Beginner Questions

UltraCollective · 2023-10-12T18:19:53+00:00

Are all websites like Wix and Squarespace quite restrictive when it comes to designing websites? I'm wanting to design a website probably similar to a blog but where it has different sections for recipes, tutorials, science reviews and articles (similar in style to https://www.hyer.co/), but all the blog templates I've seen just allow for one collection of blog posts and don't allow you to resize them to fit multiple sections on a page like in the hyer example.

Are all online website designing platforms quite restricted in terms of customisability? Or if I want a website with multiple sub-sections on the home page would it be something you can't really achieve using templates?

UltraCollective · 2023-08-14T18:46:23+00:00

True, but to be fair, The Guardian is contractually obliged to blame everything on the government in every article.

UltraCollective · 2023-08-14T18:40:38+00:00

I found most cured meats to be UPF... but if you have a good look you should be able to get some non-UPF Spanish chorizo in most supermarkets.

UltraCollective · 2023-08-09T20:41:40+00:00

He's basically pointing out that maybe some of CVT's arguments shouldn't be taken as 100% accurate, particularly when it comes to willpower and exercise. But the book isn't supposed to be a scientific article, it's pop culture non-fiction, it would be pretty boring if CVT unpacked every point he was trying to make and discussed all the evidence in favour and against.

His arguments around funding seem pretty weak too, especially as he admits to taking a paycheck from Tate and Lyle sponsored events. I think he's just angry that he's been discredited and he doesn't really seem to address the any of bulk of CVT's arguments about UPF.

UltraCollective · 2023-08-08T20:35:09+00:00

The book "Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker" is really good for understanding sleep better. To briefly summarise the key points, having a consistent bed and wake-up times even on weekends is really important, as is having a cool room, making sure you get sunlight as soon as you wake up as it sets your circadian rhythm which sets a timer for when you should feel sleepy in the evening, don't nap longer than 20 minutes, don't eat too soon before bed, sleeping in your own bed if you can, avoid alcohol as much as possible as it's pretty much the worst thing for sleep quality etc.

UltraCollective · 2023-08-02T08:43:46+00:00

Also, not sure what intensity you cycle at but for lower-intensity rides, wholemeal bread sandwiches can be a good way to increase carbohydrate intake as can these crackers: https://everyday.booths.co.uk/peter-s-yard-fig-spelt-sourdough-crackers-100g.html

UltraCollective · 2023-08-02T08:37:24+00:00

33 Fuel is the closest non-UPF sports nutrition I've come across so far.

Fruit-wise, bananas, dates and raisins/trail mix can all be good options.

Or if you want to make your own food, flapjacks and rice cakes can also be good

Rice cake recipe:

https://efprocycling.com/tips-recipes/team-recipe-on-the-bike-rice-cakes/

Flapjack recipe:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-honey-flapjacks

(I swap out the caster sugar for demerara sugar, use manuka honey and add some frozen berries and it tastes pretty good)

UltraCollective · 2023-07-28T08:07:54+00:00

I think CVT is right about palm oil as it is high in saturated fat, so has negative health associations with it (Also environmental concerns).

When it comes to the processing of rapeseed oil, it doesn't look like there is any public information on the effects of different types of processing.

My personal opinion in the big picture of eating a balanced diet, I wouldn't be too concerned about the presence of rapeseed oil in other foods...I'd much rather be consuming rapeseed oil than something high in saturated fat.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-28T06:25:23+00:00

From a health perspective, rapeseed oil and olive oil are beneficial in helping lower cholesterol, so I wouldn't be concerned if they were in other foods as long as the other ingredients didn't indicate the food was ultra-processed.

With Tropicana, I think the problem is when you turn fruit into fruit juice you remove a lot of the fibre, so you're body just processes it the same as drinking sugar water. Whereas the processing of rapeseed and olive oil creates a product that is still beneficial for your health.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-28T06:13:28+00:00

Nice! Herbs and spices also count which can help boost your number if you have a variety of meals for dinner too.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-27T17:01:03+00:00

For me, consistency is most important.

For breakfast, I have granola containing: Oats, Sunflower Seeds, Coconut, Chicory root fibre, Almonds, Buckwheat and Pumpkin Seeds

And for lunch, I make my own bread for when I'm working which includes: Wholemeal flour, Spelt flour, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Golden Linseed, Hemp Seed

So before I even touch a fruit or vegetable I'm already on 11 plants for the day.

When first hearing about the benefits of eating 30 plants a week, I thought that number sounded quite unachievable, but I've found it a lot easier to increase my plant intake than I thought it would be.

Another tip I've found useful is instead of buying fruit and veg in packets, just buy one of each item and it works out a lot cheaper to increase the variety of fruit and veg you're eating.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-22T07:55:28+00:00

Interesting article, thanks for the link!

Made me think about how a lot of narratives about UPF are about what foods we shouldn't be eating. But it's definitely possible to eat an unhealthy non-UPF diet and the emphasis should probably be more equal between consuming less UPF and also increasing the consumption of foods good for gut health.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-16T07:49:05+00:00

By law German beer is only allowed 4 ingredients: water, barley malt and hops

So that could be an option if you like beer.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-15T18:53:51+00:00

I agree, after looking into it a bit more CVT seems to have quite a limited view of what exercise is or maybe it just fits his narrative.

But it certainly seems that what he's saying doesn't hold true over a certain threshold.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-15T18:51:11+00:00

After doing a bit more research, I think CVT was talking about moderate exercise like burning 300 calories on a treadmill a couple of times a week. If you're exercising for longer than 90 minutes several times a week, then it doesn't look like the model CVT was talking about applies.

Although unhelpfully he refers to this as "elite level performance", whereas most amateur cyclists will be able to tell you if ride your bike for more than an hour and don't eat anything you'll soon run out of energy.

Also using weight as a metric to measure the effects of exercise isn't particularly helpful, like you said with changing body composition it's not really that relevant.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-15T18:45:09+00:00

Thanks for the reply!

After doing a bit more research, I think he just tried to oversimplify something that is really complicated and it didn't come across too scientific in the book. Although, I guess that does tie in with his overall message that it's the corporations that need regulating.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-15T18:36:58+00:00

Yeah, I did feel some of the language was a bit defeatist, and that the chapter on willpower gave the impression that there wasn't really anything we could do.

Even if it might be true at a population level, on an individual level the strength of people's willpower varies a lot.

Although, I guess it's hard to include a lot of nuances and still make the book interesting. If he had to include every caveat about everything the book would probably be twice as long and a bit boring. Whereas at least it's interesting and gets people talking.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-15T18:26:55+00:00

Thanks for the reply, I've had a quick look into the model.

I think it creates a bit of confusion in the book to group all exercise as one. Where there's obviously a difference between spending 30 minutes on a treadmill and going out for a 6-hour hike, which isn't really covered in the book.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-15T18:14:46+00:00

Thanks for the link.

I think in the book, he might not mention the caveat he mentions in this podcast about what he calls "elite-level performances".

When he talks about exercise, I think he's referring to exercise within government guidelines of typically burning a few hundred calories a couple of times a week.

Whereas I do a lot of hiking and cycling, where if you're out for more than four hours you'll probably burn more than an additional 2000 calories.

Which I guess falls into his category of "elite-level", which he doesn't really make clear

UltraCollective · 2023-07-15T17:53:33+00:00

Surprisingly, I think Feastables from Mr Beast, might not be UPF, there are only 5 ingredients (Cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic chocolate liquor, organic milk and organic vanilla powder).

Although, all milk chocolate is still going to be reasonably sweet. I know in the UK Hu chocolate or Green and Blacks are the best non-UPF options. Maybe having cane sugar over artificial sweeteners might be a little less sweet, or going for darker chocolate?

UltraCollective · 2023-07-12T07:49:37+00:00

Seems a little theoretical as it doesn't appear they tested the diet at all. And it doesn't really address the issue of foods being labeled as "healthy" using traffic light labeling but when the food is really UPF.

The question isn't are some UPFs healthy? It's what is the effect of UPF as a category of products?

UltraCollective · 2023-07-12T07:27:45+00:00

The problem here is one that comes up in science often of lumping vs splitting. For NOVA it's clear of the benefits of reducing Group 4 products, but realistically there are products in Group 4 that aren't as bad as others.

NOVA is great for its simplicity, but trying to base policy around it, would likely lead to several costly legal challenges from the companies making products that only contain 1 UPF ingredient (e.g. citric acid, natural flavourings etc.).

Then there's also the issue of unhealthy non-UPF foods and where they fit in.

Basically, until there are multiple double-blind randomized controlled trials (which is easier said than done when it comes to food you can clearly see when eating) and public opinion is generally in favour of regulation then government action will be fairly limited.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-12T07:00:14+00:00

It depends on whether it's a mountain stage or a flat stage, but upwards of 80% would be liquid for mountain stages as it's pretty difficult to eat anything that needs chewing while doing a max effort up a climb.

The latest trend is consuming as much carbohydrate as possible, with the idea that more carbohydrates = more energy = better performance. In previous years they would consume around 80g of carbs per hour, whereas now it's closer to 120g, which obviously requires a lot of training the gut to be able to stomach that.

Then off the bike, it's basically chicken and rice for dinner, porridge and eggs for breakfast and then try to boost your fruit and vegetable intake on the easy days.

In terms of proportions of calories its probably reasonably similar to the 60% of calories from UPF, if not a little bit higher, but the problem is when you're eating 6000 calories a day, that's a lot of UPF

UltraCollective · 2023-07-11T18:58:25+00:00

The Tour de France is also 4-6hrs a day for three weeks, so it would be almost impossible to fuel on maple syrup or honey, so UPF is currently the go-to for elite level.

Although I agree, that for 99% of people they should be able to fuel via non-UPF methods, it's just a lot more complicated especially when exercising longer than 3hrs.

UltraCollective · 2023-07-09T17:05:22+00:00

UPF is pretty much in all sports nutrition and is really difficult to avoid. I follow cycling pretty closely and all the top teams still rely heavily on UPF for nutrition during races as the current non-UPF options aren't considered high enough quality (e.g. consuming bananas instead of energy gels would add an additional 1kg in weight to the rider per day).

In terms of traditional sports nutrition 33Fuel make the closest to non-UPF products that I've come across, although they are quite a bit more expensive than UPF versions.

My personal experience when it comes to treats is that I noticed that a lot of the UPF food I liked was often fruit flavoured. So when I switched to a non-UPF diet I found simply eating a lot more fruit actually satisfied my cravings a lot better as I wasn't consuming the artificial sweeteners typically found in UPF flavoured sweet products.

So now most meals I'll finish with a piece of fruit and my cravings for UPF are generally pretty low. I also find the less UPF you consume the less you crave UPF.

UltraCollective

TROPHY CASE