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<\/a><\/p>\nWhile quite a bit went into my rediscovery of my passion for science, there are 5 different moments in particular that had a pretty profound effect on me, and they all happened within a relatively short time period; and that is something I would like to share with you.<\/p>\n
“Why are GMOs bad?”<\/strong><\/p>\n I was against GMOs– \u00a0They seemed horrifying! \u00a0You see all of these memes shared on Facebook that talk about the different health risks of these “Frankenfoods,” and indeed, if you lack the any knowledge in Biology (or disregard it), GMOs must be stopped. \u00a0One day, someone asked me, “Why are GMOs bad?” \u00a0I couldn’t think of a reason off the top of my head, and went to Google it. \u00a0The strangest thing happened– \u00a0I couldn’t find a single credible resource claiming any drawbacks whatsoever (health or otherwise), but found plenty of credible, scientifically based resources proving their safety and efficacy. \u00a0I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong, and this was a time when I most certainly was. \u00a0My position has changed, and I have evidence to back me up. \u00a0(Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n “You know protein causes a spike in insulin, right?”<\/strong><\/p>\n I spent a lot of time spinning my wheels– \u00a0Years, in fact. \u00a0I wasn’t able to lose weight no matter what I would do. \u00a0For a while, I thought following an extremely low carb diet would work for me, and indeed, I saw an initial result (as everyone does), but that was it. \u00a0From reading a myriad of incorrect articles, I thought that restricting carb intake would suppress insulin release, thus turning off my body’s ability to store fat. \u00a0This would eventually, hypothetically, lead to ketosis, where my body would “burn fat” for fuel. \u00a0All of this was wrong (which I’ll address later), but I had no idea. \u00a0I explained this logic to someone on a forum, and someone else asked, “You know that protein causes a spike in insulin, right?”<\/p>\n I immediately started researching, and eventually\u00a0found a plethora of scientifically based articles proving that person’s point. \u00a0(Source 1<\/a> & Source 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n This is very similar to the next–<\/p>\n “There are several main reasons that I recommend retaining carbohydrates.”<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Layne Norton (PhD Nutritional Science) is a. . . \u00a0I don’t want to say a hero of mine, but I definitely respect him and look up to him. \u00a0I trust the information he puts out not only because of his education and experience, but because research backs his advice and recommendations.<\/p>\n That said, he has a fantastic article (more like novella) about preparing for a bodybuilding show, and right off the bat, he talks about the importance of consuming carbohydrates. \u00a0At this point in my life, I thought that bodybuilders ate no carbs to prep for a competition, and indeed, I came across this article just around the time I had become enlightened to protein’s effect on insulin. \u00a0This completely shook up my world– \u00a0For the better! \u00a0After reading the article twice through, I started reintroducing carbohydrates into my nutrition plan. \u00a0(Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n Citation Needed<\/strong><\/p>\n I had started putting a lot more energy into my research; I was also very strict, limiting myself to only reputable resources with adequate research backing it up. . . \u00a0I was also adding these resources to the end of my blog posts– \u00a0I had begun looking for sources in everything I read, so I wanted to provide those to my readers. \u00a0There’s a phenomenon that I used to believe in that basically said if you diet a while, and then have a massive cheat day, your body won’t absorb those Calories because, and I quote, “your body doesn’t know what to do with all that food.” \u00a0Someone recommended I write a blog post on that subject, and when doing research, I couldn’t find any evidence to support this claim, but mountains of evidence to the contrary. \u00a0In fact, as I’ve learned in my textbook “Nutrition (5th Edition),” the human body can absorb at least kilograms\u00a0of Carbohydrates, 500g of Fat, and 500g – 700g of Protein. \u00a0For a little perspective, that means, at an absolute minimum, your body can absorb at least 10500 Calories a day (but really, is capable of significantly more). \u00a0(Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n It’s worth noting that my notoriously insane, regularly scheduled cheat meals also helped me not lose weight.<\/p>\n Beta – Oxidation<\/strong><\/p>\n The final event– \u00a0my complete turn to the right side of The Force, came when I was studying the textbook for my NASM certification. \u00a0The book is very\u00a0science heavy (as it should be), delving into physiological topics such as biomechanics, bioenergetics, anatomy, metabolism, and much more. \u00a0The book details beta-oxidation, a\u00a0dominant metabolic pathway, and one that is\u00a0lipolytic (fat burning). \u00a0All that work to convert my body to “burn fat for fuel” by not eating carbs, and my body already did it daily. \u00a0(Source 1<\/a> & Source 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n “Zealot”<\/strong><\/p>\n What was even more amusing is that, in addition to these instances, my first science class after returning to school managed to break down all of the remaining pseudo-scientific myths that I\u00a0hadn’t yet let go of.<\/p>\n I am now so pro science that I would almost classify myself as a zealot; but I mean that in the best possible way. \u00a0If you don’t trust in science, what can you trust? \u00a0What can you believe? \u00a0If you reject science, do you think the Earth is flat? \u00a0Do you believe in the geocentric model of the Universe? \u00a0I know that’s a bit of a “Slippery Slope Fallacy,” but I maintain that it’s a fair argument– \u00a0How do you choose what science to reject and what to “believe”? \u00a0Science has done so much for humanity, continues to do so, and I want to contribute to that; I want to help spread the word, and help people achieve their goals! \u00a0Remember:<\/p>\n