5 Must Have Superfoods.

While it is important to get a variety of different whole foods, there are certain ones that should be consumed often because of the high quality nutrients they have.  It is no secret that most people are deficient of certain nutrients.  When you look at the typical Western diet and have someone who is cutting calories in order to lose weight there is no question that certain things are missing from the diet that may cause health problems.  While a supplement is always an option, many people would prefer to get as much out of whole foods as they can.  With that in mind, here is a list of 5 foods that you should really try to make part of your weekly meal plans.

1.  Beets:

I really can't take the credit for this one.  Emily is a huge beets fan.  I didn't think I would enjoy them too much but no salad is complete with out a healthy serving of beets.  Beets contain nitrates which provide a plethora of benefits for your heart.  They can increase nitric oxide production in the body which can improve circulation and reduce blood pressure.  Some research shows drinking beet juice may even improve endurance performance and tolerance for high intensity exercise.  It is also a powerful fighter of inflammation.  Beets are even known as natures Viagra and may reduce issues with sexual dysfunctions.

2.  Walnuts: 

Here is another big favorite of mine. I love throwing them in salads (with beets), in my smoothies, in yogurt, or just as a snack on their own.  One of the biggest benefits of eating nuts, like walnuts, is the high quantity of Omega 3 Fatty Acids.  These are lacking in most american diets.  Omega 6 Fatty Acids are usually over consumed and not enough omega 3's are eaten.  They have a huge role with inflammation and heart health.  Speaking of heart health, recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition just founds that those who consume higher amounts of walnuts lower their risk significantly for all cause risk for deaths related to cardiovascular disease and cancer.  Nutrients in walnuts can actually increase the flexibility of your arteries.

3.  Blueberries:

Blueberries claim to fame is its powerful antioxidant capabilities.  Free radicals in the body can progress the development of aging, cancer, and other diseases.  Blueberries help neutralize these free radicals to prevent this damage from occurring.  Blueberries have also been shown to improve cognition in older adults and help fight against dementia.  They also can help strengthen your immune system with a healthy dose of Vitamin C.

4.  Greek Yogurt:

This is one of my go to snacks and/or desserts.  If you are craving those sweet foods after dinner try having greek yogurt instead of cake, pastries, and ice cream.  Actually one of my favorite snacks is simply combining #2-4 on this list.  There are many nutritional benefits of greek yogurt but the two main ones are high amounts of probiotics, which improve your gut health, and protein.  Most clients that we work with struggle to get the correct amount of protein in the diet.  Greek yogurt is usually are go to.  The way it is made results in higher amounts of protein than regular yogurt.  1 serving of Fage 2% Greek Yogurt contains 20g of protein.  The older you are the higher the protein you probably need.

5.  Spinach:

I basically could put any green leafy vegetable here, but I chose spinach since it is the most common.  And incredibly versatile.  You could easily fit spinach into every meal of the day, in an omelet for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and sautéed


as a side dish for dinner.  This powerful food is very high in magnesium, iron, and Vitamin K.  Numerous research shows the benefits of spinach in lowering blood pressure, reducing the risk of cancer, improving bone health, and managing diabetes.  Spinach can help reduce artery calcification and help with calcium absorption to improve bone health.

So there are 5 of our favorites.  Try adding more recipes that contain these five foods each week and you are on your way to better health.

You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training

Don't Burn Fat This Way

I'm sure I have blogged about this topic before, but it is something that just won't go away.  If you could only ask personal trainer one questions, what would it be?  There are many responses that might come up, but the overwhelming majority is, "How do I lose fat on my [insert body part here]?"

This is referred to as spot reducing.  While I'm sure there will be more research to be done on this topic, the direction that current researching is pointing is that you can't do this.  I know it sucks, but we need to accept it and move on.  If you don't believe me here are some examples:

1.  The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research published a study in 2011 that 6 weeks of abdominal training lead to know fat loss of the abdomen.  It did improve the muscular endurance of the abdominal muscles.

2.  In 1971 UC Irvine performed a study on tennis players.  If spot reduction worked we would see less fat in the dominant arm of tennis players versus their non dominant.  Again this was shown to be false.

3.  A more recent study in 2007 from the University of Connecticut had subjects only train one arm to see if fat loss occurred only at that site.  Again they found that fat loss was more general all over the body and not only in the one arm.

So as tempting as it is to get on the inner/outer thigh machines to burn thigh fat or doing a million sit ups to burn stomach fat, please don't.  You select exercises for two reasons mainly.  One to train that specific muscle or movement to gain strength, endurance, or power.  The second is to select exercises that burn a lot of calories in general.  Not just at a specific location.  I know it sounds crazy, but doing squats can help burn belly fat.

In the latest issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning research, I came across an interesting study.  Sometimes research is way behind current training practices, but it is great when it catches up.  Something that we have been doing for years is using total body, high intensity exercises to try and burn as many calories as possible versus overtraining one specific area trying to spot reduce.  This study found that a few nontraditional exercises that are becoming more popular today were better at burning calories than traditional exercises.

Since I'm sure you don't want to read the study, I put together a short video of the exercises used in the study.  If you have trained with us before these should look familiar.  If not, give them a try and see how you do.  Just follow the instructions in the video for sets and reps.

Have fun!

So in summary, to burn fat, pick higher intensity total body movements.  Get off the inner/outer thigh machines unless you specifically want to improve the strength of those muscles.


You Stay Healthy San Diego,

Mike Deibler MS, CSCS
San Diego Premier Training