Don’t blame the butter for the bread. As you’ve just read in the above points, the benefits of saturated fat in a well-balanced bodybuilding diet are unmatched, in some cases even by protein! Butter is tasty, butter is cheap, butter is all over the place… and butter is the most common source of saturated fats you’ll find. Butter is also the only source of butyrate we eat, the rest we get through digestion during the fermentation of certain fibers (as seen above in #2). Next time you’re meal prepping, consider re-balancing for a high-fat diet and opting to make your food taste better than ever.
2. ALLULOSE
There’s a new sweetener in town and you’d be hard-pressed to tell it isn’t actually sugar. Allulose behaves remarkably similar to the sinful saccharide siren itself, with the same mouth feel and texture plus a sweet flavor without the bitter aftertaste people often complain about with artificial sweeteners. How can it be such a perfect match? Allulose is a “rare sugar,” which means it occurs naturally in things like figs, raisins, and maple syrup. But unlike traditional sugar which contributes 4 calories per gram, allulose only contributes 0.2 calories per gram! So 10g of traditional sugar adds up to 40 calories, whereas 10g of allulose contributes only 2 calories. Best of all? It won't spike your blood sugar.
3. FAT POWDERS
With the recent rise in ketogenic dieting among bodybuilders and the emergence of the high-fat coffee craze, fat is finally having its moment. Perks of a high fat, adequate protein, low carb diet include jumpstarting your brain, suppressing appetite, and staying shredded while gaining mass. Popular sources in the past have included Coconut Oil and MCT Oils, but both are now available in powdered form which makes keeping your fat macros high more convenient than ever. They're perfect for shake & bake supplementation to amp up texture and flavor without adding extra carbohydrates.
4. EXOGENOUS KETONES
Not to be confused with the ketones metabolically produced from fats (like in the above powders), exogenous ketones are synthetically created by mad scientists in a lab for your body’s immediate use upon ingestion. The benefits between ketosis attained from naturally produced (endogenous) ketones VS exogenous (synthetic) ketones are the same. Exogenous ketones may be necessary for certain people, as cutting carbs almost entirely is no easy task for the keto-neophytes. Exogenous ketones drastically help keep your macro ratios in check. There is one stark difference between natural powdered fats and this man-made nutrition munition though, and that’s taste. Peter Attia, M.D. of "The Eating Academy" once remarked “The world’s worst scotch tastes like spring water compared to these things.”
5. SOLUBE CORN FIBER
Dietary fibers are known and used for their relatively non-digestive properties, almost like a vessel for macronutrients. But not all fibers are created equal. Delve deeper than just insoluble VS soluble and you’ll find a wealth of diversity and information. That’s exactly what Jacob Wilson (AKA @TheMusclePHD on Instagram) has been doing, with results that will drop jaws… to let in more soluble corn fiber (SCF). Results from a 2016 study show SCF is virtually non-caloric and is great for feeding beneficial gut bacteria, with no belly-aching to be found. SCF ferments into short-chain fatty acids, including butyrate, as it passes through the small intestine. Butyrate promotes good gut health, has powerful anti-inflammatory effects beyond the gut, and may ultimately be helpful in cancer prevention. As more and more protein bar brands turn to SCF, we now wait in solidarity for a bacon-flavored Quest Bar.
6. STARVATION
This last ingredient is actually an anti-ingredient, but clearly new and exciting given the vast increase in popularity of fasting diets. If you’re not bulking for a bulge, the benefits of periodic starvation (AKA intermittent fasting) are becoming more and more apparent with each new study. Growth hormone levels increase, insulin levels drop, waste is removed from cells as the body undergoes cellular repair (from their own molecular-level starvation), and reported changes in gene expression relating to longevity and disease protection have been seen. I don’t know about your goals, but getting cut and living longer are pretty high on on the FLEX list.
This content was supplied by our friends at Epigenix and The Bloq. For more articles like this, CLICK HERE.
