Men’s Nutrition Q+A
Dr. Mark Tosca, D.O.
What’s the verdict on carbs? Will they make me gain weight?
It depends. If you eat too many calories of any type – carb, fat, or protein – you’ll pack on the pounds. A controlled trial in the New England Journal of Medicine compared four groups following low-calorie diets that ranged from 35 -65 percent of calories from carbohydrates. The study found “no effect on weight loss of carbohydrate level through the target range of 35–65%.” While it’s best to choose food sources with the lowest carbohydrate load (CL), the bottom line is that total calories are what matters most.
What are trans fats and why are they so bad?
Some commercial makers of cakes, cookies, and deep-fried foods use “partially hydrogenated” oils. This means they’ve taken an unsaturated fat and turned it into a partially saturated fat (and trans-fats are a byproduct of this process). We’ve already been told that saturated fat isn’t good for us because it increases our “bad” or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Trans-fats are worse. They not only raise our LDL cholesterol (like saturated fats) but they lower our good or HDL cholesterol. Fortunately, the FDA now mandates that the trans-fat content of food be included on food labels.
I’d like to gain a little muscle and tone up. Will protein supplements help?
Under most circumstances, no. The American Dietetic Association recommends that strength-training athletes consume 5 to 8 grams of protein per 10 pounds of body weight. For a 175-pound guy, that’s 90 to 140 grams of protein. Since a 3.5 ounce chicken breast has 30 grams of protein, this isn’t too difficult to accomplish. There may be circumstances where it’s advisable to take a supplement – for example, a weightlifter who is trying to reduce total calorie consumption to trim body fat for an upcoming competition. that athlete may not eat enough food to meet dietary protein needs as he trains.
Should I take an Omega-3 supplement like fish oil?
Research shows that modest fish oil consumption is beneficial. The Omega 3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) appear to be the ingredients in fish oil that reduce risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke. Consume about 250 mg of EPA plus DHA daily, by eating three ounces of farmed Atlantic or wild Atlantic salmon each week for example. If you are unable to consume enough fish oil through the seafood you eat, a 1 gm (containing 200-800mg EPA+DHA) daily fish-oil supplement isn’t a bad idea.
How much caffeine is too much?
With 90 percent of men consuming it in some form each day, caffeine is, by far, our most popular drug. Moderate intake of 300 mg/day or less is safe. With our increasingly fast-paced lifestyles, it’s no surprise that caffeine has become available in several varieties of “energy” drinks and supplements. Guess which of the following has the highest caffeine content: Monster (16 oz.), Red Bull (8.3 oz.), or Starbucks brewed coffee (16 oz.). You could exceed the recommended intake of caffeine with one Starbucks coffee, which contains 320 mg of caffeine. Monster contains 160 mg and a Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine.
