Altitude training鈥攊t鈥檚 not just for elite athletes anymore. What with the rise of altitude chambers and hypoxic workout rooms in your local gym, oxygen-deprivation hypoxicator masks, and even hypoxic bed chambers (Michael Phelps slept in one in his run-up to the 2012 London Olympics), amateur athletes are now using these tools to try and train just as well as their professional idols.听

鈥淭he 鈥榰s and them鈥� division is slowly being eroded away,鈥� says Richard Pullan, founder of London鈥檚 hypoxic gym, , which works with (the leading manufacturer of all things hypoxic) and has about 60 members who train daily in its 2,700听meters and 14.9 percent听oxygen environment. 鈥淚ncreasingly, amateur athletes are styling their training around that of elite athletes. And many want to see how good they can be if they have access to the same tools that elites and professionals do.鈥�

Yet despite the availability of new hypoxic toys, most recreational athletes have yet to really transcend the level of elite times that altitude training would seem to suggest is possible. And much of the reason for this has to do with how hypoxia is used at the amateur and professional levels.听

鈥淪trategies around the implementation of hypoxic training protocols are quite complex,鈥� cautions Blake McLean, a sports scientist with Australia鈥檚 rugby team, who has done several hypoxia studies on team sports in affiliation with the . 鈥淗ypoxic training can actually have a negative influence on physiology/performance if implemented incorrectly.鈥�

Not only that, but professional athletes and their coaches and advisers tend to pay closer attention to other influential factors like nutrition, which can help control breathlessness and avoid possible energy deficiencies. 鈥淭here is very strong evidence that iron is often a key dietary supplement while at altitude,鈥� says Chris Gore, head of physiology at the and author of numerous studies on altitude training.

鈥淎nyone planning to use altitude training should have a blood screen for their iron levels and should seek medical advice about the need to supplement with iron or not.鈥�

All this means that athletes who do not screen for iron, or who forego a specialist to monitor their program, may find themselves not only slower but at greater risk of potential health ranging from anemia, to the loss of muscle mass to, ironically, developing a low tolerance to altitude.

Pullan also explains听that another misstep among amateurs is 鈥渢he higher, the better.鈥� But higher altitude doesn鈥檛 mean better training conditions. Often the quality of training, i.e. the ability to train intensity, is compromised by a lack of oxygen.

So the best way to maximize your time in that hypoxic chamber is to have yourself evaluated beforehand. Screen for iron and other supplements, and put together a protocol that鈥檚 tailored just for you. 鈥淎mateurs know a lot, but there can be common misconceptions of 鈥榦ne size fits all,鈥欌�� points out Pullan. 鈥淚f you鈥檝e got PhD-level sports scientists working on your performance on a number of different levels, you鈥檙e going to be better than even a very talented amateur who has a good grasp of performance enhancement.鈥�

The post Maximizing Your Hypoxic Training: Mind the Gap appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Two to three times a week, New York City FC goalkeeper takes out two pairs of small听padded bands and wraps them听tightly听around each limb, taking care to keep the attached wires extending down听toward听his fingers or toes. He then inflates the bands, which are connected by tubes to a touchscreen device, creating pressure on his extremities for a total of 20 minutes鈥攖en听for his arms, ten听for his legs. Saunders sometimes does this while making his morning coffee. If this sounds like the setup to an S&M flick, it isn鈥檛. This is Kaatsu, a Japanese-created exercise routine that鈥檚 spreading like, well, like kudzu throughout the world of fitness coaches, athletes, and physical therapists, and one Saunders credits with resurrecting his professional career.听

In late July 2013, two weeks after his fourth surgery to repair a torn left ACL, which he injured in a game against Dallas FC while playing for Real Salt Lake, Saunders discovered that the 30听pounds of weight he鈥檇 suddenly dropped听and agonizing pain he was suffering weren鈥檛 just symptoms of his injury. Saunders was suffering from a potentially fatal bone infection that had the potential to cost him not just his athletic career but also his leg鈥攁nd maybe his life. Luckily, doctors managed to clean out the invading bacteria before it could spread, but the process involved two more procedures:听a bone graft and reconstruction. The reconstruction was performed by Dr. Vern Cooley, the surgeon who听repaired Tiger Woods鈥� ACL. And it was Cooley who introduced the 34-year-old keeper to Dr. Jim Stray-Gundersen, a Park City, Utah鈥揵ased sports science adviser for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association听and chief medical officer of , to help him through his rehab.听

A portmanteau of the Japanese words ka (meaning听鈥渁dditional鈥�) and atsu听(鈥減ressure鈥�), Kaatsu came about in 1966 when 18-year-old Yoshiaki Sato, now a doctor, noticed the intense ache in his calves after having assumed the traditional Japanese sitting position during a typically long Buddhist ceremony. It was an ache much like the one he experienced after lifting weights鈥攁n ache he realized had to do the occultation of blood circulation. Eureka! Using himself as a test subject, Sato spent the next several years听perfecting a system of blood-flow moderation using bicycle tubes, ropes, and straps.听He later replaced the tubes with thin computer-controlled pneumatic bands. The idea was to apply pressure around the arms and legs while lifting a light load, safely impeding the flow of blood to exercising muscles. Slowing this flow engorges the limbs with blood, expanding capillaries, engaging muscle fibers, and raising lactic acid concentration. But鈥攁nd here鈥檚 part of what makes Kaatsu unique鈥攊t fools the brain into thinking it鈥檚 being put through a vigorous workout.听

鈥淥ther forms of exercise may cause some degree of blood-flow restriction while being performed, but it is not consistent, and once you stop the exercise to rest between sets, blood flow is quickly reestablished and the muscle somewhat recovers,鈥� explains Alan Mikesky, professor of kinesiology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. 鈥淲ith Kaatsu training, blood-flow restriction is maintained throughout the duration of the exercise, even during the rests between sets. As a result, the muscle can鈥檛 recover as quickly.鈥� This creates, adds Mikesky, a 鈥渦nique muscle-cell environment that provides the stimuli that cause muscle adaptations in size and strength.鈥� Stimuli that Kaatsu kicks into gear in about half the time using about a third the amount of weight.

鈥淚t puts out a very robust response,鈥� says Stray-Gundersen,听who was first introduced to Kaatsu in 2013. Though skeptical at first, the doctor finally tried Kaatsu on himself and started seeing improvements in athletes as well as听non-athletes. 鈥淣ormally, you鈥檇 have to lift 300 pounds or run a marathon to get the kind of workout you get with not even an hour of this,鈥� he explains. 鈥淎nd because you鈥檙e not exercising as much, you鈥檙e doing much less damage to your muscles.鈥澨�

It鈥檚 these performance benefits that have caused the method to catch on among athletes ranging from European soccer clubs and ski teams to American football teams like the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. World downhill ski champion Bode Miller credits Kaatsu and Stray-Gundersen for getting him from herniated disk surgery last November to being fit enough to ski at the world championships just months later. 鈥淛im鈥檚 enthusiasm to explain everything very well and show results based on other athletes really turned me on,鈥� says Saunders. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 do any load听bearing at all before working with Dr. Jim.鈥� But within two days, he says he felt a change in his ability to perform basic exercises, and he started regaining weight. Less than four months after starting Kaatsu, Saunders was back on the field.听

Doubters, of course, have pointed to 1980s weightlifters who used blood-flow restriction to not-so-healthy effects, including clotting and rhabdomyolysis. But their equipment was crude by comparison, and often bands were tightened to dangerous points of constriction. Athletes who use Kaatsu have described it as no more discomforting than a blood-pressure cuff. Still, while the bands are portable and available for home听use, Stray-Gundersen and others emphasize that it鈥檚 best to use the method with a trained doctor.听

As for Saunders, he鈥檚 noticeably stronger听and has had several of his NYC teammates over to his house to help them work on their recovery. 鈥淚 also now I have the mental confidence to get through plays because I know I have the strength,鈥� he says. 鈥淜aatsu changed my mechanics, and it did so much for me not just physically but also emotionally. I started running correctly. It provided me with the reality that I鈥檇 be able to play again.鈥�

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Rich Roll has a history of going all听in. Sometimes that works in his favor, like when he became a star butterflyer at Stanford University alongside Olympic swimmers Pablo Morales, John Moffet, and Jeff Kostoff. Or when he went to law school at Cornell, and launched into a career as a well听heeled entertainment lawyer. But it also led to a drug and alcohol addiction, and to a bad habit of overeating that left him 50 pounds over his college swim weight of 160, and winded when he climbed up stairs. Roll was about to turn 40. That鈥檚 when he decided to hit restart.听

In typical all-in fashion, he decided to do something drastic: cut meat out of his diet completely, just as he鈥檇 given up his addiction to drugs and alcohol ten years before. He went on a cleanse, then he went vegetarian, then he went vegan.听

In 2008, barely two years into his plant-based diet and his new fitness regime, he not only became the first vegan to complete the , a three-day, 320-mile triathlon; he finished in the top 10.听

Then in 2010, he and became the first two competitors to finish the Epic 5鈥攆ive triathlons on five different Hawaiian islands in seven days.听

Now a full-time wellness advocate, motivational speaker, and podcaster, the author of Finding Ultra has a new book out鈥攁 cookbook-cum-nutrition-manifesto called The Plantpower Way he co-authored with his wife, Julie Piatt. Below, Roll shares his thoughts on raising a vegan family, and four of his favorite recipes.听

OUTSIDE:听You and your family don鈥檛 strike me as a very crunch-granola type of vegan crew.
ROLL: We wanted to invert the preconception about what it means to live this lifestyle of hippies in yurts. We鈥檙e looking hip and cool and mod and appealing. In an inspirational way. Our book is authentic to how we live. I鈥檓 inspired by it.

And everyone seems to eat what鈥檚 in there.
There are no separate meals for me apart from everyone else. It鈥檚 efficient, simple, nutritious, delicious. Everything in there is stuff I eat and eat regularly. But it all goes back to the family. It鈥檚 not about one precious recipe. What we want to do is empower you with these ingredients. Play around with them. Take ownership of them. Expand upon what鈥檚 in here for yourself. People need to be in touch with their own bodies.

Even though you鈥檝e only been on this plant-based diet鈥攁nd running ultramarathons and triathlons鈥攆or less than a decade, can you tell if there鈥檝e been any longterm benefits?
I recently spent the weekend at the U.S. Olympic training facility in Colorado Springs with Jack Roach [USA Swimming鈥檚 National Junior Team Director]. He鈥檚 been plant-based since 1967 and on his birthday he runs his age in miles. And this year he turned 68. He鈥檚 proof of the powerful effects of what this lifestyle can do. I鈥檓 48. I鈥檝e been able to hold onto my fitness and I don鈥檛 slip back so far and I recover very quickly.

How do people know if it鈥檚 working for them鈥攖his sort of diet?
Just because you鈥檙e superfit and performing as an athlete doesn鈥檛 mean you don鈥檛 have plaque in your arteries. We鈥檙e living in two Americas: people in 国产吃瓜黑料 and the rest of America鈥攄iabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

What are the other benefits of this diet for 国产吃瓜黑料 readers?
Eating this way you鈥檙e eating a very anti-inflammatory diet. It鈥檚 nutrient-dense. It expedites your body鈥檚 ability to repair itself. You get better during training and in between training sessions. That translates into gigantic gains. And you鈥檙e less likely to overtrain or get sick. So you train much more efficiently.

But what about people who don鈥檛 want to go the full-plant monty?
It鈥檚 less about what you鈥檙e removing and more about bringing more plant-based foods into your diet. It鈥檚 about making better choices in the moment. Instead of making steak the center dish, make salad the center.

What about the taste of some of these things? You can鈥檛 like everything?
My morning smoothie, I absolutely do not care what it tastes like. I just want it to be nutrient full. And you develop an acquired taste for some things. Maka root, for me, has a chalky bitter flavor, so it鈥檚 not something I crave. All the smoothies and the dishes in the book, though, they taste fantastic. But if you came to my house, my smoothies might be too bitter for some people.听

Aside from how things taste, though, you鈥檙e really wanting people to go deeper.
I want people to realize that they can have so much more control over their health and their diet than they think. The implicit message in this book is that we all need to be more educated about our food. Where it comes from. What鈥檚 in it. And we just want to encourage people to begin somewhere. The idea of perfection is the enemy of progress. Meet us halfway. Have your own journey with this diet. The power of these foods is to unlock. And we want people to unlock and unleash their most authentic selves possible.听

Roll鈥檚 Plantpower Way staples:

One听Bowls

A simple post-workout refuel go-to. A staple in my routine, this option allows for variations on a theme but generally contains a legume, a grain, a green, and a sauce. The yam kicks it up into high gear.

Ingredients and Preparation

Pick your favorite ingredients from the options below鈥攁t least one from each category鈥攖hrow in a bowl, enjoy.

Good Grains

• All colors of quinoa
• Millet
• Short grain brown rice
• Exotic black or red rice
• Kelp noodles (grain substitution)

Get Your Greens (steam, saut茅 or eat raw)

• Dinosaur kale
• Curly kale
• Swiss Chard
• Spinach

Add in More Whole Foods

• Yams
• Bananas
• Avocados

Pick Your Sauces & Toppings

• Nut cheeses
• Tahini green sauce听
• Gluten-free tamari
• Fresh lemon juice
• Apple cider vinegar
• Celtic large grain sea salt
• Cinnamon
• Sesame seeds
• Pepitas
• Fresh grated ginger
• Fresh grated turmeric

The Ultra Queen K Performance Blend

A trifecta of chia, flax and hemp seeds work together to provide protein, omega-3 fats and fiber to keep your motor fortified and supercharged for hours. Sweet pineapple and dates make this blend bursting with energy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup pineapple, skin removed
• 4 large leaves dinosaur kale
• 2 teaspoon maca powder
• 2 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 teaspoon ground flax seeds
• 2 tablespoon hemp seeds
• 1鈦�2 cup raw coconut
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 3 dates, pitted
• 1 teaspoon blue green algae
• 3 cups filtered water

Preparation

In a Vitamix or high-powered blender, add all the ingredients, blend on high for a minute. Drink!

Ultra听Energy Bars

Ditch your processed, store-bought bars and stick one of these in your back pocket to boost your next long ride. Power packed with healthy ingredients like nuts, seeds, coconut and dried berries that boast a plentitude of protein, healthy fats and fiber, these energy boosters will keep your engine revving all day long.

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw almonds or walnuts, soaked overnight in filtered water
• 1/4 cup cacao nibs
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup dried goji berries
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut听
• Pinch large-grain听 Celtic sea salt
• 7-8 dates, soaked in filtered water for 30 minutes and pitted

Preparation

1. In a food processor, pulse nuts until mealy in texture.
2. Now add the cacao nibs, hemp seeds, goji berries, cacao powder, shredded coconut and sea salt to the processor. Pulse again until ingredients are well-incorporated.
3. With the motor running, add one date at a time. After seven dates, you will see the mixture ball-up on one side of the bowl. You may need to redistribute the mixture and process it again to make sure the dates are mixed in.
4. On a piece of parchment paper, press the cookies in an even layer about 1/4鈥� thick.
5. With a knife, score out a grid of rectangular shaped pieces approximately 2鈥� x 3鈥�. If desired, press additional hemp seeds or shredded coconut on the surface.
6. Wrap in parchment paper or parchment bags. Take them out on a trail run, hike or bike ride to sustain you throughout your training session! Keep in a glass cookies jar on your kitchen counter or in the fridge for up to a week鈥攊f they last.听

Cacao Chia Seed听Pudding

Packed with fiber, omega-3s, antioxidants, protein, and calcium, chia seeds are great before a long trail run or mountain biking adventure. Try this pudding for breakfast. Bonus: This recipe is a great way to get kids interested in plant-based diets.听

Ingredients

• 陆 cup chia seeds
• Filtered water
• 录 cup raw honey or maple syrup, or 4 dates, soaked and pitted
• 1 small avocado听
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 tablespoon raw cacao powder

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, soak the chia seeds in 2 cups filtered water; stir until they expand and become gelatinous, about 3 minutes.听
2. In a separate bowl, soak the dates (if using) in filtered water for about 30 minutes.
3. To a food processor or Vitamix, add the avocado coconut oil, honey or dates, and cacao powder.听 Pour in the chia seeds and their soaking water. Process or blend on high. Adjust the sweetness to taste.
4. Place in serving bowls and chill for 2 hours or devour immediately.

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If you exercise, chances are you also drink. I know this because , people tend to drink more alcohol on the days they’ve exercised. Especially beer. It could be because we reward ourselves with a post-run brewski, or because we鈥檝e used up all of our willpower on exercise, so we have none left to deny ourselves that drink or two. Whatever the reason, if you’re drinking thinking that it’ll help you sleep, relax your muscles, numb the pain, or increase blood flow to help you recover faster, as they say in AA, that’s just stinkin’ thinkin’.

“It’s detrimental to drink alcohol after any type of exercise or workout,” says Professor Matthew Barnes of New Zealand’s Massey University School of Sport and Medicine. “I’ve never really seen anything that says it’s useful as far as recovery.”

He鈥檚 also never seen anything that says alcohol is useful for comptetion. Barnes’ on the impact of alcohol on sports performance and recovery in men听concluded that “the consumption of even low doses of alcohol prior听to athletic endeavour should be discouraged due to the听ergolytic effects of alcohol on endurance performance.” Ergolytic meaning performance impairing. These effects, the study鈥檚 authors wrote, 鈥渁re likely to inhibit听recovery and adaptation to exercise.”

How does alcohol screw you up? Let us count the ways. Because it’s a diuretic, you鈥檒l urinate more. “That leads to dehydration,” says Barnes, “and the result is detrimental effects on muscular contraction.”听Every gram of alcohol you ingest increases urine flow by about two teaspoons. To put that in perspective, a contains about 14 grams of alcohol. That鈥檚 an extra half-cup of pee.听

Alcohol also interferes with how your body produces energy. Pushing all that liquor into your liver leaves you with less glucose, the sugar needed to power your muscles. If an athlete听runs out of it, they hit that proverbial wall 鈥渁nd most likely won鈥檛 finish the race,鈥� Barnes says.

As for fixing your injuries, “if you consume alcohol, probably any amount, it’ll increase blood flow to [injured areas], because it’s a reasonably good vasodilator,” explains Barnes. But that鈥檚 not necessarily a good thing鈥攊t could make an injury bleed or swell even more, causing more pain. The body鈥檚 regulatory system functions quite well without the alcohol, Barnes says.

Alcohol can also poison muscle fibers. Beer, in particular, affects the fast-twitch anaerobic fibers by inhibiting an enzyme that helps fuel the muscle. When that happens, the fibers don’t adapt like they should for up to three days. The result: a longer recovery period.

As for that pain you say a glass of pinot erases? “Alcohol makes you feel less pain because of the effects on the nerve endings,” says Barnes. “So you can mask that pain with alcohol.” Which may not be as helpful as it sounds. “The pain’s there for a reason,” adds Barnes. “Ignoring it’s probably not a better approach.”

Athletes in particular seem to think that after a grueling game or an extreme workout, alcohol will help them relax and sleep better. “But it actually disrupts people’s sleep pattern,” says Barnes. “They don’t get a restful night’s sleep. And you need a restful sleep. That’s when growth hormones are released in your body, during the night.”

Finally, there鈥檚 the drunken food choices. One athlete Barnes studied had only three carrots the entire day after drinking, while another went through seven meat pies. “Athletes’ diets tend to go out the window,鈥� Barnes says. 鈥淎lcohol throws them completely out of sync. They go for convenience.” That inadequate or improper fueling can lead to poor performance.

If you still think a post-race beer isn鈥檛 a bad idea, consider this:听alcohol by reducing protein synthesis. 鈥淪o not only does alcohol interfere with recovery of muscle damage and injury,鈥� says Barnes, 鈥渋t also reduces the processes responsible for building muscle.鈥� There is a tiny silver lining: while not beneficial, a few glasses of alcohol comsumed after a solid recovery meal and drink won’t necessarily cancel out all of the work you just did.听

So opt for water or a sports drink right after a competition. “The key is to regain the weight loss, to get back to that pre-exercise weight,” says Barnes. As for a post-race meal, Barnes suggests something with about 20g of protein (enough to optimize protein synthesis post-exercise) and around 50g of carbs (usually high glycemic index, simple carbs to speed up glycogen synthesis), like a chicken sandwich or a baked potato and tuna. Then, if you must, you can have some alcohol.

“Other than the social side of it, I can’t see a benefit to alcohol at all, really,” Barnes says. “If you’re an athlete and you’re drinking alcohol, you’re just setting yourself up for failure.”

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Nearly half of all U.S. adults eat a sandwich a day. That means collectively听we open our mouths and stomachs to at least 120 million sandwiches daily. And that’s a problem, say researchers, because the beloved food is often loaded with sodium and fat鈥攊ngredients that can increase our risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

“Many sandwiches, such as burgers and franks, and common sandwich components, such as yeast breads, cheese, and cured meats, are among the top contributors not only to sodium but also to energy in the diets of adult Americans,” says nutritionist Cecilia Wilkinson Enns, co-author of published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Wilkinson Enns and her colleagues define a sandwich as anything made of bread and fillings, from watercress and cucumbers on a fat-free pita to a double cheeseburger with bacon.

Americans are getting nearly one-fifth of their recommended daily sodium intake from sandwiches alone, Wilkinson Enns and her colleagues found. And people who eat sandwiches tend to eat 300 more calories and 25 percent more sodium daily than those who don’t.

That doesn’t mean sandwiches are bad鈥攜ou just have to build them right so they enhance your diet rather than bomb it. “The nice thing about sandwiches,” says University of Illinois’ Director of Sports Nutrition Chelsea Burkart, “is they’re almost always a carb-driven combination of carbohydrates and protein.听And athletes absolutely need more carbs.”

Here’s how to build a better sandwich:

The Foundation

Look for 100 percent whole grain or whole wheat bread with at least 20 percent daily value for fiber, says New York-based dietitian . That way, you’re knocking out a good chunk of your carb and fiber needs for the day. And while flatbread and pita appear听smaller in volume, their calories tend to be more concentrated. Subway’s six-inch flatbread, for example, has about the same amount of calories (220), as the company’s other six-inch breads.

The Filling

There’s a saying among dietitians, says Burkart: the less legs, the better. In other words, animals with fewer legs,听like turkey, chicken, and tuna,听provide leaner meats. Also, take a look at the marbling of the meat. “That’s fat,” states Burkart. “So an Italian sub鈥攅very single meat in there is marbled. But it’s not that fat is a problem so much as you’re getting less protein.”

And fresh meat has less sodium than preserved meat like prosciutto, cold cuts, or canned tuna, Hartley points out.

If you’d rather go meatless, opt for eggs, veggie patties听with at least ten grams of protein per serving, like听, and just about any natural nut butter. Just keep in mind you should aim for 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal, and most veggie patties alone won’t hit that number. In that case, says Burkart, make up for it with a glass of whole milk.

Also, use your sandwich as an opportunity to load up on fresh vegetables. “Every sandwich,” says Hartley, “is a vehicle for vegetables.” Or even fruits like cranberries, apples, and oranges. “Really, any vegetable you can think of. The only vegetables that are high in sodium are pickles, pickled vegetables, sauerkraut, kimchi, and other fermented items. So go easy on them,” Hartley says.

As for cheese, “cheese,” gushes Burkart, “is awesome.” Low-fat is fine, but be wary of shredded cheeses, as they tend to contain additives.

The Spreads

Holding off on high-fat spreads like Russian dressing and mayonnaise will cut calories鈥攁nd taste. Boost the flavor with low-fat, low-added-sugar spreads like chutney, fig jam, bananas, sliced mangos, or cranberries. Hummus is good because it adds fiber.

If you’re going for a fruit spread, particularly spreads听touted for their antioxidants like cranberries (which are great for decreasing free radicals and improving recovery), the key is freshness. Their efficacy听depends on how recently they were made. “Because antioxidants are not very stable, heat treating and shelf life play a role in their effectiveness,” cautions Burkart. “So the antioxidants are usually lost in a processed food spread.”

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Imagine a food-playoff system wherein watercress, a decent if unremarkable little vegetable long overshadowed by broccoli, kale, carrots, and many other veggies, not only makes it to the Sweet 16 but comes out on top. Improbable?

According to put out by the Centers for Disease Control, watercress is the powerhouse vegetable among powerhouse fruits and vegetables (PFV). It’s a ridiculous designation that highlights just how useless “superfoods” ratings actually are.

First, let’s look into what constitutes a powerhouse fruit or vegetable anyway. The CDC defines PFVs as “foods providing, on average, 10 percent or more daily value per 100 kilocalories of 17 qualifying nutrients.” So if a 100-calorie serving of a certain food has a higher than usual amount of 17 nutrients, including potassium, fiber, protein, calcium, and iron, the CDC calls it a superfood. Researchers ultimately identified 41 of these nutrient-dense eats.

While it’s not a bad idea to provide people with a list of healthy foods, this ranked catalogue is deceiving. The fact that watercress won out over oranges, broccoli, blueberries, and many other nutritious fruits and veggies illuminates two big problems:

First, in order to get that daily dose of watercress goodness, one would have to eat 25 cups of it, watercress having only 4 calories per cup. “No one’s going to eat 100 grams of watercress,” points out registered dietitian . “Just because it scores well doesn’t mean it’s practical.”

Second, the CDC created a very narrow definition of what makes a food “super.”听Aside from issues of practicality, cost, and availability (watercress being pricier and harder to find than fellow superfoods carrots, squash, or grapefruit), other fruits and vegetables that are high in healthy phytonutrients and antioxidants didn’t even make the cut. “Certain foods are penalized because they don’t have a lot of these 17 nutrients,” says registered dietitian of Nutrition Unplugged. “Very few vegetables can be jacks听of all trades. There’s no one fruit or vegetable that can deliver everything.”

Helm has a few more choice words against these superfoods rankings. “I don’t want this turned into ‘Watercress is the new kale.’ Although, really, as fatigued as I am with superfoods in general and these sorts of lists, there’s not a bad fruit or vegetable鈥攅ven if you’re eating what’s trendy.”

So the real message here is this: screw the lists. Just eat more fruits and vegetables. “People will听look at this [list] and say, ‘What can I eat most of to get the most value for my calories,’ says , a registered dietitian who specializes in sports dietetics. “Most consumers understand eating more vegetables is good. And I don’t care what vegetable you eat, eat more of it. But look for a variety. That’s what’s important.”

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Sponsored by Dave Asprey and his听media and performance-enhancement company, , the second annual听听last month听attracted more than 500 registered attendees and numerous startups offering everything from intravenous vitamin cocktails and blue concoctions of ghee and MCT oil to in-home hyperbaric chambers and electrical muscle stimulators.

The goal? and, in the process, become a better, faster, smarter, version of your former self.听

Biohacking incorporates many things鈥�, alternative health, technogeeks, data geeks, big-data geeks, , Libertarianism, , the punk ethos, the computer hacker ethos, bio-DIYers (think people sequencing their genomes in their garages), and all self-improvement dogma. The group includes wackos, forward thinkers鈥�and undoubtedly the fittest and best-looking first adopters of any craze we’ve seen. The people at this three-day conference were lean without being ultramarathon-y lean, built but not bodybuilder bulky, and downright attractive. Kinda like the followers of Khan in that 鈥淪pace Seed鈥� episode of Star Trek. Beautiful people鈥攂ut beautiful people who talked about poop.

鈥淏iohacking is the art and science of changing the environment inside and outside yourself so you can perform at a level you want,鈥� says Asprey, a 41-year-old Silicon Valley investor and tech entrepreneur who spent 15 years and over $300,000 to hack his own biology (in order to shave 100 off his 297 pounds and lift himself out of his 鈥渂rain fog鈥�). 鈥淚t鈥檚 about owning your own body instead of it owning you.鈥�

It鈥檚 a message that resonates with many people. At the Biohacking conference, people who鈥檝e joined Asprey’s website, seen some of his , or drank his (the 鈥済ateway drug,鈥� as he calls it, to his burgeoning movement, and yes, it鈥檚 mighty tasty, in no small part because it鈥檚 required to have at least two tablespoons of butter in it), came from as far away as North Carolina, Philadelphia, Germany, Scotland, Montana, and Maine.

鈥淚鈥檓 here to meet all the other wingnuts who are as weird as I am,鈥� says Troy Angrignon, a Bay Area tech consultant. 鈥淭his is three days of awesomeness. It鈥檚 high-performance everything. People here are lean and strong. But it鈥檚 a really specific sub-population. We鈥檙e weird. Because of that I don鈥檛 think it鈥檒l take off. It鈥檚 too complicated for most people, it takes too much commitment. I鈥檝e gone through 100 of Dave鈥檚 podcasts and I don鈥檛 understand 90 percent of it. And I鈥檓 into it all.鈥�

Angrignon鈥檚 smart, funny, fit, perceptive, but he’s the exception when it comes to thinking about biohacking and Bulletproof’s future. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a fad at all,鈥� says Brandon Routh, the strapping pre-Man of Steel Superman who happily and religiously drinks the coffee Kool-Aid every day (鈥淭he fat in it turned on my brain鈥�). 鈥淚t could be a fad for people if they don鈥檛 link on to the bigger picture. But it can鈥檛 help but keep growing.鈥�

鈥淢ost communities I鈥檝e been around define themselves by what they don鈥檛 do, by what they don鈥檛 want people doing, so they鈥檙e usually a bunch of don鈥檛s,鈥� says Daniel Vitalis, a compact, tatted-up, charismatic outsider who lives largely off-the-grid in the backwoods of Maine and who鈥檚 here to speak and market his line of supplements.听

And biohackers firmly believe that they鈥攁nd the rest of us鈥攁re capable of doing plenty more. Mentally, physically. It doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e into Paleo or Crossfit, Quantified Self or neurofeedback, biohacking open-sources whatever information or data or theory it gets its glove-sensored hands on. As Asprey stressed to his audience during one of his daily talks, 鈥淭his whole thing is about question marks. It鈥檚 not about judgments.鈥�

Which is why he encourages opposing viewpoints. Biohackers always seek ways that will give them an edge, an opening to exploit. Even if it鈥檚 entirely antithetical to what they鈥檝e been doing. (Neurosurgeon , sporting a purple jacket, purple-framed eyeglasses, and a purple belt and who seemed to think that we humans came out of a hole in the bottom of the ocean off the coast of New Orleans, appeared to relish telling the rapt SRO crowd at his talk that everything they鈥檇 read and heard in the biohacking world was bullshit, useless. And then he dared them to follow him down his electromagnetic path.)

They鈥檙e openminded, curious, and, it seems, willing to try anything鈥攆rom a 360-degree spin on the standup swing to trying on the gravity suit to taking a multivitamin injection in the ass. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about awareness and self-experimentation,鈥� says Los Angeles acupuncturist Dixie Wall as she lines up for one of 鈥檚 butt shots.

鈥淧eople here are throwin鈥� around a lotta brain,鈥� says neuroscientist Tom Nugent, whose Austin-based company, , offers a discrete biofeedback headband. And a lot of enthusiasm.

Still, as Spartan Race founder Joe DeSena, another Asprey invitee, baldly says while strolling through the conference鈥檚 exhibit room, 鈥淓ighty-five percent of this is snake oil. The other 15 percent is the-tip-of-the-spear meaningful and interesting, and interesting things can come out of it. We need things like this. As bullshit as some of it is. There鈥檚 so much we don鈥檛 understand about the human body. Or the brain.鈥�

And so much to be gained鈥攑ersonally, collectively, financially鈥攊n trying to find out.

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Ever chug a can of let鈥檚 say, Brand E, energy drink and not only feel that good-as-advertised jolt of extraness but experience a skip or two in your chest as well? Even though most of the evidence is anecdotal and the studies鈥攚hich continue to pile up鈥攄on鈥檛 yet know exactly why, the link between energy drinks and a racing heart (or worse) seem pretty incontrovertible.

The latest report to make this connection concluded that 鈥� This finding confirms that of a, and reaffirms that energy drinks should be imbibed with caution鈥攁nd most probably in moderation, and almost definitely not right before or during any sort of trying physical activity.

鈥淢ost 鈥榚nergy drinks鈥� have contents that can be good or bad, depending upon the dose鈥攕ugar, caffeine, and taurine,鈥� says Dr. Kim Williams, chief of cardiology at Chicago鈥檚 Rush University Medical Center. 鈥淎t this time, though, there is no definitive way of determining which if any ingredient is the most harmful or under what circumstances.鈥�

But with over 30 deaths allegedly related to consumption of energy drinks, adds Dr. Williams, 鈥渢hese incidents suggest that the ingredients, alone or in combination, may not be safe for all consumers if taken in large quantities, quickly, or if combined with alcohol or exercise in a heated environment.鈥�
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Most of Williams鈥� colleagues agree. Last year, for instance, The American Medical Association鈥檚 house of delegates voted to ban sales of energy drinks to those under age 18, suspecting that the high caffeine levels were harmful. Partly in response, no doubt, to the news that hospitalizations associated with energy drinks doubled from 2007-11, hitting 20,000, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have enough data to conclusively state what in energy drinks may pose an increased cardiovascular or other risk,鈥� says Sachin Shah, associate professor of pharmacy at the University of the Pacific. 鈥淚t does seem that the adverse effects are more prominent in those consuming multiple beverages鈥攈igh volumes鈥攐r in combination with other drugs of abuse.鈥�

Banned in France, Norway, and Denmark, and considered a prescription drug in Sweden, energy drinks appear to have been unleashed on U.S. consumers before an adequate number of studies could gauge all their possible effects. While ingesting up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day is generally considered safe, there鈥檚 no accepted cutoff point for common ingredients like taurine.

Basically, more data is needed. 鈥淪o for now,鈥� says Shah, 鈥淚 tell my friends to limit their use to when necessary only, not to drink high volumes of it, not to confuse them as sports or electrolyte replacement beverages, and to stay away from them if having any underlying cardiac conditions.鈥�

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Breakfast has been dethroned. Two recent studies confirmed that makes no difference when it comes to weight loss, weight gain, blood-sugar profiles, cholesterol levels, or cardiovascular health indexes. But if breakfast isn鈥檛 the all-important morning meal we鈥檝e been told it is, then what (or who) is it really necessary for?

Athletes. For people who tend to do more than just shower and head to work, breakfast should not be trifled with. 鈥淚s being in the fed state necessary to optimize physical and perhaps mental performance?鈥� asks Dr. James Betts of the University of Bath and lead author of the , which openly questioned breakfast鈥檚 value. 鈥淥n that front, I would definitely say yes. For performance,鈥� he adds, 鈥渋t certainly does matter what people eat.鈥�

And it matters, too, whether you鈥檙e breakfasting to train or to perform. Either way, by the time you wake up after eating dinner the night before, you鈥檝e spent anywhere from 10 to 14 hours in a fasted state, and your liver can be nearly 70 to 80 percent depleted of glycogen (liver breaks down glycogen to maintain blood glucose levels). What that means: you鈥檙e okay to go for a short ride or run, but you鈥檒l suffer through a long training session or race, explains UAB鈥檚 Dr. Gordon Fisher.

Breakfast, then, is clearly important for optimal performance. However, if you're doing short runs or rides, skipping breakfast likely won't slow you down. And it might even make you a faster athlete, in the long run. 鈥淒ay-to-day training in the unfed [unbreakfasted] state,鈥� adds Dr. Fisher, 鈥渕ay actually lead to more favorable improvements during prolonged exercise in which glycogen may be limiting.鈥�

By training on empty, you prepare your body to perform well on empty, too.

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Sure, you can run fast after drinking鈥攋ust look at听听for proof. But you can run even faster if you lay off the booze before a race.听

According to a in the Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine, running while drunk is no more taxing on the body than sitting while drunk. Not that that鈥檚 particularly big news鈥攅specially to long-distance runners with that buddy who can drink all night and run all day.

But really, even though it may not be the worst thing to do before going on a run (or while running), you really shouldn鈥檛 make a habit of it.

鈥淎thletes, if they are actually athletes,鈥� says Evelyn Parr at Australian Catholic University鈥檚 School of Exercise Science, 鈥渨ould have no reason to consume alcohol, and especially in volumes that were used by that study, prior to any sort of event.鈥�

For one, alcohol鈥檚 a poison. Two, while it can increase aggression (a positive, depending on the sport) it can also adversely affect coordination, planning, and execution of movement. And three, it鈥檚 a powerful diuretic, so it depletes your water volume, much of which your body takes from your blood plasma. 鈥淎s a result,鈥� explains Professor Stuart Phillips of McMaster University鈥檚 Exercise Metabolism Research Group, 鈥測our heart beats faster and harder in order to maintain heart blood output.鈥�

In the pilot study, doctors took 10 healthy individuals, plied them with three shots of whiskey, then put them on a treadmill and ran them to their maximum heart rate. Two days later, they ran the same 10 subjects to exhaustion鈥攎inus the good stuff. Conclusion: 鈥淎cute alcohol intake in healthy white men is associated with a non-significant exercise performance reduction and stress hormone stimulation, with an unchanged exercise metabolism.鈥�

So how far ahead and how much drink is okay? 鈥淚 would give as long as possible鈥攊f performance is the key,鈥� says Dr. Matthew Barnes of New Zealand鈥檚 Massey University. Maybe two drinks for men and a drink for women at least two hours before the event鈥攖hat鈥檚 a 鈥済ood benchmark,鈥� says Phillips. 鈥淢ore than that and you run the risk of dehydration and impaired judgment.鈥�

Interestingly enough, the World Anti-Doping Agency has banned its use in only a few sports, like riflery and archery (small doses of alcohol being effective at steadying one鈥檚 nerves, giving the drinking athlete that special edge). Nevertheless, as much as studies like these show that alcohol鈥攊n moderation鈥攄oesn鈥檛 have the adverse effects athletes might think it would, 鈥淲e have known for a long time now that alcohol is not ergogenic, rather it is ergolytic鈥攊t will decrease performance if anything,鈥� says Dr. Barnes. 鈥淚 struggle to see the relevance, as very few people are going to exercise while under the influence of alcohol.鈥�

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