Thursday, April 10, 2014

Drop the Focus on Dietary Fat intake

Good news, the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) is realizing the early conclusions of the Fat/Heart hypothesis is based on questionable 'science'.  When you enter a field based on early conclusions that were untested yet you try to build on this faulty foundation, you find more paradoxes then supporting conclusions.  This is what has happpened in our dietary guidelines. 

It looks like our best and brightest are finally working the problem. 

We goofy-ancestral-health-based advocates will no longer be in the monority.

 

Time to stop talking about low-fat, say HSPH nutrition experts

It is time to end the low-fat myth, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) nutrition experts told food industry leaders at the seventh annual World of Healthy Flavors Conference held in Napa, CA, from January 19 to 21, 2011. The conference, co-hosted by the Culinary Institute of America and HSPH, brings together nutrition researchers with representatives from schools, supermarkets, and food industry goliaths such as Burger King, The Olive Garden, and Panera Bread to share strategies for offering Americans healthier menu options.
HSPH nutrition department chair Walter Willett and associate professor of epidemiology Dariush Mozaffarian, along with Ron Krauss of Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, presented on the “Focus on Fat” panel. They encouraged audience members to avoid “low-fat” terminology and thinking, since diets low in fat are often high in sodium and carbohydrates from sources such as white flour and rice, refined snacks, and sugary drinks. Instead, the panelists said, chefs should focus on cutting trans fats from their menus and educating consumers about seeking out healthy fats.
Willett chairs the World of Healthy Flavors Scientific Advisory Committee, which also includes HSPH colleagues Frank Hu, Frank Sacks, and Eric Rimm. Hu, Rimm, David Ludwig and Nutrition Source editorial director Lilian Cheung also presented at the 2011 conference.
Read coverage of the conference (ZesterDaily)
Learn more
Principles of Healthy Menu R&D: A Focus on Fat (presentation from World of Healthy Flavors conference)
World of Healthy Flavors 2011 conference website
The Nutrition Source

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Skora Fit Review





SKORA FIT (Men's) Review


Being relatively new to running (started in 2009), I noticed that lowering stack height, lowering heel-height, and increasing ground feel added up to injury free running.  I took that to the extreme and ran barefoot, wafer thin sandals, Vibram five fingers, etc.  After dialing in my form, and increasing running economy, I added a little more foot protection to increase my speed and run more confidently on technical trails.  The SKORA FITs are just thick enough to protect my soles from the fist sized rocks scattered on the trails I run.   
My favorite feature is the upper material.  If you focus in on the material, it reminds me of a sweatshirt material with the addition of rubber dots all over.  (Protip: these rubber dots are VERY helpful on rope climbs in a Crossfit WOD). 
The build quality of these shoes is 'top-drawer, the seam between sole and upper appears bulletproof.  

The flexibility of the sole is pretty uniform the mid foot and forefoot give equally.  I always recommend matching the flexible points of a shoe to the hinge points of your foot.  This is easy to do in the FITs.  

They look good in casual dress as well ;).  Wear your flexible shoes around to grow your foot muscles especially if you're transitioning from overly supportive footwear.  


Road and Trails

A growing contingent of minimalistic runners (me included) are not too concerned with 'knobby tread' to have trail-performance.  
I can refer you to millions of years of human trail-running performance that occurred in bare feet, or moccasins.  
For a trail race in the mud, or sheets of ice I will use Katoolas or Yaktraxs.  For a training runs, or exploring, the tread on any SKORA shoes are sufficient if your form is sound.  

So far my FITs only have 200 miles on them, but that includes >40,000 of elevation gain.  The elasticity of the uppers keep my feet from sliding around in the shoes during steep downhills or sharp cornering.  They allow my feet to splay upon foot landing.  There is enough ground-feel to give me the necessary proprioception to shift weight appropriately. 
Summary
Pros
  • Durable and sticky soles
  • Comfortably elastic uppers 
  • High quality materials and construction
  • Sufficient ground feel with 'padding' for foot protection
Cons
  • Minimalist runners will think the stack height is too high - I will slip on thinner shoes to make sure certain foot muscles don't atrophy 
  • I wish the heel-cup fit the heel more snuggly
  • Won't make it into my business casual wardrobe I wear at work
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I will keep these shoes in my rotation and I can tell they will last for >1,000miles but they may make my feet lazy.  They are great for Crossfit work outs, road running and trail running.  I would recommend this shoe to 

  • Minimalist runners that are ramping up their mileage, add a thicker shoe to their rotation
  • More supportive shoe wearers looking to transition to zero-drop/thinner shoes
  • Crossfit athletes
For making it through this review.... 20% off by using discount code: skorarunning.com/user/paleorunners