However, the emerging field of chrononutrition is exploring the complex interactions between meal timing and our circadian system – the body’s internal ‘clock’.

What is chrononutrition?

According to Dr Alan Flanagan PhD, a nutrition scientist and lead researcher in the topic, our circadian system “regulates numerous physiological processes, including gastrointestinal function, hormone secretion, nutrient digestion, absorption and metabolism”. The goal, he says, is to help synchronise the signals from our external environment – including the food we eat – with our ‘internal biological timing’.

Your brain’s master clock is located in the hypothalamus, and it controls factors such as your body temperature and sleep-wake patterns over a predictable 24-hour cycle. You also have a ‘chronotype’, which refers to the individual variations in this pattern – the points during the day when you typically feel tired, energised or alert, which might be partly influenced by your social or work schedule. “Colloquially, people are often termed early birds or night owls,” says Dr Flanagan.

By better understanding the mechanics your inner workings, you can help to ensure you’re delivering the nutrients your body needs at the time it needs it most. Dr Flanagan answers your FAQs and gives you his takeaway tips.

Is it better to eat breakfast or not?

While skipping breakfast is sometimes correlated with obesity, there’s actually scant evidence of direct cause and effect. “Controlled trials such as the Big Breakfast Study have found identical weight loss over four weeks between a morning-loaded and evening-loaded diet, when both diets are matched for energy intake,’ says Dr Flanagan.

Still, Adelle Davis was right about some things. Dr Flanagan notes that there is strong evidence that glucose tolerance (how well we metabolise sugars) varies throughout the day, with better glucose tolerance during the early part of the day and diminished responses by the evening. If you’re managing type-2 diabetes, or blood sugar balance is a particular concern for you, it might be a smart idea to time any larger-proportioned meals for the morning.

What should you eat for breakfast?

A higher morning intake of both protein and carbohydrates can help you feel fuller throughout the day, potentially benefiting appetite regulation and weight loss. And if muscle is your MO, there are further reasons to add a scoop of whey to your overnight oats: research published in Cell Reports found that consuming protein at breakfast significantly boosts muscle growth and strength compared to filling up on the macro later in the day, due to cyclical fluctuations in protein absorption.

Does it really matter what time you eat dinner?

Our appetites naturally fluctuate throughout the day, so if self-regulation is an issue for you, it can help to time things accordingly. A recent lab study compared two calorie-matched eating schedules: one with meals consumed one, five and nine hours after wake time, and another with meals at five, nine and 13 hours. “The later meal schedule resulted in significantly elevated subjective hunger and appetite scores,” says Dr Flanagan. Our appetites tend to increase throughout the day, he says, with a peak at around 8pm. As a result, we may take longer to feel satisfied when we eat dinner later in the day – a fact to which anyway who’s ever made a late-night burger stop will likely attest.

If you’re a late-evening eater and consider yourself a bit of a night owl too, shifting that pattern might be easier read than done. Try moving your meals forward gradually, by 30 minutes at a time. This shift may be easier in the winter months: an analysis of meal timing in different European countries found natural discrepancies between northern and southern countries – with the earliest dinner-eaters in Norway (4pm) and the latest in Spain and Greece (9pm) – suggesting daylight hours have a role to play.

Is it good to eat on a nightshift?

When your schedule is out of synch with your biology, that presents additional challenges. Research has shown that long-term night work can increase the risk of metabolic illnesses.

“Ideally, shift workers would try to maintain a consistent meal pattern from day to day, including during nightshifts,” says Dr Flanagan. The ideal scenario would be to avoid eating overnight, he says, by fuelling up properly in the evening – although he concedes “this is not always practical”.

If your schedule forces you to eat late, Dr Flanagan points to a small but consistent body of research indicating that low-calorie, protein-rich meals and snacks, low in carbs and fats, may not be detrimental for glucose and fat metabolism. Something like a bowl of Greek yoghurt with some fruit might be sensible, he suggests.

This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.

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The post Does meal timing matter? New research in chrononutrition says it could appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

EATING CLEAN SOUNDS smart—in theory. Generally, the idea focuses on eating more whole foods and less ultra-processed foods. (Great!) But in practice, experts say that assigning labels to foods can be risky for your mental health. (Not so great.)

To step back, clean eating is a staple of the social media wellness universe. However, there are no standard definitions for “clean eating” or “clean foods.” Unlike USDA Organic, a food claim regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, clean eating can be whatever you make it.

Here’s why that matters, for your physical – and mental – health.

What is clean eating?

CLEAN EATING CAN mean many different things.

“Everybody has their own idea of what clean eating is, what it looks like, but I would say it’s mostly whole foods or minimally processed foods, a lot of plant foods, not a lot of ultra-processed foods, not a lot of alcohol,” says Abby Langer, RD, the owner of Abby Langer Nutrition. (Some people conveniently forget the alcohol part, she says.) Some people also prioritise organic food as a pillar of clean eating.

Is clean eating healthy?

IT CAN BE. Many foods often called “clean” (fruits, vegetables, whole grains) are packed with beneficial nutrients, like vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants. Less than 10 per cent of Australians eat enough fruits and vegetables, so piling your plate with more produce is a smart strategy.

“I don’t think you’ll find a dietitian on the planet who does not recommend eating more plants, eating lots of fibre, decreasing alcohol, decreasing ultra-processed foods. All of that is amazing,” says Langer.

However, a focus on clean eating can easily slide into a harmful fixation. “It’s not amazing if it comes at the cost of your emotional or mental health, like orthorexia, or aiming for this illusion of perfection in nutrition and cycling through diet or not diet again and again and again,” she says.

“I discourage the use of morality-based labels, because they tend to become a person’s identity, like it or not, even subconsciously, like ‘I’m eating clean’ or ‘I’m not eating clean,’” says Langer.

What could happen: a person focused on eating “clean” may equate eating clean with being good. Then, if they eat something that is not clean, they feel dirty or bad. Worse yet, when they feel this way they might scrap their healthy eating plan altogether.

“Being consistent and having a healthy diet shouldn’t include morality-based labels, and it never includes perfection,” says Langer. “It does include all foods, it’s just the ratio in which those foods are eaten, like more whole foods, less Twinkies.”

Yes, healthy eating includes room for occasional treats.

“You can have a healthy diet and have a bowl of Fruit Loops,” she says.

It’s also possible to eat “clean” and still fall short of your daily nutritional needs, suggests a new study published in Current Developments in Nutrition. Researchers compared two standard American diets, one with ultra-processed foods and one without. Both were just OK nutritionally, and the “clean” version cost $6 more per person per day and expired faster.

Cost is an important consideration. When discussing clean food, we need to talk about access, says Dezi Abeyta, RDN, founder of Foodtalk Nutrition LLC. Today, many people lack the money, transportation, or proximity to a grocery store to buy what they need.

“Let’s make sure that people have access to fresh foods and fruits and vegetables,” he says, before considering eating clean.

Is clean eating safe?

“THEORETICALLY IT’S SAFE, but there’s absolutely no need whatsoever to put this kind of label on your food consumption or food choices,” says Langer. “You can reframe it in a less judgmental, morality-based way by just saying: ‘I’m trying to eat more fiber. I’m trying to eat more fruits and vegetables. I’m trying not to eat as much ultra-processed food.’”

As you cook, or as you plate your food, think about what you can add to increase the fibre or vegetable content of your meal, says Langer. (Frozen vegetables are often more nutritious than fresh ones, and they’re convenient as a side or mixed into a recipe.)

Abeyta recommends piling half your plate with two or three different colors of fruits and vegetables. Then, fill one quarter with high-quality protein and the other quarter with high-quality carbs like beans, lentils, and grains, such as cereals and pastas.

If you try clean eating, watch for signs that it’s disrupting your life – like if you go to a social event and feel like none of the food is good enough for you.

“It’s harmful when someone becomes so focused on eating clean that it ripples out into every facet of their life, socially, emotionally, physically, financially, it’s a problem, and we see that a lot,” says Langer.

Consult with a registered dietitian for nutrition advice tailored to your individual goals. (It’s easier than ever to tap their expertise through telehealth.)

This article originally appeared on Men’s Health US.

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The post Experts say ‘clean’ eating has a dirty little secret appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

But while the name is perhaps a little misleading, what you eat can certainly affect your mood and impact your body’s stress response – namely the rate and degree to which it releases cortisol, an important stress hormone produced in your adrenal glands. Research shows calorie-dense food (rich in saturated fat and sugars) elevates cortisol levels while ingestion of sugars elevates and prolongs the cortisol response to acute stress.

But while that may resonate intuitively, there are variables to consider. Other studies have reported high-calorie diets reduce the body’s stress response. And more prolonged sugar consumption (three times per day for two weeks) has been found to reduce cortisol responsiveness to stress. While this might sound like a positive development, it could make it more difficult for your body to handle stressful situations.

The fact is, a healthy amount of cortisol is required to enable you to perform at your best. You need it to nail that big work presentation, as well as help metabolise food. It’s when cortisol levels rise beyond a healthy threshold and remain there, that your health may suffer.

A diet that keeps your cortisol levels balanced without dramatic spikes, can therefore help you manage stress and anxiety. In essence, ‘cortisol detox’ is a misnomer. Cortisol balance would be a more helpful term but one unlikely to go viral on TikTok . . . so cortisol detox it is. Here’s how to eat in a way that will keep your cortisol levels within a healthy range.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It helps regulate your body’s stress response and energy levels, keeping you awake and alert throughout the day. Cortisol, like stress, is neither good or bad, it just is. It’s produced in response to challenging situations and, in effect, helps you deal with them. At the same time, chronically elevated cortisol has been linked to anxiety, depression, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

Cortisol is necessary for immune function, regulating metabolism, and other bodily functions, including waking you up in the morning. A cortisol detox aims to get cortisol back to a normal range, rather than being constantly overstimulated.

Do you need a cortisol detox?

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you constantly feeling stressed or overwhelmed?
• Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep?
• Have you noticed unexplained weight gain, especially around your midsection?
• Do you feel more anxious or irritable than usual?
• Are you experiencing frequent headaches or digestive issues?

If you answered “yes” to several of these questions, your cortisol levels might be out of whack and you could benefit from a cortisol detox.

What is a cortisol detox?

A cortisol detox should comprise three main components: following a diet that helps restore a normal cortisol rhythm; changing your lifestyle to reduce chronic stress; developing techniques to build resilience whenever acute stress arises.

One thing that can help modulate stress is a healthy gut microbiome. As such, high fibre gut-friendly such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and lentils, should all be part of a cortisol detox diet. Fruits also contain antioxidants, which may help fight free radicals that increase cortisol levels.

Pre and probiotics are also key in maintaining gut health. Healthy fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids present in fish and nuts, have been found to help improve brain health and thus reduce stress. Finally, dark chocolate and water intake should also be optimised. Dark Chocolate contains flavonoids, which may help modulate cortisol release.

What does an average day on a cortisol detox diet look like?

• Breakfast: Muesli with yoghurt, berries, seeds, and nuts.
• Lunch: Try an omega-3 fatty acid-rich food like tuna or salmon with a salad or broccolini.
• Dinner: Chicken or fish with some whole grains like brown rice or quinoa and vegetables.
• Dessert: one or two pieces of dark chocolate.
• Snacks: handful of nuts.

Apart from diet, what else can you do to reduce cortisol?

Diet is just one component of a cortisol detox. If you’re constantly finding yourself triggered by stressful situations at work or at home, then you may need to make lifestyle changes to avoid these flashpoints.

At the same time, you need strategies to deal with stress and adversity and cultivate resilience when tough times do arise. Exercising regularly, sleeping consistent hours and practising mindfulness activities like meditation and breath work, can all help keep your cortisol levels balanced.

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The post Everything you need to know about the cortisol detox diet appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

The problem is that staying hydrated is easier said than done. Drinking gallons of water can be tiresome, electrolyte drinks aren’t for everyone and can often taste too sugary, and that aforementioned pre-workout mix isn’t pleasing anyone. So, what’s the solution? Musician and near-Olympian Cody Simpson, understands this struggle better than most, and he has one.

Simpson is the co-founder of Dr. Hydrate, a hydration drink brand that was created with input from top sports scientists and athletes. Dr. Hydrate is designed to not only be a thirst-quencher, but to support optimal performance in every aspect of life.

Available in packs for home use and convenient sachets for on-the-go hydration, Dr. Hydrate has been rigorously tested for taste. In fact, Dr. Hydrate went through extensive blind taste tests among focus groups for an entire year, ensuring a flavour profile that isn’t just barely edible, it’s actually enjoyable. The result is an array flavours including lychee lime, grape, strawberry kiwi, mango passionfruit, pineapple and watermelon.

Created to be an all-in-one solution for hydration, Dr. Hydrate contains a carefully balanced mix of essential electrolytes, vitamins and minerals without added sugar or artificial flavours. This formula has been driven by science to ensure that every sip fuels the body, helping you maintain hydration not just during an intense workout, but also for everyday tasks.

The drink includes a powerhouse of ingredients crucial for sustaining performance, including L-Carnitine, Glutamine, Zinc and a proprietary blend of 72 sea minerals. L-Carnitine plays a pivotal role in fat metabolism, turning stored fat into usable energy, which is key for anyone looking to maximise their power-to-weight ratio. Glutamine, meanwhile, helps prevent muscle breakdown, ensuring that every workout translates to strength gains rather than losses.

One of Dr. Hydrate’s key focuses is enhancing the power-to-weight ratio, a measure of efficiency prized by elite athletes. A high power-to-weight ratio is essential not just for power, but for agility and endurance, enabling you to perform better relative to your size.

The drink’s appeal is such that it’s the official hydration partner for Swim Australia, where it serves the needs of athletes at the highest level. Olympians like Alex Winwood, Brianna Throssell and Mariafe Artacho del Solar all vouch for it, plus Cody Simpson himself, obviously. And if it’s good enough for the pros, it’s good enough for us.

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The post Cody Simpson’s new hydration drink is all about the taste appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

SOMETIMES YOU FEEL immediately hungry after eating. Other times, you’ll stay full for hours. It’s all related to how quickly your digestive system is working.

The digestive system involves multiple stages and organs. ‘It begins with chewing food, where saliva is added to help digestion, and ends with a bowel movement,’ says Lance Uradomo, M.D., an interventional gastroenterologist at City of Hope Orange County in Irvine, California.

The whole process, from when you eat something to when it comes out the back end, is also referred to as the whole gut transit time or gastrointestinal motility. How long this process takes can vary a lot depending on someone’s health, diet, age, exercise habits, stress levels, and other factors, Dr. Uradomo explains.

Here’s what you should know about how long it takes to digest food and what your gut transit time can tell you about your health.

How long does it take to digest food?

The digestive process includes several steps, according to the National Institutes of Health:

• Gastric emptying is the time it takes for food to move through your stomach into the small intestine. This can take a few minutes to up to about six hours.
• Small bowel transit time is how long it takes food to move through the small intestine. This may take two to eight hours.
• Colonic transit time, which is the time it takes for food to move through your large intestine. This is the longest process and may take 48 to 72 hours.

“It’s highly variable depending on the nature of food and contents in the gut,”says Arthur Beyder, M.D., a gastroenterologist and spokesperson for the American Gastroenterological Association.

The whole gut transit can take between 10 and 73 hours, research shows. A 2023 study published in the journal Gut suggests that the median time is 28 hours for healthy people.

However, the process could take up to five days in some cases, explains Christopher Cao, M.D., a gastroenterologist and assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

What factors affect transit time?

Diet plays the biggest role in gut transit time.

‘Foods that are high in fat, such as peanut butter, eggs, or meat, take longer to get through the stomach than lighter foods such as pasta,’ Dr. Uradomo says. ‘Water goes through the stomach in 10 to 20 minutes, and other liquids, such as smoothies, may take up to an hour.’

High-fibre foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, can slow down digestion and help you feel full. Dr. Beyder says these foods can take longer to empty from the stomach and go through the small bowel. Fibre also keeps you regular by bulking and softening your stool, making it easier to pass.

‘That’s this dual nature of fibre,’ Dr. Beyder adds. ‘It allows you to have both regular normal bowel movements that are not constipation but also reside in the colon for longer times.’

Other things you consume affect the speed, too. Caffeine can speed things up, while alcohol can slow motility, Dr. Cao adds.

Certain medical conditions, like diabetes or hypothyroidism, can interfere with motility, Dr. Uradomo says. So can a sedentary lifestyle, stress, and medications like antacids and opiates. Age slows down your digestive system.

Does knowing your gut transit time really matter?

Not really, doctors say, unless you have symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, or constipation.

‘For us, it’s just a matter of patient symptoms,’ Dr. Beyder says. ‘We do not have direct evidence that modulating transit time changes any health parameters.’

However, slow motility could signal a GI disorder like gastroparesis or chronic constipation, he explains. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to additional symptoms, like pain and bloating.

And, a 2021 study suggested that gut transit time was a ‘more informative marker’ of gut microbiome function compared to stool consistency and frequency.

There’s just such a wide variance of what’s normal when it comes to gut transit time, Dr. Cao says. One bowel movement every three days to three bowel movements daily can be considered normal.

Since diet plays a role, your whole gut transit time might be slower or faster from week to week. But if you notice drastic changes in your bowel habits that last several days, see your doctor, Dr. Uradomo says.

How to test your whole gut transit time

If you’re curious about your gut transit time, there are a couple of ways to test it out. Eating corn or muffins with blue dye and tracking how long it takes to show up in your poop are some non-scientific options.

However, Dr. Cao says, ‘It’s worth noting that these tests do not evaluate for other causes of abnormal bowel movements like intestinal obstruction or dyssynergic defecation, and do not check for underlying causes of decreased GI motility.’

So it’s best to talk to your doctor before trying this out, Dr. Beyder says. Doctors can also perform bowel transit time tests if they suspect you have a medical condition affecting your ability to pass stool.

For instance, a gastric emptying study involves swallowing a radioactive tracer, which is tracked by imaging. Dr. Cao says it may be used to evaluate stomach motility when you have chronic nausea or seem to feel full quickly.

A colonic transit study involves swallowing radiopaque markers, which are tracked using X-rays. It may be used to evaluate for constipation.

Keep in mind, though, that constipation, nausea, and other GI symptoms can be caused by a variety of health conditions, not just delayed bowel transit time, Dr. Cao notes.

When to worry

Sudden bowel habit changes, blood in your stool, unintentional weight loss, or abdominal pain should signal a trip to your doctor, Dr. Cao says. Also see a doctor if you struggle to have a bowel movement or if your bowel habits are affecting your daily life, Dr. Beyder says.

Paying attention to these symptoms is especially crucial as rates of colon cancer are climbing among people 55 and younger, Dr. Uradomo says. ‘It’s important to get your recommended colon cancer screenings and see your doctor right away at the onset of any of these symptoms.’

This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.

The post Doctors explain how long it actually takes to digest food appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

What Causes a Spike

Within a few minutes of tucking into a high-carb, low-fibre treat – think a white bagel with strawberry jam – your body reacts with an ‘immediate spike in blood sugar’, says Charlotte Norton, chief medical officer at doctor-led weight loss service The Slimming Clinic. Your digestive system makes short work of those simple sugars, allowing them to enter the bloodstream quickly, triggering a burst of energy and brain activity along with a temporary mood boost. ‘With little-to-no protein in a meal, the simple carbs are metabolised faster, as protein slows the digestion of carbs.’

Then Comes the Crash

That sugar high doesn’t last. Over the next 90 minutes to two hours, your body releases a flood of insulin to clear the glucose from your bloodstream, moving it into your cells to be stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. ‘As simple carbs create such a large spike, the resulting decline causes a crash,’ explains Dr Norton. Your energy levels dip, which can leave you craving more sugary foods. ‘Not only can this negatively impact your energy levels, causing lethargy, it also affects mood and brain function.’

Forming a habit

Other than arousing your desire for an afternoon nap, the occasional blood sugar high won’t do much harm. But make it a habit and it can take its toll. Repeated spikes and dips can trigger hormonal shifts, which could spark anxiety and irritability, says Dr Norton. Then there are the physical effects. Though insulin does a great job at clearing away the sugars from a high-carb meal or snack, it can also stop the body from breaking down its fat stores. This stimulates the creation of more body fat. ‘Eat too many [of these foods] you might gain weight, as well as increasing your risk of type-2 diabetes.’

Rising risk factors

For some people, a diet heavy in fast-acting carbs can do more than see them put on a few kilos. Over time, it could lead to insulin resistance. This is where cells no longer respond to the hormone, causing more and more insulin to be released into the blood without sugars being broken down. Those with higher than normal blood sugar (known as prediabetes) can have up to a 50% chance of developing diabetes in the next five to 10 years. But it isn’t only diet that dictates whether or not you’re at risk, points out Dr Norton – sleep, alcohol, fitness and genetics all contribute, too.

Finding a good balance

If you’re otherwise healthy, it’s not worth stressing over your Sunday morning cinnamon roll. There are no fixed rules, but ‘if poor eating habits become a daily occurrence over several months and result in weight gain’, then health problems are more likely, says Norton, who also suggests getting no more than 50% of your calories from carb-based foods. “Regular exercise can also help to control blood sugar, as muscle cells absorb and store excess sugar.” Hitting your 30g of fibre a day will benefit you too, she says, as could a chromium supplement, which supports the action of insulin.

This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.

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The post Are blood sugar spikes actually bad for you? We asked an expert appeared first on Men's Health Magazine Australia.

Semantics aside, cutting and bulking is essentially adjusting your nutrition (and sometimes your training) to either burn fat and get leaner, or gain weight by building muscle. Pretty simple, right? However, it can be confusing when terms like cutting and bulking are trending, with conflicting and sometimes potentially dangerous information circulating. We explain the pros and cons of cutting and bulking so that you can make an informed decision for yourself.

What Is cutting and bulking?

Cutting and bulking are two phases in a bodybuilding style eating regiment designed to build muscle (to bulk) and reduce body fat (to cut).

Both phases are cyclical, meaning individuals alternate between bulking and cutting to achieve their desired body composition. Typically, they aim to get as lean as possible for the ‘on-season’ and increase calories to add weight during the off-season. However, many non-competitive bodybuilders follow this trend, using the summer and winter months as an on-season and off-season, respectively.

Most information on cutting and bulking is anecdotal. However, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research examined the dietary routines of bodybuilders competing in the Men’s Physique category. It analysed their diets during both the cutting and bulking phases to understand the rationale behind these practices.

The participants were interviewed towards the end of the bulking phases (10–12 weeks before their competition) and cutting phases (one week before their competition). Analysis, surprisingly, revealed a low carbohydrate intake during bulking, with a further decrease during cutting. Protein intake was reportedly well above current recommendations throughout the study.

The research also noted that dietary strategies used by bodybuilders in this study were partly consistent with evidence based practice, however most were considered extreme and lacked scientific support. From anecdotal knowledge in bodybuilding circles, we can assume that the cutting and bulking phases have some typical guidelines:

Bulking Phase

Goal: To gain muscle mass.

• Increase calorie intake, consuming more calories than the body needs (caloric surplus).
• High in protein, carbohydrates, and fats. The focus is on nutrient dense foods to support muscle growth.
• Sometimes lower in fibre to facilitate lower food volume, reducing feelings of fullness and therefore allow for a higher caloric intake.
• Heavy weightlifting to stimulate muscle growth, often combined with limited cardio to benefit health.
• This phase can last several months, depending on individual goals.

Cutting Phase:

Goal: Reduce body fat while maintaining muscle mass.

• Decrease calorie intake, consuming fewer calories than the body needs (caloric deficit).
• High in protein to preserve muscle mass, with reduced carbohydrates and fats. The focus is on low calorie foods.
• Sometimes higher in fibre to facilitate higher food volume, increasing feelings of fullness, therefore increasing sustainability of a lower caloric intake.
• Continued weightlifting to maintain muscle mass, often with increased cardio.
• This phase can also last several months, depending on the desired body fat reduction. However, some take part in ‘mini-cuts’ which are typically shorter in duration, lasting a few weeks or less.

Should you Bulk or Cut?

Whether you should bulk or cut depends on your current health, body composition, time constraints, training goals and preferences. Some prefer to organise cutting and bulking with their training phases or even seasons of the year (see: winter bulk). But really it depends on what is going to be sustainable for you and your current lifestyle.

What is body recomposition?

Body recomposition means to not necessarily go into a calorie deficit or calorie surplus with your nutrition, but aim for close to maintenance and train in a progressive way to gain muscle. The results are usually a slight decrease in body fat and increase in muscle mass, therefore a ‘recomposition’ of your physique. It is especially accessible to those who are new to resistance training, or coming back from a long break, who are more likely to see greater advancements in muscle mass.

What is ‘dirty bulking’?

‘Dirty bulking’ as opposed to ‘clean bulking’ refers to predominantly eating food that is low in nutritional value and high in calories with the aim of gaining weight. ‘Clean bulking’ would mean focusing exclusively on foods that are high in nutritional value with the aim of gaining weight.

‘Dirty bulking’ could involve eating in a calorie surplus with foods like crisps, cakes, pizza, etc. People tend to choose these foods because they taste good and don’t fill us up as quickly, leading to a higher calorie intake. However, evidence indicates that larger calorie surpluses are no more beneficial for gaining muscle than more moderate ones

A study published in Sports Medicine aimed to determine the effects of different levels of energy surplus on muscle mass, strength, and body fat gain in participants. Participants were assigned to either maintain their calorie intake or consume a calorie surplus of 5% or 15%. The researchers found no significant differences in muscle gain or strength between the groups. The high surplus group had a more significant increase in fat mass gain compared to the maintenance group. The moderate surplus group showed a slight increase in fat mass compared to the maintenance group. Meaning, a moderate surplus is sufficient for gaining muscle and strength, while negating excessive fat gain from bulking.

As always, it’s best to focus on foods that are more nutritionally dense. If you’re struggling to eat more when eating more healthful choices, try to include foods that are lower in fibre. For more guidance on how to gain weight healthily, you can read our weight gain guide here.

How to work out your maintenance calories

If you are planning on counting calories to achieve your physique goals, the first place to start is your maintenance calories. There are many methods of calculating these, two of the most popular are:

• Mifflin-St Jeor equation for Men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) + 5
• Harris Benedict equation for Men: BMR = 66.5 + (13.75 x weight in kilos) + (5 x height in cm) – (6.75 x age in years)

How many calories should I eat to gain muscle?

When it comes to gaining muscle, eating more calories than you burn (creating a calorie surplus) is necessary, as supported by evidence published by Frontiers. Using your maintenance calories from the equation above:

For most trainees, to gain muscle, being in a consistent surplus of about 200-400 calories will be plenty.

Talk to your general practitioner, nutritionist or dietician about how much and how quickly you should gain weight. Knowing this information will help you better calculate your calorie goals.

How many calories should I eat to lose fat

In order to lose body fat, you must consume fewer calories than you burn a day, this is referred to as a calorie deficit or energy deficit. Using your maintenance calories from the equation above:

To lose 200g to 450g a week, aim for a deficit of 250 to 500 calories a day.

Who should avoid cutting and bulking?

Weight cycling is not suitable for everyone, and it’s important to be aware of the risks so that you can make an informed decision. Those who have a history of disordered eating or body dysmorphia should avoid weight cycling. This is due to the disordered eating patterns and an over preoccupation with food and exercise that weight cycling can cause. Even for those who don’t have a history of disordered eating, care should be taken when adjusting your nutrition without supervision from a professional.

While the method of manipulating your nutrition has its place, when completed without enough nutritional knowledge or experience, cutting and bulking can have some negative side effects. The results of a study published in Eating and Weight Disorders found that engagement in bulk and cut cycles was associated with more severe eating disorder and muscle dysmorphia symptoms among the participants.

For this reason it’s important to speak to your healthcare provider or enlist the help of a nutritionist or dietician before making changes to your diet.

This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.

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5 Early Warning Signs You’re Not Building Muscle, And What To Do About It

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DR ERIC TREXLER, PhD – researcher, coach, and professional bodybuilder – recently appeared on the Renaissance Periodization podcast to share his evidence-based tier system for ranking muscle-building supplements. He emphasised that supplement rankings are goal-dependent, varying based on what you’re aiming to achieve with your training and supplementation.

Dr. Trexler then outlined his tiered approach specifically for those focused on gaining muscle and building strength, categorising supplements into five distinct tiers and providing examples of each along the way.

Tier-1 Supplements

‘Tier-1 basically means we have strong evidence. We know what this thing does, and what it does is good,’ says Dr. Trexler, who explains that for muscle-building, tier-1 supplements are in a class of their own. ‘It’s a short list – it’s creatine [assuming you’re not a non-responder] and it’s protein.’

Dr. Trexler caveats that protein supplements could be redundant if you’re able to get enough of the macronutrient from your diet. ‘If you’re eating enough from your food, who cares, forget it.’

Tier-2 supplements

Dr. Trexler believes tier-2 supplements are the most interesting. ‘There is some evidence related to the supplement for the outcome we’re interested in, and it actually looks pretty good, but it’s not on tier-one because it has some shortcoming,’ he says. ‘Maybe the initial evidence is pretty good, but I’d like to see more of it before I get super stoked.’

He adds that in some cases, the evidence for a supplement may be very strong, but in the real world, its effects are small and inconsistent, or only work in people with deficiencies. ‘You can have a really solid evidence-based justification for this. However, you’re likely going to have to acknowledge this is a really marginal effect. Maybe this only matters for a competitive athlete.’

The supplements Dr. Trexler would include in tier-2 are: sodium bicarbonate, citrulline malate and nitric oxide supplements.

Controversially, Trexler says he would also put caffeine, one of the most heavily relied-on ergogenic aids in existence, into tier-2. ‘There are meta-analyses and umbrella reviews indicating it should have a positive effect on things like strength, strength endurance, and power. But caffeine is probably better for endurance sport than it is for resistance exercise.’

He does point out the potential dark side of becoming too reliant on the pre-workout shot of espresso. ‘We don’t know when you get to that point when you say, “I wouldn’t dare work out without my pre-workout.” Is that because it’s still giving you an ergogenic [performance-enhancing] effect? Or is it because caffeine withdrawal gives you an ergolytic effect and your performance sucks?’

(Ergolytic is science-talk for something that negatively impacts your performance.)

Tier-3 supplements

‘Tier-3 is where the vast majority of supplements live’, Trexler says. ’It’s the tier where I tell someone I do not have enough evidence to say that there is a defensible use case for this but I also don’t have enough hard evidence to tell you there is no way this will work.’

So, if it’s not in any of the other tiers, with enough evidence for or against it’s use, consider it tier-3.

While Dr. Trexler doesn’t clearly define tier-3 supplements as he does with other tiers, examples might include Beta-alanine, which shows some promise for improving endurance but has inconsistent effects on muscle-building and strength, or Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). Once highly popular, recent research suggests their benefits are limited compared to complete proteins or essential amino acids, placing them in the tier-3 category.

Tier-4 supplements

Dr. Trexler believes tier-4 is a tricky one – it’s the first category where we should consider actively swerving the compounds in question. ‘This is where we have evidence of a null effect. I can look at studies on it and say this is not going to achieve what you want it to achieve,’ says Dr. Trexler. His host, Dr. Mike Israetel, also an exercise scientist, offers a more concise and memorable definition: ‘It’s not hurting you; it just doesn’t do shit

When it comes to building strength and size, Trexler would include previously popular supplements like glutamine in tier-4. ‘For getting jacked and performing better, I think we’ve pretty much shut the book on glutamine.’

He’d also place arginine – an amino acid that was once popular in pre-workout mixtures and touted as a ‘pump enhancer’ – in tier-4, alongside some testosterone boosters and modern ‘new-and-improved’ creatines like ethyl ester and alkaline varieties, saying they don’t justify their cost when tier-1’s cheaply available creatine monohydrate is an option.

Tier-5 supplements

Tier-5 is the group that Dr. Trexler strongly advises you avoid. ‘[These are] supplements where we have evidence that one of two things is going to happen – either this is going to literally harm your performance, or it is going to harm you.’

Trexler says he would include compounds like DMAA, a chemical extract previously included in now-banned pre-workout supplements such as the highly-memed JACK-3D. He jokes that although these compounds were widely available and not previously banned, the aim of manufacturers at the time seemed to be to get as close as possible to the effects of methamphetamine.

Another tier-5 chemical that was once the stimulant of choice for many bodybuilders is ephedrine. ‘It was the era of [high stimulant] pre-workouts. However, there were serious adverse events reported. I believe that there were a couple of deaths.’ Thankfully, sporting organisations and federations have helped to pave the way to a slightly safer supplement industry. ‘Once it’s banned by all the big federations, I say all right, we’re going to tier-5…’

This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.

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