Crrrunch Nutrition

29/04/2020

You've got a bit more time on your hands and great home workout routines available for free, but you're probably just as confused about what you should be doing as you were before.

Here's what you can do: stop for a moment and think about your fitness goal.
How clear is your definition of what you want to achieve?

🧐Is it to just get toned?
🙄Sculpt, not grow muscle?
🤯Is it to get muscle definition without the bulk?

Sorry, but that's all confusing and non-scientifical.
Here's what matters: concepts like "toned" and "defined" are used to describe a lean appearance. Which basically means more muscle, less fat. Everything else is just noise.

Here is a great resource that cuts through all the noise and reduces it to simple truths, just the way I like'em.
And you should too, 'cause you're smart.
🙌

Once and for all, define what the end goal of your training is, and what progress looks like. Then get to work.

Want more muscle tone? Here's the big secret to getting a toned body, and the most common workout and exercise myths you need to avoid.

11/02/2020

Looking for the best way to lose weight and keep it off? Stop putting your faith in quick fixes. They'll only backfire.

❗️ The problem:
“nutrition” is often seen as a belief system.
But beliefs don’t necessarily have anything to do with facts. This approach of “believing” is frequently applied to nutrition.

As in:
“I believe that sugar is poison.”
“I don’t believe that humans were meant to eat grains.”
“I believe in only eating foods that are natural and organic.”

The point?
Beliefs without evidence can cause physical harm.
Nutrition can affect the human body’s systems dramatically — that’s the amazing power and opportunity, and it’s why we coaches love this field.

🙏The solutions
✌️Trust in experts, not influencers.
❗️Be suspicious of “always” or “never” language in nutrition talk.
🤓 Scrutinize claims that are tied to financial gain.
🤔 Be skeptical of one-size-fits-all approaches.
Humans are unique, complex systems. They should be treated as such. There is no "one best diet".
🌱 Get qualified coaching. Find the people that invest their time and energy into understanding the applied science of nutrition, and reach out to them for guidance.

Nutrition is often seen as a belief system. In other words, the answer to “What should I eat?” is often based on faith, magical thinking, emotional attachments, and/or what feels “truthy”, rather than on real evidence or the scientific method. Until we fix this, nutrition will get more confu...

05/02/2020

I love data. I do.
I love working with it, I love how it proves my assumptions wrong, and I love using it to colour the grey space between "right" and "wrong".

These facts we know:
🥩Eating less meat is an overall good choice, both for yourself and for the environment.
🥚If your diet is inclusive of animal protein, keep in mind that some types are milder on the environment than others.

BUT..
✈️ Diet is only one part of your overall (consumption) behaviour. There's equally important stuff to adjust, like flying, commuting or shopping. Those new jeans you bought might wipe out 3 months of meatless consumption, if we're talking pure math. I pulled that comparison out of nowhere (for a data lover, I tend to get carried away) but my point is: let's go for balance.

🚩It's not realistic to change *one* big thing overnight. Not for most people. But anyone can make small-to-medium adjustments in each area of their lives.

🚩Like anywhere else, choose consistency over intensity and you'll be in a much better place. We all would.

Now here are my thoughts:
1. Nobody really knows what their actual carbon footprint is, and many of us assume we need to change everything NOW, or worse, that it's too late we're f*cked anyway.
2. The actual, reasonable thing is to do better today than we did yesterday, compare our habits to our past selves, and just keep improving in small increments.

🌤At the end of the day, changing our habits to be less of a burden boils down to this: what are you willing to cut down on today for the greater good?

But I mean, decide on an answer, and start. Wherever you can. Just start. 🤞

Eating less meat is nearly always better for your carbon footprint than eating the 'most sustainable' meat.

The ‘worst' peas, beans, tofu and nuts still have a lower footprint than the ‘best’ meat and dairy.

Our latest article: https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local

30/09/2019

It's been a while.
This page was a bit silent as I'm still recovering from my own struggles, but a bit closer to finding back my voice.

Till then, just figured I'd drop a resource which'll help many of you navigate the plethora of nutrition-related studies and "studies" that pop up. 🌱

See you soon!

Studies aren’t going to top any “best summer reads” lists: They can be complicated, confusing, and well, pretty boring. But learning to expertly decode scientific research can help you better answer important client questions and concerns—especially when it comes to your advice. In this arti...

04/03/2019

*Long text about eating disorders, body image, and stopping for one f*cking minute* 👇

Let me be super honest with you.
I am personally struggling with body image, even though I know my body is healthy and lean. Does this make me less of a qualified professional? TBH I don't see it that way. Vulnerability is key when working with people on such delicate issues.
And I know what my clients are going through because I have been there and there's a long way to recovery, which I am walking along with them.
This is the sad consequence of growing up in a world where women would brag on how small their waist line is or how much they restrict their eating.

But am I doing something about this?
Every damn day. At least I try.

So try something with me this week.
Every evening when you get home, give yourself 1 minute in front of the mirror.

Look at your body - really look at it. Not as a "before" photo. Not as an intermediate awkward stage, no. Look at your REAL body, the one you have now, the one that is carrying you to your battles, your success moments, the one that encloses your joy and fear and anxiety and sadness and playfulness.
The one that carried a child or will carry one someday. The one that belly-laughs or hiccup-cries.

Look at this amazing vessel that keeps you going, and please, give it some grace. For all that it's doing for you. Stop being so judgemental of it.
For one minute.

That's it.

27/02/2019

A new article from one of my go-to resources.
I decided to study under PN a while ago because it's one of the few places in the nutritional ecosystem where you get clarity and an empathetic approach to reasonable, real-life solutions.

Yes, it's a long-ish read. But you already know we don't to any kinds of shortcuts here. 🤷‍♀️

So find the time to dig in, if you want to settle a huge nutritional dilemma.
Knowledge is power, y'all.✊

When it comes to body change, there’s no topic more polarizing than “calories in vs. calories out.” Some argue it’s the be-all and end-all of weight loss. Others say it’s oversimplified and misguided. In this article, we explore every angle of the debate from “eat less, move more,” to ...

26/02/2019

Meal prepping is the best thing you can do for yourself on your way to eating sensibly.
Why?
🥑 It leaves no room for bad decisions to sneak up on you, unless you really want to sabotage yourself. Which you don’t. ☀️
🥕 It’s something tasty and guilt-free waiting for you at home.
🍏 It helps you stay within a reasonable budget. Eating most of your meals in will leave money for that new whatever-it-is-you-want at the end of the month.
🥘 You will be sure to get the very best ingredients you can afford cooked in a responsible way. Wanna bet some of your favourite food joints have more flexible morals when it comes to using the very best ingredients?

Yeah. Want more reasons? PM me, let’s have a chat. 😊

24/01/2019

This is a nice little tool if you live in the Netherlands - calculate and compare nutritional values on different kinds of breakfasts, to see how balanced your options really are.
We often have no idea how much sugar those breakfast cereals really pack (store-bought granola, I'm looking at you) so this is a good reality-check.
It's nice to see brands starting to take steps towards transparency and consumer awareness.

Vergelijk je ontbijtjes op voedingswaarden om te zien wat je echt binnen krijgt! Zo maak je gemakkelijk een bewuste keuze, dat begint goed.

23/01/2019

If most of us can start seeing something like this when picturing a standard meal, we'll be one huge step closer to improving the quality of our lives.

It's not just about weight and body composition - it's noticeable in your energy level, the quality of your skin, even the quality of your sleep.

It ALL starts in your plate. Those 3-5 decisions you make each and every day. Will they make you, or will they break you? ✊💪

Canada's got a new Food Guide.

Is it perfect for everyone? Of course not!

But that's not the question. The question is...

Would eating this way make a huge difference in most people's body composition, health, and daily performance?

And that has to be a pretty unequivocal yes.

Just think about how far we've come from the old USDA food pyramid (1990-2004) and the revised food pyramid (2005-2017), both pictured in the comments below.

We're finally getting somewhere!

14/01/2019

💣Reveal time!
This was THE most praised recipe by Crrrunch Nutrition clients in 2018.

Oh, yeah, It's not mine. Like 90% of the stuff I put in my meal plans, it's borrowed from someone more clever and creative and who also has more time to experiment. In this case it's True Fitness Windsor and their lovely recipe section. I always credit the recipes I re-use, so thank you, Internet, for giving my clients access to awesome recipes, which I calculate and put into their plans. 😅

Sooo here we go, the Fake Cake Breakie Bake, as I call it - low-cal, bursting with flavour, easy to make, honestly one of the best ways to start your day. 🔥

👇Click the link for the full recipe👇
https://truefitnesswindsor.com/recipe/banana-protein-oatmeal-bake/

03/01/2019

Happy new 2019, everyone!

For those of you who've just started a diet, please STOP.
Ditch your list of restrictive rules, and just stick to these 3 that will make a HUGE change if you're consistent:

1. Start your day with a high-protein breakfast like yogurt with a bit of granola and some fresh fruit.

2. For the rest of your meals, choose whole ingredients, mostly plants, and try to stop when you feel 80% full.

3. Drink plenty of plain water throughout the day, get enough rest and move for at least 30 minutes.

That's it. No fancy plans, no banned ingredients list. Just proper fuel and self-love. ❤️

Who's in?