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Muscular

Are Eggs EGGcellent for Your Health?

INTRODUCTION There is nothing quite like the sound of eggs crackling on the frying pan, the smell of bacon, and coffee brewing in the morning. I couldn’t think of a better way to greet the day. And there are so many ways to cook those eggs, it’ll keep you from getting bored with them for…

Essential Amino Acids and Why They Matter

INTRODUCTION Many of my clients have sustained injuries, especially from car accidents. Regretfully, pain and stiffness limit their movement, which can cause muscle loss, weakness, and deeper dysfunction. Increasing client strength, and overall health, through a well-developed strengthening program is a key component in rehabilitation. However, many forget that resistance training is only one step,…

The Elderly: Injury Recovery and Nutritional Support

Optimizing nutrition can help support the recovery of traumatized bone and soft tissue. Such a decision is particularly relevant for older individuals who have sustained fractures or hip replacements; events which create significant tissue damage. In the following sections, this author would like to provide nutritional recommendations, from whole food and supplemental sources, which can…

Why Processed Food Will Make You Sick

In Canada, the fifth highest ranking country for obesity, 1 in 4 adults are now obese; a ratio that constitutes 25% of the population, and one that has doubled since 1978.1,2Such an epidemic and condition is also a known risk factor for some cancers, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and diabetes.2(331)Thus, considering causes of obesity is…

Potassium Deficiency: What You Need to Know, and How to Fix It

Potassium (K) is a micronutrient that is a constituent of a larger body of electrolytes which includes sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), phosphorus (P), and calcium (Ca).1Such electrolytes work as an aggregate to facilitate movement of nutrients in a cell, pH balance, nerve conduction, and fluid balance.1 Although K deficiencies can emanate from sweating, imbalances with…

Magnesium and Essential Functions

Magnesium (Mg) is a mineral found among a group of electrolytes to include potassium (K), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), chloride (Cl), and phosphorus (P) (Maday, 2013). As an aggregate, electrolytes play a central role in balancing fluids, pH, transportation of nutrients and metabolites within the cell, and nerve conduction (Fluid and Electrolyte Balance, 2018). Considering…

Vitamin K2 Function

Vitamin K, a fat-soluble micronutrient, is found naturally in two forms to include phylloquinone (K1) and menaquinone (K2) (Gropper, Smith, & Carr, 2018). Said vitamin is widely recognized for its role in the synthesis of γ-carboxyglutamic acid (GLA); a residue necessary for blood clotting (Gropper et al., 2018). However, a lesser known function of vitamin…

B7 Deficiency, Medications, Food Prep, and Genetics: Connecting the Dots

Biotin, also known as B7, is a water-soluble vitamin contributing biochemically as a coenzyme carrier responsible for nutrient metabolism and energy production (Gropper, Smith, & Carr, 2018). B7 also facilitates gene expression via biotinylation of histone proteins (such proteins “wrap” around DNA base pairs) whereby said micronutrient exposes or “unwraps” DNA to facilitate expression of…

Neuromuscular Dysregulation and Electrolyte Deficiencies

The human body communicates, interacts, and coordinates with itself and the external environment through a dense network of electrochemical conduits, colloquially known as the nerves or nervous system (NS) (Kenney, Wilmore, & Costill, 2012). Virtually all tissues, organs, motor, and sensory systems are fully integrated with the NS; like a conductor in an orchestra, the…

The Elderly: Optimal Protein Consumption and Sources

Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) does affect the elderly population. The loss of skeletal muscle mass from inactivity and lack of food consumption can negatively affect performance and activities of daily living in said population (Lancha, Zanella, Tanabe, Andriamihaja, & Blachier, 2017). Furthermore, the loss of skeletal muscle can begin as early as the 4th decade of…