Protein Archives

Blood Sugar, Insulin and What to Eat for Each Phase of Your Monthly Menstrual Cycle

The fluctuations in hormones, cravings, and appetite that occur throughout a woman’s monthly cycle are fascinating and mysterious – not just for guys, but for most women as well! In the days leading up to menstruation, women often experience an increase in cravings, appetite, blood glucose, and insulin levels. This is sometimes accompanied by water …

The Food Satiety Index Score (Updated 2023)

by Marty Kendall

Looking to improve your satiety? The satiety index can help! This index ranks foods according to how well they keep you feeling full across the whole day.

The Relationship Between Fat-Free Lean Mass, Energy Requirements and Macros

by Marty Kendall

Did you know that your fat-free lean mass mainly determines your energy requirements? Your body fat comes along for the ride. So the more muscle and other lean mass you have, the more you get to eat and, thus, the more nutrients you can obtain. In Professor John Blundell’s recent presentation at the Royal Society’s …

The Protein Leverage Hypothesis

by Marty Kendall

Every few years, a new popular diet promises effortless weight loss. You’ve probably heard of a few of them, like: Many people succeed when they switch to a new diet, perhaps for a while. But why? At Optimising Nutrition, we’ve been on a mission to look beyond the ‘named diets’ to understand the most powerful …

Nutrient Leverage Theory – Cluster Analysis

by Marty Kendall

Did you know nutrients come packaged in groups in the food we eat? Some nutrients, like protein, get a lot of attention for their high satiety value. But it’s not just protein that provides the satiety response, it’s all the amino acids as well as the other nutrients that come packaged with higher protein foods. …

Oxidative Priority: The Key to Unlocking Your Body Fat Stores

by Marty Kendall

To lose weight — and keep it off — it’s critical to understand how fat loss happens in your body. To help you optimise your fat loss journey, this article will teach you everything you need to know about oxidative priority (the order in which you tend to burn the fuels available to your body). …

Keto Lie #9: Calories Don’t Count

by Marty Kendall

Many find low-carb or keto almost magical in the early days. As they move away from the most hyperpalatable fat+carb combo foods, they experience greater satiety, their blood sugars and insulin levels drop, and they feel great. High-fat foods can also feel satiating, but this may be simply because they quickly provide you with a …

Keto Lie #4: Protein Should Be Avoided Due to Gluconeogenesis

by Marty Kendall

Perhaps the biggest differentiator between keto and other successful versions of a lower-carb diet like Atkins, Paleo, Bernstein, Banting, and Carnivore is the misguided fear that ‘excess protein’ keeps ketones low and insulin high through the process of gluconeogenesis. Ever since Jimmy Moore broadcasted the idea that protein could convert to sugar via gluconeogenesis and, …

What Do Top Optimisers Eat Across the Globe?

by Marty Kendall

Many people want to know what to eat to make it to the top of our Diet Quality Leaderboard in our masterclasses. Unfortunately, like many things, the answer ‘depends’. Rather than a ‘universal diet’ that is perfect for everyone, there is an infinite possibility of food combinations that you can use to solve your nutrition …

All About the Macros Masterclass [Macros Masterclass FAQ #1]

by Marty Kendall

Over the years, we’ve had a lot of questions from Optimisers as they undertake their journey to Nutritional Optimisation in the Macros Masterclass. We’ve continually mined the data and research for answers and documented the most important findings in this series of frequently asked questions. This section covers the questions many people ask in …