The Ideal Nutrition Blog | Ideal Nutrition

23Sep 2020 by Tyler Brooks

What is RED-S and What Should You Do About It

What is RED-S Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, "RED-S" or simply "RED-S" is a clinically defined syndrome referring to the impairment of physiological function caused by a deficit in a person's energy intake relative to the energy required to maintain optimal health, homeostasis, growth, the activities of daily living, and sport. Being in this state of relative deficit is often also referred to as being in a state of low energy availability (LEA). In this state, there is a lower amount of energy than required for the body's normal physiological functions. This can have a variety of health consequences including: Altered metabolic functionMenstrual disturbances and amenorrhea (loss of period)Amenorrheic athletes have 2 to 4 times greater risk for a stress fractureImpaired bone health (increased osteoporosis risk) Reductions in immune system functionReduced protein synthesis (ie for…

10Sep 2020 by Aidan Muir

Are Refeeds or Cheat Meals Beneficial for Fat Loss?

Body Composition

Refeeds or cheat meals/days typically involve either a day or meal that is significantly higher calorie than what is regularly being consumed. Generally, they are undertaken during a dieting phase where you are consistently in a calorie deficit. And from what I see, they are most often performed once per week, often on a weekend. A cheat meal is typically just a high-calorie meal that is generally high in carbs and/or fat. A cheat day or refeed day is a day that is usually either a day at maintenance calories (instead of a calorie deficit) or a calorie surplus. Refeeds and cheat meals/days are pretty much interchangeable phrases, although I prefer the term refeed since that implies that it is being utilised for purposes beyond just a break from the…

28Aug 2020 by Tyler Brooks

FODMAPs, Vegetables, and IBS

GI Disorders

If you have read our previous posts on 'FODMAPs & Fruit', or 'The Low FODMAP Diet', you might want to skip over the intro below if you don't need a recap. If you're new to learning about the FODMAP diet I'd recommend also clicking on those other posts and having a read as they complement the below information! The Low FODMAP Diet is designed to help sufferers of IBS reduce and manage their symptoms. It was designed to be implemented in 3-phases. The end goal is balancing the least restrictive possible diet with the greatest sustainable improvement in symptoms. Phase 1 is the low FODMAP phase.Fructose, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols are restricted from the diet to relieve symptoms and create a baseline to operate from. Suitable alternative foods should be found to replace those…

07Aug 2020 by Aidan Muir

How Large Should a Calorie Surplus Be for Muscle Gain?

Body Composition

One of the biggest questions in the fitness space is how to gain muscle as quickly and efficiently as possible. And while a calorie surplus is not always necessary for gaining muscle, no matter how you look at it, a calorie surplus is going to be a necessary step for doing it in the most efficient way possible. If the goal were just to gain muscle as quickly as possible, it would make sense to utilise a large calorie surplus. But this is where efficiency comes in. A large calorie surplus is likely going to lead to a lot more fat gain and an unfavourable ratio of fat to muscle gain. This then either leads to more time having to be spent dropping body fat down the line or just…

03Aug 2020 by Tyler Brooks

FODMAPs, Fruit, and IBS

GI Disorders

The Low FODMAP Diet is designed to help sufferers of IBS reduce and manage their symptoms. It was designed to be implemented in 3-phases, with the end goal of balancing the least restrictive possible diet with the greatest sustainable improvement in symptoms. Phase 1 is the low FODMAP phase where Fructose, Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols are restricted from the diet to relieve symptoms and create a baseline to operate from. Suitable alternative foods should be found to replace those being restricted. It usually lasts for 2-6 weeks. Phase 2 is a phase where the FODMAPs are individually tested to establish tolerance levels to specific foods. This process can take a significant amount of time as there are a lot of variations in the types of FODMAPs, serving sizes, and foods that need to…

30Jul 2020 by Tyler Brooks

Is Msg Dangerous or Is It a Safe Flavour Enhancer?

Food, Health

MSG There are 5 basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and ‘umami’. Monosodium glutamate or ‘MSG’ is a food additive responsible for the umami taste. You may have heard of MSG being referred to as the ‘flavour enhancer”. This is because the umami taste tends to also enhance the palatability and overall flavour intensity of the food it is added to. What is it? Glutamate is one of the most commonly found amino acids in nature. It is in many common natural plant and animal foods. Just to name a few, this includes tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, fish, meat, cheese, and even human breast milk. Glutamate is a non-essential amino acid. This does not mean that we don't need it - it means that the human body can make glutamate itself if…

28Jul 2020 by Aidan Muir

How to Convert Calories to Kilojoules

Health

Even though I'm a dietitian in Australia where we use the metric system and kilojoules are the unit that is used on nutrition panels, I've always preferred to talk about calories in stead of kilojoules. From my experience, that is also the way my clients and followers on social media typically prefer to talk as well. I believe a large portion of this is because a lot of people read about nutrition online and a lot of the information comes out of places like America where calories are used instead. That being said, even though most people prefer to talk in terms of calories, this still creates an issue when looking at nutrition panels that do not include the calorie number, for those who do not know how to do…

22Jul 2020 by Aidan Muir

New Location: Valhalla Strength Brisbane

News

I'm excited to announce that as of this week, Ideal Nutrition is now servicing out of Valhalla Strength Brisbane (4/90 Northlink Place Virginia). Over the last twelve months, I have predominantly been servicing clients online via Zoom. This has been great since it has made it easy for me to see clients all across Australia, while also offering an efficient option for those who are Brisbane based as well. But for a long time I have wanted to add an in-person location since I know quite a few people would much prefer to see myself or other dietitians in person rather than online. I will still be offering these online services of course though! From my perspective, Valhalla Strength is the perfect location due to my interest in powerlifting and…

09Jul 2020 by Aidan Muir

What Should Powerlifters Eat on Comp Day?

Sports

As a dietitian who works predominantly with powerlifters and other strength athletes such as strongman competitors and Olympic Weightlifters, I often get asked about nutrition strategies for competition day. Obviously, your nutrition plan on the day is not going to make a massive difference in comparison to all the work you have done in the lead-up to the event. It can still be the difference between making or missing a lift when it counts though. I know a lot of competitors who just rock up to the event and hope for the best, trusting that they can just eat the food that is available at the meet. And while this can work, for sure, in my opinion it is sacrificing an opportunity to maximise performance. The Goal is to Feel…

29Jun 2020 by Tyler Brooks

The Complete Guide to Creatine

Sports

Creatine is one of cheapest and most widely used gym supplements by casual gym goes and athletes alike - but there is also a lot of confusion and misinformation surrounding it’s usage, safety, efficacy, and effects on body composition. Here we are going to break down everything you need to know about creatine so you can find out if it might be something you want to use, or if you already are – how to use it most effectively! What Is It? Creatine is a naturally occurring non-protein amino acid that is found in muscle tissue, most commonly in red meat and seafood. It started to rise in popularity in supplement form in the 1990s. In the human body, creatine is combined with a high energy phosphate group to form…

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