Supplements

By melanieavalon / March 14, 2014

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Growing up, I always took a multivitamin, starting with the brightly colored, candy-esque Flintstones variety. We always ended up with a bottle full of orange vitamins at my house, given the pink > purple > orange hierarchy. These days, I’m not a big fan of pills. I believe our bodies are quite adept at assimilating nutrients in the […]

Intermittent Fasting

Social

By melanieavalon / March 12, 2014

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“You’re not eating?” I dread this question, inevitable on the many long days I spend on sets. I don’t dread it because I’m hungry or even want to eat (I don’t), but rather because I know I’ll have to “explain myself,” and convince interrogators of the following: 1. I do indeed eat. 2. I eat […]

Paleo

By melanieavalon / March 11, 2014

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What Is Paleo? Let’s keep this brief, shall we? With Paleo, You basically eat what humans ate from an evolutionary perspective in the Paleolithic era, before we became an agriculture society, and before the advent of many modern diseases (diabetes, autoimmune conditions, cancers, etc.) Paleo’s goal is to eliminate foods incompatible with your body, which […]

Intermittent Fasting

By melanieavalon / March 8, 2014

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In the 3 years I’ve been Intermittent Fasting, I’ve experienced a myriad of physiological benefits! Here are 10 to get you started! 1. No More Constant Hunger Back in my eat-3-meals-plus-snacks-in-between-days, I was kind of always hungry. I often suspected (tirade of constant pro-breakfast studies aside) that eating immediately upon waking wasn’t all that necessary. […]

Alcohol

Studies

Wine

By melanieavalon / March 7, 2014

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While a nice glass of red wine won’t build muscle or chip away at pre-existing fat stores, it may counteract the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, and prevent fat storage! In a 2011 study, scientists trying to find a way to counteract an astronaut’s lack of exercise, found that resveratrol, a polyphenol found in […]

Caffeine

Studies

Supplements

By melanieavalon / February 21, 2014

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I’d been contemplating this very random concept for QUITE awhile, and I just happened to come across the very study addressing it. Good moment. (Though I was actually looking for studies concerning alcohol’s effect on the sedentary individual. Next time!) Caffeine is known to increase energy expenditure (EE) and lipolysis (fat burning), but is that […]

Low Carb

Studies

By melanieavalon / February 19, 2014

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I am loving this study I just found in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine! Not only is it brand-spanking new (Feb 2014), but it addresses the common experience of being “hangry” (though not in such terms). While I haven’t been hangry in a long time, oh how I remember it well! In my carb-laden pre-fasting days, my […]

Intermittent Fasting

By melanieavalon / February 18, 2014

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Intermittent fasting not only yields an awesome physique: it also extends the amount of time you get to live in said attractive body. A 2009 study concluded two dietary protocols increase lifespan: calorie restriction and intermittent fasting. Even cooler? The fasting didn’t require calorie restriction overall to yield anti-aging benefits. Yep. The study (performed on Caenorhabditis elegans, […]

Personal

By melanieavalon / February 13, 2014

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Ok, here goes. A brief history of how I became the health & nutrition crazed girl I am today! First, to clarify: I have never been “overweight,” always erring on the thin side. That being said, I always strove for that “ideal” female body, subscribing to the myriad of fat burning, weight-loss, “lose-10-lbs-in-10-days” mantras which […]