The Ideal Nutrition Blog | Ideal Nutrition

28May 2020 by Aidan Muir

Does Rice Cause Bloating?

Other

The potential causes of bloating can vary drastically from person to person. It can often take trial and error to identify what the causes are. Over the years of working one on one with clients, I have had quite a few self-identify that rice causes them to bloat. In this article, I will discuss common causes of bloating and why rice often is not the cause. It can be difficult to identify the cause, but rice is actually one of THE least common causes of bloating and other IBS symptoms, which is also part of why The Vertical Diet uses rice as the main carbohydrate source. FODMAPs The gold standard when it comes to treating bloating is The Low FODMAP Diet. This is because high FODMAP foods are frequent causes…

20May 2020 by Aidan Muir

20 Nutrition Accounts to Follow on Instagram

Other

As somebody who was naturally not well suited to creating good Instagram content, but saw value in it, I've spent quite a lot of time looking at other nutrition accounts and trying to learn from what they do well. One of the benefits of this is that my feed has been largely dominated by nutrition accounts for multiple years, which I feel puts me in a decent position to create a list of people that I think would be worth following. I've included 20 accounts in this list, but obviously there are a lot of other accounts out there that could deserve to be in this list. At a minimum though, I think most people could get a lot of value out of following some of these accounts. The list…

13May 2020 by Aidan Muir

Collagen Supplementation for Injury Recovery

Sports

At first glance, the research on collagen supplementation from an injury recovery perspective is mixed. I will be the first to admit that when I first looked into it, I brushed it off as another one of those supplements getting unnecessary hype without enough promising research behind it. I hold myself to a high standard as an evidence-based practitioner and I am typically not the quickest person to hop on board newer trends, even if they come out of the gates strong with 1-2 promising studies. Because of this, I was quite dismissive of collagen. This was until another colleague of mine in the dietetics world pointed me in the direction of a podcast that featured Professor Keith Baar, which started the process of opening my eyes and seeing that…

06May 2020 by Aidan Muir

Nutritionist vs Dietitian vs Sports Dietitian – Australia

Other

Outside of people within the profession, it is confusing what the differences are between nutritionists, dietitians, and sports dietitians. I recall that even halfway through my university degree that was focused on providing the qualification of becoming an accredited practising dietitian, we got asked what the difference was from one of our lecturers and nobody in the room had a good answer. And regarding becoming a sports dietitian, I did not know the full requirements until near graduation, or maybe even slightly after. If I did not know these aspects while being immersed in the community to a certain degree, I can imagine that a lot of people are unaware of the specific differences. As somebody who has undertaken the full journey to become an accredited sports dietitian, I will…

13Apr 2020 by Aidan Muir

Citrulline Malate Supplementation for Lifters

Sports

Citrulline malate is a supplement that is typically used to increase strength and endurance. The main benefit of it is to increase nitric oxide levels, which can improve blood flow to muscles. What is Citrulline Malate? Citrulline malate contains L-citrulline bonded with malic acid. L-Citrulline is an amino acid which gets converted by the body into L-arginine. Arginine is converted into nitric oxide, therefore increasing blood flow. Citrulline malate enhances creatine phosphate regeneration - meaning quicker recovery between sets. Research doesn't appear to support that this happens for L-citrulline alone, so this aspect is attributed to the malic acid. The reason why citrulline malate is used instead of arginine supplementation is that it actually raises blood arginine levels more effectively than arginine supplementation since arginine is more poorly absorbed. Taking…

09Apr 2020 by Aidan Muir

Nutrition for PCOS: A Dietitian’s Guide

Health

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormonal condition that affects 1 in 10 women. For women of reproductive age, it affects 12-18% of individuals, although reportedly up to 70% of women with the condition remain undiagnosed. Polycystic literally means “many cysts.” Ovarian means it is in the ovaries. Therefore, PCOS stands for many cysts within the ovaries. Even though that is the translation, the diagnosis doesn’t rely on there being cysts. Some women may not even have cysts in their ovaries since the diagnosis involves having any two of these three factors: Lack of ovulation causing irregular menstrual cycles (either <21 days apart, >35 days apart or no cycle at all).Excess male hormone production (e.g. testosterone) detected through a blood test.Cysts on the ovaries as detected via ultrasound. Other…

06Apr 2020 by Aidan Muir

Pros and Cons of Protein Powder

Body Composition

Protein powder is one of the most commonly utilised sports supplements. While it has a wide range of potential applications, it’s typically used by people aiming to improve their body composition through increasing muscle mass and/or decreasing body fat. It isn’t necessary, but it can have some utility if used well. Pros Convenience In some cases, it can be difficult to obtain the optimal amount of protein through food. Protein powder can be a tool to help reach this target. It also can be useful for times when you want to consume protein, but it would be inconvenient due to schedule or appetite. For example, if you are on the go, a protein shake is going to be more convenient than a meal. Or if you have just finished a…

31Mar 2020 by Aidan Muir

Beta-Alanine: A Dietitian’s Guide

Sports

Beta-alanine has slowly become one of the few supplements that have developed a good reputation for consistently producing positive outcomes for performance, up there with the likes of creatine and caffeine. It is used as a performance aid mostly because of its ability to improve muscular endurance. What is Beta-Alanine? Beta-alanine is an amino acid that is not used in the production of protein. It is naturally produced by the liver. The benefits from beta-alanine supplementation mostly don’t come from the Beta-alanine directly; they come from the increase in muscle carnosine that occurs. When beta-alanine is consumed it is converted into carnosine by joining histidine. How Does Carnosine Work? The main function of interest for carnosine is that it helps to maintain the acid-base equilibrium. It helps prevent pH from…

29Mar 2020 by Aidan Muir

Supplements for PCOS: A Dietitian’s Guide

Health

When it comes to PCOS, there are quite a few supplements that can help. Prioritising your overall nutrition will help far more than what any individual supplement can do, but supplements can certainly provide some value. When it comes to supplements, often they are only beneficial whenever there is a deficiency or inadequate intake. Adding the supplement in addition to an already optimal intake likely won’t provide any additional benefit. So, keep that in mind since a lot of these needs can be met through food as well. Supplements are just the icing on the cake. If you would like to learn more about nutrition in general for PCOS, I recommend reading this post. PCOS can't technically be cured but these might help reduce symptoms related to menstruation, ovulation, fertility,…

26Mar 2020 by Aidan Muir

What Is Metabolic Adaptation and Why Does It Occur?

Body Composition

For a long time, people have been aware that total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) changes during phases of dieting. Personally, my first insight into this phenomenon was when I saw the phrase “metabolic damage” a bit over 5 years ago. This was at some stage in my nutrition degree at university. My understanding of the concept was that if somebody was aiming for weight-loss and was in a calorie deficit for an extended period, their “metabolism” (which I didn’t fully understand at the time) would slow down. My take on the main difference between metabolic damage and metabolic adaptation is that ”damage” indicates that there is an issue, whereas adaptation indicates that the body is making an adjustment. Damage could indicate that the metabolism is broken and needs to be…

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