.audiblepodcast.com/ben - to get your free Audiobook today. Need blood testing to find out your health or performance biomarkers? - Ben recommends WellnessFX Ben is now using an Omni Blender - (50-400% less expensive than a Vitamix!) and Jessa and Ben recently shot two videos: How To Make Gluten Free Waffles and How To Make A Mexican Mocha. You only live once! - Come with Brock and Ben to Thailand and get this Asia Pacific 70.3 Training Plan for free! The BenGreenfieldFitness Inner Circle - is now $10! Join now at www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/innercircle ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled and read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Audio Question from Jenny: Triathlete with hip dysplasia. Not severe but it does effect her training. She feels a pinching in the front. Squatting over 90 degrees hurts. It effects her all the time (sitting for a long time hurts) even on a rest day. Any particular stretches or exercises that might help. She does the hip flexor stretch and uses a rumble roller (despite it being scary at times). Audio Question from Andre: He has mild left knee pain around the joint. Ran an ultra marathon in Feb and ever since then the pain has gotten better but hasn't gone away. Has runs a lot in the past and never had this issue before. Has a chronically tight IT band. Had an MRI that only detected a tiny Baker Cyst. He wants to do squats and lungs but can't do them or the knee flairs up again. Every time he races it hurts a lot again. He has a few races coming up and wants to get healed. Audio Question from Ty: On the ingredient list, how do you differentiate between a simple and a complex carbohydrate? ~ Ben’s Top 10 Healthy Packaged Foods Eve asks: I train for and do Olympic/5150 triathlons. I seem to do well with a hard training efforts over lunch, but if I do a track interval training in the evening for 50-60 min, or even swim intervals, I often mess up my sleep (elevated heartrate, chestpain and restlessness during the night). I'm assuming I have an unfavourable hormonal response - T3 crash, adrenaline to mobilize glycogen etc. I love group training (track and swim) in the evening, but if I cannot get the sleep issue sorted, I have to get back to morning and lunch training. Do you have any ideas on how I can increase my "tolerance" for evening training, except lowering intensity? Kate says: I have been suffering from a pain in my hips and knees whilst running for the past year and have recently visited a Sports Therapist in order to get to the bottom of the problem. He used Muscle Activation Techniques to reduce tension in my body and I could definitely see an improvement after just an hour. I found this technique very strange as he worked on an area in my neck to activate a muscle in my leg. I was wondering whether you have had much experience of MAT and what your thoughts on the technique are? ~ In my response, I mention my MAT podcast interview. Ben writes: What type of milk would you recommend for a child and would that recommendation change based off age? I'm curious about raw milk vs. goats milk vs. almond milk vs. coconut milk. Nadaleen says: I've been trying to follow a low carb high protein diet in order to lose weight (unsuccessful thus far). I did a 4 mile running race this morning and noticed my breath began to really smell during it, and afterwards my husband commented that I needed to brush my teeth. Reading up on it, it seems that it could be either dehydration, ketosis, or someone said if your body doesn't burn fat well, it could be that I'm burning muscle and not fat. I often get shaky during long rides as well, and feel that whatever I eat is not being absorbed by my body. I have noticed as I've switched to protein from carbs that I get less shaky and am also less hungry on long rides. So my body is shifting, I'm just not sure how, whether it is shifting in the right direction, and if I should be more patient with fat loss. Kenny says: Two questions: 1) huub wetsuits - marketing seems like a perfect fit for me. Is it all hype? 2) testosterone - I am 42 year old male and my level's slightly below normal. If I take an over the counter cream or supplement is this going to give me more energy? Make me stronger? Is it considered cheating in my training? Paige asks: Is it possible to cycle ketogenic periods? For example, fasting all night, exercising and then waiting until dinner to break your keto state. If so, would it be beneficial? Or would you benefit just as much from a fasted workout? Would this kind of cycle cause fat gain since you are eating an increased amount during keto state. Also, how could you monitor to know you are in this state? Would the strips be enough or should you monitor other things as well? ~ In my response to Paige, I mention http://www.lowcarbtriathlete.com Jim asks:I have a question about a machine a friend uses - the ENG3. They swear by it (says it helps their lungs and recovery time) but when I looked it up I don't really know what to make of it (except that it's expensive). If you have any info that would be great. They said I could give it a try but I always like to know what up before I jump in. Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]====================================== See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Aug 20121h 33min

If you're a podcast subscriber, you may have heard this message from Brock, in which he tells you why there's no BenGreenfieldFitness podcast this week, and also plays you a nice little tune that his rock band recorded. Anyways, the long and short of it is that Ben is off to defend his amateur world [...] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

25 Jul 20124min

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

23 Jul 201228min

As I write this post, I am grimacing. My chest hasn't been this sore since back when I was doing more lifting (that's me above, a few days before I did my first triathlon and decided I had too much muscle to comfortably do cardio-style racing). Anyways, it's been six days since I've stepped foot [...] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

21 Jul 201244min

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode. July 18, 2012 - free podcast: What To Do About Knee Pain That Won't Go Away. Also: can heat acclimating improve fitness, is "Infinite Nutrition" good, how BMR works, curing piriformis syndrome, should yogurt be a part of your diet, are creatinine levels important, over-training and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and what to eat after lap band or gastric bypass surgery? Have a podcast question for Ben? Call toll free to 1-877-209-9439, Skype to “pacificfit” or scroll down on this post to access the free “Ask Ben” form. If you have trouble listening, downloading, or transferring to your mp3 player just e-mail ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com. Also, please don't forget to leave the podcast a ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute of your time and it helps grow our healthy community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: To get these and other interesting news flashes every week, follow Ben on Twitter and Google+. Holy  man boobs Batman! Guys…be very cautious with soy. Have embarrassing gas? Try eliminating FODMAPS as much as possible. Sugar is not so great, but once you add phosphate to it (i.e. soda), check out what happens. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: The Future Of Health Now - Videos are Live, Free and Available! Ben is going to Spain - drop him a note if you happen to going to The 2012 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain on July 29. Ben is now using an Omni Blender - (50-400% less expensive than a Vitamix!) and Jessa and Ben recently shot two videos: How To Make Gluten Free Waffles and How To Make A Mexican Mocha. You only live once! - Come with Brock and Ben to Thailand and get this Asia Pacific 70.3 Training Plan for free! The BenGreenfieldFitness Inner Circle - is now $10! Join now at www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/innercircle The new intro music - is from Brock Skywalker's song Blue Satin Jacket which is available on iTunes or at CD Baby. ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled and read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Audio Question from Gordon: Is it possible to get a benefit from training in high heat and high humidity to then race in a cooler and possibly (but not necessarily) higher elevation? ~ In my response, I mention Endurance Planet's Guide To Elevation. Audio Question from BMR Man: He is 6'2", weighs 229lbs. BMR calculation says 2800 - 3000 calories a day. If he does that he doesn't gain weight but he loses weight slowly while also gaining muscle. Is he doing that right or should he be cutting back to 2000 calories? Audio Question from Tige: Looking for information on the product Infinite Nutrition. Fueling for 70.3 and Full Iron distance. Audio Question from Joe: Joe just did the Philly Tri. Has now been diagnosed with... some sort of "itis"... in both knees. Doing high cadence low resistance workouts and wearing Nitro Glycerine strips on his knees. Is there anything else he should be doing to help get this moving along. Audio Question from Steve: 40-year-old triathlete. Like 70.3 distance. Has hip, glute pain that flairs up after running, first thing in the morning and after sitting for a long time. Had Xray and MRI with did not reveal anything except that he has a larger peraformis and a weak glute med on the injured side. Cortisone injection provided no relief. What should he try next? ~ In my response to Steve, I mention these exercises and this stretch. Lisa asks: I just wanted some clarification on the yogurt vs. ice cream question in episode #200. In response to this question, Ben suggested that yogurt and dairy in general was something to avoid given its insulinogenic effects. I took dairy out of my diet for 30 days on the Paleo diet, then cycled some cheese and butter back in since I seem to tolerate dairy fine. I then added in full-fat yogurt after seeing it on your food pyramid. I LOVE yogurt with some berries and cinnamon for breakfast or a snack, although I haven't been eating it long enough to track whether or not it's affecting my weight loss goals. But I was confused when I heard this recommendation for yogurt rescinded on the podcast. Should it not be part of the base of the superhuman food pyramid or am I missing something? Jakob asks: I would like to ask you about diet as a way to lower creatinine levels in my blood. I have, since 11yrs of age, had a kidney inflammation called IgA Nefrite. I have been a swimmer since I was 6yrs old and now, at 44yrs of age I'm into Triathlon. Since I train about 12-15 hours a week and follow a Paleo diet for Athletes (Joe Friel et al. ) to about 80-20 rule, the relative amount of protein in my diet has increased. So my question is really, what can I do to naturally lower my creatinine in order to help my kidneys ? Gary asks: My question relates to thyroid stimulating hormone. I had a blood test 5 months ago that came out high (5.03 uU/ml). I have seen it can be related to a lack of Iodine in the diet. Unfortunately, I live in mainland Europe (southern Germany) where there is little iodine in the soil and hence locally grown fruit and especially root vegetables have very little iodine content. I repeated the blood test last week and I still have an elevated TSH (4.37uU/ml). My doctor has suggested hormone treatment, but I would like to hear if there may be other options. Also, since elevated TSH can be related to lacking energy and reduced metabolism functions, do you consider it could be related to a series of issues I have recently been suffering such as overtraining symptoms. ~ In my response, I recommend the book "Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal?" Anonymous asks: I have a friend who recently had the lap band gastric bypass surgery. Do you have any recommendations for what she should take in while on the liquids only phase and then going forward. ~ In my response, I mention the LivingFuel supplements at www.pacificfit.net Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]====================================== See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

18 Jul 20121h 26min

Meet vegan ultra-endurance athlete Rich Roll. If you've read this blog for a few months, you may recall Rich from the article I published on "How To Be Extremely Active And Eat A Plant-Based Diet Without Destroying Your Body." Rich just wrote a book about why he's a vegan. More specifically, the book is about [...] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

14 Jul 201238min