Nutrition like religion and politics is one of the most controversial topics on the planet. Bodybuilders and gym enthusiasts are not immune to the dogma that still persists around certain dietary practices that still persist today. Truth is certain beloved bodybuilding nutritional institutions need to be thrown out along with the thong leotards and bodybuilding fashions of the eighties!

In this article I am going to visit some of the most long held traditions in bodybuilding culture and debunk the utility of such dietary practices. I am going to begin with what could be termed the wholly grail of bodybuilding breakfasts, or should I say holy grain!

Oatmeal: the breakfast of champions?

For decades now oatmeal for breakfast has been as synonymous with bodybuilding as dumbbells’ and barbells. On the plus side the relative lesser degree of processing of the grains of steel cut oats is a vast improvement on their boxed cousins (cornflakes, rice crispies etc.) that come loaded with sugar and little else. But the reality of the grain that has been elevated to cult status in the bodybuilding community is not so appealing at least in its placement as the first meal of the day. In order to understand this fully we need to address the circadian rhythm of one of the key hormones that directs the sleep wake cycle. A circadian rhythm is any biological process that shows an oscillating pattern in a 24 hour period.

The Circadian Rhythm of Cortisol

Many gym devotees quake in their Nikes when they hear the word “Cortisol”. Many associate cortisol with being the nemesis of muscle building. This can be true in certain situations but like most things in life Cortisol is a double edged sword. Too much of it at the wrong time can sabotage your bodybuilding goals, not enough of it at the right time and you don’t have enough energy to get out of bed let alone go do a workout!

Cortisol starts to climb in the early hours of the morning around 4am to 6 am. This wakes you up and fires up energy production. Now if you go and ingest a bowl of oatmeal which is essentially carbohydrate this quashes the cortisol and causes a release of serotonin which makes you relaxed and sleepy. Now why would you not want to harness the energising qualities of cortisol at this time of the day? Do you want to be relaxed and sleepy for your mornings work or wide awake and alert?

Food Intolerance

The second issue with oatmeal or porridge as we Irish like to call it is its ability to induce an intolerance reaction. You see Oats although technically a gluten free grain are prone to cross contamination during the milling and transport process. Many studies have been done to demonstrate this. (1)

Also Oats have been shown to illicit a phenomenon call Cross-Reactivity. This is where some of the amino acid sequences in the protein structures of the oats are so similar to gluten that the body recognises them as such. (2)

What we also need to remember is that gluten sensitivity is not confined to celiac patients. It is estimated that over 70% of Caucasians have an issue with Gluten. So is Oatmeal the breakfast of champions? Not so much. Unless perhaps you are a Japanese Gym rat (or some other ethnicity not prone to gluten sensitivity) taking a duvet day.

Egg Whites: A body building staple?

No more than the humble (and now dethroned) oatmeal egg whites have enjoyed a distinguished career as the most versatile and convenient protein sources. Throw them raw into your shakes to boost protein content, make pancakes with them, or fry/scramble them on a non- stick pan to make a meal in minutes that’s low carb and fat free! How does it get better than that? Not so fast! On paper the egg white looks like every body builders dream but looking beyond the calories, protein content and lack of fat we see the dark side of this bodybuilding staple.

Divide and Conquer

Somewhere back in bodybuilding mythology somebody somewhere thought it was a good idea to separate the yolk from the white and get rid of that pesky fat. Eureka! Another fat free protein rich source was born. Trying to beat or better Mother Nature invariably backfires. You see Mother Nature in creating the delectable egg created such a symphony of perfect nutritional harmony that a mere calorie and macronutrient analysis could not come close to defining its genius. Egg whites without the yolks are like a night without the day or a top without a bottom. It just doesn’t really work. You see egg whites contain a protein called Avidin which strongly binds to a key B vitamin called Biotin. Biotin is necessary for cell growth, fatty acid synthesis, the metabolism of fats and amino acids and even gene stability. Raw egg whites have the greatest capacity to bind to Biotin but cooked egg whites maintain up to 70% capacity to bind with Biotin. (3) Eating a diet rich in egg whites for prolonged periods (and some body builders eat them daily!) could cause severe Biotin deficiency. Egg yolks on the other hand not only have a vast array of nutrients like the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, folate, phosphorus, selenium and carotenoids they also contain Biotin that can mitigate the inherent problems of Avidin.

Egg Whites also contain a glycoprotein called Ovotransferrin (also known as conalbumin) which binds to Iron this gives the egg antimicrobial properties. How much of it is denatured in cooking is not fully known. The egg yolks however supply iron to once again offset this. In conclusion the best way to eat an egg is whole with the whites cooked and the yolks runny.

Tuna

If egg whites are considered bodybuilding’s most versatile protein then tins of tuna fish are probably considered the most portable and cost effective. Find yourself in a jam needing a meal? No problem. Just peel off the lid and eat straight out of the can! High in protein. Low in calories and fat. What’s not to like? Well for starters tuna fish are described as one of the top feeders of the ocean and in a process known as bio-magnification they concentrate the toxins from the smaller fish they eat. One of those toxins is mercury, one of the most toxic of all metals. Depending on which government data base you check the recommendation is to have no more than 1 small serving every 4 to 11 days depending on the type of tuna ( yellowtail Vs. Skipjack for example). Many bodybuilders eat several cans of tuna a day let alone the monthly tally! Mercury is a potent neurotoxin with severe deleterious effects and we would do well to avoid it where possible.

The second issue with tuna is that more often than not it comes in a can. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a compound found in the can lining. It’s another insidious toxin linked to breast and prostate cancer and infertility to mention but a few. In one study 57% of canned foods contained BPA at toxic levels (4). The Environmental Working Group which analyses research in the public interest sites over 20 research papers showing BPA toxicity. (5)

So maybe it’s now time to review the use of some of these classic bodybuilding food choices. At the end of the day if your food choices don’t contribute to your health they won’t contribute to your training or physique goals either.

References:

1)    Thompson T. Gluten contamination of commercial oat products in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2004; 351(19):2021-2022

2)    Silano M, Dessì M, De Vincenzi M, Cornell H. In Vitro tests indicate that certain varieties of oats may be harmful to patients with coeliac disease. J Gastroenterol Hematol, 2007; 22:528-531

3)    DURANCE, T. D. (1 May 1991). “Residual Avidin Activity in Cooked Egg White Assayed with Improved Sensitivity”. Journal of Food Science 56 (3): 707–709

4)   Source: Chemical analyses of 97 canned foods by Southern Testing and Research Division of Microbac Laboratories, Inc., North Carolina.

5)    http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola