Author: akshay.pokale@ting.in

There’s lots of buzz around avoiding gluten, but what is this ingredient and is it really bad for you? 

Gluten is a protein found in the wheat plant and some other grains

It is naturally occurring, but it can be extracted, concentrated and added to food and other products to add protein, texture and flavour. 

It also works as a binding agent to hold processed foods together and give them shape.

Though often thought of as a single compound, gluten is a collective term that refers to many different types of prolamins found in wheat, barley and rye. 

The main prolamins in wheat include gliadin and glutenin, while hordein is the main one found in barley. 

Gluten proteins — such as glutenin and gliadin — are highly elastic, which is why gluten-containing grains are suited for making bread and other baked goods.

Humans have digestive enzymes that help us break down food. Protease is the enzyme that helps our body process proteins, but it can’t completely break down gluten. 

Undigested gluten makes its way to the small intestine. Most people can handle undigested gluten with no problems. But in some people, gluten can trigger a severe autoimmune response or other unpleasant symptoms.

An autoimmune response to gluten is called celiac disease. Celiac can damage the small intestine. Some people who don’t have celiac disease still seem to feel sick after eating foods that contain gluten. They may experience bloating, diarrhoea, headaches or skin rashes. This could be a reaction to poorly digested carbohydrates, not just gluten. 

These carbs, called FODMAPS, ferment in your gut. People with sensitive guts may experience discomfort from that fermentation, not necessarily from gluten.

We, as humans, have consumed gluten for as long as people have been making bread.

Gluten found in whole grains is not bad for healthy people whose bodies can tolerate it. However, grains like wheat are often stripped down to make processed foods such as snack crackers and potato chips. 

These refined products have very little resemblance to the actual wheat plant, which is highly nutritious.

Many people who adopt a gluten-free diet but still eat processed foods find they continue to have weight gain, blood sugar swings and other health issues. 

So it’s not the gluten in foods that are causing their health issues, but the sugar and the fact that they are eating in a caloric surplus is the reason for weight gain and other health issues. 

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Feelings of intense fear, uneasiness or nervousness can not only stem from particular events or situations, but they can also occur without a single identifiable source. 

Since anxiety is so common, it’s not surprising that people often turn to a variety of methods to deal with it.

There is so much more to this apart from just prescribing medications and psychotherapy. 

Did you know that certain nutrients play a key role in regulating our nervous system by enabling optimum function of our brain cells?

One of the most important elements is Magnesium. 

Magnesium is one of the most common minerals found in the body. Yet it is not uncommon for many adults to get less than they need from diet alone. While a true deficiency tends to be rare, estimates suggest that as much as 48% of adults get less than the recommended amounts each day.

Given its role in functions ranging from energy levels to homeostasis to brain health, it is perhaps not unexpected that deficiencies in the mineral have been implicated in mental health concerns.

From a neurological standpoint, magnesium plays an essential role in nerve transmission and neuromuscular conduction. 

It also functions in a protective role against excessive excitation that can lead to neuronal cell death. Hence it has been implicated in multiple neurological disorders. 

Magnesium serves as a blockade to the calcium channel in the NMDA receptor and must be removed for excitatory signalling to occur.

Due to these important functions within the nervous system, magnesium is a mineral of intense interest for the potential prevention and treatment of neurological disorders.

Low magnesium levels may lead to increased neurotransmission(because of calcium ions) leading to a supportive environment for overstimulation of the neurons, which can lead to oxidative damage of the cells. 

So apart from medications and psychotherapy, nutrition also plays a major role in combating this issue. 

To ensure you have enough magnesium in your diet, eat foods high in magnesium. 

Foods high in magnesium include mainly leafy greens, avocado, dark chocolate, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds

Other benefits of increasing magnesium in your diet include better digestion, sleep, reduced cramps and pains and lower blood pressure. 

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Many of us have experienced that moment when the number on the scale ruins your whole day. This is especially if you ate well and have been training diligently all week long. 

It’s not surprising that you might be disappointed, but there’s a lot more to weight loss than just what you see on the scale. 

The scale is just one tool of many used to document a person’s weight loss journey or overall health. Yet, many of us look to the scale as the ultimate authority.

The human body is one incredibly complex piece of machinery. Things are going in, coming out, transforming, and dissolving all the time. As a result, your weight can fluctuate throughout the day.

While a scale was designed to measure weight, it is important to remember the many things that can affect the accuracy of its readings before letting it hinder or derail momentum. 

Scales display a weight that includes lean body mass and fat, but what it doesn’t account for is how much of that displayed weight is only temporary due to sodium intake, glycogen stores, hormones, and other added water weight as well as mechanical issues and errors.

People who are familiar with the exercise world have heard the phrase “muscle weighs more than fat”. While this is not technically true because one pound of muscle is still equal to one pound of fat, what the saying is trying to convey is that muscle is more dense than fat.

If a gym goer has consistently been working with a weight training routine, the muscle gained during these routines might occupy a smaller space in the body than the fat that was lost during that time frame.

If you get stressed out because you gained weight overnight, don’t fret. Let’s look into some factors which can affect the scale a little more closely. 

1) When carbohydrates are eaten, the body can only use a certain amount of energy from them at one time. The portion that is not immediately processed is relocated to the muscles, liver, and various other organs as glycogen stores to be used when needed.

This holds water inside the muscles which adds up to the weight. 

2) In women, hormonal changes are inevitable due to the menstrual cycle. The rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone can affect the amount of fluid that is retained throughout the body. 

3) Feeling puffy and bloated after eating foods with a high sodium content is common. Sodium has an affinity toward water. So the more salt you have the more water you retain. This can be evidenced by increased weight on the scale. Swelling should subside once salt levels in the body are reduced to a normal level. 

When it comes to understanding whether it’s muscle or fat, note that muscle is hard, firm and smaller. Fat might be the same weight, but you’ll be softer and bigger. So, what matters at the end of the day is that you’re healthy and have less fat around your middle and vital organs, not what the scale says.

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You start working out with a friend, and even though you both put in equal amounts of hard work, your friend quickly progresses in the gains department.

Sounds familiar?

There are a variety of factors that determine how your body responds to exercise, and though you can’t change some of them you may be able to make them work to your advantage.

Let’s look into these a little closely

We all have a combination of different muscle fiber types, and different muscle fiber types respond better to certain activities and training styles than others.

Some of us have more type II, or fast-twitch muscle fibers (e.g., sprinters), which shine during explosive, power-driven movements.

Others have more endurance-focused type I muscle fibers (e.g., marathon runners); these respond best to high-rep, low-load exercises.

Muscle fiber composition is mostly determined by genetics. If you’re not seeing the same gains as your friend, it could be that your training style doesn’t favour your predominant muscle fiber type. So, while you can’t change your muscle fiber composition, you can train in favour of it.

We all have fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers, but genetically some people may be predisposed to have more of one than the other. And fast-twitch fibers are the ones that you need for sizable muscle growth.

Genetics play an important role in determining your body’s ability to put on muscle limitations, partly by influencing your hormonal and muscular make-up.

Anabolic hormones consist of growth hormone, estrogen, insulin and testosterone. These are key for muscle building.

Contrary to popular belief, estrogen and testosterone are both important for muscle structure and function.

Testosterone is responsible for muscle growth, while estrogen improves muscle mass and strength, as well as growing the collagen of connective tissues, such as your bones, ligaments and tendons.

Women typically produce more estrogen and less testosterone than men, which is why men often have an easier time with visible muscle growth.

Building muscle mass and definition is hard work and also requires the correct diet.

Eating enough calories and protein helps with muscle recovery and growth after a workout.

Muscle is made up of protein, and eating adequate protein after strength training is essential to limit muscle protein breakdown and assist with muscle synthesis.

The way you train also plays a major role in how fast you can build muscle.

There are two types of muscular hypertrophy, known as myofibrillar hypertrophy and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Myofibrillar hypertrophy focuses on building strength, while sarcoplasmic hypertrophy increases the volume of sarcoplasmic fluid within the muscle to make it look bigger(post-workout pumps).

If stronger or bigger muscles are an important goal for you, dialling in on your daily caloric intake, meeting your protein goals, and adhering to a purposeful strength training program will help improve your chances.

So muscle-building abilities vary from person to person. That said, it’s important to understand the big picture because it doesn’t begin and end with your genetics.

You may have a genetic profile similar to that of a professional athlete, but if you don’t put in the work, you’ll never learn your actual potential.

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